bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Data from CD49d expression identifies a biologically distinct subtype of chronic lymphocytic leukemia with inferior progression-free survival on BTK inhibitor therapy.
Authors: Alsadhan Anfal , Chen Jonathan , Gaglione Erika M. , Underbayev Chingiz , Tuma Pamela L. , Tian Xin , Freeman Lita A. , Baskar Sivasubramanian , Nierman Pia , Soto Susan , Itsara Andy , Ahn Inhye E. , Sun Clare , Bibikova Elena , Hartmann Tanja Nicole. , Mhibik Maissa , Wiestner Adrian
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Purpose: To determine the role of CD49d for response to Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKis) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Methods: In patients treated with acalabrutinib (n=48), CD49d expression, VLA-4 integrin activation, and tumor transcriptomes of CLL cells were assessed. Clinical responses to BTKis were investigated in acalabrutinib (n=48; NCT02337829), and ibrutinib (n=73; NCT01500733) treated patients. Results: In patients treated with acalabrutinib, treatment induced lymphocytosis was comparable for both subgroups but resolved more rapidly for CD49d+ cases. Acalabrutinib inhibited constitutive VLA-4 activation but was insufficient to block BCR and CXCR4 mediated inside-out activation. Transcriptomes of CD49d+ and CD49d− cases were compared using RNA sequencing at baseline and at 1 and 6 months on treatment. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed increased constitutive NF-кB and JAK-STAT signaling, enhanced survival, adhesion, and migratory capacity in CD49d+ over CD49d− CLL that was maintained during therapy. In the combined cohorts of 121 BTKi treated patients, 48 (39.7%) progressed on treatment with BTK and/or PLCG2 mutations detected in 87% of CLL progressions. Consistent with a recent report, homogeneous and bimodal CD49d positive cases (the latter having concurrent CD49d+ and CD49d- CLL subpopulations, irrespective of the traditional 30% cutoff), had a shorter time to progression of 6.6 years, while 90% of cases homogenously CD49d negative were estimated progression-free at 8 years (P = .0004). Conclusions: CD49d/VLA-4 emerges as a microenvironmental factor that contributes to BTKi resistance in CLL. The prognostic value of CD49d is improved by considering bimodal CD49d expression.
Phenomics and Robust Multiomics Data for Cardiovascular Disease Subtyping
Authors: Maiorino Enrico , Loscalzo Joseph
Published: May 2023

The complex landscape of cardiovascular diseases encompasses a wide range of related pathologies arising from diverse molecular mechanisms and exhibiting heterogeneous phenotypes. This variety of manifestations poses significant challenges in the development of treatment strategies. The increasing availability of precise phenotypic and multiomics data of cardiovascular disease patient populations has spurred the development of a variety of computational disease subtyping techniques to identify distinct subgroups with unique underlying pathogeneses. In this review, we outline the essential components of computational approaches to select, integrate, and cluster omics and clinical data in the context of cardiovascular disease research. We delve into the challenges faced during different stages of the analysis, including feature selection and extraction, data integration, and clustering algorithms. Next, we highlight representative applications of subtyping pipelines in heart failure and coronary artery disease. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future directions in the development of robust subtyping approaches that can be implemented in clinical workflows, ultimately contributing to the ongoing evolution of precision medicine in health care.
Cardiovascular Brain Circuits
Authors: Mohanta Sarajo K. , Yin Changjun , Weber Christian , Godinho-Silva Cristina , Veiga-Fernandes Henrique , Xu Qian J. , Chang Rui B. , Habenicht Andreas J.R.
Published: May 2023

The cardiovascular system is hardwired to the brain via multilayered afferent and efferent polysynaptic axonal connections. Two major anatomically and functionally distinct though closely interacting subcircuits within the cardiovascular system have recently been defined: The artery-brain circuit and the heart-brain circuit. However, how the nervous system impacts cardiovascular disease progression remains poorly understood. Here, we review recent findings on the anatomy, structures, and inner workings of the lesser-known artery-brain circuit and the better-established heart-brain circuit. We explore the evidence that signals from arteries or the heart form a systemic and finely tuned cardiovascular brain circuit: afferent inputs originating in the arterial tree or the heart are conveyed to distinct sensory neurons in the brain. There, primary integration centers act as hubs that receive and integrate artery-brain circuit–derived and heart-brain circuit–derived signals and process them together with axonal connections and humoral cues from distant brain regions. To conclude the cardiovascular brain circuit, integration centers transmit the constantly modified signals to efferent neurons which transfer them back to the cardiovascular system. Importantly, primary integration centers are wired to and receive information from secondary brain centers that control a wide variety of brain traits encoded in engrams including immune memory, stress-regulating hormone release, pain, reward, emotions, and even motivated types of behavior. Finally, we explore the important possibility that brain effector neurons in the cardiovascular brain circuit network connect efferent signals to other peripheral organs including the immune system, the gut, the liver, and adipose tissue. The enormous recent progress vis-à-vis the cardiovascular brain circuit allows us to propose a novel neurobiology-centered cardiovascular disease hypothesis that we term the neuroimmune cardiovascular circuit hypothesis.
Association of HIV Infection and Incident Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Among 143 001 Veterans
Authors: Filipkowski Alexandra M. , Kundu Suman , Eden Svetlana K. , Alcorn Charles W. , Justice Amy C. , So-Armah Kaku A. , Tindle Hilary A. , Wells Quinn S. , Beckman Joshua A. , Freiberg Matthew S. , Aday Aaron W.
Published: May 2023

Background:

People with HIV (PWH) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous cross-sectional data suggest there is a higher prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in PWH than in those without HIV. Whether PWH have an increased risk of incident AAA compared with those without HIV is unknown.

Methods:

We analyzed data among participants without prevalent AAA from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, a prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort of veterans with HIV matched 1:2 with veterans without HIV infection. We calculated AAA rates by HIV status and assessed the association between HIV infection and incident AAA using Cox proportional hazards models. We defined AAA using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th or 10th revision, or Current Procedural Terminology codes and adjusted all models for demographic characteristics, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and substance use. Secondary analyses examined the association between time-varying CD4+ T-cell count or HIV viral load and incident AAA.

Results:

Among 143 001 participants (43 766 with HIV), over a median follow-up of 8.7 years, there were 2431 incident AAA events (26.4% among PWH). Rates of incident AAA per 1000 person-years were similar among PWH (2.0 [95% CI, 1.9–2.2]) and people without HIV (2.2 [95% CI, 2.1–2.3]). There was no evidence that HIV infection increased the risk of incident AAA compared with no HIV infection (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.92–1.13]). In adjusted analyses with time-varying CD4+ T-cell counts or HIV viral load, PWH with CD4+ T-cell counts <200 cells/mm
3
(adjusted hazard ratio, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.02–1.65]) or HIV viral load ≥500 copies/mL (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.29 [95% CI, 1.09–1.52]) had an increased risk of AAA compared with those without HIV.

Conclusions:

HIV infection is associated with an increased risk of AAA among those with low CD4+ T-cell counts or elevated HIV viral load over time.
ExoCounter Assays Identify Women Who May Develop Early-Onset Preeclampsia From 12.5 μL First-Trimester Serum by Characterizing Placental Small Extracellular Vesicles
Authors: Jiang Shuhan , Zhang Wei , Cao Qing , Rahbar Maryam , Cooke William , Ono Masayuki , Fujimaki Kenichi , Saito Atsushi , Itonaga Makoto , Oda Kenta , Redman Christopher , Vatish Manu
Published: May 2023

Background:

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Identifying women with high risk of developing preeclampsia in early pregnancy remains challenging. Extracellular vesicles released from the placenta offer an attractive biomarker but have been elusive to quantify.

Methods:

Here, we tested ExoCounter, a novel device that immunophenotypes size-selected small extracellular vesicles <160 nm, for its ability to perform qualitative and quantitative placental small extracellular vesicles (psEV) analysis. To investigate disease-specific and gestational age-specific changes, we analyzed psEV counts in maternal plasma samples taken at each of the 3 trimesters from women who had (1) normal pregnancy (n=3); (2) women who developed early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE; n=3); and (3) women who developed late-onset preeclampsia (n=4) using 3 antibody pairs, CD10-placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), CD10-CD63, and CD63-PLAP. We further validated the findings in first-trimester serum samples among normal pregnancy (n=9), women who developed EOPE (n=7), and women who developed late-onset preeclampsia (n=8).

Results:

We confirmed that CD63 was the major tetraspanin molecule coexpressed with PLAP—a known placental extracellular vesicles marker on psEV. Higher psEV counts for all 3 antibody pairs were detected in the plasma of women who developed EOPE than the other 2 groups in the first trimester, which persisted through the second and third trimesters. Significantly higher CD10-PLAP (
P
<0.01) and CD63-PLAP (
P
<0.01) psEV counts were validated in the serum of the first trimester of women who developed EOPE compared with normal pregnancy.

Conclusions:

Application of the ExoCounter assay developed here could identify patients at risk of developing EOPE in the first trimester, thereby providing a window of opportunity for early intervention.
A Lesson with Francis Bacon Forced Me to See Outside the Software Box
Authors: Diaz Nelson J.
Published: May 2023

Computers became more standard in the early 1980s, and science and technology were influencing artists like the author. He began using a supercomputer and FORTRAN 77 software to define a non-Euclidean geometry model using conformal mapping to create art. A series of twisted and curved space images was manifested, reflective of Albert Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity. It was the author’s encounter with Edward Teller, “father of the H-bomb,” that led the author to artist Francis Bacon. It was a private lesson with the artist that forced the author out of the box and into his own visual world.
The Pandemic in Words: Tracking Fast Semantic Changes via a Large-Scale Word Association Task
Authors: Laurino Julieta , De Deyne Simon , Cabana Álvaro , Kaczer Laura
Published: May 2023

Most words have a variety of senses that can be added, removed, or altered over time. Understanding how they change across different contexts and time periods is crucial for revealing the role of language in social and cultural evolution. In this study we aimed to explore the collective changes in the mental lexicon as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. We performed a large-scale word association experiment in Rioplatense Spanish. The data were obtained in December 2020, and compared with responses previously obtained from the Small World of Words database (SWOW-RP, Cabana et al., 2023). Three different word-association measures detected changes in a word’s mental representation from Precovid to Covid. First, significantly more new associations appeared for a set of pandemic-related words. These new associations can be interpreted as incorporating new senses. For example, the word ‘isolated’ incorporated direct associations with ‘coronavirus’ and ‘quarantine’. Second, when analyzing the distribution of responses, we observed a greater Kullback-Leibler divergence (i.e., relative entropy) between the Precovid and Covid periods for pandemic words. Thus, some words (e.g., ‘protocol’, or ‘virtual’) changed their overall association patterns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, using semantic similarity analysis, we evaluated the changes between the Precovid and Covid periods for each cue word’s nearest neighbors and the changes in their similarity to certain word senses. We found a larger diachronic difference for pandemic cues where polysemic words like ‘immunity’ or ‘trial’ increased their similarity to sanitary/health words during the Covid period. We propose that this novel methodology can be expanded to other scenarios of fast diachronic semantic changes.
The Agent Preference in Visual Event Apprehension
Authors: Isasi-Isasmendi Arrate , Andrews Caroline , Flecken Monique , Laka Itziar , Daum Moritz M. , Meyer Martin , Bickel Balthasar , Sauppe Sebastian
Published: May 2023

A central aspect of human experience and communication is understanding events in terms of agent (“doer”) and patient (“undergoer” of action) roles. These event roles are rooted in general cognition and prominently encoded in language, with agents appearing as more salient and preferred over patients. An unresolved question is whether this preference for agents already operates during apprehension, that is, the earliest stage of event processing, and if so, whether the effect persists across different animacy configurations and task demands. Here we contrast event apprehension in two tasks and two languages that encode agents differently; Basque, a language that explicitly case-marks agents (‘ergative’), and Spanish, which does not mark agents. In two brief exposure experiments, native Basque and Spanish speakers saw pictures for only 300 ms, and subsequently described them or answered probe questions about them. We compared eye fixations and behavioral correlates of event role extraction with Bayesian regression. Agents received more attention and were recognized better across languages and tasks. At the same time, language and task demands affected the attention to agents. Our findings show that a general preference for agents exists in event apprehension, but it can be modulated by task and language demands.
Eye Movement Traces of Linguistic Knowledge in Native and Non-Native Reading
Authors: Berzak Yevgeni , Levy Roger
Published: May 2023

The detailed study of eye movements in reading has shed considerable light into how language processing unfolds in real time. Yet eye movements in reading remain inadequately studied in non-native (L2) readers, even though much of the world’s population is multilingual. Here we present a detailed analysis of the quantitative functional influences of word length, frequency, and predictability on eye movement measures in reading in a large, linguistically diverse sample of non-native English readers. We find many similar qualitative effects as in L1 readers, but crucially also a proficiency-sensitive “lexicon-context tradeoff”. The most proficient L2 readers’ eye movements approach an L1 pattern, but as L2 proficiency diminishes, readers’ eye movements become less sensitive to a word’s predictability in context and more sensitive to word frequency, which is context-invariant. This tradeoff supports a rational, experience-dependent account of how context-driven expectations are deployed in L2 language processing.
Androsace artvinensis sp. nov. (Primulaceae): A new species from northeastern Anatolia, Turkey
Authors: SEFALI ABDURRAHMAN , YAPAR YAKUP
Published: May 2023

Androsace artvinensis (Primulaceae) from Artvin province (northeastern Anatolia) has been described as a new species to science. The new species is morphologically similar to A. armeniaca var. macrantha but differs from it by several morphological characters, such as bracts shape, calyx (calyx length and lobes), corolla (corolla length, lobes, and indumentum), hairs, leaves, pollen features, and habitat preference.  Diagnostic morphological characteristics, a full description, and a distribution map are provided.
Verbascum salicifolium (Scrophulariaceae) a new species from Central Macedonia, Greece
Authors: ZOGRAFIDIS ARIS , LIVERI ELENI , IOANNIDIS VASILIS , DIMOPOULOS PANAYOTIS
Published: May 2023

Verbascum salicifolium is described and illustrated as a species new to science based on morphological and molecular evidence. Analysis of chloroplast genome markers indicated the inclusion of the new species within a group of morphologically dissimilar taxa, whereas the closest morphologically related species is sister to that group. Additionally, the chromosome number (2n = 36) and karyotype microphotograph of the new species are provided. The known distribution of V. salicifolium is confined to the eastern shores of Doiran Lake, where a single, threatened population exists. Thus, the appropriate conservation status for the species is recommended according to IUCN criteria.
A new Masdevallia (Orchidaceae: Pleurothallidinae) from the Ecuadorian Amazon foothills of the Llanganates mountains
Authors: GUTIÉRREZ DEL POZO DIEGO , JIMÉNEZ MARCO M. , VÉLEZ-ABARCA LEISBERTH , BAQUERO LUIS E.
Published: May 2023

A new Masdevallia species from eastern Ecuador, is described, illustrated and compared with similar species. The species is most similar to Masdevallia aphanes; both species are small plants for the genus with weak inflorescences that bear striped flowers with acaudate sepals. The horizontal inflorescences with yellow flowers striped with red-brown and the convex, subpandurate lip of Masdevallia rubileoixchelorum immediately distinguishes it from the similar M. aphanes by the abaxially deep sandal-shaped lip and for the ovary with undulate-dentate ribs which are almost keeled.
Rohdea grandiflora (Asparagaceae), a new species from southern Gansu, China
Authors: FENG HUI ZHE , YU MIAO , FANG HONG LIN , HAN QING XIANG
Published: May 2023

Rohdea grandiflora, a new species from Gansu, China, is described and illustrated. It is most similar to R. pachynema in sharing a long slender subterranean stolon, but differs mainly by the longer inner bracts, larger flowers, and columnar filaments adnate to the middle or basal portion of perianth lobes and not connate to adjacent ones.
Unearthing a Lectotype for Lepidozia flexuosa with a note on the type of Lepidozia brevifolia (Lepidoziaceae: Marchantiophyta)
Authors: MAJUMDAR SHUVADEEP
Published: May 2023

N/A
Occurrence of Geranium mascatense (Geraniaceae) in India and the speculations about its global distribution
Authors: HURRAH IMTIYAZ A. , SHUKLA APARNA R. , WAGH VIJAY V.
Published: May 2023

The delimitation and taxonomic status of Geranium mascatense Boiss. in India has not merely been in a state of flux, but also experience distributional inconsistency both at national and global level. The study aims at highlighting an extension to the global distribution range of this species and at resolving the chaos that exists about its taxonomy and distribution in India. The results are validated through detailed description, illustrations, digital photographs, macro and micro-morphological characters, comparison with allied species, taxonomic key, notes on taxonomy and distribution map of G. mascatense and its nearest kin, G. ocellatum.
PROTOPERIDINIUM EUXINUM (PROTOPERIDINIACEAE, DINOPHYCEAE)—A NOVEL DINOFLAGELLATE SPECIES FROM THE PLANKTON OF THE BLACK SEA
Authors: KRAKHMALNYI MAXIM , KRAKHMALNYI ALEKSANDR , TERENKO GALYNA
Published: May 2023

A new species of Dinoflagellata—Protoperidinium euxinum Krachmalny sp. nov. (Protoperidiniaceae, Peridiniales) was described from the plankton of Odessa Bay (Black Sea). The species is morphologically close to P. steinii, P. mediterraneum and P. joergensenii. It differs from the listed species in elongated pentagonal body shape, conical epitheca with straight or concave lateral sides, inverse trapeziform hypotheca, and asymmetrical, laterally compressed plate 2a. Dimensions: 73.3–99.0 µm in length and 38.8–51.6 µm in width. Pictures and photomicrographs of the novel species are presented, along with detailed description and discussion.
On the identity of the name Spergularia nobreana (Caryophyllaceae)
Authors: IAMONICO DUILIO , DILLENBERGER MARKUS S.
Published: May 2023

The name Spergularia nobreana, originally published by G. A. Sampaio from plants collected in Portugal, is investigated. A lectotype and two isolectotypes are designated on specimens preserved at PO. On the basis of a careful examination of these exsiccata, this taxon cannot be ascribed to the genus Sagina (as reported in POWO and IPNI databases where this name was considered as a synonym of Sa. hawaiensis) since it has stipules (absent in Sagina). The whole morphology of Sp. nobreana agrees with the current concept of Spergularia. The combination of characters [perennial plant, glabrous (finely glandular only in the inflorescence part); stipules triangular to lanceolate 2–3 mm long; flowers with five styles and ten stamens; sepals 4-6 mm long; capsule about 4 mm long, opening into five valves; seeds winged (wings entire or with gland-tipped papillae at the margin, brownish, less than 1/2 wide than the seeds) and unwinged] match the current concept of Sp. media s. l. Therefore, a new synonymization is proposed.
A new variety of Brachystemma calycinum (Caryophyllaceae) from West Bengal, India with notes on its typification
Authors: KUMAR ANANT
Published: May 2023

Brachystemma (Caryophyllaceae) is an asian monotypic genus including B. calycinum. As part of field survey in Dooars and Darjeeling–Sikkim Himalaya (India), a population ascribed to this species was found. Since the different morphology, a new variety has been described and illustrated. Moreover, the typification of the name B. calycinum is also discussed.
“Money Does Not Stay, It Is a Visitor”: Conspicuous Consumption and the Fleeting Riches in Pursuit of Elusive Happiness
Authors: Mpofu Shepherd , Mnisi Sifiso J.G , Makgoba Metji
Published: May 2023

This article uses archival material from the South African reality television show “I blew it” to explore the notion of happiness and consumption as it relates to township masculinities in the South African context. The program follows the lives of people who inherited fortunes from their deceased parents, got compensated by government for being involved in a road accident, or played lottery and won millions of Rand. Most of the beneficiaries blew their money becoming poor again. The experiences of these people are usually framed within the framework of conspicuous consumption born out of the need to announce one’s newly found status as the big man signified by, in most instances, having a lot of money, dating different women, and participating in rituals such as “ostentatious consumption.”
How Governor Directives Changed Health Workforce Flexibility in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ziemann Margaret , Strasser Julia , Krips Maddie , Yang Y. Tony , Pittman Patricia
Published: May 2023

Objectives:

In times of heightened population health needs, the health workforce must respond quickly and efficiently, especially at the state level. We examined state governors’ executive orders related to 2 key health workforce flexibility issues, scope of practice (SOP) and licensing, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

We conducted an in-depth document review of state governors’ executive orders introduced in 2020 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. We conducted a thematic content analysis of the executive order language using an inductive process and then categorized executive orders by profession (advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacists) and degree of flexibility granted; for licensing, we indicated yes or no for easing or waiving cross-state regulatory barriers.

Results:

We identified executive orders in 36 states containing explicit directives addressing SOP or out-of-state licensing, with those in 20 states easing regulatory barriers pertaining to both workforce issues. Seventeen states issued executive orders expanding SOP for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants, most commonly by completely waiving physician practice agreements, while those in 9 states expanded pharmacist SOP. Executive orders in 31 states and the District of Columbia eased or waived out-of-state licensing regulatory barriers, usually for all health care professionals.

Conclusion:

Governor directives issued through executive orders played an important role in expanding health workforce flexibility in the first year of the pandemic, especially in states with restrictive practice regulations prior to COVID-19. Future research should examine what effects these temporary flexibilities may have had on patient and practice outcomes or on permanent efforts to relax practice restrictions for health care professionals.
Mental Health Needs Due to Disasters: Implications for Behavioral Health Workforce Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Gaiser Maria , Buche Jessica , Baum Nancy M. , Grazier Kyle L.
Published: May 2023

Public health emergencies impact the well-being of people and communities. Long-term emotional distress is a pervasive and serious consequence of high levels of crisis exposure and low levels of access to mental health care. At highest risk for mental health trauma are historically medically underserved and socially marginalized populations and frontline health care workers (HCWs). Current public health emergency response efforts provide insufficient mental health services for these groups. The ongoing mental health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic has implications for the resource-strained health care workforce. Public health has an important role in delivering psychosocial care and physical support in tandem with communities. Assessment of US and international public health strategies deployed during past public health emergencies can guide development of population-specific mental health care. The objectives of this topical review were (1) to examine scholarly and other literature on the mental health needs of HCWs and selected US and international policies to address them during the first 2 years of the pandemic and (2) to propose strategies for future responses. We reviewed 316 publications in 10 topic areas. Two-hundred fifty publications were excluded, leaving 66 for this topical review. Findings from our review indicate a need for flexible, tailored mental health outreach for HCWs after disasters. US and global research emphasizes the dearth of institutional mental health support for HCWs and of mental health providers who specialize in helping the health care workforce. Future public health disaster responses must address the mental health needs of HCWs to prevent lasting trauma.
Transhiatal esophagectomy via mediastinoscopy versus sweet for T2 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients
Authors: Jiang Nanqing , Lu Yimin , Wang Jun
Published: May 2023

Background

The aim was to compare transhiatal esophagectomy via mediastinoscopy (TEM) with Sweet procedure for patients with T2 midpiece and distal esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Materials and Methods

By virtue of propensity score matching, 42 T2 ESCC patients who underwent TEM ( n = 21) and Sweet procedure ( n = 21) were included. Both the short-term and long-term outcomes of these patients were observed.

Results

Compared with the Sweet procedure, the TEM procedure showed less operation time (133.8 ± 30.4 vs 171.2 ± 30.3 min, p = 0.038), reduced drainage volume in 24 h (83.8 ± 142.3 vs 665.2 ± 220.0 mL, p < 0.001), shorter reserving time of chest tube (26.2 ± 26.3 vs 82.8 ± 49.8 h, p < 0.001) and less dissected lymph nodes (12.4 ± 6.1 vs 17.0 ± 6.5, p = 0.041). The average survival period was 62.6 months for TEM group and 62.5 months for Sweet group ( p = 0.753). The COX regression showed that the nodal staging could be regarded as an independent prognostic factor ( p = 0.013), not the surgical method ( p = 0. 754).

Conclusions

The TEM procedure could reduce operative trauma compared with the Sweet procedure. The long-term survival rate of TEM group was acceptable. The lymph node resection was a major disadvantage of TEM procedure. The TEM procedure might be an alternate choice for T2 midpiece and distal ESCC patients, especially for patients who cannot tolerate transthoracic esophagectomy.
Identifying the idiosyncrasies of behavioral information security discourse and proposing future research directions: A Foucauldian perspective
Authors: Liang Nan (Peter) , Hirschheim Rudy , Luo Xin (Robert) , Hollingsworth Hayden
Published: May 2023

Information security (InfoSec)–related behaviors have been defined in many different ways in the security literature. Indeed, the coexistence of varying terms describing IS security behaviors could be seen as a conceptual inconsistency. However, we believe that it could also be construed as the sign of a vivid and living field embracing dispersed objects of study without changing the disciplinary discourse itself. To test this belief, we conduct a two-part study. Study 1 analyzes the definitions of InfoSec-related behaviors in the existing security literature. The result of Study 1 uncovers the Foucauldian rules that make possible the discourse on behavioral information security, including the surface of emergence, authorities of delimitation, and the grids of specification. Study 1 also indicates that, although behavioral Information Systems Security (ISS) shares the three rules with other disciplines, it is the only field that studies the relations between them. We therefore propose a disciplinary question that reflects this idiosyncrasy. We then conduct Study 2, using Foucault’s view on preconceptual schemata as a theoretical lens, to identify understudied areas in the ISS literature. We found that the existing literature utilizes two variations of the actor and organization schemata to form or to adapt concepts, and utilize two different approaches to study these two variations, namely, an antecedents approach and a dialectics approach. It is noteworthy that the latter is important but understudied in the literature. We then draw an analogy from moral studies to develop three concepts for future ISS research, namely, Stages of Awareness Development, Security Agency, and Security Disengagement.
Diet During the Late Initial Period (1100–800 BC) in the Chavín Heartland: New Data from Canchas Uckro (North-Central Peru)
Authors: Nesbitt Jason , Weber Sadie L. , Washburn Eden , Asencios Bebel Ibarra , Titelbaum Anne R. , Schroll Andrew , Fehren-Schmitz Lars
Published: May 2023

During the late Initial Period (c. 1100-800 BC), the Conchucos region of highland Peru witnessed the formation of the ceremonial and “proto-urban” center of Chavín de Huántar (c. 1000-500/400 BC). An important question regarding Chavín de Huántar centers on the nature of its subsistence economy during the time when it was first founded. In this paper, we present new results from zooarchaeological, starch granule, and stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses to reconstruct diet from Canchas Uckro, a settlement located in Chavín de Huántar's heartland region. Founded c. 1100 BC and abandoned just after 800 BC, Canchas Uckro provides insight into socioeconomic processes during the early phases of Chavín de Huántar. Extant faunal remains suggest deer comprised an important component of the diet, while camelids constitute a minor proportion of the assemblage. Starch granules recovered from the pottery indicate that domesticated cultigens (maize, potato, and manioc) were obtained from different highland production zones. δ13C and δ15N analysis of a sample of human skeletal remains, coupled with Stable Isotope Analysis in R (SIAR) mixing models, demonstrate that C3plants constitute most of the diet, while maize was not intensively consumed. δ13C and δ15N further indicate that deer made up 25-50% of the diet. The results of this study add to a gro wing corpus of data on subsistence practices in the north-central and northern highlands of Peru prior to the widespread adoption of domesticated camelids.
Complex relationships between inflammatory manifestations/type 1 and type 2 symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus: A narrative literature review
Authors: Escoda Thomas , Jourde-Chiche Noémie , Granel Brigitte , Cornec Divi , Chiche Laurent
Published: May 2023

Objective

Recent studies have highlighted that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by different types of symptoms: type 1 symptoms related to inflammation and disease activity and type 2 symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety-depression, and pain. Our aim was to investigate the relation between type 1 and type 2 symptoms, and their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in SLE.

Methods

A literature review was conducted about disease activity/type1 and type 2 symptoms. Articles in English published after 2000 were located on Medline via Pubmed. The articles chosen evaluated at least one type 2 symptom or HRQoL using a validated scale in adult patients.

Results

Overall, 182 articles were analyzed and 115 were retained including 21 randomized, controlled trials and corresponding to 36 831 patients. We found that in SLE, inflammatory activity/type 1 symptoms were mostly uncorrelated with type 2 symptoms and/or HRQoL. Several studies even showing an inverse relationship. No or weak correlation was observed in 85, 3% (92, 6%), 76, 7% (74, 4%) and 37, 5% (73, 1%) of studies (patients) for fatigue, anxiety-depression, and pain, respectively. For HRQoL, no or weak correlation was observed in 77, 5% of studies (88% of patients).

Conclusion

Type 2 symptoms are poorly correlated with inflammatory activity/type 1 symptoms in SLE. Possible explanations and implications for clinical care and therapeutic evaluation are discussed.
Intimate Partner Violence Survivorship, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Disaster: Implications for Future Disasters
Authors: Cannon Clare E. B. , Ferreira Regardt , Buttell Fred , O’Connor Allyson
Published: May 2023

This study investigated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) prevalence among a sample of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors ( n  =  77) who filed for restraining orders in rural Louisiana during the COVID-19 pandemic. IPV survivors were individually interviewed to assess their self-reported levels of perceived stress, resilience, potential PTSD, COVID-19-related experiences, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data were analyzed to differentiate group membership between two groups; non-PTSD and probable PTSD. Results suggest the probable PTSD group had lower levels of resilience and higher levels of perceived stress compared to the non-PTSD group. Findings suggest the importance of providing services during disaster to reduce PTSD for IPV survivors.
Silent synapses in pain-related anterior cingulate cortex
Authors: Zhuo Min
Published: May 2023

Synaptic plasticity such as Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a key mechanism for learning in central synapses including the cortex. There are two least two major forms of LTPs: presynaptic LTP and postsynaptic LTP. For postsynaptic LTP, the potentiation of AMPA receptor-mediated responses through protein phosphorylation is thought to be a key mechanism. Silent synapses have been reported in the hippocampus, but it is thought to be mainly present in the cortex during early development, and may contribute to maturation of the cortical circuit. However, recent several lines of evidence demonstrate that silent synapses may exist in mature synapses of adult cortex, and they can be recruited by LTP-inducing protocols, as well as chemical-induced LTP. In pain-related cortical regions, silent synapses may not only contribute to cortical excitation after peripheral injury, but also the recruitment of new cortical circuits as well. Thus, it is proposed that silent synapses and modification of functional AMPA receptors and NMDA receptors may play important roles in chronic pain, including phantom pain.
The ‘sites of oblivion’: How not to remember in a world of reminders
Authors: Nourkova Veronika V , Gofman Alena A
Published: May 2023

While it is commonly accepted that forgetting may serve to accomplish worthwhile goals, relevant social technologies require detailed analysis. We examined the literature on the social practices of the collective inhibition of unwanted memories. Complimenting the term ‘sites of memory’ introduced by Nora, we applied the term ‘sites of oblivion’ to the areas intentionally designed to protect visitors from specific unwanted memories associated with the disturbing affect. This study proposed a preliminary classification of the ‘sites of oblivion’. This analysis identified four qualitatively distinct social politics aimed at evoking the transformation of existing sites of memory into memory-inhibiting areas. Each of these politics employs a specific psychological mechanism of memory inhibition and varies with concrete strategies to achieve the goal of not remembering. These basic high-level forgetting politics include: exploiting the natural fragility of human activity traces or destroying memorial sites, including various forms of ignoring (the ‘no traces’ politic); retracting attention from memory triggers to other intense stimuli (the ‘switching memory to’ politic); recasting ‘sites of memory’ into ‘sites of oblivion’ through functional replacement or reconceptualisation, including renaming (the ‘recasting’ politic); and the politic of ‘hyper-evocation’, that is, decreasing the probability of recall outside of memorial sites by rising the threshold of mnemonic response to those reminders that are weaker than hyper-reminders. The psychological mechanisms underlying the inhibitory mnemonic effect of ‘sites of oblivion’ are as follows: Pavlovian extinction, attention deployment, Pavlovian re-conditioning and Pavlovian discrimination, respectively.
Vernacular de-commemoration: How collectives reckon with the past in the present
Authors: Adams Tracy
Published: May 2023

This research develops a new framework through which to understand vernacular de-commemoration, as one aspect of bottom-up reckoning with the past through material commemoration. The productivity of breaking with the past distances us away from monumentality and toward action. Vernacular de-commemoration is part of a broad bottom-up process that goes beyond the mere withdrawal of uncomfortable reminders of the past from the public space, or even the recontextualization of public markers. Analyzing and comparing two case studies in the United States, and the United Kingdom, this research examines how vernacular de-commemoration is performed. In some instances, following the destruction of the now-contested memory site, new and alternative sites are installed (i.e. “re-memorialization”); other times, there may be a considerable delay, and sometimes nothing new is installed. Seen in this way, re-memorialization is always preceded by de-commemoration, and, in turn, de-commemoration is not always the final word in the constant negotiation about the meaning of the past in the present.
Evaluation of a pain management program for patients with median arcuate ligament syndrome
Authors: Rose Suzanne J , Hartnett Josette , Madris Brandon , Hsu Richard
Published: May 2023

Objectives:

Median arcuate ligament syndrome is a complex disorder potentially caused by variation in the position of the median arcuate ligament. Symptomology involves chronic abdominal pain, nausea, and malnourishment. Pain management modalities and short-term outcomes for patients undergoing operative surgery for median arcuate ligament syndrome have yet to be fully evaluated. Our hospital implemented a pain management consultation program in 2017 focused on perioperative pain management. The objective of this study is to assess if the introduction of a pain management consultation program concurrent with median arcuate ligament syndrome surgery impacts patient outcomes and post-operative pain management strategies in these patients.

Methods:

De-identified data was collected retrospectively from our hospital’s electronic medical records system, identifying median arcuate ligament syndrome patients and using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes from September 2017 to August 2021. Patients were grouped into the “consultation” cohort if they had scheduled and attended a pre-operative pain consultation. Pre-operative and discharge medications, pain scores, and demographics were collected to evaluate if the initiative impacted outcomes.

Results:

Median arcuate ligament syndrome patients who had a pre-operative pain management consultation had higher rates of pre-operative opioid (35.5%; p = 0.01) and non-opioid use (60.7%; p < 0.001). Patients without a pre-operative consultation that did not use opioids pre-operatively were more likely to be discharged on one or more opioids. Differences were also found for psychiatric medication at discharge ( p < 0.001) with patients receiving pain consultation indicating higher percentages of use.

Conclusion:

Special consideration on prescribing pain medication should be part of discharge planning for median arcuate ligament syndrome patients. Addition of a pain management consultation can aid in these decisions.
Effect of interactive multitouch game-based cognitive intervention on cognitive function in older adults: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ro Daeun , Lee Jungsoo , Lee Gihyoun , Shin Seyoung , Kim Yun-Hee
Published: May 2023

Purpose

This study investigated the effects of an interactive multitouch game-based cognitive intervention (ICI) on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods

Thirty-two older adults (19 women) between 65 and 84 years of age (mean age, 74.47 ± 4.30 years) without a history of neurological disease participated. They were randomized into two groups: intervention and control. The intervention group took part in ICI sessions using HAPPYTABLE® (Spring Soft Co. Ltd, Seoul, Korea) (ICI group), and the control group underwent a traditional paper-and-pencil-based cognitive intervention (TCI group). Both groups completed 10 intervention sessions over four consecutive weeks. Cognitive function was assessed before (pre-intervention) and after (post-intervention) intervention. Executive function was evaluated through the Color-Word Stroop Test (CWST) and Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT). Memory was assessed through the Verbal Learning Test (VLT) and Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT).

Results

The ICI and TCI groups showed significant improvements in some cognitive functions after the intervention. Both groups showed substantial improvements in VLT and RCFT ( P < 0.05), reflecting memory function. Regarding the executive role, the ICI group showed significant post-intervention improvements in the conditions of the CWST incongruent (ICI 76.31 ± 23.82; P = 0.004) compared to the pre-intervention scores. ANCOVA with pre-intervention scores and gender as covariates revealed improved results in the ICI group compared with the VLT delayed (ICI 9.18 ± 1.68, TCI 7.56 ± 2.13; P = 0.015) and VLT recognition task (ICI 22.81 ± 1.22, TCI 21.38 ± 1.09; P = 0.035).

Conclusions

These findings revealed that both ICI and TCI helped increase cognitive performance in community-dwelling older persons; nevertheless, ICI showed better improvement in memory function than TCI. Thus, the ICI can be used to improve cognitive performance among older adults living in the community.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel (CNGC) gene family in Saccharum spontaneum
Authors: Zhang Nannan , Lin Huanzhang , Zeng Qiaoying , Fu Danwen , Gao Xiaoning , Wu Jiayun , Feng Xiaomin , Wang Qinnan , Ling Qiuping , Wu Zilin
Published: May 2023

Background

Cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (CNGCs) are nonselective cation channels that are ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms. As Ca2+ channels, some CNGCs have also proven to be K+-permeable and involved in plant development and responses to environmental stimuli. Sugarcane is an important sugar and energy crop worldwide. However, reports on CNGC genes in sugarcane are limited.

Results

In this study, 16 CNGC genes and their alleles were identified from Saccharum spontaneum and classified into 5 groups based on phylogenetic analysis. Investigation of gene duplication and syntenic relationships between S. spontaneum and both rice and Arabidopsis demonstrated that the CNGC gene family in S. spontaneum expanded primarily by segmental duplication events. Many SsCNGCs showed variable expression during growth and development as well as in tissues, suggesting functional divergence. Light-responsive cis-acting elements were discovered in the promoters of all the identified SsCNGCs, and the expression of most of the SsCNGCs showed a diurnal rhythm. In sugarcane, the expression of some SsCNGCs was regulated by low-K+ treatment. Notably, SsCNGC13 may be involved in both sugarcane development and its response to environmental stimuli, including response to low-K+ stress.

Conclusion

This study identified the CNGC genes in S. spontaneum and provided insights into the transcriptional regulation of these SsCNGCs during development, circadian rhythm and under low-K+ stress. These findings lay a theoretical foundation for future investigations of the CNGC gene family in sugarcane.
Insertion sequence contributes to the evolution and environmental adaptation of Acidithiobacillus
Authors: Huang Shanshan , Li Huiying , Ma Liyuan , Liu Rui , Li Yiran , Wang Hongmei , Lu Xiaolu , Huang Xinping , Wu Xinhong , Liu Xueduan
Published: May 2023

Background

The genus Acidithiobacillus has been widely concerned due to its superior survival and oxidation ability in acid mine drainage (AMD). However, the contribution of insertion sequence (IS) to their biological evolution and environmental adaptation is very limited. ISs are the simplest kinds of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), capable of interrupting genes, operons, or regulating the expression of genes through transposition activity. ISs could be classified into different families with their own members, possessing different copies.

Results

In this study, the distribution and evolution of ISs, as well as the functions of the genes around ISs in 36 Acidithiobacillus genomes, were analyzed. The results showed that 248 members belonging to 23 IS families with a total of 10,652 copies were identified within the target genomes. The IS families and copy numbers among each species were significantly different, indicating that the IS distribution of Acidithiobacillus were not even. A. ferrooxidans had 166 IS members, which may develop more gene transposition strategies compared with other Acidithiobacillus spp. What’s more, A. thiooxidans harbored the most IS copies, suggesting that their ISs were the most active and more likely to transpose. The ISs clustered in the phylogenetic tree approximately according to the family, which were mostly different from the evolutionary trends of their host genomes. Thus, it was suggested that the recent activity of ISs of Acidithiobacillus was not only determined by their genetic characteristics, but related with the environmental pressure. In addition, many ISs especially Tn3 and IS110 families were inserted around the regions whose functions were As/Hg/Cu/Co/Zn/Cd translocation and sulfur oxidation, implying that ISs could improve the adaptive capacities of Acidithiobacillus to the extremely acidic environment by enhancing their resistance to heavy metals and utilization of sulfur.

Conclusions

This study provided the genomic evidence for the contribution of IS to evolution and adaptation of Acidithiobacillus, opening novel sights into the genome plasticity of those acidophiles.