bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sustainability practices and challenges in the meat supply chain: a systematic literature review
Authors: Caccialanza Andrea , Cerrato Daniele , Galli Davide
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study comprehensively depicts the state of the art on sustainability research in the meat supply chain to advance the debate on challenges and issues associated with developing sustainable supply chain management practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic literature review of 333 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and organized the extant literature into five areas of supply chain management practices: strategic orientation, continuity, collaboration, risk management, and proactivity.

Findings

Since 2016, the meat supply chain has received increasing scholarly attention. The literature shows the diffusion of highly heterogeneous sustainability practices related to multiple management areas and levels of analysis (institutional, industry, firm). The need for integrated, multilevel initiatives involving different stakeholders becomes increasingly crucial to the transition towards more sustainable meat supply chains.

Practical implications

This study highlights the importance of regulatory and stakeholder pressures in the sustainability transition. Beyond setting regulatory requirements, policymakers may facilitate the establishment of collaborations within the meat supply chain and foster the development of support services that help firms to integrate sustainability in their business models. The review also alerts entrepreneurs and managers to the benefits from cooperating with their supply chain partners to navigate the industry transition and thus more effectively respond to the demands of stakeholders and to the increasing customers’ awareness of sustainability issues.

Originality/value

This study is the first to systematize the corpus of knowledge on the sustainability of the meat supply chain by adopting a comprehensive approach to analyze relevant management and agriculture literature.
Perceived/experienced sexism and perceptions of support and job attitudes
Authors: Deuling Jacqueline , Wittmer Jenell Lynn-Senter , Wilson Kimberly , Thomas Adrian
Published: June 2023

Purpose

This study aims to provide a psychometrically sound measure intended to capture perceived/experienced sexism in the workplace, the perceived/experienced sexism scale (PESS). PESS is used to consider the effects of perceived experiences of benevolent and hostile sexism at work, as well their relationships with perceived organizational support and the job attitudes of job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study revised the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (Glick and Fiske, 1996) to create and validate the PESS. Amazon Mechanical Turk was used to collect two samples (220 and 183) of perceptions of female employees.

Findings

Results suggest perceived organizational support and trust perceptions mediate the relationships between perceptions of sexism and organizational outcomes of job satisfaction and turnover intentions.

Originality/value

Existing measures of sexism are intended to identify and measure sexism by examining perpetrators’ actions or thoughts. However, researchers must make assumptions as to the effect such sexist acts or behaviors has on the target. Thus, this study provides a measure of sexism from the perspective of the target.
“What it do?” The effects of racial code-switching on industry turnover intention
Authors: Garlington Jaimi , Shum Cass , Wong-Padoongpatt Gloria , Book Laura
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Racial code-switching is an impression management behavior for people to blend into social and professional situations by adhering to norms outside their own. Drawing on the identity threat perspective, this study aims to examine the harmful effects of racial code-switching on employee psychological depression and hospitality industry turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study used a two-wave time-lagged survey of 286 restaurant frontline employees. Participants were asked to rate their racial code-switching, identity threat and shame in the first survey. Participants reported their depression and industry turnover intention in the second survey one week later.

Findings

The results showed that employees that engaged in racial code-switching had higher intentions to leave the hospitality industry via the sequential mediating roles of identity threat, shame and depression.

Practical implications

The findings provide practical implications on how hospitality practitioners can foster employee authenticity and tenure by evaluating impression management strategies. This paper provides a discussion, suggestions and future research directions on how to take sustainable actions toward diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging.

Originality/value

Although racial code-switching is a common behavioral strategy for whites and people of color, research on racial code-switching in the hospitality industry is limited. This study is among the first to examine racial code-switching’s health and career consequences.
Advancing Dialogue About Consent and Molecular HIV Surveillance in the United States: Four Proposals Following a Federal Advisory Panel's Call for Major Reforms
Authors: MOLLDREM STEPHEN , SMITH ANTHONY K J , McCLELLAND ALEXANDER
Published: June 2023

Policy Points

Molecular HIV surveillance and cluster detection and response (MHS/CDR) programs have been a core public health activity in the United States since 2018 and are the “fourth pillar” of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative launched in 2019.

MHS/CDR has caused controversy, including calls for a moratorium from networks of people living with HIV. In October 2022, the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) adopted a resolution calling for major reforms.

We analyze the policy landscape and present four proposals to federal stakeholders pertaining to PACHA's recommendations about incorporating opt‐outs and plain‐language notifications into MHS/CDR programs.
Comparison of 95% effective dose of remimazolam besylate and propofol for gastroscopy sedation on older patients: A single‐centre randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ye Enci , Wu Keyang , Ye Hui , Zhang Wenyuan , Chu Lihua , Zhang Kai , Xie Guohao , Jin Yue , Fang Xiangming
Published: June 2023

Aims

Advanced age is an important risk factor for adverse events during procedural sedation. Remimazolam is safe and effective in gastroscopic sedation. However, the ideal dose and application for older patients are not well known. We aim to investigate its 95% effective dose (ED95) for older patients undergoing gastroscopy and to assess its safety and efficacy, with propofol as the comparison.

Methods

The trial consists of 2 parts, patients aged >65 years and scheduled for outpatient painless gastroscopy were enrolled. In the first part, Dixon's up‐and‐down methodology was used to determine the ED95 of remimazolam besylate and propofol for gastroscopic insertion, in combination with 0.2 μg/kg remifentanil. In the second part, patients in each group received 0.2 μg/kg remifentanil and ED95 dose of the study drugs for sedation induction, supplemental doses were added to maintain sedation depth when necessary. The primary outcome was the incidence of adverse events. The secondary outcome was the recovery time.

Results

The ED95 of remimazolam besylate and propofol induction were 0.2039 (95% confidence interval 0.1753–0.3896) mg/kg and 1.9733 (95% confidence interval 1.7346–3.7021) mg/kg respectively. Adverse events were reported in 26 (40.6%) patients in the remimazolam group and 54 (83.1%) in the propofol group (P < .0001), whereas the remimazolam group presented a higher incidence of hiccups (P = .0169). Besides, the median time to awakening was approximately 1 min shorter with remimazolam than with propofol (P < .05).

Conclusion

For older patients undergoing gastroscopy, the ED95 dose of remimazolam is a safer alternative than propofol when inducing the same sedation depth.
Peripheral T‐cell lymphoma with a T follicular‐helper phenotype: A different entity? Results of the Spanish Real‐T study
Authors: Martín García‐Sancho Alejandro , Rodríguez‐Pinilla Socorro M. , Domingo‐Domenech Eva , Climent Fina , Sánchez‐Garcia Joaquín , López Jiménez Javier , García‐Cosío Piqueras Mónica , Castellvi Josep , González Ana Julia , González de Villambrosia Sonia , Gómez Codina José , Navarro Belén , Rodríguez Guillermo , Borrero Juan José , Fraga Máximo , Naves Andrea , Baeza Lourdes , Córdoba Raúl
Published: June 2023

Nodal peripheral T‐cell lymphoma (PTCL) with a T follicular helper phenotype (PTCL‐TFH) is a new type of PTCL. We aimed to define its clinical characteristics and prognosis compared to PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL‐NOS) and angioimmunoblastic T‐cell lymphoma (AITL). This retrospective observational study included 175 patients diagnosed with PTCL between 2008 and 2013 in 13 Spanish sites. Patient diagnosis was centrally reviewed, and patients were reclassified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 criteria: 21 patients as PTCL‐NOS, 55 as AITL and 23 as PTCL‐TFH. Median follow‐up was 56.07 months (95% CI 38.7–73.4). Progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly higher in patients with PTCL‐TFH than in those with PTCL‐NOS and AITL (PFS, 24.6 months vs. 4.6 and 7.8 months, respectively, p = 0.002; OS, 52.6 months vs. 10.0 and 19.3 months, respectively, p < 0.001). Histological diagnosis maintained an independent influence on both PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 4.1 vs. PTCL‐NOS, p = 0.008; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.047) and OS (HR 5.7 vs. PTCL‐NOS, p = 0.004; HR 2.6 vs. AITL, p = 0.096), regardless of the International Prognostic Index. These results suggest that PTCL‐TFH could have more favourable features and prognosis than the other PTCL subtypes, although larger series are needed to corroborate these findings.
Torus, Demand and Desire: Towards a Psychosomatic Structure of Lung Transplantation
Authors: Goetzmann Lutz , Eichenlaub Marie , Siegel Adrian M. , Benden Christian , Boehler Annette , Jenewein Josef , Seiler Annina , Grytska Olga , Hesse Konstantin , Wutzler Uwe , Ruettner Barbara
Published: June 2023

An organ transplant involves complex psychodynamic processing that has been explored particularly in terms of object relationship theory. In the present study, we develop a model of transplantation based primarily on Lacan's explanations of the torus. In a prospective study, we examined 40 patients, 2 weeks, 3 months and 6 months post‐transplant. Based on the analysis of a dream, we identified the so‐called ‘transplantation complex’ in the form of earlier, for example, oral‐sadistic fantasies. In a further step, we examined the extent to which direct and indirect indications of this complex were found in the interviews of the total sample. In the present paper, these results are related to Lacan's graph of the torus. Our results display the dialectic of a repetitive demand, especially on the lungs, and the desire for an object that is basically lost or Oedipally forbidden. This dialectic may explain both the different quality of life and the frequent occurrence of feelings of guilt reported by the patients. We also show the function of identification, for example, with a single trait of the donor. Overall, the model of the torus may be a way of understanding the processing of the transplant in a deeper and more coherent psychodynamic manner.
Ellagic acid inhibits the formation of hypertrophic scars by suppressing TGF‐β/Smad signaling pathway activity
Authors: Zhao Zun‐jiang , Wu De‐jin , Lv Da‐lun , Zhang Bao‐de , Chen Lei , Sun Yin‐qiao
Published: June 2023

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a benign fibroproliferative skin disease, which lacks the ideal treatment and drugs. Ellagic acid (EA) is a natural polyphenol that prevents fibroblasts from proliferating and migrating. This study aimed to determine the role of EA in HS formation and its possible mechanism by in vitro experiments. HS fibroblasts (HSFs) and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were separated from HS tissue and normal skin tissue, respectively. HSFs were treated with 10 and 50 μM EA to assess their effect on HS formation. In particular, 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2‐H‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and scratch assay were used to detect the viability and migration ability of HSFs. Quantitative reverse transcriptase real‐time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the mRNA expression level of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), extracellular matrix (ECM)‐related gene collagen‐I (COL‐I), and fibronectin 1 (FN1) in HSFs. Finally, Western blot was utilized to measure the expression level of TGF‐β/Smad signaling pathway–related proteins in HSFs. The viability of HSFs was significantly increased compared with NFs. 10 and 50 μM EA treatment markedly inhibition the cell viability and migration of HSFs. EA treatment upregulated the bFGF expression level and downregulated the COL‐I and FN1 expression level in HSFs. In addition, p‐Smad2, p‐Smad3, and transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 expression levels as well as p‐Smad2/Smad2 and p‐Smad3/Smad3 ratios remarkably decreased in HSFs after EA treatment. EA inhibited the formation of HSs by suppressing the viability and migration of HSFs and ECM deposition as well as by preventing the activation of TGF‐β/Smad signaling.
Anti‐inflammatory effects of dexamethasone in COVID‐19 patients: Translational population PK/PD modeling and simulation
Authors: Świerczek Artur , Jusko William J.
Published: June 2023

Dexamethasone (DEX) given at a dose of 6 mg once‐daily for 10 days is a recommended dosing regimen in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) requiring oxygen therapy. We developed a population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PopPK/PD) model of DEX anti‐inflammatory effects in COVID‐19 and provide simulations comparing the expected efficacy of four dosing regimens of DEX. Nonlinear mixed‐effects modeling and simulations were performed using Monolix Suite version 2021R1 (Lixoft, France). Published data for DEX PK in patients with COVID‐19 exhibited moderate variability with a clearance of about half that in healthy adults. No accumulation of the drug was expected even with daily oral doses of 12 mg. Indirect effect models of DEX inhibition of TNFα, IL‐6, and CRP plasma concentrations were enacted and simulations performed for DEX given at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12 mg daily for 10 days. The numbers of individuals that achieved specified reductions in inflammatory biomarkers were compared among the treatment groups. The simulations indicate the need for 6 or 12 mg daily doses of DEX for 10 days for simultaneous reductions in TNFα, IL‐6, and CRP. Possibly beneficial is DEX given at a dose of 12 mg compared to 6 mg. The PopPK/PD model may be useful in the assessment of other anti‐inflammatory compounds as well as drug combinations in the treatment of cytokine storms.
Recommendations from DiabetesUK's 2022 diabetes and physical activity workshop
Authors: Morris Anna , Bright Chris , Cocks Matthew , Gibson Neil , Goff Louise , Greaves Colin , Griffin Simon , Jane Ben , Kinnafick Florence , Robb Paul , Roberts Michelle , Salman David , Saxton John , Taylor Adrian , West Daniel , Yates Thomas , Andrews Rob C. , Gill Jason M. R.
Published: June 2023

Aims

To describe the process and outputs of a workshop convened to identify key priorities for future research in the area of diabetes and physical activity and provide recommendations to researchers and research funders on how best to address them.

Methods

A 1‐day research workshop was conducted, bringing together researchers, people living with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and members of staff from Diabetes UK to identify and prioritise recommendations for future research into physical activity and diabetes.

Results

Workshop attendees prioritised four key themes for further research: (i) better understanding of the physiology of exercise in all groups of people: in particular, what patient metabolic characteristics influence or predict the physiological response to physical activity, and the potential role of physical activity in beta cell preservation; (ii) designing physical activity interventions for maximum impact; (iii) promoting sustained physical activity across the life course; (iv) designing physical activity studies for groups with multiple long‐term conditions.

Conclusions

This paper outlines recommendations to address the current gaps in knowledge related to diabetes and physical activity and calls on the research community to develop applications in these areas and funders to consider how to stimulate research in these areas.
First‐in‐human study of a pharmacological duodenal exclusion therapy shows reduced postprandial glucose and insulin and increased bile acid and gut hormone concentrations
Authors: Fineman Mark S. , Bryant Christine L. N. , Colbert Kevin , Jozefiak Thomas H. , Petersen John S. , Horowitz Michael , Vora Jiten , Rayner Christopher K. , Wabnitz Paul , Nimgaonkar Ashish
Published: June 2023

Aims

To address the need for noninvasive alternatives to metabolic surgery or duodenal exclusion devices for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity by developing an orally administered therapeutic polymer, GLY‐200, designed to bind to and enhance the barrier function of mucus in the gastrointestinal tract to establish duodenal exclusion noninvasively.

Materials and Methods

A Phase 1, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, single‐ (SAD) and multiple‐ascending‐dose (MAD) healthy volunteer study was conducted. In the SAD arm, four cohorts received a single dose of 0.5 g up to 6.0 g GLY‐200 or placebo, while in the MAD arm, four cohorts received 5 days of twice‐daily or three‐times‐daily dosing (total daily dose 2.0 g up to 6.0 g GLY‐200 or placebo). Assessments included safety and tolerability (primary) and exploratory pharmacodynamics, including serum glucose, insulin, bile acids and gut hormones.

Results

No safety signals were observed; tolerability signals were limited to mild to moderate dose‐dependent gastrointestinal events. In the MAD arm (Day 5), reductions in glucose and insulin and increases in bile acids, glucagon‐like peptide‐1, peptide YY and glicentin, were observed following a nonstandardized meal in subjects receiving twice‐daily dosing of 2.0 g GLY‐200 (N = 9) versus those receiving placebo (N = 8).

Conclusions

GLY‐200 is safe and generally well tolerated at doses of ≤2.0 g twice daily. Pharmacodynamic results mimic the biomarker signature observed after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass and duodenal exclusion devices, indicating a pharmacological effect in the proximal small intestine. This study represents the first clinical demonstration that duodenal exclusion can be achieved with an oral drug and supports further development of GLY‐200 for the treatment of obesity and/or T2D.
Three‐dimensional species distribution modelling reveals the realized spatial niche for coral recruitment on contemporary Caribbean reefs
Authors: Martínez‐Quintana Ángela , Lasker Howard R. , Wilson Adam M.
Published: June 2023

The three‐dimensional structure of habitats is a critical component of species' niches driving coexistence in species‐rich ecosystems. However, its influence on structuring and partitioning recruitment niches has not been widely addressed. We developed a new method to combine species distribution modelling and structure from motion, and characterized three‐dimensional recruitment niches of two ecosystem engineers on Caribbean coral reefs, scleractinian corals and gorgonians. Fine‐scale roughness was the most important predictor of suitable habitat for both taxa, and their niches largely overlapped, primarily due to scleractinians' broader niche breadth. Crevices and holes at mm scales on calcareous rock with low coral cover were more suitable for octocorals than for scleractinian recruits, suggesting that the decline in scleractinian corals is facilitating the recruitment of octocorals on contemporary Caribbean reefs. However, the relative abundances of the taxa were independent of the amount of suitable habitat on the reef, emphasizing that niche processes alone do not predict recruitment rates.
Microbially mediated climate feedbacks from wetland ecosystems
Authors: Candry Pieter , Abrahamson Britt , Stahl David Allan , Winkler Mari‐Karoliina Henriikka
Published: June 2023

Wetlands are crucial nodes in the carbon cycle, emitting approximately 20% of global CH4 while also sequestering 20%–30% of all soil carbon. Both greenhouse gas fluxes and carbon storage are driven by microbial communities in wetland soils. However, these key players are often overlooked or overly simplified in current global climate models. Here, we first integrate microbial metabolisms with biological, chemical, and physical processes occurring at scales from individual microbial cells to ecosystems. This conceptual scale‐bridging framework guides the development of feedback loops describing how wetland‐specific climate impacts (i.e., sea level rise in estuarine wetlands, droughts and floods in inland wetlands) will affect future climate trajectories. These feedback loops highlight knowledge gaps that need to be addressed to develop predictive models of future climates capturing microbial contributions. We propose a roadmap connecting environmental scientific disciplines to address these knowledge gaps and improve the representation of microbial processes in climate models. Together, this paves the way to understand how microbially mediated climate feedbacks from wetlands will impact future climate change.
Artificial intelligence‐based reticulin proportionate area – a novel histological outcome predictor in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Patil Ameya , Salvatori Rebecca , Smith Lindsey , Jenkins Sarah M , Cannon Andrew , Hartley Christopher P , Graham Rondell P , Moreira Roger K
Published: June 2023

Aims

Reticulin stain is used routinely in the histological evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The goal of this study was to assess whether the histological reticulin proportionate area (RPA) in HCCs predicts tumour‐related outcomes.

Methods and results

We developed and validated a supervised artificial intelligence (AI) model that utilises a cloud‐based, deep‐learning AI platform (Aiforia Technologies, Helsinki, Finland) to specifically recognise and quantify the reticulin framework in normal livers and HCCs using routine reticulin staining. We applied this reticulin AI model to a cohort of consecutive HCC cases from patients undergoing curative resection between 2005 and 2015. A total of 101 HCC resections were included (median age = 68 years, 64 males, median follow‐up time = 49.9 months). AI model RPA reduction of > 50% (compared to normal liver tissue) was predictive of metastasis [hazard ratio (HR) = 3.76, P = 0.004, disease‐free survival (DFS, HR = 2.48, P < 0.001) and overall survival (OS), HR = 2.80, P = 0.001]. In a Cox regression model, which included clinical and pathological variables, RPA decrease was an independent predictor of DFS and OS and the only independent predictor of metastasis. Similar results were found in the moderately differentiated HCC subgroup (WHO grade 2), in which reticulin quantitative analysis was an independent predictor of metastasis, DFS and OS.

Conclusion

Our data indicate that decreased RPA is a strong predictor of various HCC‐related outcomes, including within the moderately differentiated subgroup. Reticulin, therefore, may represent a novel and important prognostic HCC marker, to be further explored and validated.
Gender‐affirming hormone therapy decreases d‐dimer but worsens insulin sensitivity in transgender women
Authors: Lake Jordan E. , Miao Hongyu , Bowman Emily R. , Clark Jesse L. , Hyatt Ana N. , Kettelhut Aaren , Lama Javier R. , Reisner Sari L. , Mayer Kenneth H. , Perez‐Brumer Amaya , Funderburg Nicholas
Published: June 2023

Objectives

Gender‐affirming hormonal therapies (GAHT) and HIV increase cardiovascular risk for transgender women (TW), yet there is a paucity of data quantifying cardiometabolic changes following GAHT initiation, particularly among TW with HIV.

Methods

The Féminas study enrolled TW from October 2016 to March 2017 in Lima, Peru. Participants reported sexual activity that was high risk for HIV acquisition or transmission. All were tested for HIV/ sexually transmitted infection and were given access to GAHT (oestradiol valerate and spironolactone), HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 12 months. Biomarker measurement was done on stored serum, whereas fasting glucose and lipids were measured in real time.

Results

In all, 170 TW (32 with HIV, 138 without HIV) had median age 27 years and 70% prior GAHT use. At baseline, PCSK9, sCD14, sCD163, IL‐6, sTNFRI/II, CRP and EN‐RAGE levels were significantly higher in TW with HIV than in TW without HIV. High‐density lipoprotein and total cholesterol were lower and insulin and glucose parameters were similar. All TW with HIV started ART, but only five achieved virological suppression at any time. No TW without HIV initiated PrEP. Over 6 months, all participants initiated GAHT and had worsening insulin, glucose and HOMA‐IR. Large d‐dimer decreases also occurred. Similar changes occurred in TW with and without HIV.

Conclusions

In this unique cohort of TW, GAHT decreased d‐dimer but worsened insulin sensitivity. Because PrEP uptake and ART adherence were very low, observed effects are primarily attributed to GAHT use. Further study is needed to better understand cardiometabolic changes in TW by HIV serostatus.
Mechanism of the HIF‐1α/VEGF/VEGFR‐2 pathway in the proliferation and apoptosis of human haemangioma endothelial cells
Authors: Zhang Wenpei , Sun Lei , Gao Hongxia , Wang Shengquan
Published: June 2023

Haemangiomas (HAs) are prevalent vascular endothelial cell tumours. With respect to the possible involvement of HIF‐1α in HAs, we have explored its role in haemangioma endothelial cell (HemEC) proliferation and apoptosis. shRNA HIF‐1α and pcDNA3.1 HIF‐α were manipulated into HemECs. HIF‐α, VEGF, and VEGFR‐2 mRNA and protein levels were assessed by qRT‐PCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation and viability, cell cycle and apoptosis, migration and invasion, and ability to form tubular structures were assessed by colony formation assay, CCK‐8, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, and tube formation assay. Cell cycle‐related protein levels, and VEGF and VEGFR‐2 protein interaction were detected by Western blot and immunoprecipitation assays. An Haemangioma nude mouse model was established by subcutaneous injection of HemECs. Ki67 expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining. HIF‐1α silencing suppressed HemEC neoplastic behaviour and promoted apoptosis. HIF‐1α facilitated VEGF/VEGFR‐2 expression and the VEGF had interacted with VEGFR‐2 at protein ‐ protein level. HIF‐1α silencing arrested HemECs at G0/G1 phase, diminished Cyclin D1 protein level, and elevated p53 protein level. VEGF overexpression partially abrogated the effects of HIF‐1α knockdown on inhibiting HemEC malignant behaviours. Inhibiting HIF‐1α in nude mice with HAs repressed tumour growth and Ki67‐positive cells. Briefly, HIF‐1α regulated HemEC cell cycle through VEGF/VEGFR‐2, thus promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis.
Essential yet excluded: COVID‐19 and the decent work deficit among domestic workers in Brazil
Authors: ACCIARI Louisa , DOS SANTOS BRITO Chirlene , PEREIRA PINTO Cleide
Published: June 2023

This article presents data from a survey conducted with the National Federation of Domestic Workers of Brazil on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on domestic workers, also considering emergency policies and the Federation's main actions in the first year of the crisis. Focusing on employment and income, occupational health and safety, and violations of rights, it shows the extreme polarization between those who lost their livelihoods and those obliged to continue working at the expense of their health and basic human rights. Although the circumstances were exceptional, the authors argue that this situation was made possible by pre‐existing conditions of legal exclusion and precarity.
Measuring the alveolar bone level in adolescents: A comparison between ultrasound and cone beam computed tomography
Authors: Nguyen Kim‐Cuong T. , Le Lawrence H. , Kaipatur Neelambar R. , Almeida Fabiana T. , Lai Hollis , Lou Edmond H. M. , Major Paul W.
Published: June 2023

Background

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is an imaging modality, which is used routinely in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning but delivers much higher radiation than conventional dental radiographs. Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging method that creates an image without ionizing radiation.

Aim

To investigate the reliability of ultrasound and the agreement between ultrasound and CBCT in measuring the alveolar bone level (ABL) on the buccal/labial side of the incisors in adolescent orthodontic patients.

Design

One hundred and eighteen incisors from 30 orthodontic adolescent patients were scanned by CBCT with 0.3‐mm voxel size and ultrasound at 20 MHz frequency. The ABL, distance from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC), was measured twice to evaluate the agreement between ultrasound and CBCT. In addition, the intra‐ and inter‐rater reliabilities in measuring the ABL by four raters were compared.

Results

The mean difference (MD) in the ABL between ultrasound and CBCT was −0.07 mm with 95% limit of agreement (LoA) from −0.47 to 0.32 mm for all teeth. For each jaw, the MDs between the ultrasound and CBCT were −0.18 mm (for mandible with 95% LoA from −0.53 to 0.18 mm) and 0.03 mm (for maxilla with 95% LoA from −0.28 to 0.35 mm). In comparison, ultrasound had higher intra‐rater (ICC = 0.83–0.90) and inter‐rater reliabilities (ICC = 0.97) in ABL measurement than CBCT (ICC = 0.56–0.78 for intra‐rater and ICC = 0.69 for inter‐rater reliabilities).

Conclusion

CBCT parameters used in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning in adolescents may not be a reliable tool to assess the ABL for the mandibular incisors. On the contrary, ultrasound imaging, an ionizing radiation‐free, inexpensive, and portable diagnostic tool, has potential to be a reliable diagnostic tool in assessing the ABL in adolescent patients.
Effect of sintering and annealing on electrochemical and mechanical characteristics of Na3Zr2Si2PO12 solid electrolyte
Authors: Hitesh Basitti , Sil Anjan
Published: June 2023

NASICON (Sodium superionic conductor) type Na3Zr2Si2PO12 (NZSP) has received a lot of interest as the solid electrolyte for all‐solid‐state sodium‐ion batteries (ASSIBs). The electrolyte has superior interfacial characteristics, high thermal stability, and good ionic conductivity. Because of their higher energy density, improved mechanical stability, no liquid leakage problem, and higher operating voltages, All solid‐state batteries are expected to replace liquid electrolyte‐based batteries in many applications. The solid electrolyte also acts as a separator, and hence additional separator is not required for cell operations. Because of its 3D open architecture and continuous diffusion channels, NZSP is considered a better solid electrolyte. The NZSP solid electrolyte has been synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) followed by annealing the sintered materials. The SPS method leads the material to have higher density and ionic conductivity. Conventional sintering of the materials requires a temperature as high as 1225°C; however, the temperature required for the SPS is as low as 1050°C. Moreover, conventional sintering yields samples of relative density up to 91%, while SPSed samples have achieved a maximum density of around 98%. The ionic conductivity of solid electrolyte SPSed at 1050°C for 10 min is found to be 3.5 × 10−4 S/cm with an activation energy of 0.27 eV. The annealing of the SPSed samples improves the ionic conductivity of the SPS1050‐20mins sample to roughly double the value obtained from the as‐prepared SPS sample because there are fewer secondary phases and a structural change from a rhombohedral to a monoclinic system. To ascertain the samples' crystal structure, particle shape, and ionic conductivity, materials were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The samples' mechanical characteristics, for example, the hardness and fracture toughness of the samples, were also determined.
Pyroptosis by NLRP3/caspase‐1/gasdermin‐D pathway in synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis patients
Authors: Zhang Xue , Wang Qiuyuan , Cao Guorui , Luo Manli , Hou Hongli , Yue Chen
Published: June 2023

We investigated the potential involvement of pyroptosis, a proinflammatory form of regulated cell death, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Synovial fluid, synovial tissues and/or serum were compared among 32 patients with RA, 46 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and 30 healthy controls. Samples were assayed for interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐18 and lactate hydrogenase (LDH). Synovial expression of NLRP3, caspase‐1 and cleaved gasdermin D (GSDMD) was assayed using immunohistochemistry and multiplex immunohistochemistry. Patients with RA showed significantly higher levels of IL‐1β and IL‐18 in synovial fluid than patients with OA, and significantly higher levels of both cytokines in serum than healthy controls. RA was associated with higher levels of LDH in synovial fluid than OA. Among patients with RA, levels of IL‐1β, IL‐18 and LDH were significantly higher in synovial fluid than in serum, and the levels in synovial fluid positively correlated with disease activity and inflammation. Synovial cells, particularly macrophages, showed upregulation of NLRP3, caspase‐1 and cleaved GSDMD in RA compared to OA. Our results implicate pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of RA, perhaps as a driver of local inflammation in joints.
Women education in the Soviet prophylactoria and the care homes for sexually transmitted disease patients in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany
Authors: Schochow Maximilian , Steger Florian
Published: June 2023

Objectives

In the 1920s, so‐called prophylactoria were established in the USSR. In these institutions, sex workers with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were treated. After the end of World War II, care homes for patients with STDs were established in the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany (SOZ). These institutions were also intended to treat people suffering from STDs. This article compares these two types of medical institutions.

Methods

Sources from the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow, the German Federal Archives in Berlin and the City Archive Zwickau were used. The analysed sources were evaluated by using the historical‐critical method.

Results

The prophylactoria were novel institutions that combined education and medical treatment of people with STDs. Similar strategies were followed in the care homes for STD patients. In both institutions, the sick persons had to follow a regular daily routine and work every day. The political indoctrination served to educate ‘socialist personalities’. Nevertheless, various differences can be found between the facilities: the length of stay was different. The women in Soviet prophylactoria were cared for there for up to 2 years. However, the standard duration of stay in the care homes for STD patients was 3–6 months.

Conclusions

The prophylactoria had a long‐term programme not only to treat sick women but also to reeducate them. The aim was to enlighten and integrate them into the new Soviet society. The care homes for STD patients had a short‐term programme of combating venereal diseases. Their main goal was to treat patients with STDs as quickly as possible, while education was an additional measure. Whether both institutions were successful in educating and treating these patients can hardly be assessed from today's perspective.
Design and application of modified CAD/CAM socket‐shield preparation template in immediate implantation in the esthetic area
Authors: Song Zijun , Li Ziliang , Li Xudong , Li Chunyan , Zhou Siyue , Xu Qian
Published: June 2023

Objective

Designed and applicated a modified customized CAD‐CAM socket‐shield preparation guide template in immediate implant and followed up for 3 years.

Clinical Considerations

Socket‐shield technique could improve the esthetic effect of immediate implant restorations by preserving the labial fascicular bone‐periodontal complex at the implant site. While the socket‐shield technique is highly technique‐sensitive. A modified customized CAD/CAM guided template was designed and fabricated by 3D printing. The movement of the carbide bur during preparing the socket‐shield was limited by the socket‐shield preparation template. In this case report, the socket‐shield preparation template was used for preparing the socket‐shield in the tooth root with irregular morphology and the case was followed up for 3 years.

Conclusions

The modified CAD/CAM socket‐shield preparation template effectively improved the accuracy and efficiency of preparing the socket‐shield by limiting the movement of the high‐speed carbide bur in both in both lip‐to‐palatal and crown‐to‐root orientation. The socket‐shield with accurate morphology could effectively maintain the gingival marginal level and contour.

Clinical Significance

The modified CAD/CAM socket‐shield preparation template with the depth‐locking ring effectively reduced the technique sensitivity and time consumption of the socket‐shield technique, especially for tooth roots with irregular morphology.
Health care transition planning for adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities: Distinctions and challenges
Authors: Betz Cecily L.
Published: June 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight and enhanced understanding of the health care transition planning process for adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. There are distinctly different programmatic considerations that need to be addressed in advancing their transfer of care to adult providers and promoting their transition to adulthood. These differences are due in part to the federal and state legislative initiatives that were established in the education, rehabilitation, employment, and developmental disabilities service systems. In contrast, no comparable federal and state mandates exist in the system of health care. The legislative mandates in education, rehabilitation, and employment are presented and discussed as well as the federal legislation on rights and protections for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. Consequently, health care transition (HCT) planning involves application of a framework of care that is characteristically different than the planning efforts undertaken for adolescents and emerging adults (AEA) with special health care needs (SHCN)/disabilities and for typically developing AEA. The best practice HCT recommendations are discussed in the context of this intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities framework of care.

Conclusions

Health care transition planning for adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities involves additional and distinctly clinical and programmatic models of care.

Practice Implications

Health care transition planning guidance for adolescents and emerging adults with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities are provided based upon best practice recommendations.
Psychotic symptoms in frontotemporal dementia with TDP‐43 tend to be associated with type B pathology
Authors: Hirsch‐Reinshagen Veronica , Hercher Christa , Vila‐Rodriguez Fidel , Neumann Manuela , Rademakers Rosa , Honer William G. , Hsiung Ging‐Yuek R. , Mackenzie Ian R.
Published: June 2023

Aims

Psychotic symptoms are increasingly recognized as a distinguishing clinical feature in patients with dementia due to frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP‐43 pathology (FTLD‐TDP). Within this group, carriers of the C9orf72 repeat expansion are particularly prone to develop delusions and hallucinations.

Methods

The present retrospective study sought to provide novel details about the relationship between FTLD‐TDP pathology and the presence of psychotic symptoms during life.

Results

We found that FTLD‐TDP subtype B was more frequent in patients with psychotic symptoms than in those without. This relationship was present even when corrected for the presence of C9orf72 mutation, suggesting that pathophysiological processes leading to the development of subtype B pathology may increase the risk of psychotic symptoms. Within the group of FTLD‐TDP cases with subtype B pathology, psychotic symptoms tended to be associated with a greater burden of TDP‐43 pathology in the white matter and a lower burden in lower motor neurons. When present, pathological involvement of motor neurons was more likely to be asymptomatic in patients with psychosis.

Conclusions

This work suggests that psychotic symptoms in patients with FTLD‐TDP tend to be associated with subtype B pathology. This relationship is not completely explained by the effects of the C9orf72 mutation and raises the possibility of a direct link between psychotic symptoms and this particular pattern of TDP‐43 pathology.
The dynamic multi‐functionality of leaf water transport outside the xylem
Authors: Scoffoni Christine , Albuquerque Caetano , Buckley Thomas N. , Sack Lawren
Published: June 2023

A surge of papers have reported low leaf vulnerability to xylem embolism during drought. Here, we focus on the less studied, and more sensitive, outside‐xylem leaf hydraulic responses to multiple internal and external conditions. Studies of 34 species have resolved substantial vulnerability to dehydration of the outside‐xylem pathways, and studies of leaf hydraulic responses to light also implicate dynamic outside‐xylem responses. Detailed experiments suggest these dynamic responses arise at least in part from strong control of radial water movement across the vein bundle sheath. While leaf xylem vulnerability may influence leaf and plant survival during extreme drought, outside‐xylem dynamic responses are important for the control and resilience of water transport and leaf water status for gas exchange and growth.
Inheritance of epigenetic transcriptional memory through read–write replication of a histone modification
Authors: Brickner Jason H.
Published: June 2023

Epigenetic transcriptional regulation frequently requires histone modifications. Some, but not all, of these modifications are able to template their own inheritance. Here, I discuss the molecular mechanisms by which histone modifications can be inherited and relate these ideas to new results about epigenetic transcriptional memory, a phenomenon that poises recently repressed genes for faster reactivation and has been observed in diverse organisms. Recently, we found that the histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation that is associated with this phenomenon plays a critical role in sustaining memory and, when factors critical for the establishment of memory are inactivated, can be stably maintained through multiple mitoses. This chromatin‐mediated inheritance mechanism may involve a physical interaction between an H3K4me2 reader, SET3C, and an H3K4me2 writer, Spp1− COMPASS. This is the first example of a chromatin‐mediated inheritance of a mark that promotes transcription.
Advancing understanding of discordant mentoring relationships in STEMM: A method and framework
Authors: Morales Danielle X. , Grineski Sara E. , Collins Timothy W.
Published: June 2023

Having a diverse workforce in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) fields is essential for the United States to remain competitive in the global economy and to create a more just society. Faculty‐mentored undergraduate research experiences have been identified as a high‐impact practice for encouraging students from diverse backgrounds to pursue STEMM education and careers. Despite extensive research examining factors influencing the effectiveness of mentor−mentee relationships, there is still limited understanding of how differences or similarities in the social identities of mentors and mentees, which we term mentor−mentee discordance, impact undergraduates’ research experiences and outcomes. In this perspective, we propose that mentor−mentee discordance should be conceptualized as a multidimensional, continuous construct and suggest a global index to measure varying degrees of discordance in mentoring relationships. We also offer a conceptual model that incorporates the Discordance Index to systematize the understanding of the effects of discordant mentoring relationships on student development across social contexts and over time. Finally, we provide recommendations for future researchers, STEMM educators, and program directors who are interested in using the Discordance Index.
Cutback management strategies and citizen evaluation of government
Authors: Flink Carla , Xu Xiaoyang
Published: June 2023

Through a behavioral approach, citizen evaluations of government performance have been an area of study in public administration. Research has explored how different factors influence citizens’ perceptions of public organizations, such as public sector bias and reference points. Understudied in this literature is how citizens evaluate government based on their use of financial management strategies. The Pandemic and other economic challenges have forced governments to engage in cutback management strategies to balance the budget. How do citizens evaluate governments based on their cutback strategies? To answer this theoretical question, we employ a survey experiment design with over 1600 respondents from the U.S. to explore how four cutback management strategies can influence citizen evaluations of government. Our findings suggest that cutback management strategies do influence citizens’ evaluation of government in trust, satisfaction, performance, and fairness. Citizens are more favorable to infrastructure or materials and contractor cuts than increasing taxes or reducing personnel. Further analysis by respondent partisanship indicates Democrats are more accepting of tax increases. Republicans rate governments lower when they cut capital and infrastructure and rate governments higher when they decrease personnel expenditures.
Prognostic biomarkers for survival in mucosal melanoma
Authors: Thierauf Julia C. , Kaluziak Stefan T. , Codd Elizabeth , Dybel Stacy N. , Jobbagy Soma , Purohit Rashi , Farahani Alex A. , Dedeilia Aikaterini , Naranbhai Vivek , Hoang Mai P. , Fisch Adam S. , Ritterhouse Lauren , Boland Genevieve M. , Lennerz Jochen K. , Iafrate A. John
Published: June 2023

Mucosal melanoma (MM) is a rare subtype of melanoma with an aggressive clinical course. In cutaneous melanoma (CM), the absence of pigmentation and presence of NRAS/KRAS mutations are biomarkers indicating an aggressive clinical course with shorter overall survival. Similar data for MM are missing. We present the real‐world outcome data in a cohort of genotyped MM patients and assessed the prognostic relevance of pigmentation‐ and NRAS/KRAS mutation status. We correlated pathological reports and clinical data with overall survival of patients with MM. Furthermore, we performed clinically integrated molecular genotyping and analyzed real world treatment regimens for covariates associated with clinical outcome. We identified 39 patients with available clinical and molecular data. Patients with amelanotic MM had a significantly shorter overall survival (p = .003). In addition, the presence of a NRAS or KRAS mutation was significantly associated with poor overall survival (NRAS or KRAS p = .024). Currently, it is unknown if the same prognostic relevance for the lack of pigmentation and RAS mutations in CM, exists in MM. Here we analyzed a cohort of MM for outcome measures and determined that two known prognostic biomarkers for CM are in fact novel prognosticators for MM.