bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review article: Systematic literature review of leadership in emergency departments
Authors: Wilson Samuel , Rixon Andrew , Hartanto Stephanie , White Peter , Judkins Simon
Published: October 2020

Emergency medicine (EM) is a discipline with complex leadership demands. However, studies of EM physician leadership and ED leadership are in their infancy. As such, there is a lack of clarity about the forms, antecedents, enablers, barriers and consequences of EM physician leadership. A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted to reveal the different conceptualisations of EM physician leadership, the activities involved in the practice of leadership, and the knowledge and skills of effective ED leaders. Seven databases were systematically searched for peer‐reviewed empirical studies on the topic of EM physicians carrying out a manager or leadership role in an ED setting. Finally, 26 articles were included, and their findings were synthesised and analysed narratively. Two conceptualisations of EM physician leadership were found, reflecting clinical leadership and medical leadership, respectively. Clinical leadership is performed by all EM physicians, often informally, within their daily clinical practice, whereas medical leadership is performed by EM physicians who work at the management level within a hospital, in addition to or instead of their clinical practice. The focus of EM physician leadership and ED leadership research is team leadership, with much less attention given to wider organisation leadership. Consistent with the focus on team leadership, clinical knowledge and skill in orchestrating teams, especially trauma and resuscitation teams, emerged as the most important factors underpinning leadership effectiveness. Future research and training should make better use of existing leadership theory and research designs to illuminate the forms, dynamics, antecedents, moderators and consequences of EM physician leadership.
Piperine sensitizes radiation‐resistant cancer cells towards radiation and promotes intrinsic pathway of apoptosis
Authors: Shaheer Koniyan , Somashekarappa HM , Lakshmanan M. Divya
Published: October 2020

Piperine, a bioactive alkaloid, is known to have anticancer activities. Hence, in this study, the effectiveness of piperine pretreatment as a strategy for radio‐sensitizing colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT‐29) was analyzed. For this, HT‐29 cells were pretreated with piperine (12.5 and 25 µg/mL) and exposed to γ‐radiation (1.25 Gy) and analyzed for various effector pathways to elucidate the possible mode of action in comparison to individual treatments. The proliferation efficiency of the cells was analyzed by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and MTT assay. The synergistic effects of the combination treatment were analyzed with compuSyn software. Downstream signaling pathways leading to apoptosis were studied using flowcytometry, immunofluorescence, and immunoblot assays. It was observed that combination treatment arrested HT‐29 cells at G2/M phase nearly 2.8 folds higher than radiation treatment alone, inducing the radio‐resistant cells to undergo apoptosis through mitochondria‐dependent pathway. In addition, activation of caspase‐3 and cleavage of poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerases‐1, the key molecular events in apoptotic signaling, were significantly enhanced. Activation of estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), a nuclear hormone transcription factor promoting tumor suppression represents a novel clinical advance towards management and prevention of cancers. Interestingly, the expression of ERβ was increased in the cells treated with piperine. In conclusion, piperine pretreatment enhances radio‐sensitization in HT‐29 cells by inducing the cells to undergo apoptosis hence, can be used as a classic candidate for colon cancer sensitization towards radiotherapy.

Practical Application

Piperine induces enhanced radiosensitization of colon cancer cell line (HT‐29) by interfering with the cancer cell line proliferation, DNA damage, and apoptosis.
Combinatorial reprogramming of lipid metabolism in plants: a way towards mass‐production of bio‐fortified arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculants
Authors: Gargouri Mahmoud , Bates Philip D. , Declerck Stéphane
Published: October 2020

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are among the most ancient, widespread and functionally important symbioses on Earth that help feed the world. Yet, mass‐production of clean (i.e. in vitro produced), safe and robust inoculum at affordable costs remains a critical challenge. Very recently, Luginbuehl et al. (2017) found that plants supply lipids to the symbiotic partner, thus ‘providing the AMF with a robust source of carbon for their metabolic needs’. Hence, engineering plants for enhanced delivery of lipids to AMF could represent an innovative avenue to produce a novel generation of high‐quality and cost‐effective bio‐fortified AMF inoculants for application in agro‐ecosystems.
Conceptual Framework of Connectivity for a National Agroecosystem Model Based on Transport Processes and Management Practices
Authors: Arnold Jeffrey G. , White Michael J. , Allen Peter M. , Gassman Philip W. , Bieger Katrin
Published: October 2020

There is a critical need for a national agroecosystem model for conservation policy and environmental planning, driven by issues including harmful algal blooms, water scarcity, flooding, and other weather‐related extremes. In this study, we illustrate the feasibility of a national agroecosystem model that will downscale processes to individual fields and first‐order channels. We propose to conceptually divide the conterminous United States (U.S.) into process domains as a framework for simulating processes and management at relevant scales. Specifically, we are proposing five domains: field (1–50 ha), transition (0.2–2.0 km2), headwater (1–15 km2), tributaries (15–150 km2), and main river (>150 km2). The proposed conceptual framework hydrologically connects fields across the U.S. using the National Hydrography Dataset (NHDPlus version 2). Parameterizing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool for the national agroecosystem model resulted in 4,880,000 agricultural fields, 2,250,000 non‐agricultural hydrologic response units, and 7,130,000 transition, 1,610,000 headwater, 591,000 tributary, and 432,400 main channels. Application of this framework was shown for Hydrologic Unit Code 07120002 in central Illinois and Indiana to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach using data that is readily available across the U.S. The new connectivity framework has the potential to dramatically improve national conservation and environmental assessments performed by U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
YouTube for information about side effects of biologic therapy: A social media analysis
Authors: Zengin Orhan , Onder Mustafa Erkut
Published: October 2020

Objective

Biologic therapies are one of the most significant breakthroughs in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, although there is still some uncertainty surrounding long‐term patient safety. Recently, a growing number of patients browse the Internet as a source of health‐related information. We aimed to assess the quality of information available on YouTube videos regarding the side effects of biologic therapy.

Methods

We used the keywords “biologic therapy side effects,” “biologic therapy risks,” “biologic therapy safety,” “biologic agents side effects,” “biologic agents risks,” and “biologic agents safety.” Also, the generic and commercial names of biologic agents were searched on YouTube in May 2020. The quality and reliability of the videos was assessed according to the global quality score (GQS), DISCERN score. Video Power Index (VPI) used to assess both the view and the like ratios of the videos.

Results

Seventy‐five videos were evaluated. According to the GQS, 31 videos (40.3%) were of high quality, 18 videos (23.4%) were of intermediate quality, and 28 videos (36.4%) were of low quality. The GQS was significantly positively correlated with the DISCERN score (P < .001). VPI scores were not correlated with DISCERN (P = .268) and GQS scores (P = .411).

Conclusion

YouTube videos on the side effects of biologic therapy are informative for patients and physicians. High‐quality videos are more reliable but may not be as popular as expected.
All sheeps and sizes: a genetic investigation of mature body size across sheep breeds reveals a polygenic nature
Authors: Posbergh C. J. , Huson H. J.
Published: October 2020

Mature body size is genetically correlated with growth rate, an important economic trait in the sheep industry. Mature body size has been studied extensively in humans as well as cattle and other domestic animal populations but not in sheep. Six‐hundred and sixteen ewes, across 22 breeds, were measured for 28 linear measurements representing various skeletal parts. PCA from these measures generated principal components 1 and 2 which represented 66 and 7% of the phenotypic variation respectively. Two‐hundred and twenty sheep were genotyped on the Illumina Ovine HD beadchip for a GWAS investigating mature body size and linear body measurements. Forty‐six (Bonferroni P < 0.05) SNP associations across 14 chromosomes were identified utilizing principal component 1, representing overall body size, revealing mature body size to have fewer loci of large effect than other domestic species such as dogs and horses. Genome‐wide associations for individual linear measures identified major quantitative trait loci for withers height and ear length. Withers height was associated (Bonferroni P < 0.05) with 12 SNPs across six chromosomes whereas ear length was associated with a single locus on chromosome 3, containing MSRB3. This analysis identified several loci known to be associated with mature body size in other species such as NCAPG, LCORL, and HMGA2. Mature body size is more polygenic in sheep than other domesticated species, making the development of genomic selection for the trait the most efficient option for maintaining or reducing mature body size in sheep.
Endogenous flux of nitric oxide: Citrulline is preferred to Arginine
Authors: Bahadoran Zahra , Mirmiran Parvin , Kashfi Khosrow , Ghasemi Asghar
Published: October 2020

Both arginine (Arg) and its precursor citrulline (Cit) have received much interest in the past two decades because of their potential effects on whole‐body nitric oxide (NO) production and augmentation of NO‐dependent signalling pathways. However, the usefulness of Arg supplementation for NO production is questionable because of its high splanchnic first pass metabolism (FPM), which limits its systemic availability. Both hepatic‐ and extrahepatic arginases critically limit the availability of Arg for the NO synthase enzymes (NOSs) and therefore, a limited amount of oral Arg can reach the systemic circulation for NO synthesis. Arg also has some undesired effects including induction of arginase activity, an increase of urea levels, a decrease of cellular uptake of Cit and decrease of recycling of Arg from Cit. In contrast, Cit has more availability as an NO precursor because of its high intestinal absorption, low FPM and high renal reabsorption. At the cellular level, co‐localization of Cit transport systems and the enzymes involved in the Cit‐Arg‐NO pathway facilitates channelling of Cit into NO. Furthermore, cells preferably use Cit rather than either intra‐ or extracellular Arg to improve NO output, especially in high‐demand situations. In conclusion, available evidence strongly supports the concept that Cit leads to higher NO production and suggests that Cit may have a better therapeutic effect than Arg for NO‐disrupted conditions.
Prevalence of mental health problems and associated risk factors among military healthcare workers in specialized COVID‐19 hospitals in Wuhan, China: A cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Pan Xiao , Xiao Ying , Ren Ding , Xu Zheng‐Mei , Zhang Qian , Yang Li‐Ying , Liu Fen , Hao Yu‐Shi , Zhao Feng , Bai Yong‐Hai
Published: October 2020

Introduction

China has been severely affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) since December 2019. Military healthcare workers in China have experienced many pressures when combating COVID‐19. This study aimed to investigate the current psychological status and associated risk factors among military healthcare workers.

Methods

We collected data from 194 military healthcare workers from three inpatient wards in two specialized COVID‐19 hospitals using a web‐based cross‐sectional survey. The survey covered demographic information, the patient health questionnaire‐9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7, and the patient health questionnaire‐15. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore potential risk factors for mental health problems.

Results

The overall prevalence rates of depressive, generalized anxiety, and somatic symptoms were 37.6%, 32.5%, and 50%, respectively. Rates of severe depression, generalized anxiety, and somatic symptoms were 5.2%, 3.6%, and 15.5%, respectively. In 22.7% of cases, comorbidities existed between depression, generalized anxiety, and somatization. A junior‐grade professional title was associated with depression, older age was associated with generalized anxiety and somatization, and short sleep duration and poor sleep quality were associated with all three symptoms.

Discussion

The prevalence of depression, generalized anxiety, and somatic symptoms among military healthcare workers in specialized COVID‐19 hospitals is high during the current COVID‐19 outbreak. A junior‐grade professional title, older age, short sleep duration, and poor sleep quality significantly affect military healthcare workers' mental health. Continuous surveillance and monitoring of the psychological consequences of the COVID‐19 outbreak should be routine to promote mental health among military healthcare workers.
Transcultural adaptation of interpersonal psychotherapy in Asia
Authors: Stuart Scott , Pereira Xavier V. , Chung Joseph Pui‐Yin
Published: October 2020

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) has been utilized with great efficacy and effectiveness across many cultural settings. The attachment theory upon which IPT rests provides a strong foundation for IPT cross‐culturally: regardless of their geographic location, people are people and their relationships are important. Though the structure of families and individual social roles varies greatly across cultures, people relate to one another. They become distressed when they have problems with interpersonal conflict, change, and loss of relationships. In this article, we review the basics of IPT and then describe the ways in which cultural adaptations can be made for people in Asia. Both are large tasks—to summarize IPT concisely while providing sufficient information is difficult; describing cultural adaptions for people in geographical areas from Russia to China to India to Southeast and Central Asia and all of the ethnic and language groups that area includes is nigh well impossible within a review article. Thus we have restricted our cultural overview to areas in which we have experience clinically and in which we have been active with IPT training, supervision, and implementation. All of the work we describe, however, elaborate on the principles of cultural adaptations which can be used to implement IPT in other local contexts.
Deciphering the molecular mechanism of stop codon readthrough
Authors: Palma Martine , Lejeune Fabrice
Published: October 2020

Recognition of the stop codon by the translation machinery is essential to terminating translation at the right position and to synthesizing a protein of the correct size. Under certain conditions, the stop codon can be recognized as a coding codon promoting translation, which then terminates at a later stop codon. This event, called stop codon readthrough, occurs either by error, due to a dedicated regulatory environment leading to generation of different protein isoforms, or through the action of a readthrough compound. This review focuses on the mechanisms of stop codon readthrough, the nucleotide and protein environments that facilitate or inhibit it, and the therapeutic interest of stop codon readthrough in the treatment of genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.
The Puzzle of Spatial Sex Differences: Current Status and Prerequisites to Solutions
Authors: Newcombe Nora S.
Published: October 2020

In this review, I summarize what we know about the development of sex‐related differences in spatial skills, their potential malleability, and their possible causes. Current evidence suggests that sex differences increase in size with age, at least for skills with assessments suitable for use across development. However, male advantages vary from nonexistent to substantial, depending on the skills assessed, task parameters, and culture. Training and practice can improve spatial skills, although interventions tested so far do not eliminate the male advantage (when there is one). The complex pattern of increases with age, task variation, and cultural variation challenges efforts to theorize about causation. Progress requires identifying the underlying cognitive and neural structure of the spatial domain, developing reliable and valid assessment tools suitable for use across wide age ranges, gathering large datasets from a variety of cultural settings, and identifying and investigating specific mechanisms for growth and change.
Disturbed Social Information Processing as a Mechanism in the Development of Social Anxiety Disorder
Authors: Nikolić Milica
Published: October 2020

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental disorders and becomes chronic if left untreated. Even when it is treated, outcomes are less promising than for other anxiety disorders. Thus, many are interested in preventing SAD and in the mechanisms involved in the development of SAD. In this article, I propose in a new model that disturbances in social cognition (cognitive biases, emotion recognition and understanding, negative expectations) and dysregulated social emotions (social fear and self‐conscious emotional arousal) in toddlerhood and early childhood lead to avoidance and high levels of anxiety in social situations. When repeated over time, these impair daily functioning and result in a disorder. Biological factors (e.g., fearful temperament), environmental factors (e.g., parental mentalizing), and past experiences may be distal factors that contribute to the development of SAD via disturbed sociocognitive processing and dysregulated emotions. Based on this model, I conclude by describing clinical implications and recommendations for research.
'Diagnosing food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome'
Authors: Barni Simona , Vazquez‐Ortiz Marta , Giovannini Mattia , Liccioli Giulia , Sarti Lucrezia , Cianferoni Antonella , Mori Francesca
Published: October 2020

Food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome is still a mysterious disease, pathogenically poorly characterized, although the first FPIES case has been described in 1967. Mainly, food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome diagnosis is based on clinical history. The oral food challenge remains the gold standard to confirm the diagnosis, especially in particular situations. Although there are no diagnostic laboratory or imaging tests which are specific for diagnosis, they could, however, sometimes be helpful to rule out clinical conditions which are similar to food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome reactions. The purpose of this review is to define the clinical features of FPIES and to summarize the current available tools for the diagnosis of FPIES. This review is intended to be a practical guide for the clinician facing a patient with food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome avoiding delayed diagnosis with unnecessary laboratory tests and detrimental treatments. Moreover, it highlights the unmet needs in diagnosis that require urgent attention from the scientific community to improve the management of patients with FPIES.
Images in words and pictures: Issues arising from a shared experience of talking and drawing
Authors: Coates Elizabeth , Coates Andrew
Published: October 2020

This single in‐depth study explores the way two 6‐year‐old boys use language as they draw and talk together. Their relationship reflects insights and stories based on shared experiences as the themes of their verbal and visual exchanges develop organically over a 45 minutes period. Our findings highlight the value of such informal collaboration since the children engaged in philosophical discussion, recognising each other's perceptions, feelings and memories. This has implications for researchers and educational practice since the knowledge evidenced has the potential to deepen our understanding of children's life experiences and interests, and to inform developments in curriculum design.
Development of a model to predict vestibular schwannoma growth: An opportunity to introduce new wait and scan strategies
Authors: Hentschel Mayke A. , Hannink Gerjon , Steens Stefan C. A. , Mulder Jef J. S. , Rovers Maroeska M. , Kunst Henricus P. M.
Published: October 2020

Objectives

To develop a prediction model to predict vestibular schwannoma (VS) growth for patients in a wait and scan (W&S) strategy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary hospital (Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands).

Participants

Patients with unilateral VS, entering a W&S strategy and at least one follow‐up MRI available. Data on demographics, symptoms, audiometry and MRI characteristics at time of diagnosis were collected from medical records.

Main outcome measures

Following multiple imputation, a multivariable Cox regression model was used to select variables, using VS growth (≥2 mm) as outcome. Decision curve analyses (DCA) were performed to compare the model to the current strategy.

Results

Of 1217 analysed VS patients, 653 (53.7%) showed growth during follow‐up. Balance complaints (HR 1.57 (95% CI: 1.31‐1.88)) and tinnitus complaints in the affected ear (HR 1.36 (95% CI: 1.15‐1.61)), Koos grade (Koos 1 is reference, Koos 2 HR 1.03 (95% CI: 0.80‐1.31), Koos 3 HR 1.55 (95% CI: 1.16‐2.06), Koos 4 HR 2.18 (95% CI: 1.60‐2.96)), time since onset of symptoms (IQR HR 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77‐0.88) and intrameatal diameter on MRI (IQR HR 1.67 (95% CI: 1.42‐1.96)) were selected as significant predictors. The model's discrimination (Harrell's C) was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.67‐0.71), and calibration was good. DCA showed that the model has a higher net benefit than the current strategy for probabilities of VS growth of >12%, 15% and 21% for the first consecutive 3 years, respectively.

Conclusions

Patients with balance and tinnitus complaints, a higher Koos grade, short duration of symptoms and a larger intrameatal diameter at time of diagnosis have a higher probability of future VS growth. After external validation, this model may be used to inform patients about their prognosis, individualise the W&S strategy and improve (cost‐)effectiveness.
Learning to rank by using multivariate adaptive regression splines and conic multivariate adaptive regression splines
Authors: Altinok Gulsah , Karagoz Pinar , Batmaz Inci
Published: October 2020

Learning to rankis a supervised learning problem that aims to construct a ranking model for the given data. The most common application of learning to rank is to rank a set of documents against a query. In this work, we focus onpoint‐wise learning to rank, where the model learns the ranking values. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and conic multivariate adaptive regression splines (CMARS) are supervised learning techniques that have been proven to provide successful results on various prediction problems. In this article, we investigate the effectiveness of MARS and CMARS for point‐wise learning to rank problem. The prediction performance is analyzed in comparison to three well‐known supervised learning methods, artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machine, and random forest for two datasets under a variety of metrics including accuracy, stability, and robustness. The experimental results show that MARS and ANN are effective methods for learning to rank problem and provide promising results.
Clinical predictors of COVID‐19 disease progression and death: Analysis of 214 hospitalised patients from Wuhan, China
Authors: Liu Jie , Liu Zilong , Jiang Weipeng , Wang Jian , Zhu Mengchan , Song Juan , Wang Xiaoyue , Su Ying , Xiang Guiling , Ye Maosong , Li Jiamin , Zhang Yong , Shen Qinjun , Li Zhuozhe , Yao Danwei , Song Yuanlin , Yu Kaihuan , Luo Zhe , Ye Ling
Published: October 2020

Introduction

COVID‐19 has spread rapidly worldwide and has been declared a pandemic.

Objectives

To delineate clinical features of COVID‐19 patients with different severities and prognoses and clarify the risk factors for disease progression and death at an early stage.

Methods

Medical history, laboratory findings, treatment and outcome data from 214 hospitalised patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia admitted to Eastern Campus of Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University in China were collected from 30 January 2020 to 20 February 2020, and risk factors associated with clinical deterioration and death were analysed. The final date of follow‐up was 21 March 2020.

Results

Age, comorbidities, higher neutrophil cell counts, lower lymphocyte counts and subsets, impairment of liver, renal, heart, coagulation systems, systematic inflammation and clinical scores at admission were significantly associated with disease severity. Ten (16.1%) moderate and 45 (47.9%) severe patients experienced deterioration after admission, and median time from illness onset to clinical deterioration was 14.7 (IQR 11.3‐18.5) and 14.5 days (IQR 11.8‐20.0), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed increased Hazards Ratio of disease progression associated with older age, lymphocyte count <1.1 × 10⁹/L, blood urea nitrogen (BUN)> 9.5 mmol/L, lactate dehydrogenase >250 U/L and procalcitonin >0.1 ng/mL at admission. These factors were also associated with the risk of death except for BUN. Prediction models in terms of nomogram for clinical deterioration and death were established to illustrate the probability.

Conclusions

These findings provide insights for early detection and management of patients at risk of disease progression or even death, especially older patients and those with comorbidities.
Pharmacogenomics Biomarker Discovery and Validation for Translation in Clinical Practice
Authors: Arbitrio Mariamena , Scionti Francesca , Di Martino Maria Teresa , Caracciolo Daniele , Pensabene Licia , Tassone Pierfrancesco , Tagliaferri Pierosandro
Published: October 2020

Interindividual variability in drug efficacy and toxicity is a major challenge in clinical practice. Variations in drug pharmacokinetics (PKs) and pharmacodynamics (PDs) can be, in part, explained by polymorphic variants in genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) or in genes encoding drug receptors. Pharmacogenomics (PGx) has allowed the identification of predictive biomarkers of drug PKs and PDs and the current knowledge of genome‐disease and genome‐drug interactions offers the opportunity to optimize tailored drug therapy. High‐throughput PGx genotyping, from targeted to more comprehensive strategies, allows the identification of PK/PD genotypes to be developed as clinical predictive biomarkers. However, a biomarker needs a robust process of validation followed by clinical‐grade assay development and must comply to stringent regulatory guidelines. We here discuss the methodological challenges and the emerging technological tools in PGx biomarker discovery and validation, at the crossroad among molecular genetics, bioinformatics, and clinical medicine.
Cytological diagnosis of osteosarcoma with emphasis on diagnostic pitfalls
Authors: Gupta Parikshaa , Gupta Nalini , Bharani Vani , Kumar Rajesh , Kakkar Nandita , Dey Pranab , Srinivasan Radhika , Rajwanshi Arvind
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Fine needle aspiration is a well‐established technique for evaluating primary and secondary bony lesions. With use in selected cases, it achieves a diagnostic yield comparable to biopsies.

Methods

Cases of osteosarcoma (OS) with available histological follow‐up were retrieved over a 10‐year period. Detailed morphological evaluation was done, with special emphasis on pitfalls in the diagnosis of OS on cytology and the various variants of OS.

Results

Of the 41 cases with available follow‐up histology, 56% were correctly diagnosed as OS on cytology. The most common false‐negative cytological diagnosis of OS, in 17% cases, was giant cell tumour. The possible explanations for this included low cellularity, minimal atypia, absence of typical osteoid, misinterpretation of metachromatic osteoid material as fibro‐collagenous material and non‐availability of radiology at time of aspiration.

Conclusion

A triple‐phase evaluation including clinical evaluation, appropriate radiological correlation and cytology/histopathology, is important to clinch an accurate diagnosis.
Trends in the psychosocial characteristics of 11–15‐year‐olds who still drink, smoke, take drugs and engage in poly‐substance use in England
Authors: Oldham Melissa , Livingston Michael , Whitaker Victoria , Callinan Sarah , Fairbrother Hannah , Curtis Penny , Meier Petra , Holmes John
Published: October 2020

Introduction and Aims

Youth substance use is declining in many high‐income countries. As adolescent substance use becomes less common, it may concentrate in higher‐risk groups. This paper aims to examine how the psychosocial characteristics of young substance users in England have changed over time.

Design and Methods

Annual cross‐sectional data from the 2001–2014 Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England survey are analysed (n = 112 792, age: 11–15). Logistic and Poisson regression analyses are used to test whether the sex, socioeconomic status (SES) and prevalence of truancy and exclusion from school of those who drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take cannabis, take other drugs and engage in poly‐substance use changed across the study period.

Results

Use of all substances decreased and there were shifts in the psychosocial characteristics of young smokers, illicit drug users and poly‐substance users. The proportion of current smokers and ever‐users of cannabis of low SES and who had been excluded increased significantly between 2001/2003–2014. The proportion of last month drug users who had been excluded from school also increased significantly and there were increases in the proportion of polysubstance‐users who had truanted and been excluded. The proportion of low SES alcohol users who had been excluded also increased significantly, but this change was very small. There was no evidence of substance use becoming more or less concentrated in one gender.

Discussion and Conclusions

There is some evidence that smoking, illicit drug use and poly‐substance use are becoming more concentrated in potentially at risk populations. There is limited evidence of concentration amongst young drinkers.
Parental hostility predicts reduced cortical thickness in males
Authors: Chad‐Friedman Emma , Botdorf Morgan , Riggins Tracy , Dougherty Lea R.
Published: October 2020

Although impacts of negative parenting on children's brain development are well‐documented, little is known about how these associations may differ for males and females in childhood. We examined interactions between child sex and early and concurrent parental hostility on children's cortical thickness and surface area. Participants included 63 children (50.8% female) assessed during early childhood (Wave 1: M age = 4.23 years, SD = 0.84) and again three years later (Wave 2: M age = 7.19 years, SD = 0.89) using an observational parent–child interaction task. At Wave 2, children completed a structural MRI scan. Analyses focused on regions of interest. After correcting for multiple comparisons, Wave 1 parental hostility predicted males' reduced thickness in middle frontal and fusiform cortices, and Wave 2 parental hostility was concurrently associated with males' reduced thickness in the middle frontal cortex. Interactions between sex and parenting on children's surface area did not survive corrections for multiple comparisons. Our findings provide support for a male‐specific neural vulnerability of hostile parenting across development. Results have important implications for uncovering neural pathways to sex‐differences in psychopathology, learning, and cognitive disabilities.
Screening of dental and sinus infections in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Descamps Elise , Gorlier Clémence , Ottaviani Sébastien , Palazzo Elisabeth , Dieudé Philippe , Forien Marine
Published: October 2020

Background

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with increased risk of infections. Screening for oral (dental and/or sinus) infection could be proposed before biologic disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) initiation but is not systematically recommended. The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of oral infection in RA patients requiring bDMARDs.

Materials and methods

This was a monocentric retrospective study. We included patients with RA and active disease requiring bDMARDs. Dental infection and sinusitis were assessed by a stomatologist and otorhinolaryngologist after clinical, panoramic dental X‐ray and sinus CT evaluation. Factors associated with oral infections were analysed in uni‐ and multivariate models, estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

We included 223 RA patients (79.4% women, mean disease duration 8.9 ± 8.6 years). The mean age was 54.4 ± 10.9 years and mean Disease Activity Score in 28 joints 5.5 ± 2.6. Systematic dental screening revealed infection requiring treatment before bDMARDs initiation in 46 (20.9%) patients. Sinusitis was diagnosed by the otorhinolaryngologist in 33 (14.8%) patients. Among the 223 patients, 69 (30.9%) had dental and/or sinus infection. On univariate analysis, active smoking was associated with increased probability of oral infection (OR = 2.16 [95% CI 1.02‐4.57], P = .038) and methotrexate with reduced probability (OR = 0.43 [95% CI 0.23‐0.81], P = .006). On multivariate analysis, no RA variables were associated with oral infection.

Conclusion

In our study, asymptomatic oral infection was confirmed in one third of RA patients.
Gut microbiomes of bigheaded carps and hybrids provide insights into invasion: A hologenome perspective
Authors: Zhu Lifeng , Zhang Zheng , Chen Hua , Lamer James T. , Wang Jun , Wei Wenzhi , Fu Lixia , Tang Minghu , Wang Chenghui , Lu Guoqing
Published: October 2020

Gut microbiomes play an essential role in host survival and local adaptation and thus can facilitate the invasion of host species. Biological invasions have been shown to be linked to the genetic properties of alien host species. It is thus plausible that the holobiont, the host, and its associated microbiome act as an entity to drive invasion success. The bighead carp and silver carp (bigheaded carps), invasive species that exhibit extensive hybridization in the Mississippi River Basin (MRB), provided a unique model to test the holobiont hypothesis of invasion. Here, we investigated the microbiomes of foreguts and hindguts in bigheaded carps and their reciprocal hybrids reared in aquaculture ponds using 16S amplicons and the associated gene prediction. We found an admixed pattern in the gut microbiome community in bigheaded carp hybrids. The hybrid gut microbiomes showed special characteristics such as relatively high alpha diversity in the foregut, an increasing dissimilarity between foreguts and hindguts, and a remarkable proportion of genes coding for putative enzymes related to their digestion of main food resources (Cyanobacteria, cellulose, and chitin). The pond‐reared hybrids had advantageous features in genes coding for putative enzymes related to their diet. The above results collectively suggested that the gut microbiomes of hybrids could be beneficial to their local adaptation (e.g., food resource utilization), which might have facilitated their invasion in the MRB. The gut microbial findings, along with the intrinsic genomic features likely associated with life‐history traits revealed in our recent study, provide preliminary evidence supporting the holobiont hypothesis of invasion.
Gait abnormalities and ridden horse behaviour in a convenience sample of the United Kingdom ridden sports horse and leisure horse population
Authors: Dyson S. , Routh J. , Bondi A. , Pollard D.
Published: October 2020

The objectives of this study were to compare horses’ gaits in hand and when ridden; to assess static and dynamic saddle fit for each horse and rider; to apply the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) and relate the findings to gait abnormalities consistent with musculoskeletal pain, rider position and balance and saddle fit; and to document noseband use and its relationship with mouth opening during ridden exercise. Data were acquired prospectively from a convenience sample of horses believed by their owners to be working comfortably. All assessments were subjective. Gait in hand and when ridden were evaluated independently, by two assessors, and compared using McNemar’s test. Static tack fit and noseband type were recorded. Movement of the saddle during ridden exercise, rider position, balance and size relative to the saddle was documented. RHpE scores were based on assessment of video recordings. Multivariable Poisson regression analysis was used to determine factors which influenced the RHpE scores. Of 148 horses, 28.4% were lame in hand, whereas 62.2% were lame ridden (P<0.001). Sixty per cent of horses showed gait abnormalities in canter. The median RHpE score was 8/24 (interquartile range 5, 9; range 0, 15). There was a positive association between lameness and the RHpE score (P<0.001). Riding School horses had higher RHpE scores compared with General Purpose horses (P = 0.001). Saddles with tight tree points (P = 0.001) and riders seated at the back of the saddle rather than the middle (P = 0.001) were associated with higher RHpE scores. Horses wearing crank cavesson compared with cavesson nosebands had higher RHpE scores (P = 0.006). There was no difference in mouth opening, as defined by the RHpE, in horses with a noseband with the potential to restrict mouth opening, compared with a correctly fitted cavesson noseband, or no noseband. It was concluded that lameness or gait abnormalities in canter may be missed unless horses are assessed ridden.
Nucleoside selectivity of Aspergillus fumigatus nucleoside‐diphosphate kinase
Authors: Nguyen Stephanie , Jovcevski Blagojce , Pukala Tara L. , Bruning John B.
Published: October 2020

Aspergillus fumigatus infections are rising at a disconcerting rate in tandem with antifungal resistance rates. Efforts to develop novel antifungals have been hindered by the limited knowledge of fundamental biological and structural mechanisms of A. fumigatus propagation. Biosynthesis of NTPs, the building blocks of DNA and RNA, is catalysed by NDK. An essential enzyme in A. fumigatus, NDK poses as an attractive target for novel antifungals. NDK exhibits broad substrate specificity across species, using both purines and pyrimidines, but the selectivity of such nucleosides in A. fumigatus NDK is unknown, impeding structure‐guided inhibitor design. Structures of NDK in unbound‐ and NDP‐bound states were solved, and NDK activity was assessed in the presence of various NTP substrates. We present the first instance of a unique substrate binding mode adopted by CDP and TDP specific to A. fumigatus NDK that illuminates the structural determinants of selectivity. Analysis of the oligomeric state reveals that A. fumigatus NDK adopts a hexameric assembly in both unbound‐ and NDP‐bound states, contrary to previous reports suggesting it is tetrameric. Kinetic analysis revealed that ATP exhibited the greatest turnover rate (321 ± 33.0 s−1), specificity constant (626 ± 110.0 mm−1·s−1) and binding free energy change (−37.0 ± 3.5 kcal·mol−1). Comparatively, cytidine nucleosides displayed the slowest turnover rate (53.1 ± 3.7 s−1) and lowest specificity constant (40.2 ± 4.4 mm−1·s−1). We conclude that NDK exhibits nucleoside selectivity whereby adenine nucleosides are used preferentially compared to cytidine nucleosides, and these insights can be exploited to guide drug design.

Enzymes

Nucleoside‐diphosphate kinase (EC 2.7.4.6).

Database

Structural data are available in the PDB database under the accession numbers: Unbound‐NDK (6XP4), ADP‐NDK (6XP7), GDP‐NDK (6XPS), IDP‐NDK (6XPU), UDP‐NDK (6XPT), CDP‐NDK (6XPW), TDP‐NDK (6XPV).
Large‐scale early‐wilting response of Central European forests to the 2018 extreme drought
Authors: Brun Philipp , Psomas Achilleas , Ginzler Christian , Thuiller Wilfried , Zappa Massimiliano , Zimmermann Niklaus E.
Published: October 2020

The combination of drought and heat affects forest ecosystems by deteriorating the health of trees, which can lead to large‐scale die‐offs with consequences on biodiversity, the carbon cycle, and wood production. It is thus crucial to understand how drought events affect tree health and which factors determine forest susceptibility and resilience. We analyze the response of Central European forests to the 2018 summer drought with 10 × 10 m satellite observations. By associating time‐series statistics of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) with visually classified observations of early wilting, we show that the drought led to early leaf‐shedding across 21,500 ± 2,800 km2, in particular in central and eastern Germany and in the Czech Republic. High temperatures and low precipitation, especially in August, mostly explained these large‐scale patterns, with small‐ to medium‐sized trees, steep slopes, and shallow soils being important regional risk factors. Early wilting revealed a lasting impact on forest productivity, with affected trees showing reduced greenness in the following spring. Our approach reliably detects early wilting at the resolution of large individual crowns and links it to key environmental drivers. It provides a sound basis to monitor and forecast early‐wilting responses that may follow the droughts of the coming decades.
Effect of pain on depression among nursing home residents: Serial mediation of perceived social support and self‐rated health. A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Chen Ye , Wu Meiliyang , Zeng Tieying , Peng Chaohua , Zhao Meizhen , Xiao Qi , Yuan Mengmei , Zhang Ke , Wang Xuejun
Published: October 2020

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate how perceived social support and self‐rated health together could mediate the relationship between pain and depression among Chinese nursing home residents with pain.

Methods

The study was conducted in 38 nursing homes in 13 cities in China. A convenience sample of 2154 older adults responded to the questionnaire survey. A mediation analysis was performed on the data of 990 participants with pain. The data were collected by a questionnaire consisting of socio‐economic and demographic characteristics, the Geriatric Depression Scale‐15, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Self‐rated Health Scale and the Numerical Rating Scale of pain. The sample was subdivided by sex. Descriptive analysis, t‐tests, chi‐squared tests, Mann–Whitney U‐tests, Spearman correlation analyses and the bootstrap method were used to analyze data.

Results

The prevalence rate of pain and depression among nursing home residents were 46.0% and 20.7% respectively. Pain, perceived social support and self‐rated health were all significantly correlated with depression (r = 0.217, P < 0.01; r = −0.216, P < 0.01; r = 0.385, P < 0.01, respectively). Perceived social support and self‐rated health independently and in series partly explained the relationship between pain and depression.

Conclusions

The results of the study showed that pain was associated with low perceived social support first, and then poor self‐rated health, which was in turn related to the development of depression among nursing home residents with pain. For nursing home residents, perceived social support and self‐rated health as an internal resource can affect the ability to overcome the suffering of pain and reduce the level of depression. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 1234–1240.
“Against a sharp white background”: How Black women experience the white gaze at work
Authors: Rabelo Verónica Caridad , Robotham Kathrina J. , McCluney Courtney L.
Published: October 2020

Whiteness is a pervasive context in (post)colonial organizations that maintains its enduring presence through everyday practices such as the white gaze: seeing people's bodies through the lens of whiteness. The white gaze distorts perceptions of people who deviate from whiteness, subjecting them to bodily scrutiny and control. Understanding how the white gaze manifests is therefore important for understanding the marginalization of particular bodies in organizations. We therefore center Black women's narratives to examine the following research question: How is the white gaze enacted and experienced at work? We conducted a critical discourse analysis of 1169 tweets containing the hashtag #BlackWomenAtWork and identified four mechanisms of the white gaze whereby whiteness is imposed, presumed, venerated, and forced on Black women's bodies. We conclude with a discussion of the white gaze as an apparatus to enforce gendered racialized hierarchies vis‐à‐vis the body and how foregrounding whiteness deepens our understanding of marginalization at work.
Can you see me? Participant experience of accessing a weight management programme via group videoconference to overcome barriers to engagement
Authors: Cliffe Marion , Di Battista Enzo , Bishop Simon
Published: October 2020

Background

Engagement with conventional weight management group programmes is low.

Objective

To understand participant experience of accessing an adapted programme via videoconference.

Participants

Adults with obesity (BMI ≥ 35kg/m2), referred to an NHS Dietetics service in Wales, were offered a group videoconference weight management programme as an optional alternative to in‐person groups. Thirteen participants (mean age 48.5 ± 20.2 years, 8 female) recruited to two videoconference groups were interviewed.

Study design

A Registered Dietitian delivered a behavioural programme using Skype for Business in 10 sessions over 6 months. Participants joined the groups from any Internet‐connected device with a webcam. Participant perspectives were audiorecorded in one‐to‐one, semi‐structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using self‐determination theory as a theoretical framework.

Results

Ten themes were identified, three relating to service engagement and seven relating to behaviour change facilitation. Key themes in engagement included ‘reduced burden’, described as saving time and travel and ‘reduced threat’ as participants perceived joining a group from home as less daunting compared to attending in‐person. Despite reporting some initial technical difficulties with establishing video and audio connection, participants described beneficial peer support although not physically with other group members.

Conclusion

Accessing a group weight management programme via videoconference may be the preferred option for some participants, overcoming some of the barriers to access to standard in‐person programmes, particularly in rural areas. Participants are able to experience peer support via videoconference. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, weight management programmes could utilize videoconference groups to continue to provide support.