bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Honey bee queen health is unaffected by contact exposure to pesticides commonly found in beeswax
Authors: McAfee Alison , Milone Joseph P , Metz Bradley , McDermott Erin , Foster Leonard J , Tarpy David R
Published: April 2021

Honey bee queen health is crucial for colony health and productivity, and pesticides have been previously associated with queen loss and premature supersedure. Prior research has investigated the effects of indirect pesticide exposure on queens via workers, as well as direct effects on queens during development. However, as adults, queens are in constant contact with wax as they walk on comb and lay eggs; therefore, direct pesticide contact with adult queens is a relevant but seldom investigated exposure route. Here, we conducted laboratory and field experiments to investigate the impacts of topical pesticide exposure on adult queens. We tested dose-response relationships of six pesticides commonly found in wax: coumaphos, tau-fluvalinate, atrazine, 2,4-DMPF, chlorpyriphos, chlorothalonil, and a cocktail of all six, each dosed up to 32 times the concentrations typically found in wax. We found no effect of any treatment on queen mass or sperm viability. Furthermore, none of the 1,568 proteins quantified in the queens’ fat bodies (a major site of detoxification enzyme production) were differentially expressed. In a field trial with N = 30 queens exposed to either a handling control, a solvent control, or a pesticide cocktail, we again found no impact on queen egg-laying pattern, mass, or emergence mass of daughter workers. Further, of the 3,127 proteins identified in fluid from the spermatheca (sperm storage organ), none were differentially expressed. These experiments consistently show that at realistic exposure levels, pesticides commonly found in wax have no direct impact on queen performance, reproduction, or quality metrics. We suggest that previously reported associations between high levels of pesticide residues in wax and queen failure are most likely driven by indirect effects of worker exposure (either through wax or other hive products) on queen care or queen perception.
Pan-cancer survey of tumour mass dormancy and underlying mutational processes
Authors: Wiecek Anna Julia , Jacobson Daniel Hadar , Lason Wojciech , Secrier Maria
Published: April 2021

Tumour mass dormancy is the key intermediate step between immune surveillance and cancer progression, yet due to its transitory nature it has been difficult to capture and characterise. Little is understood of its prevalence across cancer types and of the mutational background that may favour such a state. While this balance is finely tuned internally by the equilibrium between cell proliferation and cell death, the main external factors contributing to tumour mass dormancy are immunological and angiogenic. To understand the genomic and cellular context in which tumour mass dormancy may develop, we comprehensively profiled signals of immune and angiogenic dormancy in 9,631 cancers from the Cancer Genome Atlas and linked them to tumour mutagenesis. We find evidence for immunological and angiogenic dormancy-like signals in 16.5% of bulk sequenced tumours, with a frequency of up to 33% in certain tissues. Mutations in theCASP8andHRASoncogenes were positively selected in dormant tumours, suggesting an evolutionary pressure for controlling cell growth/apoptosis signals. By surveying the mutational damage patterns left in the genome by known cancer risk factors, we found that ageing-induced mutations were relatively depleted in these tumours, while patterns of smoking and defective base excision repair were linked with increased tumour mass dormancy. Furthermore, we identified a link between APOBEC mutagenesis and dormancy, which comes in conjunction with immune exhaustion and may partly depend on the expression of the angiogenesis regulatorPLGas well as interferon and chemokine signals. Tumour mass dormancy also appeared to be impaired in hypoxic conditions in the majority of cancers. The microenvironment of dormant cancers was enriched in cytotoxic and regulatory T cells, as expected, but also in macrophages and showed a reduction in inflammatory Th17 signals. Finally, tumour mass dormancy was linked with improved patient survival outcomes. Our analysis sheds light onto the complex interplay between dormancy, exhaustion, APOBEC activity and hypoxia, and sets directions for future mechanistic explorations.
Independent Promoter Recognition by TcpP Precedes Cooperative Promoter Activation by TcpP and ToxR
Authors: Calkins A.L. , Demey L.M. , Karslake J.D. , Donarski E.D. , Biteen J.S. , DiRita V.J.
Published: April 2021

Cholera is a diarrheal disease caused by the Gram-negative bacteriumVibrio cholerae. To reach the surface of intestinal epithelial cells, proliferate, and cause disease,V. choleraetightly regulates the production of virulence factors such as cholera toxin (ctxAB) and the toxin co-regulated pilus (tcpA-F). ToxT is directly responsible for regulating these major virulence factors while TcpP and ToxR indirectly regulate virulence factor production by stimulatingtoxTexpression. TcpP and ToxR are membrane-localized transcription activators (MLTAs) required to activatetoxTexpression. To gain a deeper understanding of how MLTAs identify promoter DNA while in the membrane, we tracked the dynamics of single TcpP-PAmCherry molecules in live cells using photoactivated localization microscopy and identified heterogeneous diffusion patterns. Our results provide evidence that: 1) TcpP exists in three biophysical states (fast diffusion, intermediate diffusion, and slow diffusion); 2) TcpP transitions between these different diffusion states; 3) TcpP molecules in the slow diffusion state are interacting with thetoxTpromoter; and 4) ToxR is not essential for TcpP to localize thetoxTpromoter. These data refine the current model of cooperativity between TcpP and ToxR in stimulatingtoxTexpression and demonstrate that TcpP locates thetoxTpromoter independent of ToxR.
Genome-wide mapping of G-quadruplex structures with CUT&Tag
Authors: Lyu Jing , Shao Rui , Elsässer Simon J
Published: April 2021

Single-stranded genomic DNA can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) structures or form DNA:RNA hybrids (R loops). Recent evidence suggests that such non-canonical DNA structures affect gene expression, DNA methylation, replication fork progression and genome stability. When and how G4 structures form and are resolved remains unclear. Here we report the use of Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag) for mapping native G4 in mammalian cell lines at high resolution and low background. Mild native conditions used for the procedure retain more G4 structures and provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio than ChIP-based methods. We determine the G4 landscape of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC), observing widespread G4 formation at active promoters, active and poised enhancers. We discover that the presence of G4 motifs and G4 structures distinguishes active and primed enhancers in mESCs. Further, performing R-loop CUT&Tag, we demonstrate the genome-wide co-occurence of single-stranded DNA, G4s and R loops, suggesting an intricate relationship between transcription and non-canonical DNA structures.
Coronary blood vessels from distinct origins converge to equivalent states during mouse and human development
Authors: Phansalkar Ragini , Krieger Josephine , Zhao Mingming , Kolluru Sai Saroja , Jones Robert C. , Quake Stephen R , Weissman Irving , Bernstein Daniel , Winn Virginia D. , D’Amato Gaetano , Red-Horse Kristy
Published: April 2021

Most cell fate trajectories during development follow a diverging, tree-like branching pattern, but the opposite can occur when distinct progenitors contribute to the same cell type. During this convergent differentiation, it is unknown if cells “remember” their origins transcriptionally or whether this influences cell behavior. Most coronary blood vessels of the heart develop from two different progenitor sources—the endocardium (Endo) and sinus venosus (SV)—but whether transcriptional or functional differences related to origin are retained is unknown. We addressed this by combining lineage tracing with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) in embryonic and adult mouse hearts. Shortly after coronary development begins, capillary ECs transcriptionally segregated into two states that retained progenitor-specific gene expression. Later in development, when the coronary vasculature is well-established but still remodeling, capillary Ecs again segregated into two populations, but transcriptional differences were primarily related to tissue localization rather than lineage. Specifically, ECs in the heart septum expressed genes indicative of increased local hypoxia and decreased blood flow. Adult capillary ECs were more homogeneous with respect to both lineage and location. In agreement, SV- and Endo-derived ECs in adult hearts displayed similar responses to injury. Finally, scRNAseq of developing human coronary vessels indicated that the human heart followed similar principles. Thus, over the course of development, transcriptional heterogeneity in coronary ECs is first influenced by lineage, then by location, until heterogeneity declines in the homeostatic adult heart. These results highlight the plasticity of ECs during development, and the validity of the mouse as a model for human coronary development.
The megakaryocytic transcription factor ARID3A suppresses leukemia pathogenesis
Authors: Alejo-Valle Oriol , Weigert Karoline , Bhayadia Raj , Ng Michelle , Emmrich Stephan , Beyer Christoph , Schuschel Konstantin , Ihling Christian , Sinz Andrea , Flasinski Marius , Issa Hasan , Regenyi Eniko , Labuhn Maurice , Reinhardt Dirk , Yaspo Marie-Laure , Heckl Dirk , Klusmann Jan-Henning
Published: April 2021

Given the plasticity of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, multiple routes of differentiation must be blocked during acute myeloid leukemia pathogenesis – the molecular basis of which is incompletely understood. Here we report that post-transcriptional repression of transcription factor ARID3A by miR-125b is a key event in megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) pathogenesis. AMKL is frequently associated with trisomy 21 andGATA1mutations (GATA1s), and children with Down syndrome are at a high risk of developing this disease. We show that chromosome 21-encoded miR-125b synergizes withGata1sto drive leukemogenesis in this context. Leveraging forward and reverse genetics, we uncoverArid3aas the main miR-125b target underlying this synergy. We demonstrate that during normal hematopoiesis this transcription factor promotes megakaryocytic differentiation in concert with GATA1 and mediates TGFβ-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in complex with SMAD2/3. WhileGata1smutations perturb erythroid differentiation and induce hyperproliferation of megakaryocytic progenitors, intact ARID3A expression assures their megakaryocytic differentiation and growth restriction. Upon knockdown, these tumor suppressive functions are revoked, causing a dual megakaryocytic/erythroid differentiation blockade and subsequently AMKL. Inversely, restoringARID3Aexpression relieves the megakaryocytic differentiation arrest in AMKL patient-derived xenografts. This work illustrates how mutations in lineage-determining transcription factors and perturbation of post-transcriptional gene regulation interplay to block multiple routes of hematopoietic differentiation and cause leukemia. Surmounting this differentiation blockade in megakaryoblastic leukemia by restoring the tumor suppressor ARID3A represents a promising strategy for treating this lethal pediatric disease.

Key points

Repression of megakaryocytic transcription factorARID3Aby miR-125b synergizes withGATA1sto induce leukemia

Restoring ARID3A expression relieves megakaryocytic differentiation arrest in megakaryoblastic leukemia

Graphical abstract
Remodeling tumor microenvironment by liposomal co-delivery of DMXAA and simvastatin inhibits malignant melanoma progression
Authors: Rauca Valentin-Florian , Patras Laura , Luput Lavinia , Licarete Emilia , Toma Vlad-Alexandru , Porfire Alina , Mot Augustin-Catalin , Rakosy-Tican Elena , Sesarman Alina , Banciu Manuela
Published: April 2021

Anti-angiogenic therapies for melanoma have not yet been translated into meaningful clinical benefit for patients, due to development of drug-induced resistance in cancer cells, mainly caused by hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) overexpression and enhanced oxidative stress mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Our previous study demonstrated synergistic antitumor actions of simvastatin (SIM) and 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) on anin vitromelanoma modelviasuppression of the aggressive phenotype of melanoma cells and inhibition of TAMs-mediated angiogenesis. Therefore, we took the advantage of long circulating liposomes (LCL) superior tumor targeting capacity to efficiently deliver SIM and DMXAA to B16.F10 melanomain vivo, with the final aim of improving the outcome of the anti-angiogenic therapy. Thus, we assessed the effects of this novel combined tumor-targeted treatment ons.c. B16.F10 murine melanoma growth and on the production of critical markers involved in tumor development and progression. Our results showed that the combined liposomal therapy inhibited almost totally the growth of melanoma tumors, due to the enhancement of anti-angiogenic effects of LCL-DMXAA by LCL-SIM and induction of a pro-apoptotic state in the tumor microenvironment (TME). These effects were favoured by the partial re-education of TAMs towards a M1 phenotype and maintained via suppression of major invasion and metastasis promoters (HIF-1α, pAP-1 c-Jun, and MMPs). Thus, this novel therapy holds the potential to remodel the tumor microenvironment, by suppressing its most important malignant biological capabilities.

Highlights

Novel combined liposomal delivery of SIM and DMXAA inhibits melanoma tumor growth

LCL-SIM augments the anti-angiogenic effects of LCL-DMXAA

Combined liposomal therapy inhibits HIF-1α/VEGF axis, induces apoptosis and TAM re-education in tumors

This novel therapy suppresses the most important malignant capabilities of melanoma
Evaluating population affinity estimates in forensic anthropology: Insights from the forensic anthropology database for assessing methods accuracy (FADAMA)
Authors: Winburn Allysha P. , Algee‐Hewitt Bridget
Published: April 2021

Using a sample of anonymized U.S. forensic anthropology cases (n = 251) from the FADAMA database, we assess the degree of concordance between decedents’ social identifiers and anthropologists’ continental‐based classifications. We report high success rates (>90%) that generally support previous findings, yet we acknowledge the limitations of assessing “ancestry” accuracy based on resolved cases and draw attention to situations in which our methods fail. For example, forensic anthropologists achieve just 20% accuracy when classifying individuals as “other” or “mixed”—problematic categories that we argue should be rejected. Leveraging our findings, we ask: what are we really estimating when we perform a skeletal assessment of “ancestry” in the US context? We argue that the “ancestry estimates” historically and routinely produced in forensic anthropology instead give information on population affinity: a measure of how similar a given case is to one among several socially relevant groups of interest. Distancing forensic anthropology from genetics and other disciplines that estimate ancestry, the approach of population affinity assesses similarities to both social and biological groupings, potentially at a fine‐grained level, attempting to account for the complex histories, shared biologies, and wide ranges of diversity that characterize our communities and our casework. Population affinity is a flexible and inclusive approach that more accurately describes current forensic anthropological analyses of human variation. Going forward, we must acknowledge and build on the contributions of previous scholars as we work together toward our shared goal of theoretically grounded analyses of human variation that accurately and equitably serve all casework decedents.
Large‐Scale Carbon Dioxide Removal to Meet the 1.5°C Limit: Key Governance Gaps, Challenges and Priority Responses
Authors: Mace M.J. , Fyson Claire L. , Schaeffer Michiel , Hare William L.
Published: April 2021

Parties to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement have agreed to pursue efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C. To meet this goal, the international community will have to aggressively reduce emissions and also remove CO2 from the atmosphere on an unprecedented scale, through an array of biological and technical Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) options. This paper considers governance challenges that arise from the need to rely on CDR to meet the Paris Agreement’s long‐term temperature goal. It looks at how heavy this reliance may have to be, over what timeframe, involving what options and, crucially, how best to ensure that CDR does not, while trying to address one problem, create many other challenges for sustainable development. After identifying the potential scale and pace of CO2 removal needed to meet the 1.5°C goal, we identify key governance gaps and challenges that arise from large‐scale CDR implementation and propose a series of policy responses to be addressed by policy makers as a matter of priority, to enable CDR to contribute to 1.5°C‐consistent pathways at the scale and pace required.
A randomised controlled masked clinical trial of two treatments for osteoarthritis in dogs
Authors: Whittem T , Richards L , Alexander J , Beck C , Knight C , Milne M , Rockman M , Saunders R , Tyrrell D
Published: April 2021

The product 4CYTE™ Canine (Interpath Pty Ltd., Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) contains four active ingredients: three marine‐derived ingredients and Epiitalis®, which is extracted from the seed of the plantBiota orientalis. Carprofen is a non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) licensed for the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs and is the active ingredient in several licensed products. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of 4CYTE Canine with carprofen for the treatment of pain from osteoarthritis. The trial was a randomised, masked, parallel group trial in dogs with naturally occurring osteoarthritis. Sixty‐nine dogs with body weight of between 10 and 50 kg were enrolled in the study, of which 66 (95.7%) completed the study. The 4CYTE Canine was administered at 60 mg active/kg daily and carprofen at 2–4 mg/kg daily, with a loading dose of up to 4 mg/kg on the first day. The trial duration was 28 days. The primary outcome was defined as improvement in Owner Lameness Score at Day 28 compared with Day 0. Other outcomes measured included Veterinary Lameness Scores and the Owner Mobility Scores. At Day 28, 14 of 29 (48.3%) dogs that received 4CYTE Canine and 13 of 37 (35.1%) dogs that received carprofen had improved. The 4CYTE Canine was found to be non‐inferior to carprofen at Day 14 for the Owner Mobility Score and at Day 28 for all three outcomes. This response pattern suggests that improvement in response to 4CYTE Canine continued between Days 14 and 28. These results support the conclusion that 4CYTE Canine is not inferior to carprofen by end‐point clinical efficacy.
Collaborative economy, a society service? Involvement with ethics and the common good
Authors: Chivite Cebolla María Peana , Jorge Vázquez Javier , Chivite Cebolla Carmen Mª
Published: April 2021

The company at the service of today's society is reinventing itself to satisfy people's needs in a more efficient and adapted way. Globalization and digitization promote increasing interaction and new forms of economic organization such as collaborative economy. However, can it be understood that this new business model, more than others, has as its raison d'être in the search for the “common good”? A first approach suggests the presence of values related to collaboration between equals aiming at a common good. However, the possible existence of a profit motive and the labor relations framework in which certain activities are carried out have created a debate on their ethical qualification. In this context, considering 278 companies in the collaborative economy sector, the relationship between the concept of “common good” and the collaborative economy is analyzed, while examining whether these new realities have an explicit ethical intention (of search for goods for people). According to the results, it is not possible to assert that these platforms have an ethical concern, but it is observed that they are in line with the common good and implicitly contribute to the service of society.
Acute human parvovirus B19 infection triggers immune‐mediated transient bone marrow failure syndrome, extreme direct hyperbilirubinaemia and acute hepatitis in patients with hereditary haemolytic anaemias: multicentre prospective pathophysiological study
Authors: Elbadry Mahmoud I. , Khaled Safaa A. A. , Ahmed Nesma M. , Abudeif Ahmed , Abdelkareem Rasha M. , Ezeldin Mohamed , Tawfeek Ahmed
Published: April 2021

A total of 244 patients with hereditary haemolytic anaemias (HHA) were screened for acute symptomatic human parvovirus B19 infection (HPV‐B19) in a prospective study. To assess the risks associated with HPV‐B19 infection, patients were classified into Group I and Group II according to presence or absence (symptoms, signs and specific serology) of acute HPV‐B19 infection respectively. In all, 131 (53·7%) patients had β‐thalassaemia, 75 (30·7%) hereditary spherocytosis (HS), 27 (11·1%) sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and 11 (4·5%) glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Of 33 (13·5%) patients who presented with symptomatic HPV‐B19 infection, 19 (57·5%) had HS, nine (27·3%) had β‐thalassaemia and five (15·2%) had SCA. In Group I, there were significant differences in the mean white blood cell, red blood cell and platelet counts, haemoglobin concentration, total bilirubin (TB), alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and serum creatinine (all P < 0·001) compared to Group II. In all, 27 (81·8%) patients had arthropathy and bone marrow failure (BMF); 13 (39·4%) had acute kidney injury (AKI), more in SCA (80%); and 12 (36·4%) patients had hepatitis, more in HS (66·8%). Five (15·2%) patients with HS had BMF, AKI, nervous system involvement and extreme hyperbilirubinaemia (TB range 26·3–84·7 mg/dl). Five (15·2%) patients had haemophagocytic syndrome. Two patients with HS combined with Type‐I autoimmune hepatitis presented with transient BMF. Complete recovery or stabilisation was noted at 12 months in every patient except for one patient with SCA who died during the infection. HPV‐B19 must be suspected and screened in patients with HHA with typical and atypical presentations with careful follow‐up.
Extracurricular Activities, Screen Media Activity, and Sleep May Be Modifiable Factors Related to Children’s Cognitive Functioning: Evidence From the ABCD Study®
Authors: Kirlic Namik , Colaizzi Janna M. , Cosgrove Kelly T. , Cohen Zsofia P. , Yeh Hung‐Wen , Breslin Florence , Morris Amanda S. , Aupperle Robin L. , Singh Manpreet K. , Paulus Martin P.
Published: April 2021

This study used a machine learning framework in conjunction with a large battery of measures from 9,718 school‐age children (ages 9–11) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study to identify factors associated with fluid cognitive functioning (FCF), or the capacity to learn, solve problems, and adapt to novel situations. The identified algorithm explained 14.74% of the variance in FCF, replicating previously reported socioeconomic and mental health contributors to FCF, and adding novel and potentially modifiable contributors, including extracurricular involvement, screen media activity, and sleep duration. Pragmatic interventions targeting these contributors may enhance cognitive performance and protect against their negative impact on FCF in children.
Fundamental evolution of all Orthocoronavirinae including three deadly lineages descendent from Chiroptera‐hosted coronaviruses: SARS‐CoV, MERS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV‐2
Authors: Jacob Machado Denis , Scott Rachel , Guirales Sayal , Janies Daniel A.
Published: April 2021

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS‐CoV) emerged in humans in 2002. Despite reports showing Chiroptera as the original animal reservoir of SARS‐CoV, many argue that Carnivora‐hosted viruses are the most likely origin. The emergence of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) in 2012 also involves Chiroptera‐hosted lineages. However, factors such as the lack of comprehensive phylogenies hamper our understanding of host shifts once MERS‐CoV emerged in humans and Artiodactyla. Since 2019, the origin of SARS‐CoV‐2, causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), added to this episodic history of zoonotic transmission events. Here we introduce a phylogenetic analysis of 2006 unique and complete genomes of different lineages of Orthocoronavirinae. We used gene annotations to align orthologous sequences for total evidence analysis under the parsimony optimality criterion. Deltacoronavirus and Gammacoronavirus were set as outgroups to understand spillovers of Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus among ten orders of animals. We corroborated that Chiroptera‐hosted viruses are the sister group of SARS‐CoV, SARS‐CoV‐2 and MERS‐related viruses. Other zoonotic events were qualified and quantified to provide a comprehensive picture of the risk of coronavirus emergence among humans. Finally, we used a 250 SARS‐CoV‐2 genomes dataset to elucidate the phylogenetic relationship between SARS‐CoV‐2 and Chiroptera‐hosted coronaviruses.
MRI‐enema for the assessment of pelvic intestinal anastomotic integrity
Authors: Worley Guy , Burling David , Corr Alison , Clark Susan , Baldwin‐Cleland Rachel , Faiz Omar , Jenkins John
Published: April 2021

Aim

Anastomotic leak causes significant morbidity for patients undergoing pelvic intestinal surgery. Fluoroscopic assessment of anastomotic integrity using water‐soluble contrast enema (WSCE) is of questionable benefit over examination alone. We hypothesized that MRI‐enema may be more accurate. The aim of this study was to compare MRI‐enema with fluoroscopic WSCE.

Method

Patients referred for WSCE with pelvic intestinal anastomosis and defunctioning ileostomy (including patients with suspected or known leaks) were invited to participate. WSCE and MRI‐enema were undertaken within 48 h of each other. MRI sequences were performed before, during and immediately after the introduction of 400 ml of 1% gadolinium contrast solution per anus. MRI examinations were reported to protocol by two blinded gastrointestinal radiologists. A Likert‐scale patient questionnaire was administered to compare patient experience. Follow‐up was >12 months after ileostomy reversal. Anastomotic leak was determined by unblinded consensus of examination and radiological findings.

Results

Sixteen patients were recruited, with a median age of 39 years (range 22–69). Ten were men, 11 had ileoanal pouch formation and five had low anterior resection. Five patients had anastomotic leak identified by MRI and four by WSCE. The radial location of the anastomotic defect was identified in all five patients by MRI versus two on WSCE. MRI revealed additional information including contents of a widened presacral space. Patient experience was equivalent. Eleven patients eventually had ileostomy reversal without complications.

Conclusion

MRI‐enema is a feasible and tolerable alternative to WSCE and offers greater anatomical detail in the context of pelvic intestinal anastomotic leak. Larger prospective studies are required to define its potential role in the UK National Health Service.
Long‐term changes in the gut microbiota after triple therapy, sequential therapy, bismuth quadruple therapy and concomitant therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication in Chinese children
Authors: Zhou Ying , Ye Ziqing , Wang Yuhuan , Huang Zhiheng , Zheng Cuifang , Shi Jieru , Tang Wenjuan , Zhang Ping , Wang Shengnan , Huang Ying
Published: April 2021

Background

We previously reported that the administration of 14‐day standard triple therapy (TT), sequential therapy (ST), bismuth‐based quadruple therapy (BT), and concomitant therapy (CT) as the first‐line therapy for Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese children achieved eradication rates of 74.1%, 69.5%, 89.8%, and 84.6%, respectively. In this follow‐up study, we further evaluated the short‐ and long‐term effects of the four regimens on the gut microbiota in these children.

Methods

We prospectively recruited treatment‐naïve children with H. pylori infection. Fecal samples were collected at week 0, 2, 6, and 52, and alterations in the gut microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Results

Sixty‐three patients participated in this study (16 with TT, 15 with ST, 16 with BT and 16 with CT). At week 2, the alpha diversity (Shannon and Chao 1 index) was significantly reduced in the TT (p = 0.008, p < 0.001), ST (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), BT (p < 0.001, p < 0.001) and CT groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Some changes persisted in the ST, BT, and CT groups at week 6, and all were restored (expect p = 0.02 with Chao 1 index in the CT group) at week 52. The beta diversity was significantly changed in the BT (p = 0.001) and CT groups (p = 0.001) 2 weeks post‐eradication and restored 1 year after therapy. Immediately after therapy, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was strikingly increased in the ST (p = 0.005), BT (p < 0.001) and CT groups (p < 0.001), and the genus‐level analysis showed that the abundances of 23.1%, 43.3%, 78.6%, and 78% of the bacterial genera in the TT, ST, BT, and CT groups were significantly changed. All these changes returned to almost the pre‐eradication level 1 year post‐eradication.

Conclusion

Eradication of H. pylori infection can lead to transient dysbiosis of gut microbiota, and these changes almost recovered 1 year post‐eradication, which indicates the long‐term safety of H. pylori therapy.
Crisis‐induced behavior: From fear and frugality to the familiar
Authors: Rayburn Steven W. , McGeorge Anthony , Anderson Sidney , Sierra Jeremy J.
Published: April 2021

This research uncovers the impact of a multifaceted crisis on consumers' immediate shopping behaviors, short‐term financial spending, and long‐term shopping and spending responses. This longitudinal study adopts a future studies approach to expose consumers' current experiences, expectations of the future, and realized future experiences to understand a pandemic's impact on consumers' collective shopping and spending behaviors. Data were collected at the beginning of the COVID‐19 pandemic, during its peak, and as restrictions were being lifted. Findings reveal that consumers adapt their shopping and spending behavior through a crisis in response to constantly shifting environmental stimuli. Consumers moved from fear to frugality and then followed one of two paths—maintaining new crisis‐induced behaviors or, more often, returning to prior familiar consumption behaviors. Retailers and service providers must understand these responses to be able to serve both groups during and after a crisis.
Psychometric analysis of the Nurses’ Professional Values Scale‐3 Arabic version among student nurses
Authors: Alabdulaziz H. , Cruz J.P. , Alasmee N.A. , Almazan J.U.
Published: April 2021

Aims

We sought to establish the psychometric properties of the Nurses’ Professional Values Scale‐3 Arabic version among student nurses.

Background

Nurses’ professional values are central in the nursing profession; it encompasses principles such as respecting people rights and dignity, compassion, and caring without prejudice.

Introduction

The professional values of student nurses, most specifically in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, can hardly be studied due of the lack of a valid and reliable measure that is linguistically and culturally acceptable.

Methods

In this cross‐sectional study, we came up with the Arabic version of the tool and tested its psychometric properties among 350 student nurses from two universities in Saudi Arabia.

Results

The principal component analysis revealed three distinct factors with eigenvalues above 1.00 and with an explained variance of 70.5%. The computed Cronbach’s alpha of the tool was 0.967, while 0.964, 0.960, and 0.886 were computed for activism, caring, and professionalism, respectively. The test‐retest scores (n = 85) revealed an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.827 for the entire scale, 0.826 for the subscale activism, 0.792 for caring, and 0.870 for professionalism.

Conclusions

The Nurses’ Professional Values Scale‐3 Arabic version had sound psychometric properties when used among Saudi student nurses.

Implication for Nursing

The tool can provide an accurate assessment of the professional values of Saudi nursing students and other Arabic‐speaking student nurses.

Implication for Nursing Policy

The tool can be utilized by nursing and nursing education policymakers in Saudi Arabia and in other Arab countries in guiding the creation of practice and education policies that gears towards improving nurses’ professional values in this part of the world.
Snow buntings preparing for migration increase muscle fiber size and myonuclear domain in parallel with a major gain in fat mass
Authors: Vézina François , O'Connor Ryan S. , Le Pogam Audrey , De Jesus Aliyah D. , Love Oliver P. , Jimenez Ana Gabriela
Published: April 2021

In long‐distance migrants, preparation for migration is typically associated with increases in fat and body mass, and with an enlargement of pectoralis muscle mass that likely improves flight performance. Although changes in muscle mass or size have been well described in migratory birds, potential changes in muscle ultrastructure during this transition still deserves scrutiny. Using outdoor captive snow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis n = 15) measured during their transition into a spring migratory phenotype as a model system, we studied changes in pectoralis muscle ultrastructure and predicted that muscle fiber diameter could increase in parallel with the gain in body mass. We also expected that larger fibers could either recruit satellite cells to support cellular maintenance and protein turnover, increase myonuclear domain (cytoplasm per nuclei) with a potential increase in protein turnover load per myonucleus, or existing myonuclei could undergo endoreduplication. Buntings increased body mass by 46% within a month, largely due to a > 6‐fold increase in body fat. However, this increase in body mass was also associated with a 36% increase in muscle fiber diameter. Both pectoralis muscle mass (r2 = 0.57–0.77) and fiber diameter (r2 = 0.32) correlated with total body mass, without any change in the number of nuclei per fiber. Consequently, variation in myonuclear domain (i.e. the amount of cytoplasm per nucleus), was also positively associated with body mass (r2 = 0.51). Therefore, buntings preparing for migration may experience an increase in muscle contraction force due to larger muscle fibers, but this is also coupled with increases in myonuclear domain, which may force these cells to increase protein production to safeguard satellite cells.
Dietary inflammatory potential is associated with poor periodontal health: A population‐based study
Authors: Li An , Chen Yuntao , Schuller Annemarie A. , van der Sluis Luc W.M. , Tjakkes Geerten‐Has E.
Published: April 2021

Aim

To investigate the association between dietary inflammatory potential and poor periodontal health.

Material and Methods

A cross‐sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of participants was performed. NHANES 2011–2014 (n = 7081) and NHANES 2001–2004 (n = 5098) were used as discovery and validation datasets, respectively. The energy‐adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E‐DII) score was calculated for each participant based on 24‐h dietary recalls to assess diet‐associated inflammation. Periodontitis was defined by the CDC/AAP using clinical periodontal parameters. Natural cubic spline was applied to identify any non‐linear associations of the E‐DII score with moderate/severe periodontitis. Furthermore, interaction analyses were performed by age, gender, and race/ethnicity to explore the moderating roles of these factors.

Results

In the discovery dataset, a non‐linear positive relationship with periodontitis was identified for the E‐DII score (pnon‐linearity < .001) after adjustment for potential confounders. Compared with those individuals in the lowest tertile of E‐DII, participants in the highest tertile who consumed a pro‐inflammatory diet were 53% more likely to be periodontitis (OR tertile3vs1 = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.33–1.77). The validation dataset showed similar associations. Relatively stronger associations were seen in older adults and males.

Conclusion

Consuming a pro‐inflammatory diet indicated by the E‐DII score is associated with periodontal disease in the U.S. general adult population.
Oral health‐related quality of life during supportive periodontal therapy: results from a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Mendez Marina , Angst Patricia Daniela Melchiors , Oppermann Rui Vicente , van der Velden Ubele , Gomes Sabrina Carvalho
Published: April 2021

Aim

Assessment of Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP‐14) during a randomized controlled trial of supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) consisting of oral prophylaxis with oral hygiene instructions only (test) or in conjunction with subgingival instrumentation (control).

Methods

OHIP‐14 was assessed at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. Data from 62 participants (50.97 ± 9.26 years, 24 smokers) were analysed by GEE and Logistic regression. OHIP‐14 means, effect size, floor and ceiling effect and minimal important difference were calculated. Sum of OHIP‐14 (severity), numbers of responses (extent) “fairly often” (FO) or “very often” (VO) and percentage of people (prevalence) reporting FO or VO were computed.

Results

At baseline, low scores of OHIP‐14 were observed for test (7.67 ± 9.27) and control (6.51 ± 7.47) with a decreasing trend during SPT, without differences between or intra‐groups over time. At 6 months, a difference was observed in the OHIP‐14 prevalence (p = .03), without differences in severity and extent. Smoking status and plaque >15% (moderate oral hygiene) at 24 months were associated with higher OHIP‐14 prevalence scores at that point of time (p = .038 and p = .034, respectively).

Conclusion

Patients submitted to two different modalities of SPT maintained low OHIP‐14 scores over 2 years of care.
Whitening effect of 35% hydrogen peroxide in simulation of tooth with orthodontic bracket
Authors: Silvestre Clarissa Ferraz , Rêgo Dayane Bezerra , Arruda Carolina Noronha Ferraz de , Pires‐de‐Souza Fernanda de Carvalho Panzeri , Regis Rômulo Rocha , Negreiros Wagner Araújo de , Peixoto Raniel Fernandes
Published: April 2021

Objective

To evaluate the color change and tooth whitening perception in 2 and 3 mm dental specimens simulating the orthodontic bracket for a 14‐day period.

Materials and methods

Forty bovine tooth fragments (8 × 7 mm) of 2 mm (G2, n = 20) and 3 mm (G3, n = 20) were divided into Control (C: without bracket simulation and whitening) and Experimental (E: with composite resin simulating orthodontic bracket cementation area). Analyses of color change (ΔE00) and perception of tooth whitening (WID) were performed before (T0) and after (T1) the first bleaching session; before (T2) and after (T3) the second bleaching session; and after 7 days of the second bleaching session (T4).

Results

After 14 days (T4), ΔE00 and WID showed similarity results, except for G2C and G3E. The thickness did not influence the ΔE00 and WID (G2C = G3C and G2E = G3E). The presence of orthodontic bracket did not interfere in the color change or tooth whitening perception after 14 days, except for comparison of G2C and G3E. Additionally, dentin thickness did not influence the color change.

Clinical significance

Teeth with orthodontic brackets showed similar color change and whitening perception to teeth without orthodontic bracket, but it is not influenced by dentin thickness.
Date of marine annulus formation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and implications for retrospective growth analyses using scales
Authors: Carlson Lindsay G. , Sheehan Timothy F. , Tillotson Michael D. , Mills Katherine E.
Published: April 2021

Fish scales have increasingly been used to quantify annual and seasonal growth trends and in efforts to relate growth to environmental conditions. Understanding the timing of formation of an annulus (a group of narrowly spaced circuli) is critical when assessing the influence of marine ecosystem conditions on seasonal growth patterns of Atlantic salmon, yet the literature does not provide consistent answers regarding the timing or drivers of marine annulus formation. This study demonstrates a novel method for estimating stock‐specific annulus formation timing based on marked individuals with known emigration and return/recovery dates. An equation was applied to estimate the date of annulus completion for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using known dates, number of circuli after the most recent annulus and marine circulus deposition rate. Five marine circulus deposition rate scenarios were tested, some of which accounted for individual, seasonal and age‐related variability and others which use previously published marine circulus deposition rates. Based on these results, an argument is presented to reconsider the practice of assigning annulus formation dates to winter solstice in favour of dates estimated by a scenario that accounts for individual, seasonal and age‐related variation in circulus deposition. This scenario suggests that annulus formation occurs between mid‐February and late March. In this case, the annulus would be formed during the coldest part of the year in the primary overwintering area for North American Atlantic salmon.
The role of doctoral‐educated nurses in the clinical setting: Findings from a scoping review
Authors: Dobrowolska Beata , Chruściel Paweł , Markiewicz Renata , Palese Alvisa
Published: April 2021

Aims and objectives

To map and summarise published studies on the career opportunities and roles of doctoral‐educated (PhD and DNP) nurses in the clinical setting; to collate actions as proposed in the literature to promote career opportunities and roles for PhD and DNP nurses in the clinical setting.

Background

To improve healthcare outcomes and strengthen leadership in nursing practice, there is the need to place nurses with a doctorate in clinical settings. However, available evidence has never been summarised to map the state of the science in this field.

Design

A scoping review, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analysis extension for scoping reviews statement (PRISMA‐ScR).

Methods

An electronic database of literature was searched by accessing CINAHL Complete and Medline (on EBSCO Host) and SCOPUS to identify studies published between January 2009–December 2019. A thematic analysis was performed by identifying emerging patterns in the research questions.

Results

Ten studies were found with three types of clinical engagement: (a) a practice influencer/developer; (b) a clinical leader; and (c) a clinical teacher for students. Working in clinical areas, doctoral‐educated nurses might influence several outcomes at the patient, research, staff and organisational levels.

Conclusions

Clinical roles for doctoral‐educated nurses are still uncommon. However, in the last ten years, a debate has started to identify the possible careers in clinical settings, the needs and the challenges encountered while developing clinical academic roles, as well as the outcomes and actions that should be undertaken.

Relevance to clinical practice

Academic nursing bodies, working with professional bodies and healthcare institutions at different levels, are called on to develop career frameworks, allowing the opportunity for doctoral‐educated nurses to be involved in clinical practice and to influence its quality and performance; this might in turn lead to an increase in the quality of research.
Effects of an activity tracker with feedback on physical activity in women after midline laparotomy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: No Jae Hong , Kim Kidong , Kim Yong Beom , Suh Dong Hoon , Yang Eun Joo , Hwang Hee , Yoo Sooyoung
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To investigate whether the use of an activity tracker with feedback increases physical activity and is safe in patients who underwent a midline laparotomy for gynecologic disorders.

Methods

Patients who were planned to undergo a midline laparotomy for gynecologic diseases wore an activity tracker at baseline and from postoperative days 1–6. Patients in the experimental arm could monitor their step counts and were encouraged to achieve the individualized step‐count goal daily. In contrast, patients in the control arm did not monitor their step‐counts and received the usual encouragement for ambulation. The primary endpoint was the percentage of the average step‐count at postoperative days 4–5 divided by the baseline activity count.

Results

Seventy‐three patients were randomized; 63 patients underwent a surgery and wore an activity tracker; 53 patients were evaluable for primary endpoint. The activity recovery rate was significantly higher in the experimental arm compared to the control arm (71% vs 41%, p < 0.01). However, the study arm was not significantly associated with the activity recovery rate in multivariate analysis. The brief pain inventory score, brief fatigue inventory score, day of first flatus, day of soft blend diet initiation, ileus incidence, and length of postoperative hospital stay were similar between arms. The incidence of wound dehiscence and other adverse events were similar between arms. There were no grade 3 of 4 adverse events.

Conclusion

The use of an activity tracker with feedback is safe and may increase physical activity in patients who have undergone major gynecologic surgery.
Distinct methylome patterns contribute to ecotypic differentiation in the growth of the storage organ of a flowering plant (sacred lotus)
Authors: Li Hui , Yang Xingyu , Wang Qingfeng , Chen Jinming , Shi Tao
Published: April 2021

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification involved in phenotypic diversity, plant development, and environmental responses. However, the mechanisms of DNA methylation underpinning the adaption of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) ecotypes to high and low latitudes remain unsolved, especially adaptive evolution of their storage organs. Tropical and temperate lotus ecotypes have thin and enlarged rhizomes which are adapted to low and high latitudes, respectively. Here, we investigated the DNA methylomes and transcriptomes of rhizomes of the temperate and tropical lotus to address this issue. Compared with that of the tropical lotus, the DNA of the temperate lotus was significantly more hypermethylated, indicating an increase in global DNA methylation in the lotus, with rhizome enlargement. Meanwhile, genes associated with differentially methylated regions in their promoters tended to be differentially expressed between the two ecotypes. Interestingly, the genes with their expression negatively correlated with methylation levels in their promoters and genomic regions displayed significantly higher transposon coverage, while the genes showing a significant positive correlation between expression and methylation showed lesser transposon coverage. Further, we identified that DNA methylation, especially in the promoter region, was significantly correlated with the expression of many starch‐biosynthetic, gibberellin‐, and brassinosteroid‐signalling genes associated with rhizome differentiation. Overall, our study unveiled that distinct global and local methylation patterns between the two lotus ecotypes contribute to their expression differences and adaptive phenotypic divergence of their storage organs, highlighting the role of DNA methylation in shaping the ecotypic differentiation of lotus.