bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of the oscillometric home blood pressure monitor Braun BUA4000 with wide-range cuff in a general population according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/European Society of Hypertension/International Organization for Standardization (AAMI/ESH/ISO) Universal Standard
Authors: Ntousopoulos Vasileios , Ntineri Angeliki , Theodosiadi Aikaterini , Stathopoulou Panagiota , Menti Ariadni , Kyriakoulis Konstantinos G. , Kollias Anastasios , Stergiou George S.
Published: November 2023

Objective

To evaluate the blood pressure (BP) measurement accuracy of the Braun BUA4000 automated oscillometric upper-arm cuff device for self-home use in a general population according to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation/European Society of Hypertension/International Organization for Standardization (AAMI/ESH/ISO) Universal Standard (ISO 81060-2:2018) and its Amendment 1.2020-01.

Methods

Participants were recruited to fulfill the age, sex, BP and limb circumference distribution criteria of the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard in a general population using the same arm sequential BP measurement method. A single wide-range cuff of the test device was used for arm circumference range 22–42 cm.

Results

A total of 98 individuals were recruited and 85 were analyzed [mean age 60.3 ± 16.1 (SD) years, 44 men, arm circumference 31.5 ± 5.1 cm, range 22–41.5 cm]. For validation criterion 1, the mean difference ± SD between the test device and reference BP readings (N = 255) was 0.9 ± 6.4/−0.3 ± 6.4 mmHg (systolic/diastolic; threshold ≤5 ± 8 mmHg). For criterion 2, the SD of the averaged BP differences between the test device and reference BP per individual (N = 85) was 5.15/5.81 mmHg (systolic/diastolic; threshold ≤6.88/6.95 mmHg).

Conclusion

The Braun BUA4000 automated oscillometric BP monitor fulfilled all the requirements of the AAMI/ESH/ISO Universal Standard in a general population and can be recommended for self-monitoring of BP by patients at home.
Remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation jointly in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: implications for clinical trials
Authors: Elías-López Daniel , Doi Takahito , Nordestgaard Børge G. , Kobylecki Camilla J.
Published: November 2023

Purpose of review

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is the leading cause of death despite the development of effective treatments. Recently, elevated remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation have emerged as factors explaining part of the residual ASCVD risk. Interestingly, the coexistence of both high remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation can further increase the risk of ASCVD. The aim of this review is to describe the role of elevated remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation, separately and combined, in ASCVD.

Recent findings

Results from recently published studies, including observational and genetic Mendelian randomization studies, support a causal relationship between elevated remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation on risk of ASCVD in both primary and secondary prevention settings. In addition, current evidence from observational studies suggests that the coexistence of elevated remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation further increases the risk of ASCVD.

Recent observational studies suggest that high remnant cholesterol combined with low-grade inflammation may confer a particular high risk for ASCVD. Attention on the dual threat from high remnant cholesterol and low-grade inflammation is necessary, and further research in this field is warranted. The effect of remnant cholesterol-lowering drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs on ASCVD risk alone and combined remains to be elucidated.

Video abstract

http://links.lww.com/COCN/A20
Detection of clinically relevant antibiotic resistant bacteria in shared fomites, waste water, and municipal solid wastes disposed in vicinity of residential areas of Nigerian Urban City
Authors: Yusuf Ibrahim , Muhammad Zainab Damji , Muhammad Amin Binta , Shuaibu Maryam Danladi , Hamza Nafisatu , Isah Hajara Dauda , Abdullahi Nasir Bako , Ene Patience James , Shuaibu Sameera Salisu , Doguwa Nasir , Pedro Shamsudeen Lekan , Muhammad Maryam Adamu
Published: November 2023

SStudies investigating environmental hotspots of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in Nigeria are limited. This study was designed to assess various environmental sources and commonly touched surfaces as potential carriers of ARB and ARGs with implications for public health. A total of 392 samples, including sewage (36), sludge (36), diapers (20), plastics (20), water sachet polythene bags (20), food wastes (20), soil beneath dump sites (20), and frequently touched surfaces like restroom floors (80), corridors (24), door handles (56), and room floors and walls (60), were collected and screened for the presence of resistant bacteria carrying genes such as blaKPC, blaNDM-1, blaCMY-2, blaIMP, blaOXA66, and MecA. Additionally, we employed standard techniques to detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. We also evaluated the effectiveness of routine disinfection procedures in eliminating ARB from restroom floors. Our findings revealed that sewage, sludge, diapers, food wastes, and restroom floors are frequently contaminated with highly and moderately resistant strains of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and MRSA. Notably, we identified two variants of the blaOXA51-like gene (blaOXA-66 & blaOXA-180) in A. baumannii isolated from these environmental sources. Furthermore, we detected seven ESBL-K. pneumoniae, five ESBL-A. baumannii, two ESBL-E. coli, and one ESBL-P. aeruginosa, all carrying one or more ARGs (blaKPC, blaNDM-1, blaCMY-2), in isolates recovered from sewage, sludge, restroom floors, and plastics. It is worth noting that ARB persisted on restroom floors even after disinfection procedures. In conclusion, this study highlights that environmental wastes indiscriminately discarded in residential areas and shared surfaces among individuals are heavily colonized by ARB carrying ARGs of significant public health importance.
Parabacteroides leei sp. nov., isolated from human blood
Authors: Byun Jung-Hyun , Cho Hae Weon , Lee Hyukmin , Lee Woo-Kon , Yong Dongeun
Published: November 2023

An obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped and non-spore-forming bacterium, designated as strain GYB001T, was isolated from the blood of a patient with a sigmoid colon perforation. Taxonomic characterization of the novel isolate was performed using a polyphasic approach. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and whole genome sequences revealed that GYB001T represented a member of the genus

Parabacteroides

, in the family

Tannerellaceae

. The closest species, based on 16S rRNA sequence, was

Parabacteroides gordonii

DSM 23371T with 97.4 % similarity. Average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain GYB001T and

P. gordonii

DSM 23371T were 86.7 and 28.7% and between GYB001T and

Parabacteroides faecis

JCM 18682T were 86.6 and 27.7 %, respectively. The genome was 6.57 Mbp long with 43.3 mol% G+C content. Colonies on Brucella blood agar (BBA) were circular, convex, smooth, grey and small in size. Growth was observed on trypticase soy agar (TSA), TSA +5 % sheep blood and Euglena gracilis agar. Growth occurred at 18–42 °C on BBA in the presence of 0–3 % NaCl (w/v) and at pH 6.0–8.5. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and phospholipids. The major fatty acids in strain GYB001T were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH, and the predominant respiratory quinones were menaquinone-10 (MK-10) and MK-9. The cell wall contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. Considering these phenotypic features and comparative genome analyses, we propose strain GYB001T as the type strain of Parabacteroides leei sp. nov. (=KCTC 25738T=KBN12P06525T=LMG 32797T).
Quantitative susceptibility mapping at 7 Tesla in COVID-19: mechanistic and outcome associations
Authors: Rua Catarina , Raman Betty , Rodgers Christopher T , Newcombe Virginia FJ , Manktelow Anne , Chatfield Doris A , Sawcer Stephen J. , Outtrim Joanne G , Lupson Victoria C , Stamatakis Emmanuel A , Williams Guy B , Clarke William T , Qiu Lin , Ezra Martyn , McDonald Rory , Clare Stuart , Cassar Mark , Neubauer Stefan , Ersche Karen D , Bullmore Edward T , Menon David K , Pattinson Kyle , Rowe James B.
Published: November 2023

Post mortemstudies have shown that patients dying from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection frequently have pathological changes in their central nervous system, particularly in the brainstem. Many of these changes are proposed to result from para-infectious and/or post-infection immune responses. Clinical symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, and chest pain are frequently reported in post-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We propose that these symptoms are in part due to damage to key neuromodulatory brainstem nuclei. While brainstem involvement has been demonstrated in the acute phase of the illness, the evidence of long-term brainstem change on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is inconclusive. We therefore used ultra-high field (7T) quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) to test the hypothesis that brainstem abnormalities persist in post-COVID patients and that these are associated with persistence of key symptoms.

We used 7T QSM data from 30 patients, scanned 93 – 548 days after hospital admission for COVID-19 and compared them to 51 age-matched controls without prior history of COVID-19 infection. We correlated the patients’ QSM signals with disease severity (duration of hospital admission and COVID-19 severity scale), inflammatory response during the acute illness (C-reactive protein, D-Dimer and platelet levels), functional recovery (modified Rankin scale; mRS), depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7).

In COVID-19 survivors the MR susceptibility increased in the medulla, pons and midbrain regions of the brainstem. Specifically, there was increased susceptibility in the inferior medullary reticular formation and the raphe pallidus and obscurus. In these regions, patients with higher tissue susceptibility had worse acute disease severity, higher acute inflammatory markers, and significantly worse functional recovery.

Using non-invasive ultra-high field 7T MRI, we show evidence of brainstem pathophysiological changes associated with inflammatory processes in post-hospitalized COVID-19 survivors. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms of long-term effects of COVID-19 and recovery.
Assessment of the effectiveness of required weekly COVID-19 surveillance antigen testing at a university
Authors: Ryan Christopher W.
Published: November 2023

Objectives

To mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions implemented a regimen of periodic required testing, irrespective of symptoms. The effectiveness of this”surveillance testing” requires assessment.

Methods

I fit a zero-inflated negative binomial model to COVID-19 testing and case investigation data between 1 November 2020 and 15 May 2021, from young adult subjects in one community. I compared the duration of symptoms at time of specimen collection in those diagnosed via (1) surveillance testing at a university, (2) the same university’s student health services, and (3) all other testing venues.

Results

The data comprised 2926 records: 393 from surveillance testing, 493 from student health service, and 2040 from other venues. About 65% of people with COVID-19 detected via surveillance testing were already symptomatic at time of specimen collection.

Predicted mean duration of pre-testing symptoms was 1.7 days (95% CI 1.59 to 1.84) for the community, 1.81 days (95% CI 1.62 to 1.99) for surveillance, and 2 days (95% CI 1.83 to 2.16) for student health service. The modelled “inflated” proportions of asymptomatic subjects from the surveillance stream and the other/community stream were comparable (odds ratio 0.95, p = 0.7709). Comparing surveillance testing with the student health service, the proportion of “excess” zero symptom durations was signficantly higher in the former (Chi-square = 12.08, p = 0.0005)

Conclusions

Surveillance testing at a university detected 393 people with COVID-19, but no earlier in their trajectory than similar-aged people detected in the broader community. This casts some doubt on the public health value of such programs, which tend to be labor-intensive and expensive.

2

Three-question summary box

What is the current understanding of this subject?

Assessments of long-term operational effectiveness of COVID-19 “surveillance testing” have not been published.

What does this report add to the literature?

During the 2020-2021 academic year at one university, people with COVID-19 detected via compulsory weekly surveillance antigen testing were equally likely to be symptomatic at time of detection, and for just as long, as similar-aged people detected via testing venues in the community.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Surveillance testing programs during the pandemic consumed a large amount of time, money, and effort. In future respiratory pandemics, resources might be better devoted to other mitigation measures.
Sex differences in profile and in-hospital mortality for acute stroke in Chile: data from a nationwide hospital registry
Authors: Nuñez Marilaura , Allende Ma.Ignacia , Gonzalez Francisca , Cavada Gabriel , Anderson Craig S. , Muñoz-Venturelli Paula
Published: November 2023

Background

Knowledge of local contextual sex-differences in the profile and outcome for stroke can improve service delivery. We aimed to determine sex-differences in the profile of patients with acute stroke and their associations with in-hospital mortality (I-HM) in the national hospital database of Chile.

Methods

We present a retrospective cohort based on the analysis of the 2019 Chilean database of Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs), which represents 70% of the operational expenditure of the public health system. Multiple logistic regression models were used to determine independent associations of acute stroke (defined by main diagnosis ICD-10 codes) and I-HM, and reported with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

Of 1,048,575 hospital discharges, 15,535 were for patients with acute stroke (7,074 [45.5%] in women) and 2,438 (15.6%) of them died in-hospital. Disparities by sex in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were identified for stroke and main subtypes. Women with ischemic stroke had lower I-HM (OR 0.80, 95%CI 0.70-0.92;P=0.002) compared to men; other independent predictors included age (1.03, 1.03-1.04;P<0.001), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (1.48, 1.20-1.81;P<0.001), atrial fibrillation (1.56, 1.34-1.83;P<0.001), admission to hospital without a stroke unit (1.21, 1.05-1.39;P=0.003), and several risk factors. Conversely for intracerebral hemorrhage, women had higher I-HM than men (1.21, 1.04-1.41; P=0.02); other independent predictors included age (1.01, 1.00-1.01;P<0.001), CKD (1.54, 1.22-1.94;P<0.001), oral anticoagulant use (2.01, 1.56-2.59;P<0.001), and several risk factors.

Conclusion

Sex disparities in patients characteristics and in-hospital mortality exist for acute stroke in Chile. I-HM is higher for acute ischemic stroke in men and higher for ICH in women. Future research is need to better identify contributing factors.
Comparative Study of Arteriosclerosis in Young and Elderly Individuals Using Carotid Artery Ultrasonography
Authors: Kawagishi Ikuko , Isobe Kenichi , Koshikawa Takashi , Murase Masaya , Naiki Yoshiharu , Ota Kosei , Ohira Yosuke , Kondo Haruka , Shinohara Takumi , Shimazaki Yuto , Takagi Kakeru , Takahashi Ayaka , Yamamoto Marina , Yoshida Atsushi , Ando Yoshitaka , Ohnishi Kazunori
Published: November 2023

Background

Atherosclerosis-related strokes in middle-aged to elderly individuals have become a significant concern due to the risk to their lives and the deterioration of their quality of life. Ultrasonographic evaluation is becoming evident that it is useful for preventing strokes. However, many studies to date have used middle-aged and older subjects.

Objective

Since Shubun University has many students, as well as older faculty and staff, we searched for how effective carotid artery ultrasonographic evaluation is in predicting future cerebral infarction and other vascular disorders by comparing arterial stiffness between young and elderly subjects.

Methods

We examined the carotid arteries of 89 healthy adults (37 males and 52 females) from Shubun University, ranging in age from 19 to 77 years old. We measured the intima-media thickness (IMT), the plaques, and the vessel diameter following the guidelines for carotid artery ultrasonography.

Results

IMT showed a significant age-related increase in both men and women in various parts of the carotid artery, except for women in the bifurcation area in our study. The overall max IMT of the carotid artery showed a significant age-related increase in both men and women. While carotid artery IMT did not change much until the 40s, there was a trend of thickening in the 50s to 60s. Plaque formation began to appear around the 40s. Age-related changes in vascular diameter were more pronounced in older men, particularly those aged 50 and above.

Conclusions

The results revealed that IMT, the number of plaques and the inner diameter of the carotid artery, remained largely unchanged up to the age of 40, after which they began to increase.
Metastability indexes global network effects post brain stimulation
Authors: Bapat Rishabh , Pathak Anagh , Banerjee Arpan
Published: November 2023

Several studies have shown that coordination among neural ensembles is a key to understand human cognition. A well charted path is to identify coordination states associated with cognitive functions from spectral changes in the oscillations of EEG or MEG. A growing number of studies suggest that the tendency to switch between coordination states, sculpts the dynamic repertoire of the brain and can be indexed by a measure known as metastability. In this article, we characterize perturbations in the metastability of global brain network dynamics following Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation that could quantify the duration for which information processing is altered, thus, allowing researchers to understand the network effects of brain stimulation, standardise stimulation protocols and design experimental tasks. We demonstrate the effect empirically using publicly available datasets and use a digital twin (a whole brain connectome model) to understand the dynamic principles that generate such observations. We observed a significant reduction in metastability, concurrent with an increase in coherence following single-pulse TMS reflecting the existence of a window where neural coordination is altered. The reduction in complexity was validated by an additional measure based on the Lempel-Ziv complexity of microstate labelled EEG data. Interestingly, higher frequencies in the EEG signal showed faster recovery in metastability than lower frequencies. The digital twin shed light on how the phase resetting introduced by the single-pulse TMS in local cortical networks can propagate globally across the whole brain and give rise to changes in metastability and coherence.
Interpretable models for scRNA-seq data embedding with multi-scale structure preservation
Authors: Novak David , de Bodt Cyril , Lambert Pierre , Lee John A. , Van Gassen Sofie , Saeys Yvan
Published: November 2023

The power to efficiently explore high-dimensional single-cell omics data is crucial for many biological applications. Dimensionality reduction techniques have therefore emerged as a basic building block of analytical workflows. By producing salient low-dimensional embeddings, they capture important structures in the data and are often used in visualisation, quality control, discovery and downstream analysis. However, current methods lack trustworthiness measures, resulting in the danger of misinterpretation. We tackle this withViVAE: a deep learning model that achieves multi-scale preservation of structure and enhances interpretability through a set of novel, visual quality control techniques. In addition, we provideViScore: a robust scoring framework that advances quantitative evaluation of embeddings with both unsupervised and supervised metrics that are scalable and fair. By applying our novel methods to a variety of datasets, we demonstrate the potential of our framework to spearhead the development of more trustworthy dimensionality reduction.
Identification of SIRT4 as a novel paralog-specific interactor and candidate suppressor of C-RAF kinase in MAPK signaling
Authors: Mehrabipour Mehrnaz , Dvorsky Radovan , Nakhaei-Rad Saeideh , Lang Alexander , Verhülsdonk Patrick , Ahmadian Mohammad Reza , Piekorz Roland P.
Published: November 2023

Cellular responses leading to development, proliferation, and differentiation rely on RAF/MEK/ERK signaling that integrates and amplifies signals from various stimuli to cellular downstream responses. The clinical significance of C-RAF activation has been reported in many types of tumor cell proliferation and developmental disorders, which requires the discovery of potential C-RAF protein regulators. Here, we identify a novel and specific protein interaction between C-RAF, among the RAF kinase paralogs, and SIRT4 among the mitochondrial sirtuin family members SIRT3, SIRT4, and SIRT5. Structurally, C-RAF binds to SIRT4 through the N-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD; a.a. 136-187), and on the other side, SIRT4 requires predominantly the C-terminus (a.a. 255-314) for full interaction with C-RAF. Interestingly, SIRT4 interacts specifically with C-RAF in a pre-signaling inactive (serine 259 phosphorylated) state. Consistent with this finding, ectopic expression of SIRT4 in HEK293 cells results in upregulation of pS259-C-RAF levels and concomitant reduction of MAPK signaling as evidenced by strongly decreased phospho-ERK signals. Thus, our findings propose another extra-mitochondrial role of SIRT4 and suggest that SIRT4 functions as a cytosolic tumor suppressor of C-RAF-MAPK signaling, besides its known metabolic tumor suppressor role towards glutamate dehydrogenase and glutamine levels in mitochondria.
Hierarchical regulation of functionally antagonistic neuropeptides expressed in a single neuron pair
Authors: Aoki Ichiro , Golinelli Luca , Dunkel Eva , Bhat Shripriya , Bassam Erschad , Beets Isabel , Gottschalk Alexander
Published: November 2023

Neuronal communication involves small-molecule transmitters, gap junctions, and neuropeptides. While neurons often express multiple neuropeptides, our understanding of the coordination of their action and their mutual interactions remains limited. Here, we demonstrate that two neuropeptides, NLP-10 and FLP-1, released from the same interneuron pair, AVKL/R, exert antagonistic effects on locomotion speed inCaenorhabditis elegans. NLP-10 accelerates locomotion by activating the G protein-coupled receptor NPR- 35 on premotor interneurons that promote forward movement. Notably, we establish that NLP-10 is crucial for the aversive response to mechanical and noxious light stimuli. Conversely, AVK-derived FLP-1 slows down locomotion by suppressing the secretion of NLP-10 from AVK, through autocrine feedback via activation of its receptor DMSR-7 in AVK neurons. Our findings suggest that peptidergic autocrine motifs, exemplified by the interaction between NLP-10 and FLP-1, might represent a widespread mechanism in nervous systems across species. These mutual functional interactions among peptidergic co-transmitters could fine-tune brain activity.

Highlights

• A pair of neurons elicits opposing behaviors via two distinct neuropeptides

• The neuropeptide NLP-10 accelerates locomotion by activating premotor interneurons

• Release of the neuropeptide FLP-1 reduces NLP-10 release via autocrine feedback

• NLP-10 is crucial for escaping aversive mechanical stimuli and noxious blue light

eTOC blurb

Neuropeptidergic communication is complex due to the hundreds of proteinaceous transmitters and receptors involved. Aoki and colleagues demonstrate a further layer of regulation, where one neuropeptide negatively influences release of an antagonistic neuropeptide by autocrine feedback, in a single neuron pair. This may represent a general principle in neuropeptidergic signaling.
Scaling of stochastic growth and division dynamics: A comparative study of individual rod-shaped cells in the Mother Machine and SChemostat platforms
Authors: Ziegler Karl F , Joshi Kunaal , Wright Charles S , Roy Shaswata , Caruso Will , Biswas Rudro R , Iyer-Biswas Srividya
Published: November 2023

Microfluidic platforms enable long-term quantification of stochastic behaviors of individual bacterial cells under precisely controlled growth conditions. Yet, quantitative comparisons of physiological parameters and cell behaviors of different microorganisms in different experimental and device modalities is not readily possible owing to experiment-specific details affecting cell physiology in confounding ways. To rigorously assess the effects of mechanical confinement, we designed, engineered, and performed side-by-side experiments under otherwise identical conditions in the Mother Machine (with confinement) and the SChemostat (without confinement), using the latter as the ideal comparator. We established a protocol to cultivate a suitably engineered rod-shaped mutant ofCaulobacter crescentusin the Mother Machine, and benchmarked the differences in stochastic growth and division dynamics in the Mother Machine with respect to the SChemostat. While the single-cell growth rate distributions are remarkably similar, the mechanically confined cells in the Mother Machine experience a substantial increase in interdivision times. However, we find that the division ratio distribution precisely compensates for this increase in the interdivision times, which in turn reflects identical emergent simplicities governing stochastic intergenerational homeostasis of cell sizes across device and experimental configurations, provided the cell sizes are appropriately mean-rescaled in each condition. Our results provide insights into the nature of the robustness of the bacterial growth and division machinery.
Occupational Exposure and Observance of Standard Precautions Among Bucco-dental Health Workers in Referral Hospitals (Yaoundé, Cameroon)
Authors: Takougang Innocent , Fojuh Mbognou Zita , Lekeumo Cheuyem Fabrice Zobel , Nouko Ariane , Lowe Michèle
Published: November 2023

Background

The risk of infection during dental practices is omnipresent for both patients and healthcare workers. Workers within the bucco-dental health services are among the most affected. The most reported infectious agents transmitted through blood and body fluids are Human Immunodeficiency Virus, viral hepatitis B and C. Compliance with standard precautions prevents exposure to hospital associated infections that are acquired through exposure needle sticks and splashes in healthcare settings. The aim of the present investigation was to assess the level of implementation and constraints to the observance of standard precautions in bucco-dental services.

Methodology

A cross-sectional study was conducted in five referral hospitals in Yaoundé, from March to April 2021, involving a purposeful selection of 40 bucco-dental health workers (BDHW). Workers were submitted to a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire covering their knowledge, level of observance of standard precautions and experiences of occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids. The data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS software version 26.

Results

Out of the 53 bucco-dental health workers (BDHW) who were selected for inclusion, 40 provided responses for a participation rate of 75.5%. The mean age of participants was 30.65 years and the M/F sex ratio was 0.54. Half of participants (58.5%) had a good overall level of knowledge of standard precautions. Less than a quarter of participants (12.5%) were compliant with standard precautions. Only 35% of BDHW had received training on hospital infection control, while 60% reported to have experience a needle stick injury in the last three months. Gaps in the observance of standard precautions included the lack of disinfectants (70%), application of hand washing techniques and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Less than half of participant (47,5%) were fully vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Conclusion

Most bucco-dental health workers had insufficient knowledge of standard precautions, most of whom had experienced needlestick injuries and accidental exposure to body fluids, and were at high risk of hospital acquired infections. There is an urgent need to establish and strengthen hospital-based infection control committees to ensure training and implementation of infection prevention measures in local healthcare settings. A framework for the nationwide scale up of such interventions should be explored.
Differential action of TIGIT on islet and peripheral nerve autoimmunity in the NOD mouse
Authors: Bécourt Chantal , Luce Sandrine , Rogner Ute C. , Boitard Christian
Published: November 2023

We previously demonstrated that the abrogation of the ICOS pathway prevents type 1 diabetes development in the Non Obese Diabetic (NOD) mouse, but results in a CD4+T-cell dependent autoimmune neuromyopathy in aged mice. Pancreatic islet infiltrates in conventional NOD mice and neuromuscular infiltrates inIcosl-/-NOD mice have in common that they exhibit a strong enrichment in CD4+TIGIT+T-cells, whilst TIGIT expression in the peripheral CD4+T-cells is limited to the CD4+FoxP3+T-cell population.

When deletingTigiton the NOD background, diabetes incidence was found increased. Peripheral CD4+CD226+effector T-cells exhibited an increased frequency of IL-17 producing CD4+CD226+RORgt+T-cellsversusa decreased frequency of IFNγ-producing CD4+CD226+Tbet+T-cells.

ICOS is expressed in both CD4+FoxP3+and CD4+CD226+splenic T-cell subsets.Icosldeletion leads to a decrease of CD4+FoxP3+cells, with decrease of PD1 but increase of ICOS and CCRX3. Also in theIcosl-/-model, CD4+CD226+T-cells are decreased byTigitdeletion, and showed an increase of CD4+CD226+RORgt+T-cells and a decrease of CD4+CD226+Tbet+T-cells.

However, deletion ofTigitin agedIcosl-/-NOD mice population did not increase the incidence of the autoimmune neuromyopathy observed inIcosl-/-NOD mice. Interestingly, the upregulation of CD4+CD226+RORgt+T-cells was partly rescued.

We conclude from our study that bothIcoslandTigitdeletions on the NOD background lead to a shift between the ratio of IFNγ and IL-17-producing CD4+CD226+effector cells. The ICOS-dependent neuromyopathy development remains dominant and is not further altered in the absence of TIGIT.
Verification of a method for determining the degree of crystallinity using experimental and computer-generated powder diffraction patterns
Authors: Toraya Hideo
Published: November 2023

A new procedure for determining the degree of crystallinity (DOC) has been developed. It is a two-step procedure consisting of (i) the separation of the observed pattern of a partially crystallized target material into crystalline and non-crystalline parts based on the Rietveld method, and (ii) the determination of the DOC based on the Ruland method. In the latter step, a disorder factor in Gaussian form with a disorder parameter is used to redistribute the total intensity between the crystalline and non-crystalline parts. Then, the DOC and disorder parameters are optimized by minimizing the cost function under the constraint of a constant intensity distribution between the two parts irrespective of the angular interval of integration. A self-contained technique for the background/halo pattern correction has also been developed and used between the two steps. Adoption of the two-step procedure could avoid parameter correlation between 2θ-dependent functions and provide robustness. The final goal is to determine the DOC of real materials such as polyphenylene sulfide composites with crystalline and non-crystalline fillers. The present study is a first step, and its purpose is to verify the efficiency of this method. Experimental and computer-generated intensity datasets of artificially mixed patterns of known weight fractions were used for testing the procedure. The DOC could be determined routinely by the procedure presented here within an error of 1–2% for samples with DOC < 50%.
Understanding online review helpfulness: a pleasure-arousal-dominance (PAD) model perspective
Authors: Xu Wuhuan , Yao Zhong , He Dandan , Cao Ling
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Drawing on the pleasure-arousal-dominance (PAD) emotion model, the emotional states of consumers embedded in online reviews can be described through three dimensions, that is, pleasure, arousal and dominance, rather than only the one-dimensional positive and negative polarity, as in previous studies. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effect of online review emotion on perceived review helpfulness based on these three basic emotional dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

A lexicon-based method is developed to analyze PAD emotions of online reviews from JD.com. The zero-inflated negative binomial regression is utilized to empirically validate the study hypothesis. The authors examine the influence of pleasure, arousal, dominance, emotion diversity and emotion deviation on review helpfulness, as well as the moderating effect of product type on the relationship between all independent variables and online review helpfulness.

Findings

The study results show that the pleasure emotion impairs the helpfulness of online reviews, while the arousal and dominance emotions have a positive impact. Moreover, the authors find that compared with search products, the effects of pleasure, arousal and dominance on perceived helpfulness are strengthened for experience products. However, the emotional diversity and emotional deviation have opposite effects on the helpfulness of search products and experience products. Additionally, the results show that dominance emotion plays a more important role in the interaction effect.

Originality/value

The empirical findings confirm the applicability of PAD in the online review context and extend the existing knowledge of the influence of review emotion on helpfulness. A feasible scheme for extracting PAD variables from Chinese text is developed. The study findings also have significant implications for reviewers, merchants and platform managers of e-commerce websites.
One nation one subscription: an illusion or a reality?
Authors: Lalita Lalita , Kumar Narender , Bhatt R.K.
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The objective of the study is to highlight the new concept, i.e. One nation one subscription (ONOS), proposed by the Government of India (GOI). Under the proposal, the GOI will negotiate with the publishers at national level for all the electronic resources to provide access to its citizens. This study aims to make aware the library and information science professionals about the needs and advantages of the new concepts. Another purpose of this study is to highlight the steps needed for the successful implementation of the concept.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature on the “One nation and one subscription” concept, recently introduced by the GOI, has been studied to know the concept’s pros and cons. The authors identified the needs and advantages of the idea. They consulted SCOPUS to know the total and open access research publications contribution from India. They also identified the challenges and steps to convert the concept from illusion to reality. Consulted the latest correspondence of GOI to highlight the actions taken by it to implement the first phase.

Findings

The ONOS concept is challenging and aims to make all the e-resources required by Indian citizens accessible under a nationwide license. It is an extension of libraries’ consortia-level negotiation to a national level. The idea is helpful to those who cannot afford the subscription to these e-resources due to the lack of funds, especially in remote areas. The view will also help improve the quantity and quality of research publications from India. However, there are challenges. The GOI and other players must work together to address these challenges and ensure that the concept of ONOS becomes a reality.

Originality/value

The study is an original one and checked through Turnitin which shows 1% similarity.
Research evolution and thematic breakthroughs in project leadership: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Zheng Junwei , Gu Yu , Li Peikai , Luo Lan , Wu Guangdong
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The development of project managers and leadership has been highlighted as crucial for improving project success and performance, resulting in a rise of interest in project leadership research over the last two decades. While several qualitative reviews have been conducted, there have been limited quantitative and systematic reviews on project leadership. This study fills this gap by portraying the knowledge landscape and tracking the evolution of project leadership research from 1998 to 2022 through bibliometric approaches.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on 816 records, including 793 articles extracted and selected from the Web of Science database and specific journals, and 23 articles selected from three non-SCI/SSCI indexed journals, the authors used CiteSpace and bibliometrix R-package to depict visualizations of the trajectory of co-cited references, the landscape of co-occurred keywords and emerging trends in project leadership via reference co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis and thematic mapping.

Findings

The bibliometric analyses enabled the authors to understand the conceptual aspects of project leadership and its theoretical background. Three stages of the intellectual bases were identified and tracked: the infancy phase (1998–2007), the growth phase (2008–2014) and the new development phase (2015–2022). The results of keyword co-occurrence analysis indicated that the research focus evolved from investigating traits and competences to examining the effects of traditional leadership behaviors, and then considering context-specific leadership. The findings of thematic mapping and theoretical interpretation illustrate the potential directions of the competence comparison, new and appropriate leadership, and the interaction between leadership and context.

Originality/value

This study advanced the field by providing a systematic review of project leadership, developing potential future directions for project leadership research and providing practical implications for career development and training.
Nykaa – quench the spark: “A spark neglected burns the house!”
Authors: Pendse Meenal Kaustubh , Pandey Shailesh
Published: November 2023

Learning outcomes

After completion of the case study, the students will be able to examine the service failures faced by Nykaa; propose a resolution to the service failures faced by Nykaa through service recovery strategies; analyse the service quality gaps faced by Nykaa and propose strategies to bridge the gaps; learn and comprehend more about business models in e-commerce; and evaluate the e-commerce business models for deciding the best fit for Nykaa.

Case overview/synopsis

“Nykaa” was the brainchild of Falguni Nayar, who was an IIM alumna and had worked with the Kotak Mahindra Group for nearly 20 years as a venture investor and merchant banker. After representing the group’s global operation in the UK and the USA, she became the head of the institutional equities division. In 2005, she was the Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank’s project. Nayar had reached the pinnacle of her career, but something was troubling her. In 2012 when Nayar noticed anomalies in India’s beauty and personal care market, her goals were realised. Unlike in other nations such as Japan or France, the availability of beauty products in India was limited, despite significant demand, owing to product unavailability in many areas. Nayar founded “Nykaa”, an online portal for multi-beauty, personal care and well-being items that also later branched out into fashion. However, after 10 years of its establishment, Nykaa was facing challenges regarding services outages, casting doubts over Nykaa’s business model practiced by it for the past 10 years.

Complexity academic level

This case is intended for discussion in the undergraduate, postgraduate management courses and executive MBA courses with marketing specialisation, services marketing and strategic marketing.

Supplementary material

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy
Effect of initial conditions on a one-dimensional model of small-amplitude wave propagation in shallow water. II: Blowup for nonsmooth conditions
Authors: Ramos J.I. , García López Carmen María
Published: November 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze numerically the blowup in finite time of the solutions to a one-dimensional, bidirectional, nonlinear wave model equation for the propagation of small-amplitude waves in shallow water, as a function of the relaxation time, linear and nonlinear drift, power of the nonlinear advection flux, viscosity coefficient, viscous attenuation, and amplitude, smoothness and width of three types of initial conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

An implicit, first-order accurate in time, finite difference method valid for semipositive relaxation times has been used to solve the equation in a truncated domain for three different initial conditions, a first-order time derivative initially equal to zero and several constant wave speeds.

Findings

The numerical experiments show a very rapid transient from the initial conditions to the formation of a leading propagating wave, whose duration depends strongly on the shape, amplitude and width of the initial data as well as on the coefficients of the bidirectional equation. The blowup times for the triangular conditions have been found to be larger than those for the Gaussian ones, and the latter are larger than those for rectangular conditions, thus indicating that the blowup time decreases as the smoothness of the initial conditions decreases. The blowup time has also been found to decrease as the relaxation time, degree of nonlinearity, linear drift coefficient and amplitude of the initial conditions are increased, and as the width of the initial condition is decreased, but it increases as the viscosity coefficient is increased. No blowup has been observed for relaxation times smaller than one-hundredth, viscosity coefficients larger than ten-thousandths, quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, and initial Gaussian, triangular and rectangular conditions of unity amplitude.

Originality/value

The blowup of a one-dimensional, bidirectional equation that is a model for the propagation of waves in shallow water, longitudinal displacement in homogeneous viscoelastic bars, nerve conduction, nonlinear acoustics and heat transfer in very small devices and/or at very high transfer rates has been determined numerically as a function of the linear and nonlinear drift coefficients, power of the nonlinear drift, viscosity coefficient, viscous attenuation, and amplitude, smoothness and width of the initial conditions for nonzero relaxation times.
Can spiritual power reduce online cheating behavior among university students? The fraud triangle theory perspective
Authors: Sholikhah Zahrotush , Adawiyah Wiwiek Rabiatul , Pramuka Bambang Agus , Pariyanti Eka
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Although the academic literature provides extensive insight into the motivations for the unethical use of information technology in online classes, little is known about how perceived justice, the opportunity to cheat and spiritual legitimacy mitigate unethical behavior among young academics. The purposes of this study are two folds: first, to determine how perceived lecturers’ justice and opportunity to cheat may mitigate academic misconduct in online classes, and second, to evaluate the moderating effect of spiritual power on the relationship between perceived lecturers’ justice and opportunity to cheat and academic misconduct.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was conducted at universities in three Southeast Asia countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, with a total of 339 respondents. The research questionnaire was distributed using Google Forms. The analytical method used to test the research hypothesis is moderated regression analysis (MRA).

Findings

The findings of this study reveal that spirituality moderates the relationship between lecturer justice and the opportunity to cheat online. Even though the justice level of the lecturer is low, individuals with relatively high spirituality will show much less cheating behavior than when there is a low level of lecturer justice and a low level of student spirituality, and vice versa.

Research limitations/implications

Cheating occurs when students develop an intention to cheat, which leads to actual involvement in cheating, meaning that theoretically, the findings extend the fraud triangle theory. In addition, the practical implications of this research are that lecturers need to conduct fair teaching, such as transparency of exam conditions, assessment, the right to an opinion and supervision during exams, consequently, the students cannot cheat. Spirituality is also an essential factor that can reduce online cheating, so instilling spirituality in specific courses is a fruitful solution.

Originality/value

The contributions of this study are twofold. First, this study gives testable theories on how spiritual help works. Second, this study offers tailored and more humanistic assistance, such as a mechanism that adjusts to the academic world’s usage of more positive technologies. This study contributes to the literature on online cheating in higher education across three Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand).
Reimagining online teacher education: combining self-directed learning with peer feedback for interaction and engagement
Authors: Morris Thomas Howard , Schön Michael , Drayson Michael Charles
Published: November 2023

Purpose

There has been an unprecedented increase in online learning worldwide, including in teacher education. However, student lurking can be a common issue, leading to a non-interactive learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed a qualitative case study with thematic analysis to examine a novel “self-directed” pre-service teacher online degree module that engaged students in regular peer-feedback, which intended to promote student engagement and interactivity. The research questions were as follows: To what extent did the seminar series represent the principles of self-directed learning and were learning outcomes effective from the process? And, how effective was the use of peer feedback?

Findings

The thematic analysis revealed that student progression and course completion was successful, and it represented some principles of self-directed learning; but (a) it cannot be presumed that pre-service teachers are competent in giving (peer) feedback and (b) pre-service teachers may need specific guidance and training for providing competent feedback.

Originality/value

This paper is highly original in respect of its combination of the self-directed learning framework with use of peer feedback, to engage students in an interactive learning environment. The present paper identifies that peer feedback is a powerful tool in online learning; peer feedback can supplement self- and teacher-assessment; but it should not be assumed that pre-service teachers are competent in providing (peer) feedback – pre-service teachers may need specific training in providing feedback.