bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The activation of gastric inhibitory peptide/gastric inhibitory peptide receptor axis via sonic hedgehog signaling promotes the bridging of gapped nerves in sciatic nerve injury
Authors: Guan Tuchen , Guo Beibei , Zhang Wenxue , Qi Mengwei , Luo Xiaoqian , Li Zhen , Zhang Yufang , Bao Tiancheng , Xu Man , Liu Mei , Liu Yan
Published: March 2023

Schwann cells play an essential role in peripheral nerve regeneration by generating a favorable microenvironment. Gastric inhibitory peptide/gastric inhibitory peptide receptor (GIP/GIPR) axis deficiency leads to failure of sciatic nerve repair. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we surprisingly found that GIP treatment significantly enhances the migration of Schwann cells and the formation of Schwann cell cords during recovery from sciatic nerve injury in rats. We further revealed that GIP and GIPR levels in Schwann cells were low under normal conditions, and significantly increased after injury demonstrated by real‐time reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) and Western blot. Wound healing and Transwell assays showed that GIP stimulation and GIPR silencing could affect Schwann cell migration. In vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies based on interference experiment revealed that GIP/GIPR might promote mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) activity, thus facilitating cell migration; Rap1 activation might be involved in this process. Finally, we retrieved the stimulatory factors responsible for GIPR induction after injury. The results indicate that sonic hedgehog (SHH) is a potential candidate whose expression increased upon injury. Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that Gli3, the target transcription factor of the SHH pathway, dramatically augmented GIPR expression. Additionally, in vivo inhibition of SHH could effectively reduce GIPR expression after sciatic nerve injury. Collectively, our study reveals the importance of GIP/GIPR signaling in Schwann cell migration, providing a therapeutic avenue toward peripheral nerve injury.

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Good death disrupted: Nurses' moral emotions navigating clinical and public health ethics during the first wave of COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Mowat Rebecca , Cook Catherine , Chapman Marie K. , Roskruge Matt
Published: March 2023

Aim

To explore the moral emotions that frontline nurses navigated in endeavouring to ensure a ‘good death’ for hospital patients and care home residents during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Background

Under normal circumstances, frontline staff are focused on clinical ethics, which foreground what is best for individuals and families. Public health crises such as a pandemic require staff to adapt rapidly to focus on what benefits communities, at times compromising individual well‐being and autonomy. Visitor restrictions when people were dying provided vivid exemplars of this ethical shift and the moral emotions nurses encountered with the requirement to implement this change.

Methods

Twenty‐nine interviews were conducted with nurses in direct clinical care roles. Data were analysed thematically informed by the theoretical concepts of a good death and moral emotions.

Results

The data set highlighted that moral emotions such as sympathy, empathy, distress and guilt were integral to the decisions participants described in striving for a good palliative experience. Four themes were identified in the data analysis: nurses as gatekeepers; ethical tensions and rule bending; nurses as proxy family members; separation and sacrifice.

Conclusions

Participants reflected on morally compromising situations and highlighted agency through emotionally satisfying workarounds and collegial deliberations that enabled them to believe that they were party to painful but morally justifiable decisions.

Implications for the profession and patient care

Nurses are required to implement national policy changes that may disrupt notions of best practice and therefore be experienced as a moral wrong. In navigating the moral emotions accompanying this shift, nurses benefit from compassionate leadership and ethics education to support team cohesion enabling nurses to prevail.

Public contribution

Twenty‐nine frontline registered nurses participated in the qualitative interviews that inform this study.

Reporting method

The study adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist.
“Just old age” – a qualitative investigation of owner and veterinary professional experiences of and attitudes to ageing in dogs in the UK
Authors: Wallis L. J. , Radford A. D. , Belshaw Z. , Jackson J. , Kubinyi E. , German A. J. , Westgarth C.
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Many UK dogs live into old age, but owners may not recognise or report age‐associated signs of disease which lead to negative welfare. This study investigated dog owner and veterinary professional experiences and attitudes towards ageing in dogs, how health care is offered, barriers to its delivery, and some best‐practice solutions.

Materials and Methods

In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 15 owners of 21 dogs (aged 8 to 17 years mean: 13) and 11 veterinary professional (eight veterinary surgeons, two nurses and one physiotherapist). Open‐text responses from 61 dog owners were collected using an online survey. Transcripts and survey responses were inductively coded into themes.

Results

Four themes were constructed: “just old age”, barriers to care, trust in veterinary surgeons, and tools to improve health care. Age‐related changes were mostly perceived as “just old age” by dog owners. Many dogs were no longer vaccinated and did not attend check‐ups unless owners identified a problem. The greatest barriers to health care were finances (dog owners), owner awareness, willingness to act and consultation time (veterinary professionals). Trust in veterinary professionals was more likely when dog owner experienced continuity, prioritisation of care, clear communication and an accessible, knowledgeable and empathic veterinary professional. Participants suggested that senior health care and communication between dog owners and veterinary professionals could be improved through questionnaires, and evidence‐based online information.

Clinical Significance

Opportunities to educate owners on which clinical signs represent healthy or pathological ageing are being missed. Resources should be developed to guide on best‐practice discussions in consultations, encourage more owners to recognise clinical signs and to seek and trust veterinary advice.
Loss‐of‐function of gynoecium‐expressed phospholipase pPLAIIγ triggers maternal haploid induction in Arabidopsis
Authors: Jang Jin Hoon , Seo Hae Seong , Widiez Thomas , Lee Ok Ran
Published: March 2023

Production of in planta haploid embryos that inherit chromosomes from only one parent can greatly increase breeding efficiency via quickly generating homozygous plants, called doubled haploid. One of the main players of in planta haploid induction is a pollen‐specific phospholipase A, which is able, when mutated, to induce in vivo haploid induction in numerous monocots. However, no functional orthologous gene has been identified in dicots plants.

Here, we show that loss‐of‐function of gynoecium‐expressed phospholipase AII (pPLAIIγ) triggers maternal haploid plants in Arabidopsis, at an average rate of 1.07%. Reciprocal crosses demonstrate that haploid plants are triggered from the female side and not from the pollen, and the haploid plants carry the maternal genome.

Promoter activity of pPLAIIγ shows enriched expression in the funiculus of flower development stages 13 and 18, and pPLAIIγ fused to yellow fluorescent protein reveals a plasma‐membrane localization

Interestingly, the polar localized PIN1 at the basal plasma membrane of the funiculus was all internalized in pplaIIγ mutants, suggesting that altered PIN1 localization in female organ could play a role in maternal haploid induction.
The impact of government form on resource allocation in local government, evidence from municipal court closures
Authors: Mughan Siân , Overstreet Dallin
Published: March 2023

Differences in managerial expertise and political incentives associated with local government form may affect local government spending levels as well as the allocation of resources. This paper explores the latter possibility by estimating how the distribution of resources in council‐manager and mayor‐council municipalities responds to a positive fiscal shock resulting from the abolition of a municipality's court. We find that court abolition has a distinct effect on the allocation of resources in council‐manager and mayor‐council governments. As expected, mayor‐council municipalities allocate the marginal dollar to policing. However, council‐manager municipalities react to court closure by reducing police expenditures over the long‐term.
Effects of warming on seed germination of woody species in temperate secondary forests
Authors: Yuan J. , Yan Q. , Xie J. , Wang J. , Zhang T.
Published: March 2023

Seed germination, a critical stage of the plant life cycle providing a link between seeds and seedlings, is commonly temperature‐dependent. The global average surface temperature is expected to rise, but little is known about the responses of seed germination of woody plants in temperate forests to warming.

In the present study, dried seeds of 23 common woody species in temperate secondary forests were incubated at three temperature sequences without cold stratification and after experiencing cold stratification. We calculated five seed germination indices and the comprehensive membership function value that summarized the above indicators.

Compared to the control, +2 and +4 °C treatments without cold stratification shortened germination time by 14% and 16% and increased the germination index by 17% and 26%, respectively. For stratified seeds, +4 °C treatment increased germination percentage by 49%, and +4 and +2 °C treatments increased duration of germination and the germination index, and shortened mean germination time by 69%, 458%, 29% and 68%, 110%, 12%, respectively. The germination of Fraxinus rhynchophylla and Larix kaempferi were most sensitive to warming without and with cold stratification, respectively. Seed germination of shrubs was the least sensitive to warming among functional types.

These findings indicate warming (especially extreme warming) will enhance the seedling recruitment of temperate woody species, primarily via shortening the germination time, particularly for seeds that have undergone cold stratification. In addition, shrubs might narrow their distribution range
Designing professional services: Pricing and prioritization
Authors: Wu Chenguang (Allen) , Jin Chen , Veeraraghavan Senthil
Published: March 2023

We study the optimal design of a professional service in a mixed market of customers with heterogeneous skills and capabilities of using such service. Expert customers can avail of the service on their own, whereas amateur customers find it challenging to deploy the service and can only procure the service through an intermediary who resolves the technical issues. We develop a model that captures the essential trade‐offs in such settings: heterogeneity in customer expertise, decentralization between a service provider and intermediary, and congestion due to limited capacity. We analyze how customer expertise differences drive the equilibrium outcomes under various pricing and priority schemes. We find that a sufficient base of amateur customers allows expert customers to “free‐ride” under single pricing. Price discrimination can fully allay such free‐riding, but it may drive prices downward. Price discrimination also favors expert customers under the First‐Come‐First‐Served (FCFS) policy, but such preference is generally reversed under prioritization. Specifically, prioritizing amateur customers can bring revenue and welfare gains relative to the FCFS policy and a policy that prioritizes expert customers. Our results offer normative guidelines for managing professional services, clarifying regimes for price and priority discrimination, along with revenue and welfare implications.
A Petrovich Inside of Every New Russian: The Disciplinary Regime of the Capitalist “Vanguard Group” at 1990s Kommersant
Authors: Khazanov Pavel
Published: March 2023

Since 1989, Russia’s “first business newspaper,” Kommersant, worked to cultivate a new kind of collective post‐socialist subject, a “vanguard group” of “New Russians.” How did Kommersant imagine this subject? Who were its antagonists and why, and how would the New Russian triumph over them? This article examines the 1992–93 issues of Kommersant Daily, its glossy monthly supplement Domovoi, and Kommersant’s recurring cartoon character of the post‐Soviet everyman “Petrovich,” drawn by Andrei Bil'zho. Through these examples, I show how the Kommersant team convinced its audience to feel elite superiority over other newly rich Russians, and to feel having morally overcome the brutish egalitarian past shared by the “vanguard class” with its former late Soviet peers among the educated, urbanized masses. I argue that both objectives were achieved through didactic, disciplinary means, integrated both into the messaging of Kommersant and into its style and editorial policies. Moreover, by analyzing Bil'zho’s Petrovich, I conclude that playful, ironic “reflective nostalgia” (Svetlana Boym’s term) vis‐à‐vis the Soviet past was one such disciplinary tool which helped convince New Russians to maintain power at all costs, and thereby prevent the bloody return of neo‐Soviet socialism, which their Petrovich‐like neighbors supposedly desired.
Learning disability in adolescence and civic engagement in young adulthood: Uncovering social‐psychological mechanisms
Authors: Rim Hyunseo , Kim Jinho
Published: March 2023

Objective

This study examined whether learning disability (LD) in adolescence is associated with civic engagement in young adulthood. A comprehensive set of social‐psychological mechanisms was examined.

Methods

Using a nationally representative longitudinal data set from the United States (N = 9909), this study employed school fixed effect models to take into account unobserved school‐ and neighborhood‐level confounding factors. Sobel tests were conducted to formally test for mediation.

Results

Students with LD were less likely to volunteer and vote in young adulthood than their peers without LD. These associations remained statistically significant at conventional levels (b = −0.037 for volunteering and b = −0.028 for voting) even after adjusting for educational attainment. Sobel mediation tests suggested that part of the association was mediated by disruption of peer relationships (8.3 percent for volunteering and 15.5 percent for voting) and school detachment (7.6 percent for volunteering and 7.4 percent for voting). In contrast, neither teacher relationships nor neighborhood attachments mediated the observed association.

Conclusion

LD in adolescence was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of volunteering and voting in young adulthood. Given the mediating role of peer relationships and school attachment, policymakers and practitioners may consider developing school‐based programs to promote adolescents’ school integration.
Universities and Metropolitan Strategic Planning: The Case of Sydney, Australia
Authors: Ruming Kristian
Published: March 2023

Universities are increasingly identified by planning authorities as catalysts for urban change. At a local scale, planning policy often positions the development of university sites as a way to reconfigure the social, economic, and built characteristics of an area. At a city‐wide scale, the development activities of universities emerge as central to wider metropolitan strategic ambitions. This is especially the case in cities, such as Sydney, Australia, where multiple universities are dispersed across the city. Increasingly universities have been identified in strategic planning policy as vital infrastructure able to influence the structure and function of the city. This paper reviews recent strategic planning processes in Sydney. Specifically, the paper reveals how universities emerge as central in pursuing global city status and economic performance, supporting existing centres and corridors, establishing new specialised centres and shaping a new urban spatial structure.
Combining rational maps and Kleinian groups via orbit equivalence
Authors: Mj Mahan , Mukherjee Sabyasachi
Published: March 2023

We develop a new orbit equivalence framework for holomorphically mating the dynamics of complex polynomials with that of Kleinian surface groups. We show that the only torsion‐free Fuchsian groups that can be thus mated are punctured sphere groups. We describe a new class of maps that are orbit equivalent to Fuchsian punctured sphere groups. We call these higher Bowen–Series maps. The existence of this class ensures that the Teichmüller space of matings has one component corresponding to Bowen–Series maps and one corresponding to higher Bowen–Series maps. We also show that, unlike in higher dimensions, topological orbit equivalence rigidity fails for Fuchsian groups acting on the circle. We also classify the collection of Kleinian Bers boundary groups that are mateable in our framework.
Salvage Treatment of Refractory HSV Oral Lesions with Pritelivir in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients
Authors: Bosetti Davide , Bernardi Chiara , Maulini Marie , Giannotti Federica , Mamez Anne-Claire , Masouridi-Levrat Stavroula , Chalandon Yves , Neofytos Dionysios
Published: March 2023

We present two allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients (HCTr) treated with pritelivir for acyclovir-resistant/refractory (r/r) HSV infection based on the expanded access program of the pritelivir manufacturer. Outpatient treatment with pritelivir was administered, with partial response by week 1 of treatment and complete response by week 4 of treatment in both patients.
The Small RNA NcS25 Regulates Biological Amine-Transporting Outer Membrane Porin BCAL3473 in Burkholderia cenocepacia
Authors: Sass Andrea M. , Coenye Tom
Published: March 2023

Burkholderia cenocepacia
is a Gram-negative bacterium which causes infections in immunocompromised individuals and in people with cystic fibrosis. A low outer membrane permeability is one of the factors giving it a high level of innate resistance to antibiotics.
The Role of Glutamine Synthetase in Regulating Ammonium Assimilation and Iron-Only Nitrogenase Expression in a Photosynthetic Diazotroph
Authors: Jiang Mingyue , Zhao Dahe , Huang Lu , Zeng Yan , Liu Jingfang , Xiang Hua , Zheng Yanning
Published: March 2023

The photosynthetic diazotrophs, such as
Rhodopseudomonas palustris
, can utilize light energy to drive the conversion of carbon dioxide (CO
2
) to a much more powerful greenhouse gas methane (CH
4
) by Fe-only nitrogenase, which is strictly regulated in response to the ammonium, a substrate of glutamine synthetase for the biosynthesis of glutamine. However, the primary glutamine synthetase for ammonium assimilation and its role in nitrogenase regulation remain unclear in
R. palustris
.
Lumbar radiculopathy secondary to primary spinal dural diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Brooks Christopher Alan , Kehoe John David , Kerr Neal , Ziad Fouzia , Raunio Sami
Published: March 2023

Lymphoma of a dural genesis is a distinct variant of primary central nervous system lymphoma and is rare. It putatively has a more benign clinical course. Cranial primary dural lymphoma is more often marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, whereas spinal primary dural lymphoma is most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

We report a male patient who presented with subacute progressive radiculopathy due to a compressive infiltrative lumbosacral spinal lesion. This was determined to be primary dural diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The radiology, therapeutic considerations and differentiating biological characteristics of primary dural lymphoma, differ from other primary central nervous system lymphomas.

Primary dural lymphoma is under-represented in the medical literature. It has unique clinical characteristics. The optimal treatment algorithm remains undefined, but there is some evidence suggesting a benefit of surgical cytoreductive therapy in the first instance, and low-dose radiotherapy may be an effective adjuvant therapy in addition to chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic agents.
Service delivery models that promote linkages to PrEP for adolescent girls and young women and men in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review
Authors: Ramraj Trisha , Chirinda Witness , Jonas Kim , Govindasamy Darshini , Jama Ngcwalisa , McClinton Appollis Tracy , Zani Babalwa , Mukumbang Ferdinand C , Basera Wisdom , Hlongwa Mbuzeleni , Turawa Eunice B , Mathews Catherine , Nicol Edward
Published: March 2023

Background

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an emerging biomedical prevention intervention. Documenting PrEP service delivery models (SDMs) that promote linkage to and continuation of PrEP will inform guidelines and maximise roll-out.

Objectives

To synthesise and appraise the effectiveness and feasibility of PrEP SDMs designed to promote linkage to PrEP care among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and men in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Eligibility criteria

Primary quantitative and qualitative studies published in English and conducted in SSA were included. No restrictions on the date of publication were applied.

Sources of evidence

Methodology outlined in the Joanna Briggs Institute reviewers’ manual was followed. PubMed, Cochrane library, Scopus, Web of Science and online-conference abstract archives were searched.

Charting methods

Data on article, population, intervention characteristics and key outcomes was charted in REDCap.

Results and conclusion

Of the 1204 identified records, 37 (met the inclusion criteria. Health facility-based integrated models of PrEP delivery with family planning, maternal and child health or sexual and reproductive services to AGYW resulted in PrEP initiation of 16%–90%. Community-based drop-in centres (66%) was the preferred PrEP outlet for AGYW compared with public clinics (25%) and private clinics (9%). Most men preferred community-based delivery models. Among individuals who initiated PrEP, 50% were men, 62% were <35 years old and 97% were tested at health fairs compared with home testing. Integrated antiretroviral therapy (ART)-PrEP delivery was favoured among serodiscordant couples with 82.9% of couples using PrEP or ART with no HIV seroconversions. PrEP initiation within healthcare facilities was increased by perceived client-friendly services and non-judgemental healthcare workers. Barriers to PrEP initiation included distance to travel to and time spent at health facilities and perceived community stigma. PrEP SDMs for AGYW and men need to be tailored to the needs and preferences for each group. Programme implementers should promote community-based SDMs to increase PrEP initiation among AGYW and men.
Primary careAdherenceToHeartFailure guidelinesIN Diagnosis,Evaluation andRoutine management (PATHFINDER): a randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Dai Liying , Dorje Tashi , Gootjes Jan , Shah Amit , Dembo Lawrence , Rankin Jamie , Hillis Graham , Robinson Suzanne , Atherton John J , Jacques Angela , Reid Christopher M , Maiorana Andrew
Published: March 2023

Introduction

General practitioners (GPs) routinely provide care for patients with heart failure (HF); however, adherence to management guidelines, including titrating medication to optimal dose, can be challenging in this setting. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention to support adherence to HF management guidelines in primary care.

Methods and analysis

We will undertake a multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial of 200 participants with HF with reduced ejection fraction. Participants will be recruited during a hospital admission due to HF. Following hospital discharge, the intervention group will have follow-up with their GP scheduled at 1 week, 4 weeks and 3 months with the provision of a medication titration plan approved by a specialist HF cardiologist. The control group will receive usual care. The primary endpoint, assessed at 6 months, will be the difference between groups in the proportion of participants being prescribed five guideline-recommended treatments; (1) ACE inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker/angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor at least 50% of target dose, (2) beta-blocker at least 50% of target dose, (3) mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist at any dose, (4) anticoagulation for patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, (5) referral to cardiac rehabilitation. Secondary outcomes will include functional capacity (6-minute walk test); quality of life (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire); depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2); self-care behaviour (Self-Care of Heart Failure Index). Resource utilisation will also be assessed.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval was granted by the South Metropolitan Health Service Ethics Committee (RGS3531), with reciprocal approval at Curtin University (HRE2020-0322). Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conferences.

Trial registration number

ACTRN12620001069943.
Sex differences in non-communicable disease multimorbidity among adults aged 45 years or older in India
Authors: Sharma Santosh Kumar , Nambiar Devaki , Ghosh Arpita
Published: March 2023

Objective

Older male and female adults differ in key characteristics such as disease-specific life expectancy, health behaviours and clinical presentations and non-communicable disease multimorbidity (NCD-MM). Therefore, examining the sex differences in NCD-MM among older adults is vital, as this issue is understudied in low-income and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts such as India, and has been growing in the past few decades.

Design

Large scale nationally representative cross-sectional study.

Settings and participants

Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI 2017–2018) had data on 27 343 men and 31 730 women aged 45+, drawn from a sample of 59 073 individuals across India.

Primary and secondary outcomes measures

We operationalised NCD-MM based on prevalence of the presence of two or more long-term chronic NCD morbidities. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis along with multivariate statistics were used.

Results

Women aged 75+ had a higher prevalence of multimorbidity as compared with men (52.1% vs 45.17%). NCD-MM was more common among widows (48.5%) than widowers (44.8%). The female-to-male ratios of ORs (RORs) for NCD-MM associated with overweight/obesity and prior history of chewing tobacco were 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.20) and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.12 to 1.80), respectively. The female-to-male RORs show that the odds of NCD-MM were greater in formerly working women (1.24 (95% CI: 1.06 to 1.44)) relative to formerly working men. The effect of increasing NCD-MM on limitations in activities of daily living and instrumental ADL was greater in men than women but reversed for the hospitalisation.

Conclusions

We found significant sex differences in NCD-MM prevalence among older Indian adults, with various associated risk factors. The patterns underlying these differences warrant greater study, given existing evidence on differential longevity, health burdens and health-seeking patterns all of which operate in a larger structural context of patriarchy. Health systems in turn must respond to NCD-MM mindful of these patterns and aim to redress some of the larger inequities they reflect.
Association between periodontitis and hypertension: cross-sectional survey from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016)
Authors: Zhan Yalin , Jiao Jian , Jing Wudi , Feng Xiping , Tai Baojun , Hu Deyu , Lin Huan-cai , Wang Bo , Wang Chunxiao , Zheng Shuguo , Liu Xuenan , Rong Wensheng , Wang Weijian , Wang Xing , Si Yan , Meng Huanxin
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To evaluate the association between periodontitis severity and hypertension based on Chinese epidemiological data.

Design

This cross-sectional survey enrolled adults from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016).

Setting

The data were obtained from the Fourth National Oral Health Survey of China (2015–2016).

Participants

The study included individuals aged 35–44 years (n=4409), 55–64 years (n=4568) and 65–74 years (n=4218).

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Periodontal status, defined on the basis of the 2017 classification scheme, and periodontal parameters (eg, bleeding on probing (BOP)) were compared between individuals with hypertension and individuals with normotension. Smoothed scatterplots were constructed to demonstrate the associations of periodontal parameters and periodontal status with hypertension.

Results

Severe periodontitis (stages III and IV) was present in 41.4% of individuals with hypertension and 28.0% of individuals with normotension, respectively (p<0.001). The prevalence of severe periodontitis was higher in individuals with hypertension than that in individuals with normotension among participants aged 35–44 years (18.0% vs 10.1%, p<0.001) and 55–64 years (40.2% vs 36.7%, p=0.035), but not in participants aged 65–74 years (46.4% vs 45.1%, p=0.429). Therefore, the difference in periodontal status between individuals with hypertension and individuals with normotension decreased with age. There were higher prevalences of BOP, probing depth (PD) ≥4 mm and PD ≥6 mm in individuals with hypertension than in individuals with normotension (52.1% vs 49.2%, 19.6% vs 14.7% and 1.8% vs 1.1%, respectively). Periodontitis severity and the proportion of teeth with PD ≥4 or ≥6 mm were positively associated with hypertension.

Conclusion

Periodontitis is associated with hypertension in Chinese adults. Hypertension prevalence increased with periodontitis severity, particularly among young participants. Accordingly, it is necessary to improve the education, awareness of periodontal treatment and preventive management among individuals at risk of hypertension, particularly in the younger population.
How does discharge against medical advice affect risk of mortality and unplanned readmission? A retrospective cohort study set in a large UK medical admissions unit
Authors: Alagappan Anand , Chambers Thomas J G , Brown Erik , Grecian Sheila M , Lockman Khalida Ann
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To assess the frequency of discharge against medical advice (DAMA) in a large UK teaching hospital, explore factors which increase the risk of DAMA and identify how DAMA impacts patient risk of mortality and readmission.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Large acute teaching hospital in the UK.

Patients

36 683 patients discharged from the acute medical unit of a large UK teaching hospital between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2016.

Measurements

Patients were censored on 1 January 2021. Mortality and 30-day unplanned readmission rates were assessed. Deprivation, age and sex were taken as covariates.

Results

3% of patients discharged against medical advice. These patients were younger (median age (years) (IQR)): planned discharge (PD) 59 (40–77); DAMA 39 (28–51), predominantly of male sex (PD 48%; DAMA 66%) and were of greater social deprivation (in three most deprived quintiles PD 69%; DAMA 84%). DAMA was associated with increased risk of death in patients under the age of 33.3 years (adjusted HR 2.6 (1.2–5.8)) and increased incidence of 30-day readmission (standardised incidence ratio 1.9 (1.5–2.2)).

Limitations

Readmission to acute hospitals outside of the local health board may have been missed. We were unable to include information regarding comorbidity or severity of presentation.

Conclusions

These data highlight the vulnerability of younger patients who DAMA, even in a free-at-the-point-of-delivery healthcare setting.
Cross-sectional study of characteristics and prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in 1170 male golfers
Authors: Murray Andrew , Junge Astrid , Robinson Patrick Gordon , Clarsen Ben , Mountjoy Margo Lynn , Drobny Tomas , Gill Lance , Gazzano Francois , Voight Mike , Dvorak Jiri
Published: March 2023

Objectives

The primary aim was to describe the characteristics and prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints of a large group of non-professional golfers. Secondary aims were to compare golfers different in (A) skill-level, (B) presence of low back pain (LBP) and (C) performance of prevention exercises.

Methods

A sample of 1170 male golfers (mean age 54.98, SD=13.3) were surveyed online on personal and golf-specific characteristics, medical history and complaints in the preceding 7 days. Subgroups (A) with different golfing handicap (0 to 5, >5 to 10, >10), (B) with and without LBP and (C) who performed versus did not perform injury prevention exercises were compared using analysis of variance and χ2test.

Results

The prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints was similar in everyday life and when playing golf. More than one-third of the golfers (n=436; 37.3%) reported LBP in the preceding 7 days, while other frequently affected body parts were the shoulder and knee. Golfers with different skill level differed in age and most golf-related characteristics but not in prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints. Golfers with and without LBP were similar in almost all variables. Golfers who performed prevention exercises (n=371; 27.1%) were older and had a higher prevalence of complaints.

Conclusion

The prevalence and severity of musculoskeletal complaints in golfers were similar to the wider population. It seems that injury prevention exercises were implemented after injury, rather than as primary prevention. Prospective studies looking at the epidemiology of injury, risk factors and interventions are required.
Associations between nailfold capillary aberrations and autoantibodies in children and adults with Raynaud’s phenomenon
Authors: Mueller Markus , Gschwandtner Michael E , Emminger Wolfgang , Kiener Hans , Schnaubelt Sebastian , Giurgea Georgiana-Aura , Ristl Robin , Perkmann Thomas , Koppensteiner Renate , Schlager Oliver
Published: March 2023

Objective

To characterise associations between individual nailfold capillary aberrations with autoantibodies in a cross-sectional study on children and adults with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP).

Methods

Consecutive children and adults with RP and without previously known connective tissue disease (CTD) systemically underwent nailfold capillaroscopy and laboratory tests for the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA). The prevalence of individual nailfold capillary aberrations and ANA was assessed, and the associations between individual nailfold capillary aberrations and ANA were analysed separately in children and adolescents.

Results

In total, 113 children (median age 15 years) and 2858 adults (median age 48 years) with RP and without previously known CTD were assessed. At least one nailfold capillary aberration was detected in 72 (64%) of included children and in 2154 (75%) of included adults with RP (children vs adults p<0.05). An ANA titre ≥1:80, ≥1:160 or≥1:320 was observed in 29%, 21% or 16% of included children, and in 37%, 27% or 24% of screened adults, respectively. While the occurrence of individual nailfold capillary aberrations was related to the presence of an ANA titre of ≥1:80 in adults (reduced capillary density, avascular fields, haemorrhages, oedema, ramifications, dilations and giant capillaries: each p<0.001), no comparable association between nailfold capillary aberrations and ANA was observed in children with RP without previously known CTD.

Conclusion

In contrast to adults, the association between nailfold capillary aberrations and ANA might be less pronounced in children. Further studies are warranted to validate these observations in children with RP.
Breast cancer survivors–supportive care needs: systematic review
Authors: Khajoei Rahimeh , Ilkhani Mahnaz , Azadeh Payam , Zohari Anboohi Sima , Heshmati Nabavi Fatemah
Published: March 2023

Objectives

To achieve optimal survival care outcomes, all healthcare services must be tailored to patients’ specific needs, preferences and concerns throughout the survival period. This study aimed to identify supportive care needs from the point of view of breast cancer survivors.

Methods

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus was performed. The inclusion criteria were studies published from inception to the end of January 2022, covering all stages of breast cancer. The exclusion criteria were mixed-type studies relating to cancer, such as case reports, commentaries, editorials and systematic reviews, as well as studies that assessed patients’ needs during cancer treatment. Two quality assessment tools were used for the qualitative and quantitative studies.

Results

Of the 13 095 records retrieved, 40 studies, including 20 qualitative and 20 quantitative studies, were retained for this review. Survivors’ supportive care needs were classified into 10 dimensions and 40 subdimensions. The most frequently mentioned supportive care needs of survivors were psychological/emotional needs (N=32), health system/informational needs (N=30), physical and daily activities (N=19), and interpersonal/intimacy needs (N=19).

Conclusions

This systematic review highlights several essential needs for breast cancer survivors. Supportive programmes should be designed in order to take into consideration all aspects of these needs, particularly psychological, emotional and informational needs.
Good versus bad news consultations in advanced breast cancer: the role of empathy in information recall – an observational study
Authors: van Vliet Liesbeth M , Leeuwenburgh Margot L R , Westendorp Janine , van Dulmen Sandra , de Jong Paul C , Stouthard Jacqueline M L
Published: March 2023

Objective

We explored, in advanced breast cancer, whether: (1) patients recall less information following bad versus good news consultations; (2) empathy has a greater effect on recalled information following bad versus good news consultations.

Methods

Observational study using audio-recorded consultations. Participants’ recall of provided information about treatment options, aims/positive effects and side-effects was assessed. Clinician-expressed empathy and consultation type were determined. Regression analyses assessed associations between consultation type and recall, exploring moderating influences of clinician-expressed empathy.

Results

For 41 consultations (18 bad news, 23 good news), recall data were completed; total recall (47% vs 73%, p=0.03) and recall about treatment options (67% vs 85%, p=0.08, trend) were significantly worse following bad news compared with good news consultations. Recall about treatment aims/positive effects (53% vs 70%, p=0.30) and side-effects (28% vs 49%, p=0.20) was not significantly worse following bad news. Empathy moderated the relationship between consultation type and total recall (p<0.01), recall about treatment options (p=0.03) and about aims/positive effects (p<0.01) but not about side-effects (p=0.10). Only following good news consultations empathy influenced recall favourably.

Conclusions

This explorative study suggests that in advanced cancer, information recall is especially impaired following bad news consultations, for which empathy does not improve remembered information.
Parameters and dynamical graphs analysis about the new dynamics traveling wave solutions of longitudinal bud equation in a magneto-electro-elastic round rod
Authors: Qi Jianming , Zhu Qinghao , Zhang Guowei
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we investigate the nonlinear longitudinal wave equation (LWE) which involves mathematical physics in a magneto-electro-elastic (MEE) circular rod. By three different methods, we found that various forms for exact traveling wave solutions of longitudinal bud equation among an MEE round rod. These new exact and solitary wave solutions are derived in the form of rational, single periodic function, double periodic Jacobian elliptic functions (JEF), especially about Weierstrass elliptic function (WEF). Additionally, certain interesting (3D), (2D) figures represent the LWE provides the corporal information to explain the physically phenomena. By choosing different suitable values of the free parameters, we made some charts and we analyzed these charts to get a lot of valuable information to understand the MEE circular rod. Our work describes the dynamics of the MEE circular rod. Finally, we conclude with some perspectives for our future research work.
Deep Convolutional Pooling Transformer for Deepfake Detection
Authors: Wang Tianyi , Cheng Harry , Chow Kam Pui , Nie Liqiang
Published: March 2023

Recently, Deepfake has drawn considerable public attention due to security and privacy concerns in social media digital forensics. As the wildly spreading Deepfake videos on the Internet become more realistic, traditional detection techniques have failed in distinguishing between real and fake. Most existing deep learning methods mainly focus on local features and relations within the face image using convolutional neural networks as a backbone. However, local features and relations are insufficient for model training to learn enough general information for Deepfake detection. Therefore, the existing Deepfake detection methods have reached a bottleneck to further improve the detection performance. To address this issue, we propose a deep convolutional Transformer to incorporate the decisive image features both locally and globally. Specifically, we apply convolutional pooling and re-attention to enrich the extracted features and enhance efficacy. Moreover, we employ the barely discussed image keyframes in model training for performance improvement and visualize the feature quantity gap between the key and normal image frames caused by video compression. We finally illustrate the transferability with extensive experiments on several Deepfake benchmark datasets. The proposed solution consistently outperforms several state-of-the-art baselines on both within- and cross-dataset experiments.
Learning Representations of Satellite Imagery by Leveraging Point-of-Interests
Authors: Li Tong , Xi Yanxin , Wang Huandong , Li Yong , Tarkoma Sasu , Hui Pan
Published: March 2023

Satellite imagery depicts the Earth’s surface remotely and provides comprehensive information for many applications, such as land use monitoring and urban planning. Existing studies on unsupervised representation learning for satellite images only take into account the images’ geographic information, ignoring human activity factors. To bridge this gap, we propose using the Point-of-Interest (POI) data to capture human factors and designing a contrastive learning-based framework to consolidate the representation of satellite imagery with POI information. Besides, we introduce a season-invariant representation learning model on satellite imagery, considering that human factors are mostly unchanging with respect to seasons. An attention model is designed at last to merge the representations from the geographic, seasonal, and POI perspectives adaptively. On the basis of real-world datasets collected from Beijing,

1

we evaluate our method for predicting socioeconomic indicators. The results show that the representation containing POI information outperforms the geographic representation in estimating commercial activity-related indicators. Our proposed attentional framework can estimate the socioeconomic indicators with
R
2
of 0.874 and outperforms the baseline methods. Furthermore, we explore the differences in the representations of satellite images with varying socioeconomic statuses. Finally, we investigate the impact of geographic and POI perspective information in the representation learning process, as well as the effect of satellite imagery on various spatial resolutions.
Regulating Collusion
Authors: Chassang Sylvain , Ortner Juan
Published: March 2023

We attempt to provide a systemic view of the process of regulating collusion, including detection and prosecution as well as bargaining between firms and regulators via consent orders, the production of evidence, and containment measures that may be taken if collusion cannot be addressed with more direct means. In addition, we try to do justice to the peculiarities of the legal system: Modeling the courts as they are, rather than as economists think they should be, is essential for economic analysis to improve the way collusion is regulated.
Antitrust Reform: An Economic Perspective
Authors: Gilbert Richard J.
Published: March 2023

There is widespread dissatisfaction with existing antitrust enforcement. The European Union has enacted comprehensive legislation to address perceived antitrust limitations, and several proposals to amend US antitrust laws have followed its lead. Most of the actual and proposed laws target firms that dominate the digital economy, while others have measures to tighten antitrust enforcement more generally. Market power has increased in the United States and most advanced economies, but it has not been uniformly associated with higher prices or lower productivity. Nonetheless, antitrust reforms can benefit consumers and address concerns about the concentration and exercise of economic power. In the United States, legislation would be desirable to amend rulings that are excessively deferential to antitrust defendants. However, most enacted and proposed reforms include prohibitions or obligations that depart from traditional antitrust principles and create potential risks for consumer welfare.
Targeting Interfacial Location of Phenolic Antioxidants in Emulsions: Strategies and Benefits
Authors: Berton-Carabin Claire , Villeneuve Pierre
Published: March 2023

It is important to have larger proportions of health-beneficial polyunsaturated lipids in foods, but these nutrients are particularly sensitive to oxidation, and dedicated strategies must be developed to prevent this deleterious reaction. In food oil-in-water emulsions, the oil–water interface is a crucial area when it comes to the initiation of lipid oxidation. Unfortunately, most available natural antioxidants, such as phenolic antioxidants, do not spontaneously position at this specific locus. Achieving such a strategic positioning has therefore been an active research area, and various routes have been proposed: lipophilizing phenolic acids to confer them with an amphiphilic character; functionalizing biopolymer emulsifiers through covalent or noncovalent interactions with phenolics; or loading Pickering particles with natural phenolic compounds to yield interfacial antioxidant reservoirs. We herein review the principles and efficiency of these approaches to counteract lipid oxidation in emulsions as well as their advantages and limitations.
Novel Colloidal Food Ingredients: Protein Complexes and Conjugates
Authors: Liu Fuguo , McClements David Julian , Ma Cuicui , Liu Xuebo
Published: March 2023

Food proteins, polysaccharides, and polyphenols are natural ingredients with different functional attributes. For instance, many proteins are good emulsifiers and gelling agents, many polysaccharides are good thickening and stabilizing agents, and many polyphenols are good antioxidants and antimicrobials. These three kinds of ingredients can be combined into protein, polysaccharide, and/or polyphenol conjugates or complexes using covalent or noncovalent interactions to create novel multifunctional colloidal ingredients with new or improved properties. In this review, the formation, functionality, and potential applications of protein conjugates and complexes are discussed. In particular, the utilization of these colloidal ingredients to stabilize emulsions, control lipid digestion, encapsulate bioactive ingredients, modify textures, and form films is highlighted. Finally, future research needs in this area are briefly proposed. The rational design of protein complexes and conjugates may lead to the development of new functional ingredients that can be used to create more nutritious, sustainable, and healthy foods.