bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An interpretable framework for sleep posture change detection and postural inactivity segmentation using wrist kinematics
Authors: Elnaggar Omar , Arelhi Roselina , Coenen Frans , Hopkinson Andrew , Mason Lyndon , Paoletti Paolo
Published: October 2023

Sleep posture and movements offer insights into neurophysiological health and correlate with overall well-being and quality of life. Clinical practices utilise polysomnography for sleep assessment, which is intrusive, performed in unfamiliar environments, and requires trained personnel. While sensor technologies such as actigraphy are less invasive alternatives, concerns about their reliability and precision in clinical practice persist. Moreover, the field lacks a universally accepted algorithm, with methods ranging from raw signal thresholding to data-intensive classification models that may be unfamiliar to medical staff. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for objectively detecting sleep posture changes and temporally segmenting postural inactivity using clinically relevant joint kinematics, measured by a custom-made wearable sensor. The framework was evaluated on wrist kinematic data from five healthy participants during simulated sleep. Intuitive three-dimensional visualisations of kinematic time series were achieved through dimension reduction-based preprocessing, providing an out-of-the-box framework explainability that may be useful for clinical monitoring and diagnosis. The proposed framework achieved up to 99.2% F1-score and 0.96 Pearson’s correlation coefficient for posture detection and inactivity segmentation respectively. This work paves the way for reliable home-based sleep movement analysis, serving patient-centred longitudinal care.
Synthesis of novel coumarin-based thiosemicarbazones and their implications in diabetic management via in-vitro and in-silico approaches
Authors: Zahra Syeda Bakhtawar , Ullah Saeed , Halim Sobia Ahsan , Waqas Muhammad , Huda Noor Ul , Khan Ajmal , Binsaleh Ammena Y. , El-kott Attalla F. , Hussain Javid , Al-Harrasi Ahmed , Shafiq Zahid
Published: October 2023

Diabetes mellitus has a high prevalence rate and it has been deemed a severe chronic metabolic disorder with long-term complications. This research aimed to identify compounds that could potentially inhibit the vital metabolic enzyme α-glucosidase and thereby exert an anti-hyperglycemic effect. The main goal was to establish an effective approach to control diabetes. To proceed with this study, a series of novel coumarin-derived thiosemicarbazones 3a–3m was synthesized and examined using a variety of spectroscopic methods. Moreover, all the compounds were subjected to α-glucosidase inhibition bioassay to evaluate their antidiabetic potential. Fortunately, all the compounds exhibited several folds potent α-glucosidase inhibitory activities with IC50 values ranging from 2.33 to 22.11 µM, in comparison to the standard drug acarbose (IC50 = 873.34 ± 1.67 µM). The kinetic studies of compound 3c displayed concentration-dependent inhibition. Furthermore, the binding modes of these molecules were elucidated through a molecular docking strategy which depicted that the thiosemicarbazide moiety of these molecules plays a significant role in the interaction with different residues of the α-glucosidase enzyme. However, their conformational difference is responsible for their varied inhibitory potential. The molecular dynamics simulations suggested that the top-ranked compounds (3c, 3g and 3i) have a substantial effect on the protein dynamics which alter the protein function and have stable attachment in the protein active pocket. The findings suggest that these molecules have the potential to be investigated further as novel antidiabetic medications.
Testosterone promotes dominance behaviors in the Ultimatum Game after players’ status increases
Authors: Inoue Yukako , Burriss Robert P. , Hasegawa Toshikazu , Kiyonari Toko
Published: October 2023

Although testosterone is generally considered to promote dominance behaviors, in humans it fosters behaviors appropriate to achieving and maintaining social status, contingent upon the situation. Recent cross-sectional studies, such as Inoue et al. (Sci Rep 7:5335, 2017), have shown that dominance behaviors induced by testosterone are modulated by high status. Yet, it remains ambiguous whether a rise in social status within real-world social groups reshapes the relationship between testosterone and dominance behavior. To investigate this longitudinal question, we added a second wave to Inoue et al.’s study, collecting further data after an interval of 2 years. Members of a university rugby team that adheres to a rigid hierarchical order rooted in seniority played the Ultimatum Game with teammates and provided saliva for assays of testosterone and cortisol. Our analysis reveals that individuals with higher baseline salivary testosterone levels exhibited more dominance as their position in the hierarchy increased according to their seniority.
Evaluating the performance of generative adversarial network-synthesized periapical images in classifying C-shaped root canals
Authors: Yang Sujin , Kim Kee-Deog , Ariji Eiichiro , Takata Natsuho , Kise Yoshitaka
Published: October 2023

This study evaluated the performance of generative adversarial network (GAN)-synthesized periapical images for classifying C-shaped root canals, which are challenging to diagnose because of their complex morphology. GANs have emerged as a promising technique for generating realistic images, offering a potential solution for data augmentation in scenarios with limited training datasets. Periapical images were synthesized using the StyleGAN2-ADA framework, and their quality was evaluated based on the average Frechet inception distance (FID) and the visual Turing test. The average FID was found to be 35.353 (± 4.386) for synthesized C-shaped canal images and 25.471 (± 2.779) for non C-shaped canal images. The visual Turing test conducted by two radiologists on 100 randomly selected images revealed that distinguishing between real and synthetic images was difficult. These results indicate that GAN-synthesized images exhibit satisfactory visual quality. The classification performance of the neural network, when augmented with GAN data, showed improvements compared with using real data alone, and could be advantageous in addressing data conditions with class imbalance. GAN-generated images have proven to be an effective data augmentation method, addressing the limitations of limited training data and computational resources in diagnosing dental anomalies.
Viral load of Torquetenovirus correlates with Sano’s score and levels of total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase in Kawasaki disease
Authors: Spezia Pietro Giorgio , Matsudaira Kazunari , Filippini Fabio , Miyamura Takako , Okada Keiko , Nagao Yoshiro , Ishida Takafumi , Sano Tetsuya , Pistello Mauro , Maggi Fabrizio , Hara Junichi
Published: October 2023

Cause of Kawasaki disease (KD) is unknown. KD is often resistant to treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Sano’s score, which is derived from total bilirubin (TBIL), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and C-reactive protein (CRP), is predictive of IVIG resistance in Japan. A recent study reported that Torquetenovirus (TTV), especially TTV7, was present at a high viral load in the patients with KD. We used PCR to quantify TTV load and amplicon next generation sequencing to detect individual TTV species. We used serum samples that were collected between 2002 and 2005 from 57 Japanese KD patients before IVIG treatment. Correlations between TTV load and Sano’s score, the biomarkers that constitute this score, and IVIG resistance were examined. TTV load was positively correlated with Sano’s score (P = 0.0248), TBIL (P = 0.0004), and AST (P = 0.0385), but not with CRP (P = 0.6178). TTV load was marginally correlated with IVIG resistance (P = 0.1544). Presence of TTV7 was correlated with total TTV load significantly (P = 0.0231). The correlations between biomarkers for KD and TTV load suggested that TTV may play a role in the pathophysiology of KD. We hypothesize that TTV7 may be associated with a higher total viral load in KD.
Short chain fatty acids facilitate protective immunity by macrophages and T cells during acute fowl adenovirus-4 infection
Authors: Lee Rangyeon , Yoon Byung-Il , Hunter Christopher A. , Kwon Hyuk Moo , Sung Haan Woo , Park Jeongho
Published: October 2023

Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are major gut metabolites that are involved in the regulation of dysfunction in immune responses, such as autoimmunity and cytokine storm. Numerous studies have reported a protective action of SCFAs against infectious diseases. This study investigated whether SCFAs have protective effect for immunity during fowl adenovirus-4 (FAdV-4) infection. We examined whether SCFA mixture (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) administration could protect against intramuscular challenge of a virulent viral strain. SCFA treatment promoted MHCII-expressing monocytes, the active form of T cells, and effector molecules in both peripheral and lymphoid tissues. It also boosted the production of immune molecules involved in pathogen elimination by intraepithelial lymphocytes and changed the intestinal microbial composition. We suggest that gut metabolites influence the gut microbial environment, and these changes stimulate macrophages and T cells to fight against the intramuscular challenge of FAdV-4.
Empagliflozin induces the transcriptional program for nutrient homeostasis in skeletal muscle in normal mice
Authors: Kawakami Ryo , Matsui Hiroki , Matsui Miki , Iso Tatsuya , Yokoyama Tomoyuki , Ishii Hideki , Kurabayashi Masahiko
Published: October 2023

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve heart failure (HF) outcomes across a range of patient characteristics. A hypothesis that SGLT2i induce metabolic change similar to fasting has recently been proposed to explain their profound clinical benefits. However, it remains unclear whether SGLT2i primarily induce this change in physiological settings. Here, we demonstrate that empagliflozin administration under ad libitum feeding did not cause weight loss but did increase transcripts of the key nutrient sensors, AMP-activated protein kinase and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, and the master regulator of mitochondrial gene expression, PGC-1α, in quadriceps muscle in healthy mice. Expression of these genes correlated with that of PPARα and PPARδ target genes related to mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress response, and also correlated with serum ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. These results were not observed in the heart. Collectively, this study revealed that empagliflozin activates transcriptional programs critical for sensing and adaptation to nutrient availability intrinsic to skeletal muscle rather than the heart even in normocaloric condition. As activation of PGC-1α is sufficient for metabolic switch from fatigable, glycolytic metabolism toward fatigue-resistant, oxidative mechanism in skeletal muscle myofibers, our findings may partly explain the improvement of exercise tolerance in patients with HF receiving empagliflozin.
The inhibitory effect of excess calcium ions on the polymerization process of calcium aluminate silicate hydrate (CASH) gel
Authors: Hou Dongshuai , Sun Mengqi , Wang Muhan , Chen Zheng , Wang Xinpeng , Zhang Yue , Wang Pan
Published: October 2023

Calcium ion, as an essential component in CASH, affects the aggregation and formation process of CASH, thereby influencing its microstructure and mechanical properties.
Different delocalized ranges in mixed valence cyanido–metal-bridged Fe–Ru–Fe complexes controlled by terminal ligand substitution modification
Authors: Zeng Chen , Xu Qing-Dou , Liu Xiao-Lin , Hu Sheng-Min , Wu Xin-Tao , Sheng Tian-Lu
Published: October 2023

A substituent change from Cp to Cp* in cyanidometal bridged Fe–Ru–Fe complexes makes the one-electron oxidation products not only show a redox site change from Ru to Fe, but also exhibit a delocalization range change from Fe–Ru–Fe to Fe–Ru.
Defect-induced deep red luminescence of CaGdAlO4-type layered perovskites: multi-cationic sites partial/full substitution and application in pc-LED and plant lighting
Authors: Wang Bowen , Gong Changshuai , Xue Xuyan , Li Meiting , Zhu Qi , Wang Xuejiao , Li Ji-Guang
Published: October 2023

A series of CaGdAlO4-type layered perovskite phosphors showing deep red luminescence (λem = 711 nm, λex = 338 nm) were synthesized via a solid-state reaction.
Synthesis and applications of symmetric amino acid derivatives
Authors: Tsukano Chihiro , Uchino Ayumi , Irie Kazuhiro
Published: October 2023

This review describes the synthesis of symmetrical amino acid derivatives, classified by their structures and synthetic strategies. Applications of these amino acids are also described.
Selective and controllable amination and defluoroamidation of α-trifluoromethylstyrene
Authors: He Shuang-Lian , Bao Yong-Sheng , Hu Juan , Bai Chaolumen , Liu Dan
Published: October 2023

Selective and controllable amination and defluoroamidation of α-trifluoromethylstyrene was achieved with moderate to excellent yield, which features outstanding atom-economical and wide functional group tolerance under mild reaction conditions.
Severe cutaneous adverse reaction to drug excipient following brand-to-generic switch of levetiracetam
Authors: Lim Jo Anne , Jamil Adawiyah , Ramli Nur Amalina , Johar Fatimah Mat , Nor Mokhtar
Published: October 2023

Purpose

Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug known for its high tolerability, and severe adverse drug reactions are rare. We report the case of a severe cutaneous adverse drug reaction in a patient who was switched from brand-name to generic levetiracetam.

A 29-year-old woman undergoing contrast-enhanced computed tomography developed lesions over her trunk starting 6 hours after imaging. Although initially diagnosed as an allergy to the radiocontrast agent, the condition progressively worsened into toxic epidermal necrolysis-drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms overlap syndrome, despite adequate hydration and treatment. Investigation of the patient’s medications revealed that she had been switched from brand-name to generic levetiracetam a week before the onset of symptoms. Levetiracetam was immediately discontinued, with the patient recovering after 2 weeks of intensive care. Adverse drug reaction analysis identified excipients in generic levetiracetam as the likely cause of the severe reaction.

Conclusion

This is the first reported case of severe cutaneous drug allergy after a brand-to-generic switch for levetiracetam. Brand-to-generic switches of medications can potentially cause severe allergic reactions due to differences in excipients.
Spatio-temporal expression of candidate genes for nectar spur development in Tropaeolum (Tropaeolaceae: Brassicales)
Authors: Martínez-Salazar Sebastián , Kramer Elena M , González Favio , Pabón-Mora Natalia
Published: October 2023

Background and Aims

Tropaeolaceae (Brassicales) comprise ~100 species native to South and Central America. Tropaeolaceae flowers have a nectar spur, formed by a late expansion and evagination of the fused proximal region of the perianth (i.e. the floral tube). This spur is formed in the domain of the tube oriented towards the inflorescence axis, which corresponds to the adaxial floral region. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the evolution of spurs in Tropaeolaceae.

Methods

In this study, we examined the spatio-temporal expression of genes putatively responsible for differential patterns of cell division between the adaxial and abaxial floral regions in Tropaeolaceae. These genes include previously identified TCP and KNOX transcription factors and the cell division marker HISTONE H4 (HIS4).

Key Results

We found a TCP4 homologue concomitantly expressed with spur initiation and elaboration. Tropaeolaceae possess two TCP4-like (TCP4L) copies, as a result of a Tropaeolaceae-specific duplication. The two copies (TCP4L1 and TCP4L2) in Tropaeolum longifolium show overlapping expression in the epidermis of reproductive apices (inflorescence meristems) and young floral buds, but only TlTCP4L2 shows differential expression in the floral tube at early stages of spur formation, restricted to the adaxial region. This adaxial expression of TlTCP4L2 overlaps with the expression of TlHIS4. Later in development, only TlTCP4L2 is expressed in the nectariferous tissue of the spur.

Conclusions

Based on these results, we hypothesize that Tropaeolaceae TCP4L genes had a plesiomorphic role in epidermal development and that, after gene duplication, TCP4L2 acquired a new function in spur initiation and elaboration. To better understand spur evolution in Tropaeolaceae, it is critical to expand developmental genetic studies to their sister group, the Akaniaceae, which possess simultaneously an independent duplication of TCP4L genes and a spurless floral tube.
Generative models for protein sequence modeling: recent advances and future directions
Authors: Mardikoraem Mehrsa , Wang Zirui , Pascual Nathaniel , Woldring Daniel
Published: October 2023

The widespread adoption of high-throughput omics technologies has exponentially increased the amount of protein sequence data involved in many salient disease pathways and their respective therapeutics and diagnostics. Despite the availability of large-scale sequence data, the lack of experimental fitness annotations underpins the need for self-supervised and unsupervised machine learning (ML) methods. These techniques leverage the meaningful features encoded in abundant unlabeled sequences to accomplish complex protein engineering tasks. Proficiency in the rapidly evolving fields of protein engineering and generative AI is required to realize the full potential of ML models as a tool for protein fitness landscape navigation. Here, we support this work by (i) providing an overview of the architecture and mathematical details of the most successful ML models applicable to sequence data (e.g. variational autoencoders, autoregressive models, generative adversarial neural networks, and diffusion models), (ii) guiding how to effectively implement these models on protein sequence data to predict fitness or generate high-fitness sequences and (iii) highlighting several successful studies that implement these techniques in protein engineering (from paratope regions and subcellular localization prediction to high-fitness sequences and protein design rules generation). By providing a comprehensive survey of model details, novel architecture developments, comparisons of model applications, and current challenges, this study intends to provide structured guidance and robust framework for delivering a prospective outlook in the ML-driven protein engineering field.
Prediction of multi-relational drug–gene interaction via Dynamic hyperGraph Contrastive Learning
Authors: Tao Wen , Liu Yuansheng , Lin Xuan , Song Bosheng , Zeng Xiangxiang
Published: October 2023

Drug–gene interaction prediction occupies a crucial position in various areas of drug discovery, such as drug repurposing, lead discovery and off-target detection. Previous studies show good performance, but they are limited to exploring the binding interactions and ignoring the other interaction relationships. Graph neural networks have emerged as promising approaches owing to their powerful capability of modeling correlations under drug–gene bipartite graphs. Despite the widespread adoption of graph neural network-based methods, many of them experience performance degradation in situations where high-quality and sufficient training data are unavailable. Unfortunately, in practical drug discovery scenarios, interaction data are often sparse and noisy, which may lead to unsatisfactory results. To undertake the above challenges, we propose a novel Dynamic hyperGraph Contrastive Learning (DGCL) framework that exploits local and global relationships between drugs and genes. Specifically, graph convolutions are adopted to extract explicit local relations among drugs and genes. Meanwhile, the cooperation of dynamic hypergraph structure learning and hypergraph message passing enables the model to aggregate information in a global region. With flexible global-level messages, a self-augmented contrastive learning component is designed to constrain hypergraph structure learning and enhance the discrimination of drug/gene representations. Experiments conducted on three datasets show that DGCL is superior to eight state-of-the-art methods and notably gains a 7.6% performance improvement on the DGIdb dataset. Further analyses verify the robustness of DGCL for alleviating data sparsity and over-smoothing issues.
HPTLC Method Development and Validation for the Simultaneous Estimation of Nortriptyline HCl and Pregabalin in their Combined Dosage Form
Authors: Harkhani Hinal , Thummar Kashyap , Chauhan Sanjay , Vadalia Jigna
Published: October 2023

Nortriptyline HCl and pregabalin Tablet is used to treat neuropathic pain as well as mental or mood issues such as sadness, mood, feelings, anxiety and tensions. Very few analytical methods are available for the simultaneous estimation of nortriptyline HCl and pregabalin and no reports has been found for HPTLC method. In the current study, a reliable HPTLC method for the simultaneous measurement of nortriptyline HCl and pregabalin in pure forms and pharmaceutical formulations has been developed with ninhydrine post derivatization of pregabalin. The HPTLC method development was carried using silica gel G60 F254 as stationary phase and acetonitrile: methanol: triethylamine: water: formic acid (7:3:0.3:0.8:0.02 v/v/v/v/v) was used as mobile phase with saturation time of 20 min. The system was found to give a compact band for nortriptyline HCl (Rf = 0.523 ± 0.008) pregabalin (Rf = 0.279 ± 0.005). The developed method was found to be validated as per ICH Q2 (R1) guideline. The peak of nortriptyline HCl and pregabalin showed good linearity over the concentration range of 50–300 ng/band and 350–2250 ng/band, respectively, with a correlation coefficient of ˃0.995. The % recoveries of both drugs were found to be in the range of 98.84–101.87%. Statistical analysis proved that the method is selective, precise, robust and accurate for the estimation of nortriptyline HCl and pregabalin.
Keyframe-guided Video Swin Transformer with Multi-path Excitation for Violence Detection
Authors: Li Chenghao , Yang Xinyan , Liang Gang
Published: October 2023

Violence detection is a critical task aimed at identifying violent behavior in video by extracting frames and applying classification models. However, the complexity of video data and the suddenness of violent events present significant hurdles in accurately pinpointing instances of violence, making the extraction of frames that indicate violence a challenging endeavor. Furthermore, designing and applying high-performance models for violence detection remains an open problem. Traditional models embed extracted spatial features from sampled frames directly into a temporal sequence, which ignores the spatio-temporal characteristics of video and limits the ability to express continuous changes between adjacent frames. To address the existing challenges, this paper proposes a novel framework called ACTION-VST. First, a keyframe extraction algorithm is developed to select frames that are most likely to represent violent scenes in videos. To transform visual sequences into spatio-temporal feature maps, a multi-path excitation module is proposed to activate spatio-temporal, channel and motion features. Next, an advanced Video Swin Transformer-based network is employed for both global and local spatio-temporal modeling, which enables comprehensive feature extraction and representation of violence. The proposed method was validated on two large-scale datasets, RLVS and RWF-2000, achieving accuracies of over 98 and 93%, respectively, surpassing the state of the art.
Recycling sludge in agriculture? Assessing sustainability of nutrient recovery in Italy
Authors: Tassinari G , Boccaletti S , Soregaroli C
Published: October 2023

Using a hybrid multi-regional input–output approach, we traced sustainability footprints of a nutrient recovery strategy from sewage sludge applied in Italy. We then compared the results with the most common landfilling practice. Overall, accounting for indirect global upstream effects, using sewage sludge for organic fertiliser production generates more jobs and reduces more greenhouse gas emissions than landfilling. By contrast, landfilling stimulates the whole economy more, generating higher indirect turnover and reduces energy carrier use more. Finally, we accounted for uncertainties in these results using an error propagation method based on Monte Carlo simulations.
Convergent rates of protein evolution identify novel targets of sexual selection in primates
Authors: Ports Bri L , Jensen-Seaman Michael I
Published: October 2023

Sexual selection is the differential reproductive success of individuals, resulting from competition for mates, mate choice, or success in fertilization. In primates, this selective pressure often leads to the development of exaggerated traits which play a role in sexual competition and successful reproduction. In order to gain insight into the mechanisms driving the development of sexually selected traits, we used an unbiased genome-wide approach across 21 primate species to correlate individual rates of protein evolution to relative testes size and sexual dimorphism in body size, 2 anatomical hallmarks of sexual selection in mammals. Among species with presumed high levels of sperm competition, we detected strong conservation of testes-specific proteins responsible for spermatogenesis and ciliary form and function. In contrast, we identified accelerated evolution of female reproductive proteins expressed in the vagina, cervix, and fallopian tubes in these same species. Additionally, we found accelerated protein evolution in lymphoid tissue, indicating that adaptive immune functions may also be influenced by sexual selection. This study demonstrates the distinct complexity of sexual selection in primates revealing contrasting patterns of protein evolution between male and female reproductive tissues.
‘Fragmented care’: Asylum seekers’ experience of accessing health care in NSW
Authors: Mengesha Zelalem , Weber Danielle , Smith Mitchell , Harris Patrick , Haigh Fiona
Published: October 2023

Medicare is central to accessing health care in Australia, yet many asylum seekers are ineligible for this scheme. In NSW, Medicare ineligible asylum seekers have some access to public health care under the Medicare Ineligible Asylum Seekers - Provision of Specified Public Health Services policy. This policy was updated in November 2020 to clarify services where a fee waiver applies for asylum seekers without Medicare. We examined the experiences of Medicare ineligible asylum seekers in accessing health care in New South Wales (NSW) in light of the revised policy. Employing qualitative methods, we conducted semi-structured interviews with asylum seekers (n = 7) and service providers (n = 6) in South Western Sydney. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis and the socio-ecological model was used to interpret the data. Participants identified that chronic and mental health conditions are the main health issues for asylum seekers. Factors across the four levels of the socio-ecological model were identified as influencing the health care of asylum seekers, including a lack of awareness about health care rights at the individual level, support from relatives and friends at the interpersonal level, providers’ lack of awareness of fee waivers at the organizational level and limited access to primary health care at the policy level. The results imply that Medicare ineligible asylum seekers in NSW do not have optimal access to health care which may worsen existing health disparities. Educational initiatives that improve service providers’ and asylum seekers’ awareness of the revised policy are needed to improve asylum seeker health equity in NSW.
Helpful elements in a brief work-oriented intervention targeting musculoskeletal and mental health literacy
Authors: Johnsen Tone Langjordet , Tveito Torill Helene , Øyeflaten Irene
Published: October 2023

Musculoskeletal and mental health complaints are common in the general population and frequent reasons for healthcare utilization and work absence. Illness perceptions, coping expectancies, rumination and self-stigma are important factors in the management of these health complaints and factors closely linked to health literacy (HL). The aims of the study were to identify helpful elements in a brief intervention (BI) targeting HL regarding common musculoskeletal and mental health complaints and to identify patient perceptions of how the intervention was helpful and whether it affected their subsequent coping. Three focus group interviews with 14 patients were conducted. Systematic text condensation was used for the analysis, supported by the health literacy skill (HLS) framework to sharpen the focus on intervention elements related to the acquisition and utilization of HLSs. Results revealed the importance of receiving comprehensible health information and guidance, the use of metaphors to create recognizable narratives and the use of practical examples and exercises. Normalizing the experienced health complaints, together with a safe and accommodating clinical environment, facilitated the change process. The BI initiated processes that contributed to acceptance, resilience and empowerment, aiding work–life balance and return to work. The study presents authentic narratives of value for future focus in BI.
Health behaviors according to the ability to understand health information in Korean adults
Authors: Ko Sangjun , Kim Taehyung , Moon Sanghyeon , Park Kaeun , Lee Juhyun , Chai Yoseok , Hwang Siyeon , Han Mi Ah
Published: October 2023

This study aimed to verify the relationship between the level of understanding of health information and health behaviors among Korean adults. In total, 228 984 adults who participated in the 2021 Korea Community Health Survey were included. Participants were divided into three groups according to age (19–44, 45–64 and 65+). The ability to understand verbal and written health information was included, and its association with health behaviors, including smoking, alcohol consumption and preventive health service uptake, was assessed. Associations between the ability to understand health information and health behaviors were analyzed using chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression analyses. Approximately 22.7% and 20% of the participants responded that verbal and written health information were easy to understand, respectively, with significant differences by age group. Compared to those with easy-to-understand verbal health information, those with difficulty in understanding had a higher risk of current cigarette smoking and monthly drinking and were less likely to engage in more than moderate physical activity, walking, influenza vaccination in 1 year, cancer examination in 2 years and medical examination in 2 years. Difficulty in understanding or no interest in written health information was also associated with unhealthy behaviors. A strong ability to understand health information is related to positive health behaviors. However, there are differences in the associations by age group, which should be considered when establishing a health literacy improvement strategy. These findings could promote health literacy and ultimately contribute to helping individuals make better choices for positive health behaviors.
Evaluation of prolonged incubation time of 16–20 h with the EUCAST rapid antimicrobial susceptibility disc diffusion testing method
Authors: Jonasson Emma , Matuschek Erika , Kahlmeter Gunnar
Published: October 2023

Objectives

Antimicrobial resistance rates are continuously increasing, driving the need for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (RAST) results, especially in the treatment of bloodstream infections. The EUCAST RAST method performed directly from positive blood cultures with incubation times from 4 to 8 h was developed in 2018 and is now used in many laboratories. To increase the practicality of the method, an extended incubation time of 16 and 20 h was evaluated in this study.

Method

Blood culture bottles were spiked with clinical isolates (n = 325) of the seven most important sepsis pathogens. The EUCAST RAST method was performed, extending the incubation time to 16 and 20 h. Broth microdilution (BMD) was used as a reference, except for screening tests where standard disc diffusion or presence of resistance genes was used.

Results

Inhibition zones were possible to read for all species–agent combinations. For 16 and 20 h, the MIC zone diameter correlations were sufficiently similar to allow establishment of common breakpoints for the time interval of 16–20 h. The proportion of isolates in the area of technical uncertainty was, on average, 6% for all species and the number of errors were low, with <1% false-resistant and <0.5% false-susceptible results.

Conclusions

This study shows that, for EUCAST RAST, prolonging the recommended incubation to 16–20 h is possible and can be used as a complement when the intended shorter incubation is not possible to achieve. The introduction of the prolonged incubation will increase the usefulness of the EUCAST RAST method in clinical laboratories with limited opening hours.
A small survey of introduced Zaprionus indianus (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in orchards of the eastern United States
Authors: Rakes Logan M , Delamont Megan , Cole Christine , Yates Jillian A , Blevins Lynsey J , Hassan Fatima Naureen , Bergland Alan O , Erickson Priscilla A
Published: October 2023

The African fig fly, Zaprionus indianus (Gupta), is a generalist fruit fly that typically breeds in decaying fruits from over 70 plant species. The species has spread globally from its native range in tropical Africa, becoming an invasive pest on ripening figs in Brazil. First reported in the United States in 2005 in Florida, Z. indianus has since been documented as far north as Canada and is hypothesized to recolonize northwards from southern refugia each year. We sampled drosophilid communities over the growing season at 2 orchards in Virginia from 2020 to 2022 and 11 orchards along the East Coast during the fall of 2022 to quantify the abundance of Z. indianus relative to other drosophilids across locations, seasons, and fruit crops. Massachusetts had the northernmost population, with no Z. indianus detected in Maine and no correlation between latitude and relative abundance. Variation in Z. indianus relative abundance was high between nearby orchards and abundance was higher on peaches relative to apples within orchards. Comparisons of seasonal abundance curves between 2 Virginia orchards showed similar dynamics across years with individuals first detected around July and becoming absent around December, with peaks in late summer and mid-fall. The variation in seasonal and latitudinal abundance shown here highlights a need for broader sampling to accurately characterize the range, spread, and environmental tolerances of Z. indianus in North America.
A novel natural variation in the promoter of GmCHX1 regulates conditional gene expression to improve salt tolerance in soybean
Authors: Li Yang , Ye Heng , Vuong Tri D , Zhou Lijuan , Do Tuyen D , Satish Chhapekar Sushil , Zhao Wenqian , Li Bin , Jin Ting , Gu Jinbao , Li Cong , Chen Yanhang , Li Yan , Wang Zhen-Yu , Nguyen Henry T
Published: October 2023

Identification and characterization of soybean germplasm and gene(s)/allele(s) for salt tolerance is an effective way to develop improved varieties for saline soils. Previous studies identified GmCHX1 (Glyma03g32900) as a major salt tolerance gene in soybean, and two main functional variations were found in the promoter region (148/150 bp insertion) and the third exon with a retrotransposon insertion (3.78 kb). In the current study, we identified four salt-tolerant soybean lines, including PI 483460B (Glycine soja), carrying the previously identified salt-sensitive variations at GmCHX1, suggesting new gene(s) or new functional allele(s) of GmCHX1 in these soybean lines. Subsequently, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in a recombinant-inbred line population (Williams 82 (salt-sensitive) × PI 483460B) to identify the new salt tolerance loci/alleles. A new locus, qSalt_Gm18, was mapped on chromosome 18 associated with leaf scorch score. Another major QTL, qSalt_Gm03, was identified to be associated with chlorophyll content ratio and leaf scorch score in the same chromosomal region of GmCHX1 on chromosome 3. Novel variations in a STRE (stress response element) cis-element in the promoter region of GmCHX1 were found to regulate the salt-inducible expression of the gene in these four newly identified salt-tolerant lines including PI 483460B. This new allele of GmCHX1 with salt-inducible expression pattern provides an energy cost efficient (conditional gene expression) strategy to protect soybean yield in saline soils without yield penalty under non-stress conditions. Our results suggest that there might be no other major salt tolerance locus similar to GmCHX1 in soybean germplasm, and further improvement of salt tolerance in soybean may rely on gene-editing techniques instead of looking for natural variations.
SHARPEST: the atmospheric turbulence profiling experiment using Shack–Hartmann sensor at the Subaru telescope
Authors: Ogane Hajime , Ono Yoshito , Minowa Yosuke , Oya Shin , Terao Koki , Akasawa Takumi , Homan Riki , Akiyama Masayuki
Published: October 2023

Atmospheric turbulence profile plays an important role in designing and operating adaptive optics (AO) systems with multiple laser guide stars. To obtain representative free atmospheric profiles and resolved ground layer profiles for future AO systems at the Subaru telescope, we are conducting the Shack–Hartmann Atmospheric tuRbulence Profiling Experiment at the Subaru Telescope project. In this project, we develop a turbulence profiler comprising two Shack–Hartmann (SH) sensors to observe a pair of bright stars through the Subaru telescope with high spatial sampling by 2 cm subapertures. We perform two analyses on the SH spot data: variance analysis on the spot scintillation for free atmospheric profiles, and on the spot slope for ground layer profiles. This paper introduces the initial results of free atmospheric profiles as well as total seeing values and wind profiles obtained by the first two engineering runs. The free atmospheric profiles reconstructed by the two independent SH sensors show good agreement. The results are also consistent with simultaneous measurements by another profiler except for turbulence strength at ∼1 km, which is explained by an overestimation problem of scintillation-based profilers. Measured total seeing values are also smaller than the simultaneous measurements, possibly due to the difference in ground layer turbulence between the two sites. The wind profiles show good consistency with the direct measurements by a rawinsonde. Through this study, we establish a method to constrain the free atmospheric profile, the total seeing, and the wind profile by analysing data from a single SH sensor with fine subapertures.
Characterization of extrasolar giant planets with machine learning
Authors: Li Jiayin , Kaltenegger Lisa , Pham Dang , Ruppert David
Published: October 2023

More than 5000 extrasolar planets have already been detected. JWST and near-term ground-based telescopes like the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), and upcoming telescopes such as the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, Xuntian, and Ariel are designed to characterize the atmosphere of directly imaged Jovian planets. Here, we used five diverse machine learning algorithms to investigate how well broad-band filter photometric fluxes could initially characterize giant exoplanets. We use an established grid of 8813 reflected light model spectra of different metallicities, planet–star distances, and cloud properties to assess the performance of several machine learning algorithms on both noiseless and noisy data to provide classification and regression results as a function of signal to noise of the data. In all cases, the algorithms were tested on noisy validation data. The results show that the use of machine learning to characterize giant planets from reflected broad-band filter photometry provides a promising tool for initial characterization, with over 65 per cent accuracy in characterizing metallicity for signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) ≳ 30, over 80 per cent for cloud coverage for S/N ≳ 30. This approach will allow initial characterization for large surveys of giant exoplanets and prioritization for spectroscopy observations of a subset of these worlds.
Membranous nephropathy—diagnosis and identification of target antigens
Authors: Sethi Sanjeev , Fervenza Fernando C
Published: October 2023

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults. MN is characterized by subepithelial accumulation of immune complexes along the glomerular basement membrane. The immune complexes are composed of immunoglobulin G and a target antigen. PLA2R is the target antigen in approximately 60% of MN cases, and MN is traditionally classified as PLA2R-positive or PLA2R-negative MN. Over the last 7 years, additional target antigens have been identified, which have specific disease associations, distinctive clinical and pathologic findings, and therapeutic implications. The newly discovered target antigens include NELL1, EXT1/EXT2, NCAM1, SEMA3B, PCDH7, FAT1, CNTN1, NTNG1, PCSK6 and NDNF. To group all these antigens into a generic ‘PLA2R-negative’ MN group is imprecise and un-informative. We propose a logical approach for detection of the target antigen which includes (i) currently available serology-based testing to detect anti-PLA2R and anti-THSD7A antibodies; and (ii) kidney biopsy testing to detect the target antigens. Determination of the antigen on kidney biopsy can be done by immunohistochemistry or immunofluorescence studies. Alternatively, laser capture microdissection (LCM) of glomeruli followed by mass spectrometry (MS) can be used to identify a target antigen. LCM/MS has the advantage of being a one-stop test and is particularly useful for detection of rare target antigens. At the current time, while it is possible to detect the newer antigens by immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence/LCM/MS, serology-based tests to detect serum antibodies to the new antigens are not yet available. It is critical that serology-based tests should be developed not just for accurate diagnosis, but as a guide for treatment. We review the current methodology and propose an algorithm for diagnosis and detection of target antigens in MN that may shape the current practice in the future. Membranous nephropathy (MN) results from accumulation of subepithelial immune complexes along the glomerular basement membrane.PLA2R is the most common target antigen, but newly discovered target antigens have filled the void of PLA2R-negative MN.MN associated with the newly discovered target antigens have distinctive clinical and pathologic findings, treatment and prognostic implications. These include NELL1, EXT1/EXT2, NCAM1, PCDH7, SEMA3B, CNTN1, FAT1, NDNF and PCSK6.Immunohistochemistry/immunofluorescence methodology is currently in use for detecting target antigens in kidney biopsy tissue, although we anticipate laser capture microdissection of glomeruli followed by mass spectrometry will become available soon.Serologic testing is currently available for only detecting antibodies to PLA2R and THSD7A. It is critical that serologic tests become available for detecting antibodies to the newly discovered antigens.
Trends in effort at work in the UK
Authors: Gimenez-Nadal Jose Ignacio , Sevilla Almudena
Published: October 2023

This article links detailed 24-h diary surveys in the UK for the last four decades, to provide evidence of an increase in work effort in three specific dimensions: timing, nature, and composition. We rule out certain proposed explanations of these trends, finding that the decrease in the frequency of on-the-job leisure is more pronounced for workers in routine task-intensive occupations. Alternative supply-side and demand-side explanations, such as changes in relative preferences for leisure, or an increase in off-shoring, or competition for jobs, cannot explain our results. Our findings suggest that the amount and frequency of on-the-job leisure can be used as a measure of work effort, and that the routine-biased technological changes experienced during this period lie at the root of the increase in work effort in the UK.
Restless legs syndrome, neuroleptic-induced akathisia, and opioid-withdrawal restlessness: shared neuronal mechanisms?
Authors: Ferré Sergi , Winkelman John W , García-Borreguero Diego , Belcher Annabelle M , Chang Joy H , Earley Christopher J
Published: October 2023

Restlessness is a core symptom underlying restless legs syndrome (RLS), neuroleptic-induced akathisia, and opioid withdrawal. These three conditions also share other clinical components suggesting some overlap in their pathophysiology. Recent prospective studies demonstrate the frequent incidence of RLS-like symptoms during opioid withdrawal and supervised prescription opioid tapering. Based on the therapeutic role of µ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists in the three clinical conditions and recent preclinical experimental data in rodents, we provide a coherent and unifying neurobiological basis for the restlessness observed in these three clinical syndromes and propose a heuristic hypothesis of a key role of the specific striatal neurons that express MORs in akathisia/restlessness.
Pathogenic CD8 T cell responses are driven by neutrophil-mediated hypoxia in cutaneous leishmaniasis
Authors: Fowler Erin A. , Amorim Camila Farias , Mostacada Klauss , Yan Allison , Sacramento Laís Amorim , Stanco Rae A. , Hales Emily D. S. , Varkey Aditi , Zong Wenjing , Wu Gary D. , de Oliveira Camila I. , Collins Patrick L. , Novais Fernanda O.
Published: October 2023

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused byLeishmaniaparasites exhibits a wide range of clinical manifestations. Although parasites influence disease severity, cytolytic CD8 T cell responses mediate disease. While these responses originate in the lymph node, we find that expression of the cytolytic effector molecule granzyme B is restricted to lesional CD8 T cells inLeishmania- infected mice, suggesting that local cues within inflamed skin induce cytolytic function. Expression of Blimp-1 (Prdm1), a transcription factor necessary for cytolytic CD8 T cell differentiation, is driven by hypoxia within the inflamed skin. Hypoxia is further enhanced by the recruitment of neutrophils that consume oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species, ultimately increasing granzyme B expression in CD8 T cells. Importantly, lesions from cutaneous leishmaniasis patients exhibit hypoxia transcription signatures that correlate with the presence of neutrophils. Thus, targeting hypoxia-driven signals that support local differentiation of cytolytic CD8 T cells may improve the prognosis for patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, as well as other inflammatory skin diseases where cytolytic CD8 T cells contribute to pathogenesis.