bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Compared With Heparin for Preventing Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Tian Yong , Pan Tao , Wen Xudong , Ao Guangyu , Ma Yihan , Liu Xiaoxiao , Liu Rui , Ran Hongmei
Published: May 2023

A high rate of thromboembolism and a high risk of death have been reported regarding hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recently, we noticed that clinicians in some comparative studies used direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to prevent thromboembolism in patients with COVID-19. However, it is uncertain whether DOACs are better than recommended heparin for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Therefore, a direct comparison of the prophylactic effects and safety between DOACs and heparin is needed. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from 2019 to December 1, 2022. Randomized controlled trials or retrospective studies comparing the efficacy or safety of DOACs with that of heparin in preventing thromboembolism for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were included. We assessed endpoints and publication bias using Stata 14.0. Five studies comprising 1360 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate cases were identified in the databases. Comparing the embolism incidence, we found that DOACs had a better effect than heparin, mainly low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), in preventing thromboembolism (risk ratio [RR] = 0.63, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.43-0.91], P = 0.014). Considering safety, DOACs resulted in less bleeding than heparin during hospitalization (RR = 0.52, 95% CI [0.11-2.44], P = 0.411). Similar mortality was discovered in the 2 groups (RR = 0.94, 95% CI [0.59-1.51], P = 0.797). In noncritically hospitalized patients with COVID-19, DOACs are superior to heparin, even LMWH, in preventing thromboembolism. Compared with heparin, DOACs have a lower trend of bleeding and yield a similar mortality rate. Therefore, DOACs may be a better alternative for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.
The Logic of Posthuman Inquiry: Affirmative Politics, Validity, and Futurities
Authors: Pratt Scott L. , Rosiek Jerry Lee
Published: May 2023

Empirical research informed by posthumanist philosophy is proliferating in the social sciences. This research takes many forms and is willfully pluralistic and creative in the analytic approaches it takes. The innovation, however, is not entirely free form. Posthumanist scholarship both employs familiar forms of inference and is also forwarding a distinctive array of inferential practices that until now have not been commonly present in mainstream/whitestream social sciences. Attending to the logic of emerging posthumanist empiricism can help clarify the affirmative ethics and politics of posthumanist inquiry. This essay offers that a modal, dialethic, paraconsistent logic of action is more suited to posthumanist inquiry than a classical logic of representation. This logic of action locates validity not with the accuracy of representations, but in the specific character of the futurities enabled and disabled by the ontologically generative action of inquiry. Implications for an axiology of posthumanist empiricism are explored.
Risks of Severe Assault and Intimate Partner Homicide among Transgender and Gender Diverse Intimate Partner Violence Survivors: Preliminary Findings from Community Listening Sessions
Authors: Sherman Athena D. F. , Peitzmeier Sarah , Cimino Andrea N. , Balthazar Monique , Klepper Meredith , Chand Arzina T. , Lawrence Carissa , Allure Kisha , Slink Grayson , Campbell Jacquelyn C.
Published: May 2023

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an epidemic among transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. However, intimate partner homicide (IPH) among TGD people is under researched. Thus, thematic content analysis was used to describe and examine antecedents of severe assault and IPH among TGD adults who have experienced IPV (N  =  13), via community listening sessions. While some themes resembled known severe assault and IPH risks among cisgender women, several themes were unique to TGD people and should be considered when safety planning with TGD individuals or adapting IPV screening tools for this population.
A Protocol to Assess Contextual Factors During Program Impact Evaluation: A Case Study of a STEM Gender Equity Intervention in Higher Education
Authors: Nobrega Suzanne , Edwards Kasper , El Ghaziri Mazen , Giacobbe Lauren , Rice Serena , Punnett Laura
Published: May 2023

Program evaluations that lack experimental design often fail to produce evidence of impact because there is no available control group. Theory-based evaluations can generate evidence of a program's causal effects if evaluators collect evidence along the theorized causal chain and identify possible competing causes. However, few methods are available for assessing competing causes in the program environment. Effect Modifier Assessment (EMA) is a method previously used in smaller-scale studies to assess possible competing causes of observed changes following an intervention. In our case study of a university gender equity intervention, EMA generated useful evidence of competing causes to augment program evaluation. Top-down administrative culture, poor experiences with hiring and promotion, and workload were identified as impeding forces that might have reduced program benefits. The EMA addresses a methodological gap in theory-based evaluation and might be useful in a variety of program settings.
Behind the Counter: Exploring Pharmacists’ Stressors and Lessons Learned During the Pandemic in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Zahoor Zoha , Papadopoulos Andrew , Nowrouzi-Kia Behdin , Ibrahim Patty , Tadrous Mina , Gohar Basem
Published: May 2023

Background:

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased stress among healthcare professionals. Among these healthcare providers are Ontario pharmacists, who are facing new and pre-existing challenges and new stressors since the pandemic.

Objectives:

This study aimed to understand the stressors and lessons learned by Ontario pharmacists during the pandemic through their lived experiences.

Methods:

In this descriptive qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews with Ontario pharmacists virtually to learn about their stressors and lessons learned during the pandemic. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, then analyzed using thematic analysis

Findings:

We reached data saturation after 15 interviews and identified 5 main themes: (1) Communication/miscommunication with the public and other care providers; (2) high workload due to staff shortage and low appreciation/acknowledgement; (3) mismatch in market demand and supply; (4) informational gaps pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic along with rapid protocol changes; and (5) lessons learned to improve the future of pharmacy practice in Ontario.

Discussion:

Our study helped us gain a better understanding of the stressors pharmacists faced, their contributions, and the opportunities that arose due to the pandemic.

Conclusion:

Drawing on these experiences, this study provides recommendations to improve pharmacy practice and increase preparedness for future emergencies.
Responsible tourists in the time of Covid-19?
Authors: Heimtun Bente , Viken Arvid
Published: May 2023

COVID-19 effectively stopped tourism mobilities for a time. Theoretically, this qualitative study draws on the notion of responsibility, as in responsibility to act and responsibility to Otherness. We explore how, during the pandemic, Norwegian tourists dealt with infection preventive measures, how they changed travel habits and how the pandemic transformed their thinking on tourism and climate change. The tourists were loyal citizens adhering to the authorities’ measures and refrained from international holidays, thereby taking responsibility for the governmentally enforced dugnad (collective efforts). This temporal change in travel habits, however, was not expected to become the new normal, as warmer, southern destinations were still desired. Culturally embedded neoliberal values of freedom of movement were, for most of these tourists, stronger than the threat of climate crisis. Fatalistically, we conclude that COVID-19 did not have the power to transform their mind-sets regarding responsible tourism futures and free them from neoliberal shackles.
‘Words have a charge’: six moments from a dialogue
Authors: Bhabha Homi K. , Emerling Jae
Published: May 2023

This conversation contains ‘moments’ from a dialogue between the esteemed scholar Homi K Bhabha and Journal of Visual Culture editor Jae Emerling that took place at Harvard University on 7 March 2022. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations of the journal’s founding, it was essential to include voices whose work, presence within the world, and poetic insights traverse the entirety of visual culture studies. Bhabha is certainly such a voice for our Editorial Collective, past and present. The goal of this open dialogue, if there is a single one, was to have a real conversation about Bhabha’s vital current projects, which address the socio-economic, political, and cultural dangers facing all of us. But it is also a hopeful discussion about the ‘survival’ of the theoretical humanities in the 21st century. We hope that it reads as dialogic-radiating lines passing through the singular points that shape the history of our present, while always remaining open and attentive to the unforeseen actualizations of the past–future events that compose each of us individually and collectively.
Can This Provider Be Trusted? A Review of the Role of Trustworthiness in the Provision of Community-Based Services for Intimate Partner Violence Survivors
Authors: Kennedy Angie C. , Prock Kristen A. , Adams Adrienne E. , Littwin Angela , Meier Elizabeth , Saba Jessica , Vollinger Lauren
Published: May 2023

While there is a growing literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors and service providers, it is limited by its largely atheoretical and descriptive nature, and its emphasis on individual-level survivors’ help-seeking. We seek to broaden our understanding by shifting the focus onto organizations and service systems and introducing the concept of these providers’ trustworthiness toward survivors. Provider trustworthiness in delivering services includes benevolence (locally available and caring), fairness (accessible to all and non-discriminatory), and competence (acceptable and effective in meeting survivors’ needs). Guided by this conceptualization, we conducted an integrative review drawing on four databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, and Westlaw. We identified studies for inclusion that were published between January 2005 and March 2022, and we examined the trustworthiness of community-based providers serving adult IPV survivors in the United States, including domestic violence services, health and mental health care, the legal system, and economic support services ( N = 114). Major findings include (1) many survivors live in communities with no shelter beds, mental health care, or affordable housing; (2) many services are inaccessible because they lack, for example, bilingual staff, sliding fees, or telehealth options; (3) too many providers are harmful or discriminatory toward survivors, especially those who are, for example, sexual or gender minorities, immigrants or non-English-speaking, poor, or Native, Black, or Latinx; (4) many providers appear to be incompetent, lack evidence-based training, and are ineffective in meeting survivors’ needs. We call on researchers, advocates, and providers to examine provider trustworthiness, and we offer an introduction to measuring it.
From Brand to Genre: The Hallmark Movie
Authors: Braithwaite Andrea
Published: May 2023

Hallmark movies are a hit. While most broadcast networks in the United States and Canada are struggling to maintain an audience, Hallmark has launched three additional cable networks and services in the past four years. Much of this success can be attributed to Hallmark’s investment—both ideological and economic—in the made-for-TV movie, a form of programing that Hallmark has re-popularized and re-branded—and transformed into a genre. To work through my suggestion that we consider the Hallmark movie as a genre, in the same way we can speak productively about the Western or the buddy cop film, I examine: the structure and content of the Hallmark movie formula; the movies’ use of studio system-style production practices; and fan discourses and fan-made content. In re-visiting the Hallmark made-for-TV movie as a genre, we can gain greater insight into how both genres and media companies are navigating the digital media environment.
Temporal Dispersions of Disgust: Or, Reconceiving Genre Through Direct-to-Video Horror
Authors: Benson-Allott Caetlin
Published: May 2023

Many scholars have noted that the US video rental boom of the mid-1980s led to a surge in horror production, yet few acknowledge that these features were not in fact films. Direct-to-video (DTV) horror movies like Breeders–The Sexual Invasion and Video Violence were not made for and never received theatrical release, yet they were repeatedly pilloried as failed films. Dispensing with the preconception that DTV movies would or should follow the same genre norms as films, this essay argues that DTV horror movies demonstrate their creators’ exploration and creation of a new medium. The conventions of 1980s DTV horror are not the same as those of contemporaneous US horror films, and contrasting them shows how genre helped DTV creators develop the automatisms of videotape and how DTV horror can help scholars identify the norms and logic of contemporary on-demand culture.
Yiqi Chutan Formula Reverses Cisplatin-Induced Apoptosis and Ferroptosis of Skeletal Muscle by Alleviating Oxidative Stress
Authors: Wu Yingchao , Pi Dajin , Zhou Shuyao , Wang Wuhong , Ye Huan , Yi Zhongjia , Chen Yiliu , Ouyang Mingzi
Published: May 2023

Background:

Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug in clinic, but it has a damaging effect on skeletal muscle cells. Clinical observation showed that Yiqi Chutan formula (YCF) had a alleviating effect on cisplatin toxicity.

Methods:

In vitro cell model and in vivo animal model were used to observe the damage effect of cisplatin on skeletal muscle cells and verify that YCF reversed cisplatin induced skeletal muscle damage. The levels of oxidative stress, apoptosis and ferroptosis were measured in each group.

Results:

Both in vitro and in vivo studies have confirmed that cisplatin increases the level of oxidative stress in skeletal muscle cells, thus inducing cell apoptosis and ferroptosis. YCF treatment can effectively reverse cisplatin induced oxidative stress in skeletal muscle cells, thereby alleviating cell apoptosis and ferroptosis, and ultimately protecting skeletal muscle.

Conclusions:

YCF reversed cisplatin-induced apoptosis and ferroptosis of skeletal muscle by alleviating oxidative stress.
A stochastic jump model applied to collaborative queue-based high energy laser defense
Authors: Kracman Mitchell M
Published: May 2023

High energy lasers (HELs) are evolving to provide an effective solution for air and missile defense. The emergence of this technology comes at a similar time to the development of cooperative and collaborative defense systems that collect and communicate data to inform decisions. This paper proposes a stochastic jump method for modeling the performance of networked HELs, defending against aerial threats which follow a queueing methodology. By drawing on an existing method that quantifies performance using the sum of sojourn times in a stochastic jump process, the model can predict the probability of survival when multiple effectors are tasked in defending against an arbitrary number of threats. The model can be applied more generally to processes with both waiting time–dependent service and finite existence. Furthermore, a new HEL counteraction probability model is developed to enable the demonstration and comparison of three different system collaboration methods in a future warfare application. Results suggest the prevailing superimposing laser strategy may be less effective than simple one-to-one allocation of lasers to threats. There may also be merit in targeting separate components of a threat’s structure.
Sex Differences in Patient-Reported Outcomes and Range of Motion After Total Ankle Arthroplasty
Authors: McGurk Kathy M. , Scott Daniel J. , Hoch Caroline , Usuelli Federico G. , Hsu Andrew , Gross Christopher E.
Published: May 2023

Background

As the popularity of total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) increases, there is a growing need to examine the effects of sex on postoperative outcomes. This study compares patient-reported outcome measures and ankle range of motion (ROM) in the postoperative period, as stratified by sex.

Methods

Patients who underwent TAA during 2013 to 2018 with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were included (N = 133). American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Ankle-Hindfoot Score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and 12-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-12) were administered preoperatively and at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively. ROM was recorded at these same time points.

Results

Preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively, the cohorts did not differ in any of the measured outcomes. At 1 year postoperatively, females had lower SF-12 Physical Composite Scores (female = 44.1, male = 47.1, P = .019) and less plantarflexion (female = 20.5 degrees, male = 23.5 degrees, P = .029). By 2 years postoperative, females had lower AOFAS scores (female = 80.3, male = 85.4, P = .040). A greater complication rate amongst the female cohort approached significance at 18.6% versus 9% for males (P = .124).

Discussion

These results support TAA as a reliable means of treating ankle arthritis in both sexes, despite important differences. Understanding these outcome differences is critical for effectively managing expectations and treating both female and male populations.

Levels of Evidence:

Level III: Retrospective cohort study
Not the norm: Face likeness is not the same as similarity to familiar face prototypes
Authors: Balas Benjamin , Sandford Adam , Ritchie Kay
Published: May 2023

Face images depicting the same individual can differ substantially from one another. Ecological variation in pose, expression, lighting, and other sources of appearance variability complicates the recognition and matching of unfamiliar faces, but acquired familiarity leads to the ability to cope with these challenges. Among the many ways that face of the same individual can vary, some images are judged to be better likenesses of familiar individuals than others. Simply put, these images look more like the individual under consideration than others. But what does it mean for an image to be a better likeness than another? Does likeness entail typicality, or is it something distinct from this? We examined the relationship between the likeness of face images and the similarity of those images to average images of target individuals using a set of famous faces selected for reciprocal familiarity/unfamiliarity across US and UK participants. We found that though likeness judgments are correlated with similarity-to-prototype judgments made by both familiar and unfamiliar participants, this correlation was smaller than the correlation between similarity judgments made by different participant groups. This implies that while familiarity weakens the relationship between likeness and similarity-to-prototype judgments, it does not change similarity-to-prototype judgments to the same degree.
The Pluralization of Feminist Hashtag Landscapes: An Exploratory Mapping of Feminist Hashtags on Portuguese Instagram
Authors: Caldeira Sofia P.
Published: May 2023

Feminist hashtags are often studied in the context of concise and highly visible hashtag movements. However, most social media and hashtag use exist outside the narrow confines of such movements. This article broadens the scope of exploration of hashtag feminisms, encompassing not only well-defined hashtag movements but also generic hashtags where feminist action might not be overtly or strategically mobilized. It grounds these explorations on the mapping of the Portuguese landscape of feminist hashtags on Instagram. Starting from four hashtags—#feminismoportugal, #igualdadedegénero, #naopartilhes, and #portugalmaisigual—this study explores hashtagging practices in 294 posts created by 101 users. Combining the analysis of a hashtag co-occurrences network with qualitative close readings, this article explores how these online practices incorporate varied typologies of fourth-wave feminist action, how a focus on intersectionality can be conducive to a heterogeneous and differentiated hashtag landscape, and how questions of effectiveness of hashtag activism can be problematized by low metrics of engagement. As such, this exploration of the Portuguese feminist hashtag landscape serves as an entry point for a critical reflection on the everyday uses of feminist hashtags, illustrating the tensions, complexities, and contradictions that such pluralized hashtag landscapes can encompass.
Partisan selective exposure and politically polarized attitudes toward disruptive protest
Authors: Lorenzano Kyle John , Moon Soo Jung , Borah Porismita
Published: May 2023

While many Americans support the right to protest, increased animus has recently been directed at protesters themselves, often along partisan ideological lines and in partisan media content. However, there is a lack of research on attitudes toward treatment of protesters in the context of political violence and selective exposure to likeminded partisan sources of information. This study finds that a significant, positive relationship exists between self-identified Republicans and thinking that disruptive protesters deserve to be “roughed up,” while identifying as a Democrat produced a negative relationship in the same circumstance. Likewise, consumption of conservative partisan media was found to have a positive relationship with the idea of “roughing up” disruptive protesters, while liberal partisan media was found to have a negative relationship. However, selective exposure to attitude-affirming media only had a significant impact among self-identified Democrats, in the sense that Democrats’ selective exposure to left-leaning media was associated with less support for “roughing up” disruptive protesters.
The Rising Sun Flag at the Olympics: Determining South Koreans’ Perspectives Using Semantic Network Analysis
Authors: Choi Joohyun , Park Kwangho
Published: May 2023

The political conflicts between South Korea (from now on, Korea) and Japan occurred whenever the Rising Sun Flag (RSF) appeared at sporting events. This study investigates why Koreans react sensitively to the RSF and how Koreans perceive the RSF. This study gathers the data using TEXTOM, a big data text mining program and uses UCINET 6 to conduct a semantic network analysis for drawing diagrams of social networks. This study confirmed that the RSF reminds Koreans of Japanese militarism and the colonial period; thus, displaying the RSF in sports is problematic from the Korean perspective. This paper contributes to the literature on mega sport event-related politics and provides academic evidence that supports prohibiting the use of RSF at sporting events. This study also serves to raise awareness of how the use of symbols can be embedded with historical associations and politically sensitive at sporting events.
Non-cirrhotic Portal Hypertension as the Initial Presentation of Limited Cutaneous Scleroderma: A Case Report
Authors: Hitawala Asif Ali , Redmond Christopher , Cowen Edward W. , Kleiner David E. , Hasni Sarfaraz , Heller Theo
Published: May 2023

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by progressive skin fibrosis. It has 2 main clinical subtypes—diffuse cutaneous scleroderma and limited cutaneous scleroderma. Non-cirrhotic portal hypertension (NCPH) is defined as presence of elevated portal vein pressures without cirrhosis. It is often a manifestation of an underlying systemic disease. On histopathology, NCPH may be found to be secondary to multiple abnormalities such as nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH) and obliterative portal venopathy. There have been reports of NCPH in patients with both subtypes of SSc secondary to NRH. However, simultaneous presence of obliterative portal venopathy has not been reported. We present a case of NCPH due to NRH and obliterative portal venopathy as a presenting sign of limited cutaneous scleroderma. The patient was initially found to have pancytopenia and splenomegaly and was erroneously labeled as cirrhosis. She underwent workup to rule out leukemia, which was negative. She was referred to our clinic and diagnosed with NCPH. Due to pancytopenia, she could not be started on immunosuppressive therapy for her SSc. Our case describes the presence of these unique pathological findings in the liver and highlights the importance of an aggressive search for an underlying condition in all patients diagnosed with NCPH.
Translation, Validity, and Reliability of the Indonesian Version of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Return to Sport After Injury Scale
Authors: Deviandri Romy , van der Veen Hugo C. , Lubis Andri M.T. , Postma Maarten J. , Akker-Scheek Inge van den
Published: May 2023

Background:

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament–Return to Sport After Injury (ACL-RSI) scale measures athletes’ emotion, confidence, and risk appraisal when returning to sports after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and/or ACL reconstruction (ACLR).

Purpose:

To translate the ACL-RSI into the Indonesian language and to assess its validity and reliability in Indonesian-speaking patients after ACLR.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

After a forward-and-backward translation procedure, the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the ACL-RSI (I-ACL-RSI) were investigated. Patients who had undergone ACLR at a single hospital were asked to complete 4 questionnaires: I-ACL-RSI, Injury–Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, and International Knee Documentation Committee. After a 2-week interval, patients were asked to complete the I-ACL-RSI a second time. Following the COSMIN reporting guidelines (Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments), we determined construct validity using hypothesis testing, as well as test-retest reliability, internal consistency, floor and ceiling effects, and measurement error.

Results:

Of 200 eligible patients, 102 (51%) were included in the analysis. All predefined hypotheses on correlations between the I-ACL-RSI and the other questionnaires were confirmed, indicating good construct validity. An intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.90 (2-way random, type agreement) was found for the first and second I-ACL-RSI scores, indicating good test-retest reliability. A Cronbach α of 0.95 indicated good internal consistency, and no floor or ceiling effects were found. The standard error of measurement was 3.9, with the minimal detectable change calculated as 10.9 points at the individual level and 1.1 points at the group level.

Conclusion:

Based on the study findings, the I-ACL-RSI can be considered a valid and reliable questionnaire for Indonesian-speaking patients after ACL injury and/or ACLR.
The Association of Multimorbidity With Whole Health Activities Among Adults in the United States: Evidence From the NHIS and BRFSS
Authors: Neba Rolake A. , Warner Mayela , Manning Sydney E. , Wiener R. Constance , Sambamoorthi Usha
Published: May 2023

Background

Whole health is a holistic approach encompassing integrative medicine, emotional, and spiritual health and is critical to improving health outcomes among individuals with multimorbidity.

Objective

To examine the prevalence of Whole Health activities and the association of multimorbidity and Whole Health activities using nationally representative datasets.

Methods

As no single dataset has information on Whole Health self-care activities, data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey (n = 25 134) was used to measure participants’ mind-body therapy usage, sleep, mental health, and physical activity. We used the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 347 029) to assess regular vegetable and/or fruit consumption.

Results

A significantly lower percentage of adults with multimorbidity had adequate sleep (58.2%vs.67.1%), no psychological distress (71.8%vs.82.1%), adequate physical activity (48.2%vs.62.1%), and regular vegetable and/or fruit consumption (54.2%vs.56.6%) compared to those without multimorbidity. Although lower percentages of adults with multimorbidity utilized mind-body therapies (22.9%vs.25.2%), the association was reversed when adjusted for socioeconomic factors. In the fully adjusted models, adults with multimorbidity were more likely to use mind-body therapies (AOR = 1.19, 95%CI = 1.09, 1.31). Furthermore, when adjusting for other independent variables, the associations of multimorbidity with sleep, psychological distress, and diet were exacerbated, and the association of multimorbidity with physical activity was attenuated.

Conclusion

Adults with multimorbidity were less likely to engage in most of the Whole Health activities except mind-body therapies compared to the no multimorbidity group. Findings suggest that adjustment for other factors such as age and socioeconomic status changed the magnitude and direction of the association of multimorbidity with Whole Health activities.
Awake prone positioning in acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure
Authors: McNicholas Bairbre A. , Ibarra-Estrada Miguel , Perez Yonatan , Li Jie , Pavlov Ivan , Kharat Aileen , Vines David L. , Roca Oriol , Cosgrave David , Guerin Claude , Ehrmann Stephan , Laffey John G.
Published: May 2023

Awake prone positioning (APP) of patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure gained considerable attention during the early phases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, reports of APP were limited to case series in patients with influenza and in immunocompromised patients, with encouraging results in terms of tolerance and oxygenation improvement. Prone positioning of awake patients with acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure appears to result in many of the same physiological changes improving oxygenation seen in invasively ventilated patients with moderate–severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. A number of randomised controlled studies published on patients with varying severity of COVID-19 have reported apparently contrasting outcomes. However, there is consistent evidence that more hypoxaemic patients requiring advanced respiratory support, who are managed in higher care environments and who can be prone for several hours, benefit most from APP use. We review the physiological basis by which prone positioning results in changes in lung mechanics and gas exchange and summarise the latest evidence base for APP primarily in COVID-19. We examine the key factors that influence the success of APP, the optimal target populations for APP and the key unknowns that will shape future research.
Furin as a therapeutic target in cystic fibrosis airways disease
Authors: Douglas Lisa E.J. , Reihill James A. , Montgomery Bethany M. , Martin S. Lorraine
Published: May 2023

Clinical management of cystic fibrosis (CF) has been greatly improved by the development of small molecule modulators of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). These drugs help to address some of the basic genetic defects of CFTR; however, no suitable CFTR modulators exist for 10% of people with CF (PWCF). An alternative, mutation-agnostic therapeutic approach is therefore still required. In CF airways, elevated levels of the proprotein convertase furin contribute to the dysregulation of key processes that drive disease pathogenesis. Furin plays a critical role in the proteolytic activation of the epithelial sodium channel; hyperactivity of which causes airways dehydration and loss of effective mucociliary clearance. Furin is also responsible for the processing of transforming growth factor-β, which is increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from PWCF and is associated with neutrophilic inflammation and reduced pulmonary function. Pathogenic substrates of furin includePseudomonasexotoxin A, a major toxic product associated withPseudomonas aeruginosainfection and the spike glycoprotein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the causative pathogen for coronavirus disease 2019. In this review we discuss the importance of furin substrates in the progression of CF airways disease and highlight selective furin inhibition as a therapeutic strategy to provide clinical benefit to all PWCF.
Comparison of environmental intolerances and symptoms between patients with multiple chemical sensitivity, subjects with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity, patients with bronchial asthma, and the general population
Authors: Mizukoshi Atsushi , Hojo Sachiko , Azuma Kenichi , Mizuki Masami , Miyata Mikio , Ogura Hideo , Sakabe Kou , Tsurikisawa Naomi , Oshikata Chiyako , Okumura Jiro
Published: April 2023

Background

Environmental hypersensitivity/intolerance is considered closely related to allergic diseases. To understand these conditions, the environmental intolerances and symptoms of patients with multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), subjects with self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), patients with bronchial asthma (BA), and the general population were compared using universal questionnaires.

Methods

A survey was conducted from 2012 to 2015. The subjects were categorized in four groups: 111 patients with physician-diagnosed MCS, 119 subjects with self-reported EHS, patients with 98 physician-diagnosed BA, and 619 controls from general population. The Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory and EHS questionnaire were used. The differences between the questionnaire scores among the four groups were tested using logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and gender as covariates.

Results

The MCS and EHS groups had significantly high scores of intolerances to multiple environmental factors, life impact, and multiple symptoms than the BA and control groups. Although the differences between most of these scores of the MCS and EHS groups were not significant, the electromagnetic hypersensitivity reaction was significantly higher in the EHS group than in the MCS group. In addition, the scores for intolerances to chemicals and other compounds, life impact, and several symptoms of the BA group were significantly higher than those of the control group.

Conclusions

This study clarified the similarities and differences of the environmental intolerances and symptoms between the four groups.
CAGECAT: The CompArative GEne Cluster Analysis Toolbox for rapid search and visualisation of homologous gene clusters
Authors: van den Belt Matthias , Gilchrist Cameron , Booth Thomas J. , Chooi Yit-Heng , Medema Marnix H. , Alanjary Mohammad
Published: May 2023

Background

Co-localized sets of genes that encode specialized functions are common across microbial genomes and occur in genomes of larger eukaryotes as well. Important examples include Biosynthetic Gene Clusters (BGCs) that produce specialized metabolites with medicinal, agricultural, and industrial value (e.g. antimicrobials). Comparative analysis of BGCs can aid in the discovery of novel metabolites by highlighting distribution and identifying variants in public genomes. Unfortunately, gene-cluster-level homology detection remains inaccessible, time-consuming and difficult to interpret.

Results

The comparative gene cluster analysis toolbox (CAGECAT) is a rapid and user-friendly platform to mitigate difficulties in comparative analysis of whole gene clusters. The software provides homology searches and downstream analyses without the need for command-line or programming expertise. By leveraging remote BLAST databases, which always provide up-to-date results, CAGECAT can yield relevant matches that aid in the comparison, taxonomic distribution, or evolution of an unknown query. The service is extensible and interoperable and implements the cblaster and clinker pipelines to perform homology search, filtering, gene neighbourhood estimation, and dynamic visualisation of resulting variant BGCs. With the visualisation module, publication-quality figures can be customized directly from a web-browser, which greatly accelerates their interpretation via informative overlays to identify conserved genes in a BGC query.

Conclusion

Overall, CAGECAT is an extensible software that can be interfaced via a standard web-browser for whole region homology searches and comparison on continually updated genomes from NCBI. The public web server and installable docker image are open source and freely available without registration at: https://cagecat.bioinformatics.nl.
Identification, evolution and expression analyses of the whole genome-wide PEBP gene family in Brassica napus L.
Authors: Li Yanling , Xiao Lu , Zhao Zhi , Zhao Hongping , Du Dezhi
Published: May 2023

Background

With the release of genomic data forB.rapa,B.oleracea,andB.napus, research on the genetic and molecular functions ofBrassicaspp. has entered a new stage.PEBPgenes in plants play an important role in the transition to flowering as well as seed development and germination. Molecular evolutionary and functional analyses of thePEBPgene family inB.napusbased on molecular biology methods can provide a theoretical basis for subsequent investigations of related regulators.

Results

In this paper,we identified a total of 29PEBPgenes fromB.napusthat were located on 14 chromosomes and 3 random locations. Most members contained 4 exons and 3 introns; motif 1 and motif 2 were the characteristic motifs ofPEBPmembers. On the basis of intraspecific and interspecific collinearity analyses, it is speculated that fragment replication and genomic replication are the main drivers of for the amplification and evolution of thePEBPgene in theB.napusgenome. The results of promotercis-elements prediction suggest thatBnPEBPfamily genes are inducible promoters, which may directly or indirectly participate in multiple regulatory pathways of plant growth cycle. Furthermore, the tissue-specific expression results show that the expression levels ofBnPEBPfamily genes in different tissues were quite different, but the gene expression organization and patterns of the same subgroup were basically the same. qRT‒PCR revealed certain spatiotemporal patterns in the expression of thePEBPsubgroups in roots, stems, leaves, buds, and siliques, was tissue-specific, and related to function.

Conclusions

A systematic comparative analysis of theB.napus PEBPgene family was carried out at here. The results of gene identification, phylogenetic tree construction, structural analysis, gene duplication analysis, prediction of promotercis-elements and interacting proteins, and expression analysis provide a reference for exploring the molecular mechanisms ofBnPEBPfamily genes in future research.
Contrasting effects of experiencing temporally heterogeneous light availability versus homogenous shading on plant subsequent responses to light conditions
Authors: Wang Deng , Wang Shu , Li Li-Xia , Wang Ye-She , Ling-Hu Ke-Nian , Chen Jia-Xing
Published: May 2023

Temporally heterogeneous environments is hypothesized to correlate with greater plasticity of plants, which has rarely been supported by direct evidence. To address this issue, we subjected three species from different ranges of habitats to a first round of alternating full light and heavy shading (temporally heterogeneous light experience), constant moderate shading and full light conditions (temporally homogeneous light experiences, control) and a second round of light-gradient treatments. We measured plant performance in a series of morphological, biomass, physiological and biochemical traits at the end of each round. Compared to constant full light experience, temporally heterogeneous light conditions induced immediate active biochemical responses (in the first round) with improved late growth in biomass (during the second round); constant moderate shading experience increased photosynthetic physiological and biomass performances of plants in early response, and decreased their late growth in biomass. The karst endemic species of Kmeria septentrionalis showed greater improvement in late growth of biomass and lower decrease in biochemical performance, due to early heterogeneous experience, compared to the non-karst species of Lithocarpus glaber and the karst adaptable species of Celtis sinensis. Results suggested plants will prefer to produce morphological and physiological responses that are less reversible and more costly in the face of more reliable environmental cues at early stage in spite of decreased future growth potential, but to produce immediate biochemical responses for higher late growth potential when early environmental cues are less reliable, to avoid the loss of high costs and low profits. Typical karst species should be more able to benefit from early temporally heterogeneous experience, due to long-term adaptation to karst habitats of high environmental heterogeneity and low resource availability.
Assessment of home storage of antimicrobials and its predictors in Mecha demographic surveillance and field research center: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gebeyehu Endalew , Ararsie Misgan
Published: May 2023

Background

Home storage of antimicrobials is a worldwide practice. Irrational storage and inappropriate use of antimicrobials should get special attention in low-income countries due to limited information, knowledge, and perceptions. This study was conducted to survey home storage of antimicrobials and assess its predictors in Mecha Demographic Surveillance and Field Research Center (MDSFRC), Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 868 households. Predeveloped structured questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographics, knowledge on antimicrobials and perception about home stored antimicrobials. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 to execute descriptive statistics, and run binary and multivariable binary logistic regression. P-value < 0.05 was considered significant at 95% confidence level.

Results

The total number of households included in this study were 865. Female respondents represent 62.6%. The mean age (±) of respondents was 36.2 (± 13.93) years. The mean family size (±) of the household was 5.1 (± 2.5). Nearly one-fifth (21.2%) of the households stored antimicrobials at home with a condition similar to any household material. Most commonly stored antimicrobials were: Amoxicillin (30.3%), Cotrimoxazole (13.5%), Metronidazole (12.0%), and Ampicillin (9.6%). The most common immediate source of home stored antimicrobials was discontinuation of therapy (70.7%) either from symptomatic improvement (48.1%) or missing doses (22.6%). Predictors of home storage of antimicrobials with corresponding p-value were: age (0.002), family size (0.001), education status (< 0.001), home distance from the nearby healthcare institution (0.004), counseling while obtaining antimicrobials (< 0.001), knowledge level on antimicrobials (< 0.001), and perception of home stored antimicrobials as a wisdom (0.001).

Conclusion

Substantial proportion of households stored antimicrobials in a condition that may exert selection pressure. To reduce home storage of antimicrobials and its consequences, stakeholders should give due attention to predictors variables related to sociodemographics, level of knowledge on antimicrobials, perception of home storage as a wisdom, and counseling service.
Modelling the pulse population-wide nucleic acid screening in mitigating and stopping COVID-19 outbreaks in China
Authors: Li Qian , Bai Yao , Tang Biao
Published: May 2023

Background

During 2021-2022, mainland China experienced multiple times of local COVID-19 outbreaks in several cities, including Yangzhou, Xi’an etc., and the Chinese government persistently adopted the zero-COVID policy in combating with the local outbreaks.

Methods

We develop a mathematical model with pulse population-wide nucleic acid screening, part of the zero-COVID policy, to reveal its role in controlling the spread of COVID-19. We calibrate the model by fitting the COVID-19 epidemic data of the local outbreaks in Yangzhou and Xi’an, China. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to investigate the impact of population-wide nucleic acid screening on controlling the outbreak of COVID-19.

Results

Without the screening, the cumulative number of confirmed cases increases by $$77.7\%$$

77.7
%

and $$62.2\%$$

62.2
%

in Yangzhou and Xi’an, respectively. Meanwhile, the screening program helps to shorten the lockdown period for more than one month when we aim at controlling the cases into zero. Considering its role in mitigating the epidemics, we observe a paradox phenomenon of the screening rate in avoiding the runs on medical resource. That is, the screening will aggravate the runs on medical resource when the screening rate is small, while it helps to relieve the runs on medical resource if the screening rate is high enough. We also conclude that the screening has limited effects on mitigating the epidemics if the outbreak is in a high epidemic level or there has already been runs on medical resources. Alternatively, a smaller screening population per time with a higher screening frequency may be a better program to avoid the runs on medical resources.

Conclusions

The population-wide nucleic acid screening strategy plays an important role in quickly controlling and stopping the local outbreaks under the zero-COVID policy. However, it has limited impacts and even increase the potential risk of the runs on medical resource for containing the large scale outbreaks.