bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Watchful Waiting After Radiological Guided Drainage of Intra-abdominal Abscess in Patients With Crohn’s Disease Might Be Associated With Increased Rates of Stoma Construction
Authors: El-Hussuna Alaa , Steenholdt Casper , Merrild Karer Mette Louise , Nyggard Uldall Nielsen Natasja , Mujukian Angela , Fleshner Phillip R , Iesalnieks Igors , Horesh Nir , Kopylov Uri , Jacoby Harel , Alqaisi Hayder Mahmood Waheeb , Colombo Francesco , Sampietro Gianluca M , Marino Marco V , Ellebæk Mark , Sørensen Nina , Celentano Valerio , Ladwa Nikhil , Warusavitarne Janindra , Pellino Gianluca , Zeb Aurang , Di Candido Francesca , Hurtado-Pardo Luis , Frasson Matteo , Kunovsky Lumir , Yalcinkaya Ali , Alonso Sandra , Pera Miguel , Rodríguez Cristina Antón , Bravo Ana-Minaya , Granero Alvaro Garcia , Tatar Ozan Can , Spinelli Antonino , Qvist Niels
Published: July 2023

Background

Management of spontaneous intra-abdominal abscess (IAA) in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) with radiologically guided percutaneous drainage (PD) was debated.

Methods

This is a secondary analysis from a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of all the patients with CD who underwent PD followed by surgery at 19 international tertiary centers.

Results

Seventeen patients (4.8%) who did not undergo surgery after PD were compared to those who had PD followed by surgical intervention 335/352 (95.2%). Patients who had PD without surgery were those with longer disease duration, more frequently had previous surgery for CD (laparotomies/laparoscopies), enteric fistula, on steroid treatment before and continue to have it after PD. Patients who had PD without subsequent surgical resection had a higher risk of stoma construction at later stages 8/17 (47.1%) versus 90/326 (27.6%) (P < .01). Patients with PD with no subsequent surgery had numerically higher rates of abscess recurrence 5/17 (29.4%) compared to those who had PD followed by surgery 45/335 (13.4%) the difference was not statistically significant (P = .07).

Conclusions

Even with the low number of patients enrolled in this study who had PD of IAA without subsequent surgery, the findings indicate a markedly worse prognosis in terms of recurrence, length of stay, readmission, and stoma construction. Watchful waiting after PD to treat patients with spontaneous IAA might be indicated in selected patients with poor health status or poor prognostic factors.
Friend or Foe – Tc17 cell generation and current evidence for their importance in human disease
Authors: Hipp Anna Veronika , Bengsch Bertram , Globig Anna-Maria
Published: July 2023

The term Tc17 cells refers to interleukin 17 (IL-17)-producing CD8+ T cells. While IL-17 is an important mediator of mucosal defense, it is also centrally involved in driving the inflammatory response in immune-mediated diseases, such as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. In this review, we aim to gather the current knowledge on the phenotypic and transcriptional profile, the in vitro and in vivo generation of Tc17 cells, and the evidence pointing towards a relevant role of Tc17 cells in human diseases such as infectious diseases, cancer, and immune-mediated diseases.
Impact of orthognathic surgery on voice and speech: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Vilanova Izabela Dahmer , Almeida Suzanne Bettega , de Araújo Valkleidson Santos , Santos Rosane Sampaio , Schroder Angela Graciela Deliga , Zeigelboim Bianca Simone , Corrêa Camila de Castro , Taveira Karinna Veríssimo Meira , de Araujo Cristiano Miranda
Published: July 2023

Background

Orthognathic surgical procedures, whether in one or both jaws, can affect structures regarding the articulation and resonance of voice and speech.

Objective

Evaluating the impact of orthognathic surgery on voice and speech performance in individuals with skeletal dentofacial disharmony.

Search methods

Word combinations and truncations were adapted for the following electronic databases: EMBASE, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and grey literature.

Selection criteria

The research included studies on nonsyndromic adults with skeletal dentofacial disharmony undergoing orthognathic surgery. These studies assessed patients before and after surgery or compared them with individuals with good facial harmony using voice and speech parameters through validated protocols.

Data collection and analysis

Two independent reviewers performed all stages of the review. The Joanna Briggs Institute tool was used to assess risk of bias in the cohort studies, and ROBINS-I was used for nonrandomized clinical trials. The authors also performed a meta-analysis of random effects.

Results

A total of 1163 articles were retrieved after the last search, of which 23 were read in full. Of these, four were excluded, totalling 19 articles for quantitative synthesis. When comparing the pre- and postoperative periods, both for fundamental frequency, formants, and jitter and shimmer perturbation measures, orthognathic surgery did not affect vowel production. According to the articles, the main articulatory errors associated with skeletal dentofacial disharmonies prior to surgery were distortions of fricative sounds, mainly/s/ and/z/.

Conclusions

Orthognathic surgery may have little or no impact on vocal characteristics during vowel production. However, due to the confounding factors involved, estimates are inconclusive. The most prevalent articulatory disorders in the preoperative period were distortion of the fricative phonemes/s/ and/z/. However, further studies must be carried out to ensure greater robustness to these findings.

Registration

PROSPERO (CRD42022291113)
Long-term survival following transvenous lead extraction: unpicking differences according to sex
Authors: Mehta Vishal S , Wijesuriya Nadeev , DeVere Felicity , Howell Sandra , Elliott Mark K , Mannakarra Nilanka , Hamakarim Tatiana , Niederer Steven , Razavi Reza , Rinaldi Christopher A
Published: July 2023

Aims

Female sex is a recognized risk factor for procedure-related major complications including in-hospital mortality following transvenous lead extraction (TLE). Long-term outcomes following TLE stratified by sex are unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors influencing long-term survival in patients undergoing TLE according to sex.

Methods and results

Clinical data from consecutive patients undergoing TLE in the reference centre between 2000 and 2019 were prospectively collected. The total cohort was divided into groups based on sex. We evaluated the association of demographic, clinical, device-related, and procedure-related factors on long-term mortality. A total of 1151 patients were included, with mean 66-month follow-up and mortality of 34.2% (n = 392). The majority of patients were male (n = 834, 72.4%) and 312 (37.4%) died. Males were more likely to die on follow-up [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.58 (1.23–2.02), P < 0.001]. Males had a higher mean age at explant (66.2 ± 13.9 vs. 61.3 ± 16.3 years, P < 0.001), greater mean co-morbidity burden (2.14 vs. 1.27, P < 0.001), and lower mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (43.4 ± 14.0 vs. 50.8 ± 12.7, P = 0.001). For the female cohort, age > 75 years [HR = 3.45 (1.99–5.96), P < 0.001], estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 [HR = 1.80 (1.03–3.11), P = 0.037], increasing co-morbidities (HR = 1.29 (1.06–1.56), P = 0.011), and LVEF per percentage increase [HR = 0.97 (0.95–0.99), P = 0.005] were all significant factors predicting mortality. The same factors influenced mortality in the male cohort; however, the HRs were lower.

Conclusion

Female patients undergoing TLE have more favourable long-term outcomes than males with lower long-term mortality. Similar factors influenced mortality in both groups.
Challenges in using transcriptome data to study the c-di-GMP signaling network in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates
Authors: Gür Melisa , Erdmann Jelena , Will Anke , Liang Ziwei , Andersen Jens Bo , Tolker-Nielsen Tim , Häussler Susanne
Published: July 2023

In the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type strain PA14, 40 genes are known to encode for diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) and/or phosphodiesterases (PDEs), which modulate the intracellular pool of the nucleotide second messenger c-di-GMP. While in general, high levels of c-di-GMP drive the switch from highly motile phenotypes towards a sessile lifestyle, the different c-di-GMP modulating enzymes are responsible for smaller and in parts nonoverlapping phenotypes. In this study, we sought to utilize previously recorded P. aeruginosa gene expression datasets on 414 clinical isolates to uncover transcriptional changes as a result of a high expression of genes encoding DGCs. This approach might provide a unique opportunity to bypass the problem that for many c-di-GMP modulating enzymes it is not known under which conditions their expression is activated. However, while we demonstrate that the selection of subgroups of clinical isolates with high versus low expression of sigma factor encoding genes served the identification of their downstream regulons, we were unable to confirm the predicted DGC regulons, because the high c-di-GMP associated phenotypes were rapidly lost in the clinical isolates,. Further studies are needed to determine the specific mechanisms underlying the loss of cyclase activity upon prolonged cultivation of clinical P. aeruginosa isolates.
Differential Associations Between Depressive Symptom-Domains With Anxiety, Loneliness, and Cognition in a Sample of Community Older Chinese Adults: A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes Approach
Authors: Liu Tianyin , Peng Man-Man , Wong Frankie H C , Leung Dara K Y , Zhang Wen , Wong Gloria H Y , Lum Terry Y S
Published: July 2023

Background and Objectives

Depressive symptoms are common in older adults, and often co-occur with other mental health problems. However, knowledge about depressive symptom-domains and their associations with other conditions is limited. This study examined depressive symptom-domains and associations with anxiety, cognition, and loneliness.

Research Design and Methods

A sample of 3,795 participants aged 60 years and older were recruited from the community in Hong Kong. They were assessed for depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item), loneliness (UCLA 3-item), and cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment 5-Minute Protocol). Summary descriptive statistics were calculated, followed by confirmatory factor analysis of PHQ-9. Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes analysis was used to examine the associations between mental health conditions in the general sample and subgroups based on depressive symptom severity.

Results

A 4-factor model based on the Research Domain Criteria showed the best model fit of PHQ-9 (χ2/df = 10.63, Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation = 0.05, Comparative Fit Index = 0.96, Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.93). After adjusting for demographics, 4 depressive symptom-domains were differentially associated with anxiety, loneliness, and cognition across different depression severity groups. The Negative Valance Systems and Internalizing domain (NVS-I; guilt and self-harm) were consistently associated with anxiety (β = 0.45, 0.44) and loneliness (β = 0.11, 0.27) regardless of depression severity (at risk/mild vs moderate and more severe, respectively, all p < .001).

Discussion and Implications

The consistent associations between the NVS-I domain of depression with anxiety and loneliness warrant attention. Simultaneous considerations of depressive symptom-domains and symptom severity are needed for designing more personalized care.

Clinical Trials Registration Number

NCT03593889
Unravelling a midcrustal seismogenic fault structure from a seismic sequence and geophysical data: application to the 28 October 2022ML 4.1 Goesan earthquake in the central Korean Peninsula
Authors: Hong Tae-Kyung , Lee Junhyung , Lee Jeongin , Park Seongjun , Kim Byeongwoo , Choi Sungchan
Published: July 2023

Earthquakes in the Korean Peninsula often occur in subsurface hidden faults that are hardly identified before the seismic activity. We investigate a midcrustal subsurface hidden fault in a seismically quiescent region of the central Korean Peninsula that produced the 28 October 2022 ML 4.1 earthquake. A combined analysis of seismicity, geophysical properties and geological features constrain the subsurface fault geometry. The midcrustal fault may extend to the lineament on the surface that presents low gravity anomalies. The focal mechanism solutions and seismicity distribution suggest that the lineament may correspond to the surface trace of the fault. Further, the responsible fault is a left-lateral strike-slip fault with dip of 88° and bilateral rupture at depths of ∼12–14 km. The lateral extent of the fault may reach >25 km. A series of foreshocks formed the source zone to induce the main shock. The main shock nucleated at a location of lateral contrasts of heat fluxes and magnetic anomalies in the fault. The strong ground motions by the main shock are amplified by the sedimentary layers in the event site, inducing aftershocks to spread along the fault with time. The fault orientation is laid to respond to the ambient stress field. The Coulomb stress changes induced by the main shock load stress the fault, increasing the possibility of another earthquake occurrence. The study suggests that a combined analysis of seismicity, geophysical properties and geological features may provide constraints on seismogenic subsurface hidden faults.
Food and Drug Administration novel drug decisions in 2017: transparency and disclosure prior to and 5 years following approval
Authors: Kaplan Robert M , Koong Amanda J , Irvin Veronica
Published: July 2023

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 46 novel drugs in 2017. We reviewed availability of results prior to and during the 5 years following each approval. Using the FDA website and ClinicalTrials.gov, we recorded trials cited as evidence for the approval, total number of studies registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, number started and completed before approval, and the frequency and timing of reporting results. The 46 drugs approved in 2017 were evaluated in 1149 studies. The number of studies used to evaluate the 46 drugs ranged from 2 to 165 (mean: 24.98; SD = 28.95). Among these, an average of 9.22 studies (SD = 9.21) were started and 5.82 studies (SD = 6.89) were completed before the approval. A single trial justified approval for 19 of 46 (41%) of the approved products. Public posting of results prior to the FDA approval was available for an average of only 1.42 studies (SD = 3.12). No results were publicly reported before approval for 9 of the 46 drugs (20%). Health care providers and consumers depend on complete and transparent reporting of information about FDA-approved medications. Only a fraction of evidence from completed studies was available before approval and a substantial portion of research evidence remained undisclosed after 5 years.
How research travels to policy: the case of Nordic peace research
Authors: Bramsen Isabel , Hagemann Anine
Published: July 2023

How is peace research connected to practice? Observers have argued that peace research has gone from activist, political ideals about changing the world to being a methods-driven field of research that has lost all criticality. This article adds empirical substance to the debate by investigating the case of Nordic peace research and its relationship to practice. Through interview data with more than 60 individuals, including prominent peace and conflict scholars as well as practitioners working with peace and conflict resolution, we conceptualize the practice–research relationship through four ‘travelers’ connecting peace research and practice: 1) researchers, 2) students, 3) theories and concepts and 4) empirical findings. We describe distinct characteristics of the four travelers and discuss the changing impact of peace research over time; from researchers acting as mediators and peace activists to an increasing professionalization that has disentangled peace research and practice, shrinking the space for reflexivity in practice as well as the ability to integrate practical experience into research. We discuss the paths forward in terms of co-creation and suggest that peace research need not necessarily influence policy in terms of concrete policy advice but more so by asking big and difficult questions such as ‘how peace?’ and ‘why war?’
Characterization of boar semen microbiome and association with sperm quality parameters
Authors: McAnally Brooke E , Smith Molly S , Wiegert Jeffrey G , Palanisamy Vignesh , Chitlapilly Dass Sapna , Poole Rebecca K
Published: July 2023

Elevated levels of bacteria within fresh extended boar semen are associated with decreased sperm longevity, therefore reducing the fertility of a semen dose. The objective of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities using 16S rRNA sequencing in freshly extended boar semen samples and relate the prevalence and diversity of the microbial population to sperm quality parameters 1) between studs, 2) between pooled and single-sire doses, and 3) over a 5-day period. Eight single-sire (n = 4 per stud) and eight pooled (n = 4 per stud) non-frozen extended semen doses were obtained from two boar studs (A and B). Pooled doses were the composite of the boar’s ejaculates used in single-sire doses. Doses were subsampled for 5 d post-collection. Ten negative controls of each pooled dose (n = 2) and single-sire dose (n = 8) remained sealed until the last day. Microbiome analysis was achieved by examining the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene of flash-frozen samples. Two evaluators determined the average sperm motility and agglutination (0: no adhesion to 3: >50% adhesion) by averaging their estimates together at 10 random locations per slide. Stud A had greater sperm agglutination (1.6 vs. 1.0 ± 0.1; P < 0.01) than stud B. Sperm motility decreased over the 5-day period (P < 0.01) and tended (P = 0.09) to be greater in stud B than A (67.4% vs. 61.5% ± 0.02%). Compared with stud A, stud B had a greater relative abundance of Proteobacteria (60.0% vs. 47.2% ± 1.5%; P < 0.01) and a lower relative abundance of Firmicutes (22.5% vs. 31.9% ± 1.4%; P < 0.01). Moreover, stud A had a greater relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (6.3% vs. 5.3% ± 0.4%; P < 0.01) and Actinobacteria (11.5% vs. 10.1% ± 0.5%; P = 0.05) than stud B. Differences were found in alpha diversity for both Chao1 (P < 0.01) and Shannon (P < 0.01) diversity indexes among days 2, 3, 4, and 5 post-collection to day 1. For beta diversity, unweighted UniFrac metric on days 2, 3, 4, and 5 post-collection differed from those on day 1 (P < 0.01). There were significant correlations between sperm motility and relative abundance of Prevotella (r = −0.29), Ruminococcus (r = −0.24), and Bacteroides (r = −0.32). Additionally, there were significant correlations between sperm motility and Chao1 (r = −0.50) and Shannon’s index (r = −0.36). These results demonstrate that differences in bacterial communities over time and between boar studs can be associated with variation in sperm quality.
Effects of wildfire smoke PM2.5 on indicators of inflammation, health, and metabolism of preweaned Holstein heifers
Authors: Pace Alexandra , Villamediana Patricia , Rezamand Pedram , Skibiel Amy L
Published: July 2023

Wildfires are a growing concern as large, catastrophic fires are becoming more commonplace. Wildfire smoke consists of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which can cause immune responses and disease in humans. However, the present knowledge of the effects of wildfire PM2.5 on dairy cattle is sparse. The present study aimed to elucidate the effects of wildfire-PM2.5 exposure on dairy calf health and performance. Preweaned Holstein heifers (N = 15) were assessed from birth through weaning, coinciding with the 2021 wildfire season. Respiratory rate, heart rate, rectal temperatures, and health scores were recorded and blood samples were collected weekly or twice a week for analysis of hematology, blood metabolites, and acute phase proteins. Hourly PM2.5 concentrations and meteorological data were obtained, and temperature–humidity index (THI) was calculated. Contribution of wildfires to PM2.5 fluxes were determined utilizing AirNowTech Navigator and HYSPLIT modeling. Mixed models were used for data analysis, with separate models for lags of up to 7 d, and fixed effects of daily average PM2.5, THI, and PM2.5 × THI, and calf as a random effect. THI ranged from 48 to 73, while PM2.5 reached concentrations up to 118.8 µg/m3 during active wildfires. PM2.5 and THI positively interacted to elevate respiratory rate, heart rate, rectal temperature, and eosinophils on lag day 0 (day of exposure; all P < 0.05). There was a negative interactive effect of PM2.5 and THI on lymphocytes after a 2-d lag (P = 0.03), and total white blood cells, neutrophils, hemoglobin, and hematocrit after a 3-d lag (all P < 0.02), whereas there was a positive interactive effect on cough scores and eye scores on lag day 3 (all P < 0.02). Glucose and NEFA were increased as a result of combined elevated PM2.5 and THI on lag day 1, whereas BHB was decreased (all P < 0.05). Contrarily, on lag day 3 and 6, there was a negative interactive effect of PM2.5 and THI on glucose and NEFA, but a positive interactive effect on BHB (all P < 0.03). Serum amyloid A was decreased whereas haptoglobin was increased with elevated PM2.5 and THI together on lag days 0 to 4 (all P < 0.05). These findings indicate that exposure to wildfire-derived PM2.5, along with increased THI during the summer months, elicits negative effects on preweaned calf health and performance both during and following exposure.
Computational emotion classification for genre corpora of German tragedies and comedies from 17th to early 19th century
Authors: Dennerlein Katrin , Schmidt Thomas , Wolff Christian
Published: July 2023

This article presents a method of emotion analysis for German drama from the 17th to the 19th century that significantly goes beyond previous research approaches in computational literary studies. It is based on annotations of 17 dramatic texts resulting in 11,939 annotations which were used as training material to fine-tune a German language BERT model that achieves an average accuracy of 73% for the single-label emotion classification of fourteen emotion types in cross-validation. We apply the emotion classification on a corpus of 141 comedies and 92 tragedies to compare these genres. For tragedies, the mean proportion percentages of ‘suffering’ and ‘abhorrence’ are higher than for comedies. Inversely, mean percentages of ‘anger’ and ‘joy’ are higher for comedies than for tragedies. A new finding is the surprisingly high proportion of ‘anger’ in comedies. Emotion distribution of the last scenes in dramatic texts also proves the quality of the classified data in terms of literary studies. In addition, the emotion distribution for several subgenres of comedy is investigated including non-canonical works of wide circulation which reached the recipients directly through the depicted emotions in the Kasperl Plays. Comedies from 1740 to 1770 are characterized by a pairing of higher amounts of ‘friendship’ and ‘love’. Satirical comedies from the same period stand out due to high rates of ‘anger’ as well as ‘suffering’. The very successful Kasperl plays turn out to be characterized by a comparatively large percentage of ‘schadenfreude’ and ‘joy’.
21cmfish: Fisher-matrix framework for fast parameter forecasts from the cosmic 21-cm signal
Authors: Mason Charlotte A , Muñoz Julian B , Greig Bradley , Mesinger Andrei , Park Jaehong
Published: July 2023

The 21-cm signal from neutral hydrogen in the early universe will provide unprecedented information about the first stars and galaxies. Extracting this information, however, requires accounting for many unknown astrophysical processes. Seminumerical simulations are key for exploring the vast parameter space of said processes. These simulations use approximate techniques such as excursion-set and perturbation theory to model the 3D evolution of the intergalactic medium, at a fraction of the computational cost of hydrodynamic and/or radiative transfer simulations. However, exploring the enormous parameter space of the first galaxies can still be computationally expensive. Here, we introduce 21cmfish , a Fisher-matrix wrapper for the seminumerical simulation 21cmfast . 21cmfish facilitates efficient parameter forecasts, scaling to significantly higher dimensionalities than MCMC approaches, assuming a multivariate Gaussian posterior. Our method produces comparable parameter uncertainty forecasts to previous MCMC analyses but requires ∼104 × fewer simulations. This enables a rapid way to prototype analyses adding new physics and/or additional parameters. We carry out a forecast for HERA using the largest astrophysical parameter space to date, with 10 free parameters, spanning both population II and III star formation. We find X-ray parameters for the first galaxies could be measured to sub-per cent precision, and, though they are highly degenerate, the stellar-to-halo mass relation and ionizing photon escape fraction for population II and III galaxies can be constrained to $\sim 10~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ precision (logarithmic quantities). Using a principal component analysis, we find HERA is most sensitive to the product of the ionizing escape fraction and the stellar-to-halo mass fraction for population II galaxies.
Estimating sleep duration: performance of open-source processing of actigraphy compared to in-laboratory polysomnography in the community
Authors: Sansom Kelly , Reynolds Amy , McVeigh Joanne , Mazzotti Diego R , Dhaliwal Satvinder S , Maddison Kathleen , Walsh Jennifer , Singh Bhajan , Eastwood Peter , McArdle Nigel
Published: July 2023

Comparisons of actigraphy findings between studies are challenging given differences between brand-specific algorithms. This issue may be minimized by using open-source algorithms. However, the accuracy of actigraphy-derived sleep parameters processed in open-source software needs to be assessed against polysomnography (PSG).

Middle-aged adults from the Raine Study (n = 835; F 58%; Age 56.7 ± 5.6 years) completed one night of in-laboratory PSG and concurrent actigraphy (GT3X+ ActiGraph). Actigraphic measures of total sleep time (TST) were analyzed and processed using the open-source R-package GENEActiv and GENEA data in R (GGIR) with and without a sleep diary and additionally processed using proprietary software, ActiLife, for comparison. Bias and agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient) between actigraphy and PSG were examined. Common PSG and sleep health variables associated with the discrepancy between actigraphy, and PSG TST were examined using linear regression.

Actigraphy, assessed in GGIR, with and without a sleep diary overestimated PSG TST by (mean ± SD) 31.0 ± 50.0 and 26.4 ± 69.0 minutes, respectively. This overestimation was greater (46.8 ± 50.4 minutes) when actigraphy was analyzed in ActiLife. Agreement between actigraphy and PSG TST was poor (ICC = 0.27–0.44) across all three methods of actigraphy analysis. Longer sleep onset latency and longer wakefulness after sleep onset were associated with overestimation of PSG TST.

Open-source processing of actigraphy in a middle-aged community population, agreed poorly with PSG and, on average, overestimated TST. TST overestimation increased with increasing wakefulness overnight. Processing of actigraphy without a diary in GGIR was comparable to when a sleep diary was used and comparable to actigraphy processed with proprietary algorithms in ActiLife.
Effects of gruel feeding and oral dextrose on the survivability of pigs after weaning
Authors: Wensley Madie R , Boschert Andrew W , Kim Ty H , Tokach Mike D , Woodworth Jason C , Goodband Robert D , DeRouchey Joel M , Gebhardt Jordan T , Stephenson Ethan W
Published: July 2023

Two experiments were conducted in a 14,400 head nursery using 3,087 (experiment 1) and 988 (experiment 2) pigs to determine the effect of gruel feeding (experiment 1) and supplemental oral dextrose (experiment 2) on nursery pig survivability after weaning. Upon arrival to the nursery, for experiment 1, the smallest 10% of pigs were selected and randomly placed in pens with 61 to 108 pigs per pen. Pens of small pigs were assigned to one of two treatments in a completely randomized design. Treatments consisted of gruel feeding two or four times per day for 14 d postplacement. At each gruel feeding, approximately 1.13 kg of solid feed was added to a round bowl (Rotecna S.A., Agramunt, Spain) located at the front of each pen and water added at a decreasing rate over time. In experiment 2, every other pig removed for welfare considerations (lameness, sick, or unthrifty) from the general population or pens of small pigs received a single 10 mL oral dose of a 50% dextrose solution (Vet One, MWI Animal Health, Boise, ID), as a source of glucose, before being placed in a removal pen. All removed pigs were tagged and weighed, body temperature recorded, and blood glucose concentration measured prior to and 30 min after entering removal pens. Overall, gruel feeding small pigs two or four times per day for 14 d postplacement did not influence (P > 0.10) mortality from weaning to the end of gruel feeding (3.78% vs. 4.25%, respectively). Likewise, dextrose administration did not influence (P > 0.10) pig mortality after removal to approximately 38 d postweaning (21.4% vs. 23.4% respectively), even though blood glucose concentration increased (P < 0.001) 30 min after removal for pigs administered dextrose. An interaction was observed for blood glucose concentration and body temperature (P < 0.001) where pigs with blood glucose concentrations less than 70 mg/dL had increased mortality as body temperature increased. In contrast, pigs with a blood glucose concentration of 70 mg/dL or greater had decreased mortality as body temperature increased. Pigs weighing less than 4.5 kg also had increased mortality (P < 0.001) compared with pigs weighing greater than or equal to 4.5 kg at removal. In summary, gruel feeding four times per day vs. two times per day or providing a dextrose supplement to pigs removed from the general population did not improve the survivability of pigs after weaning. Additionally, pigs removed with decreased body weight or with body temperature or blood glucose concentrations below or above the normal range had decreased survivability.
Cryptosporidium infection and associated risk factors among children from rural areas in Peru: a nested case–control study
Authors: Paredes Jose Luis , Navarro Rafaella , Durand David , Ochoa Theresa Jean
Published: July 2023

This study aimed to detect the frequency of Cryptosporidium infection and associated risk factors among children from rural areas in Peru. A case–control study was conducted, nested in a cohort in two rural communities that included children between 6 and 13 months who were followed for 6 months. Cases were children whose fecal samples tested positive for Cryptosporidium infection using an immunochromatography test. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to analyze risk factors associated with Cryptosporidium infection. Among 72 children, 13 (18%) were cases. Cryptosporidium infection was associated with below secondary education of the mother (OR 7.62, 95% CI 1.50–36.72) and with having more siblings living at home (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.04–2.82). An important frequency of Cryptosporidium infection among children from rural areas in Peru was reported, more research is needed to understand its true burden and risk factors among children in Peru.
Design and Evaluation of an Interprofessional Preceptor Development Mini-Fellowship Program
Authors: Pinheiro Sandro O. , Rushton Sharron , Konrad Thomas R. , McLean Heather S. , Bartlett Kathleen W. , Blazar Melinda , Hibbard Susan T. , Barnett Jacqueline S.
Published: July 2023

Introduction:

Health professions preceptors require skills and knowledge to effectively meet the educational needs of interprofessional students in clinical environments. We implemented a mini-fellowship program to enhance the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy of preceptors teaching students and applying quality improvement (QI) methods across disciplines and patient care settings.

Methods:

The design, implementation, and evaluation of the program were informed by the faculty development literature, principles of adult learning, and preceptor needs. The 3-day program included workshops on curriculum design, clinical teaching methods, QI, social determinants of health, cultural humility, and interprofessional teamwork. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used including preprogram and postprogram knowledge and self-efficacy surveys, along with end-of-session and program evaluations.

Results:

Five annual cohorts involving 41 preceptors with varied demographics, professions, and clinical practices completed the mini-fellowship program. Participants' percentage of items answered correctly on a QI knowledge test increased from 79.2% (pretest) to 85.5% (post-test), a gain of 6.3% (90% CI: 2.9-9.7%; P < .003). The average QI self-efficacy scores improved from 2.64 to 3.82, a gain of 1.18 points on a five-point scale (P < .001). The average education/teaching self-efficacy increased from 2.79 to 3.80 on a five-point scale (P < .001). Ultimately, 94% would recommend the program to other preceptors.

Discussion:

An interprofessional preceptor development program designed to train clinicians to effectively teach in the clinical setting and to conduct QI projects with students was achievable and effective. This program can serve as a model for academic centers charged with training future health care workers and supporting their community-based preceptors' training needs.
MiR-3653 blocks autophagy to inhibit epithelial–mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells by targeting the autophagy-regulatory genes ATG12 and AMBRA1
Authors: Song Huachen , Zhao Zitong , Ma Liying , Zhang Bailin , Song Yongmei
Published: July 2023

Background:

Metastasis is the main cause of tumor-associated death and mainly responsible for treatment failure of breast cancer. Autophagy accelerates tumor metastasis. In our work, we aimed to investigate the possibility of microRNAs (miRNAs) which participate in the regulation of autophagy to inhibit tumor metastasis.

Methods:

MiRNA array and comprehensive analysis were performed to identify miRNAs which participated in the regulation of autophagy to inhibit tumor metastasis. The expression levels of miR-3653 in breast cancer tissues and cells were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In vivo and in vitro assays were conducted to determine the function of miR-3653. The target genes of miR-3653 were detected by a dual luciferase reporter activity assay and Western blot. The relationship between miR-3653 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was assessed by Western blot. Student's t-test was used to analyze the difference between any two groups, and the difference among multiple groups was analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and a Bonferroni post hoc test.

Results:

miR-3653 was downregulated in breast cancer cells with high metastatic ability, and high expression of miR-3653 blocked autophagic flux in breast cancer cells. Clinically, low expression of miR-3653 in breast cancer tissues (0.054 ± 0.013 vs. 0.131 ± 0.028, t = 2.475, P = 0.014) was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (0.015 ± 0.004 vs. 0.078 ± 0.020, t = 2.319, P = 0.023) and poor prognosis (P < 0.001). miR-3653 ameliorated the malignant phenotypes of breast cancer cells, including proliferation, migration (MDA-MB-231: 0.353 ± 0.013 vs. 1.000 ± 0.038, t = 16.290, P < 0.001; MDA-MB-468: 0.200 ± 0.014 vs. 1.000 ± 0.043, t = 17.530, P < 0.001), invasion (MDA-MB-231: 0.723 ± 0.056 vs. 1.000 ± 0.035, t = 4.223, P = 0.013; MDA-MB-468: 0.222 ± 0.016 vs. 1.000 ± 0.019, t = 31.050, P < 0.001), and colony formation (MDA-MB-231: 0.472 ± 0.022 vs. 1.000 ± 0.022, t = 16.620, P < 0.001; MDA-MB-468: 0.650 ± 0.040 vs. 1.000 ± 0.098, t = 3.297, P = 0.030). The autophagy-associated genes autophagy-related gene 12 (ATG12) and activating molecule in beclin 1-regulated autophagy protein 1 (AMBRA1) are target genes of miR-3653. Further studies showed that miR-3653 inhibited EMT by targeting ATG12 and AMBRA1.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggested that miR-3653 inhibits the autophagy process by targeting ATG12 and AMBRA1, thereby inhibiting EMT, and provided a new idea and target for the metastasis of breast cancer.
Cardiovascular and health cost impacts of cuff blood pressure underestimation and overestimation of invasive aortic systolic blood pressure
Authors: Fonseca Ricardo , Palmer Andrew J. , Picone Dean S. , Cox Ingrid A. , Schultz Martin G. , Black J. Andrew , Bos Willem J.W. , Cheng Hao-min , Chen Chen-Huan , Cremer Antoine , Dwyer Nathan , Hughes Alun D. , Lacy Peter , Omboni Stefano , Ott Christian , Pereira Telmo , Pucci Giacomo , Schmieder Roland , Wang Ji-Guang , Weber Thomas , Westerhof Berend E. , Williams Bryan , Sharman James E.
Published: July 2023

Objective:

Hypertension management is directed by cuff blood pressure (BP), but this may be inaccurate, potentially influencing cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and health costs. This study aimed to determine the impact on CVD events and related costs of the differences between cuff and invasive SBP.

Methods:

Microsimulations based on Markov modelling over one year were used to determine the differences in the number of CVD events (myocardial infarction or coronary death, stroke, atrial fibrillation or heart failure) predicted by Framingham risk and total CVD health costs based on cuff SBP compared with invasive (aortic) SBP. Modelling was based on international consortium data from 1678 participants undergoing cardiac catheterization and 30 separate studies. Cuff underestimation and overestimation were defined as cuff SBP less than invasive SBP and cuff SBP greater than invasive SBP, respectively.

Results:

The proportion of people with cuff SBP underestimation versus overestimation progressively increased as SBP increased. This reached a maximum ratio of 16 : 1 in people with hypertension grades II and III. Both the number of CVD events missed (predominantly stroke, coronary death and myocardial infarction) and associated health costs increased stepwise across levels of SBP control, as cuff SBP underestimation increased. The maximum number of CVD events potentially missed (11.8/1000 patients) and highest costs ($241 300 USD/1000 patients) were seen in people with hypertension grades II and III and with at least 15 mmHg of cuff SBP underestimation.

Conclusion:

Cuff SBP underestimation can result in potentially preventable CVD events being missed and major increases in health costs. These issues could be remedied with improved cuff SBP accuracy.
Cochlear Implantation in Radiation-Induced Hearing Loss: A Systematic Review
Authors: Alahmadi Asma , Abdelsamad Yassin , Al-zuraiqi Bassam , Alghamdi Saeed , Hagr Abdulrahman , Saleh Essam
Published: July 2023

Objective

Cochlear implantation (CI) has been reported as a treatment modality for radiation-induced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). However, its efficacy is based on individual reports with no cumulative supporting evidence. Therefore, we conducted the current systematic review to provide cumulative evidence regarding the feasibility and safety of CI in this context.

Databases Reviewed

An online bibliographic search was conducted in PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science using MeSH-based terms.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted to retrieve both observational and interventional studies that reported the outcomes of CI for patients suffering from radiation-induced SNHL.

Results

We included 12 studies that recruited 88 patients who underwent CI because of radiation-induced SNHL. All included studies reported satisfactory hearing/speech perception outcomes. No serious complications were reported, whereas some manageable adverse events were reported, such as paroxysmal facial spams (n = 1), postauricular wound dehiscence with mastoid cutaneous fistula (n = 1), dehiscence in blind sac closure (n = 1), and electrode exposure (n = 1). Four studies assessed the postoperative quality of life/patient satisfaction, showing improved outcomes.

Conclusion

CI could be considered to be feasible and safe in patients with irradiation-induced SNHL. The adverse events of CI in such cases are manageable. Future studies are needed to be strengthened this context.
Sensitivity analysis of biochemical systems using bond graphs
Authors: Gawthrop Peter J. , Pan Michael
Published: July 2023

The sensitivity of systems biology models to parameter variation can give insights into which parameters are most important for physiological function, and also direct efforts to estimate parameters. However, in general, kinetic models of biochemical systems do not remain thermodynamically consistent after perturbing parameters. To address this issue, we analyse the sensitivity of biological reaction networks in the context of a bond graph representation. We find that the parameter sensitivities can themselves be represented as bond graph components, mirroring potential mechanisms for controlling biochemistry. In particular, a
sensitivity system
is derived which re-expresses parameter variation as additional system inputs. The sensitivity system is then linearized with respect to these new inputs to derive a linear system which can be used to give local sensitivity to parameters in terms of linear system properties such as gain and time constant. This linear system can also be used to find so-called sloppy parameters in biological models. We verify our approach using a model of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, confirming the reactions and metabolites most essential to maintaining the function of the pathway.
The reliability of the serial reaction time task: meta-analysis of test–retest correlations
Authors: Oliveira Cátia M. , Hayiou-Thomas Marianna E. , Henderson Lisa M.
Published: July 2023

The Serial Reaction Time task, one of the most widely used tasks to index procedural memory, has been increasingly employed in individual differences research examining the role of procedural memory in language and other cognitive abilities. Yet, despite consistently producing robust procedural learning effects at the group level (i.e. faster responses to sequenced/probable trials versus random/improbable trials), these effects have recently been found to have poor reliability. In this meta-analysis (N= 7), comprising 719 participants (M= 20.81, s.d. = 7.13), we confirm this ‘reliability paradox’. The overall retest reliability of the robust procedural learning effect elicited by the SRTT was found to be well below acceptable psychometric standards (r< 0.40). However, split-half reliability within a session is better, with an overall estimate of 0.66. There were no significant effects of sampling (participants' age), methodology (e.g. number of trials, sequence type) and analytical decisions (whether all trials were included when computing the procedural learning scores; using different indexes of procedural learning). Thus, despite producing robust effects at the group-level, until we have a better understanding of the factors that improve the reliability of this task using the SRTT for individual differences research should be done with caution.
Assessment of a non-invasive approach to pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales through drone-based photogrammetry and faecal hormone analysis
Authors: Fernandez Ajó A. , Pirotta E. , Bierlich K. C. , Hildebrand L. , Bird C. N. , Hunt K. E. , Buck C. L. , New L. , Dillon D. , Torres L. G.
Published: July 2023

Knowledge of baleen whales' reproductive physiology is limited and requires long-term individual-based studies and innovative tools. We used 6 years of individual-level data on the Pacific Coast Feeding Group gray whales to evaluate the utility of faecal progesterone immunoassays and drone-based photogrammetry for pregnancy diagnosis. We explored the variability in faecal progesterone metabolites and body morphology relative to observed reproductive status and estimated the pregnancy probability for mature females of unknown reproductive status using normal mixture models. Individual females had higher faecal progesterone concentrations when pregnant than when presumed non-pregnant. Yet, at the population level, high overlap and variability in progesterone metabolite concentrations occurred between pregnant and non-pregnant groups, limiting this metric for accurate pregnancy diagnosis in gray whales. Alternatively, body width at 50% of the total body length (W50) correctly discriminated pregnant from non-pregnant females at individual and population levels, with high accuracy. Application of the model using W50 metric to mature females of unknown pregnancy status identified eight additional pregnancies with high confidence. Our findings highlight the utility of drone-based photogrammetry to non-invasively diagnose pregnancy in this group of gray whales, and the potential for improved data on reproductive rates for population management of baleen whales generally.
High physiological function for corals with thermally tolerant, host-adapted symbionts
Authors: Turnham Kira E. , Aschaffenburg Matthew D. , Pettay D. Tye , Paz-García David A. , Reyes-Bonilla Héctor , Pinzón Jorge , Timmins Ellie , Smith Robin T. , McGinley Michael P. , Warner Mark E. , LaJeunesse Todd C.
Published: July 2023

The flexibility to associate with more than one symbiont may considerably expand a host's niche breadth. Coral animals and dinoflagellate micro-algae represent one of the most functionally integrated and widespread mutualisms between two eukaryotic partners. Symbiont identity greatly affects a coral's ability to cope with extremes in temperature and light. Over its broad distribution across the Eastern Pacific, the ecologically dominant branching coral,
Pocillopora grandis
, depends on mutualisms with the dinoflagellates
Durusdinium glynnii
and
Cladocopium latusorum
. Measurements of skeletal growth, calcification rates, total mass increase, calyx dimensions, reproductive output and response to thermal stress were used to assess the functional performance of these partner combinations. The results show both host–symbiont combinations displayed similar phenotypes; however, significant functional differences emerged when exposed to increased temperatures. Negligible physiological differences in colonies hosting the more thermally tolerant
D. glynnii
refute the prevailing view that these mutualisms have considerable growth tradeoffs. Well beyond the Eastern Pacific, pocilloporid colonies with
D. glynnii
are found across the Pacific in warm, environmentally variable, near shore lagoonal habitats. While rising ocean temperatures threaten the persistence of contemporary coral reefs, lessons from the Eastern Pacific indicate that co-evolved thermally tolerant host–symbiont combinations are likely to expand ecologically and spread geographically to dominate reef ecosystems in the future.