bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Testicular Adrenal Rest Tumours: fisiopatologia, diagnosi e trattamento
Authors: De Alcubierre Dario , Pofi Riccardo , Pozza Carlotta
Published: February 2021

Sommario

I testicular adrenal rest tumors (TARTs) costituiscono una causa comune di disfunzione gonadica e infertilità in pazienti affetti da iperplasia surrenalica congenita (Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, CAH), con una prevalenza che varia dal 14 all’86%. Dal punto di vista biochimico, istologico e molecolare, i TARTs mostrano caratteristiche tipiche delle cellule surrenaliche e per questo si è ipotizzato che derivino da una proliferazione di cellule della corteccia surrenalica in sede testicolare. Studi recenti riconducono però l’origine dei TARTs a una popolazione di cellule staminali pluripotenti adrenal-like, derivanti dalla cresta urogenitale, già presenti in sede gonadica durante l’embriogenesi, che vanno incontro a differenziazione surrenalica e ad aumentata proliferazione se sottoposti a elevati livelli di ormone adrenocorticotropo (ACTH). La loro crescita può determinare un’alterazione della funzione gonadica per compressione diretta sui tubuli seminiferi e per l’influenza sull’ambiente ormonale intratesticolare per via paracrina, risultando spesso in un quadro di azoospermia di tipo ostruttivo. La diagnosi di TARTs si avvale principalmente dell’eco Color-Doppler testicolare, ma richiede una puntuale diagnosi differenziale con lesioni morfologicamente simili, quali i tumori germinali e i tumori a cellule del Leydig, in quanto la gestione terapeutica è differente. La terapia classica si basa sull’impiego di glucocorticoidi ad alte dosi, che in alcuni casi possono condurre a una regressione delle dimensioni della massa. La gestione della CAH nei soggetti che presentano TARTs richiede un approccio personalizzato con screening ecografico da adottare già a partire dall’infanzia e si avvale altresì di counseling andrologico in merito alla possibilità di preservare la fertilità tramite crioconservazione.
In situ stress measurement and analysis of the stress accumulation levels in coal mines in the northern Ordos Basin, China
Authors: Yang Donghui , Ning Zhangxuan , Li Yongming , Lv Zhaoheng , Qiao Yuandong
Published: February 2021

For non-directional drilling cores, selection of samples and the test methods for in situ stress measurements to evaluate the Kaiser effect (KE) were proposed, and the magnitude and direction of the principal stresses were derived from first principles. Based on this approach, the KE for 423 samples in the Burtai and Baode coal mines in the northern Ordos Basin (NOB), China, have been investigated. The results show that the maximum horizontal principal stress (σH), the minimum horizontal principal stress (σh) and the vertical stress (σv) varied with depth and location, and the values increase with increasing depth. Generally, the horizontal stresses play a leading role. For the main stress regimes in the NOB, σH > σh > σv (Burtai Mine, < 172 m; Baode Mine, < 170 m) and σH > σv > σh (Burtai Mine, 170–800 m; Baode Mine, 170–400 m), and the σv > σH > σh stress regimes are mainly distributed in moderately deep to deep coal mines. For rock masses with a depth of 350 m, k ((σH + σh)/2σv) tends to 1, indicating that a deep critical state will gradually emerge. The test results are compared with those for the overcoring (OC) method, the anelastic strain recovery (ASR) method and micro-hydraulic fracturing (HF). The relative errors for σH, σh and σv were 14.90%, 19.67%, 15.47% (Burtai Mine) and 10.74%, 22.76%, 19.97% (Baode Mine), respectively, and the errors are all within an acceptable range, thus verifying the reliability of the KE method. The dominant orientation for the σH (Burtai mine, NE-NNE; Baode Mine, NEE) is obtained via paleomagnetic technology, and the data are consistent with those (NE-NEE) of the earthquake focal mechanism solutions for the area. Based on the Byerlee–Anderson theory, a discussion is given on the levels of stress accumulation in the rock mass of the mines. For dry rocks or hydrostatic pressure rocks, the friction coefficients of the faults are low for both locations, and the values are less than the lower limit (0.6) of the strike-slip faults slip, indicating that the stress fractures at a low level around the study areas are lower than the friction limit stress. The stress accumulation levels in the Baode Mine are slightly larger than those in the Burtai Mine.
Niclosamide and dichlorphenamide: new and effective corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in 1M HCl solution
Authors: Fouda A. S. , El-Desoky H. S. , Abdel-Galeil M. A. , Mansour Dina
Published: February 2021

This research demonstrates the effect of some amide compounds (1 and 2) as corrosion inhibitors on C-steel in 1.0 M of hydrochloric solutions utilizing mass reduction studies, electrochemical [potentiodynamic (PP), AC impedance measurements (EIS), electrochemical frequency modulation] techniques, and surface checks were used to illustrate the importance of amide compounds to the corrosion protection process of C-steel. The tests displayed that the inhibition efficiency (IE%) augmented with increase in amide dose but reduced with growth of temperature. The highest inhibition efficiency is 99% for compound (1) and 98.8% for compound (2) at maximum dose tested (50 µM) by polarization method. PP data show that these compounds affect both cathodic and anodic processes (i.e. mixed type) and were adsorption on the carbon steel obeying Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The EIS results indicate that the changes in impedance parameters are related to the adsorption of amides on the alloy surface. Scanning of electron microscopy, energy transmitted X-ray—Atomic force microscopy studied the morphology of inhibited C-steel.

Graphic abstract
Indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees in southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Kidane Amenay Assefa , Tegegne Fisseha Mengstie , Tack Ayco Jerome Michel
Published: February 2021

While Ethiopia has six species of stingless bees, indigenous knowledge of them has not been well documented. In southwestern Ethiopia, we documented the Sheka community’s knowledge of stingless bees. We used the snowball sampling technique to locate 60 experienced honey collectors, conducted semi-structured interviews, and complemented interviews with field observations during honey collection trips with interviewees. Given the scarcity of aboveground nesting stingless bees, honey collectors only collected honey from stingless bees nesting belowground. The average age of the honey collectors was 43 years, but there was much variation in both age and the number of years of experience, indicating that the tradition is handed down between generations. To find the underground nests in the field, honey collectors used several methods, including directly observing nest entrances and worker bee movement, attaching a thread to the worker bee, and listening for the humming sound of the bee’s natural enemy (wasp). Wild nests were always harvested destructively. A single farmer kept ground-nesting stingless bee colonies at his backyard using uniquely tailored wooden hives. Collected honey was used for home consumption, disease treatment, and the generation of income. Our findings illustrate the Sheka community’s deep indigenous knowledge of ground-nesting stingless bees. To facilitate the establishment of stingless bee beekeeping (meliponiculture) in the study area, we may build upon this indigenous knowledge by field research on the biology of stingless bees, taxonomic studies to assess the diversity and identity of ground-nesting stingless bees, and engineering studies to develop beekeeping practices. Together, this may allow for better income for local farmers and avoid the risk of overexploitation of wild stingless bee nests.
Cash transfers, climate shocks vulnerability and households’ resilience in Togo
Authors: Sodokin Koffi , Nyatefe Victor
Published: February 2021

This paper uses data from the survey of basic wellbeing indicators (2015) to investigate climate-related risk perceived impact on the household’s living standard in Togo. We investigate the data using a subjective approach with a Probit model and a Propensity Score Matching Method. For the majority of households in the sample, the results suggest, on the one hand, a significant impact of climate-related risk on their living standards. On the other hand, the estimation results show that income from activities increases the resilience and reduction of Togo households' climate-related effects. Finally, remittances increase the households' ability to be less climate vulnerable and play a significant role in the household’s resilience building. In terms of public policies, the results imply that a broader consultation and strategy are needed to reduce the consequences of climate related-risks on households in Togo.
Disarticulation and Preservation of Fossil Echinoderms: Recognition of Ecological-Time Information in the Echinoderm Fossil Record
Authors: Ausich Willian I.
Published: February 2021

The history of life on earth is largely reconstructed from time-averaged accumulations of fossils. A glimpse at ecologic-time attributes and processes is relatively rare. However, the time-sensitive and predictability of echinoderm disarticulation makes them model organisms to determine post-mortem transportation and allows recognition of ecological-time data within paleocommunity accumulations. Unlike many other fossil groups, this has allowed research on many aspects of echinoderms and their paleocommunities, such as the distribution of soft tissues, assessment of the amount of fossil transportation prior to burial, determination of intraspecific variation, paleocommunity composition, estimation of relative abundance of taxa in paleocommunities, determination of attributes of niche differentiation, etc. Crinoids and echinoids have received the most amount of taphonomic research, and the patterns present in these two groups can be used to develop a more thorough understanding of all echinoderm clades.
The Criminal Baroque
Authors: Bergman Ted L. L.
Published: February 2021

A close examination of the representation of criminals in the understudied theatrical genres of the jácara and comedias de valentones.
Günter Grass and the Genders of German Memory
Authors: Malchow Timothy B.
Published: February 2021

The first book to examine the connection between gender and memory in Grass's oeuvre, which is especially timely in light of current concerns about male privilege.
Medievalist Traditions in Nineteenth-Century British Culture
Authors: Simmons Clare
Published: February 2021

A survey of the rituals of the year in Victorian England, showing the influence of the Middle Ages.
Mexican Genders, Mexican Genres
Authors: Smith Paul Julian
Published: February 2021

Gender and the contemporary audio-visual landscape of Mexico
The Letters of Edward I
Authors: Neal Kathleen B.
Published: February 2021

Detailed examination of the letters of Edward I reveals them to be powerful and sophisticated political tools.
Thirty years of design for sustainability: an evolution of research, policy and practice
Authors: Bhamra Tracy , Hernandez Ricardo J.
Published: February 2021

This paper builds on the lead author’s keynote address to the Design Society’s 22nd International Conference on Engineering Design in 2019, and in doing so provides a personal perspective on the development of the field of design for sustainability. It begins by describing some of the history of the research from the late 1980s until the present day. This is followed by an analysis of the way in which design for sustainability has been reflected within the International Conference on Engineering Design over the last 30 years, highlighting the way in which the focus has shifted over this time from a focus on recycling and end of life to today where sustainability is playing a leading role in the research. The analysis compares the evolution of the subject with the wider policy and practice perspectives linked to global recognition of the need to move towards Sustainable Development. Finally, the paper reflects on the lessons to be learned from this work and their implications for design research illustrating that engineering design has an opportunity to take more leadership within design for sustainability research and use this to enable change within industry.
Soft Law in the Prevention and Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Between Legality Concerns and Limited Participatory Possibilities
Authors: CHENG Xiezhong
Published: February 2021

As a previously unknown virus, the spread of the coronavirus challenged not only medical science and public health systems, but also public governance in all countries. In order to tackle the COVID-19 crisis in China, public authorities at various levels have issued a large number of measures that have no legally binding force, but produce practical effects. A closer look at selected COVID-19 measures in China shows that both the advantages and drawbacks of soft law are brought to the fore by the pandemic. This contribution, focusing on Chinese experiences with COVID-19 soft law, argues that the lack of legal bindingness and consequently of legal enforcement does not make soft law measures ineffective. On the contrary, these “defects” ease the adoption of soft law and ensure its availability to both public authorities and citizens, hence increasing its effectiveness in combating the pandemic. Yet problems remain in realising participatory possibilities and ensuring respect for legality.
Coronavirus and Soft Law in Germany: Business as Usual?
Authors: KNAUFF Matthias
Published: February 2021

In combating the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, soft law has played an important, albeit not a central, role. Its use basically corresponds with that of “normal circumstances”. In accordance with the German constitutional order, almost all substantial decisions are made in a legally binding form. However, these are often prepared through or supplemented by soft law. This article shows that soft law has played an important role in fighting the pandemic and its effects in Germany, although there cannot be any doubt that legally binding forms of regulation have prevailed. At the same time, the current pandemic has shed light on the advantages and effects of soft law in the context of the German legal order.
The Elusive Legitimacy of EU Soft Law: An Analysis of Consultation and Participation in the Process of Adopting COVID-19 Soft Law in the EU
Authors: ELIANTONIO Mariolina , ŞTEFAN Oana
Published: February 2021

This article takes issue with the legitimacy of EU soft law instruments issued to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Up to August 2020, we identified a total of 197 such instruments, and analysed the procedures for their adoption. We found little evidence of parliamentary involvement or stakeholder consultation, with COVID-19 soft law replicating decision-making patterns which have been constantly criticised in the literature as illegitimate and opaque. Giving due consideration to the exceptional nature of these measures, the article suggests some quick fixes which might increase, ex post factum, the legitimacy of these instruments.
Sweden: Non-binding Rules against the Pandemic – Formalism, Pragmatism and Some Legal Realism
Authors: WENANDER Henrik
Published: February 2021

Swedish measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 differ from the strategies used in other comparable countries. In contrast to the lockdown approach that has been applied in many European countries, the Swedish strategy has been based to a substantial extent on individuals taking responsibility under non-binding recommendations. This contribution explores the Swedish strategy from a constitutional and administrative law perspective, highlighting the tension between the formalist system for delegating norms under the Swedish Constitution and the pragmatic use of non-binding rules such as the “General Recommendations” adopted by the Public Health Agency. The article concludes that the official use of soft law instruments is confusing from a legal perspective, because non-binding rules do not offer the traditional formal mechanisms for legal protection, the publication of norms or accountability. The legal-realist approach of the Supreme Administrative Court’s case law, however, has the potential of balancing some of the unfortunate effects arising from the Swedish combination of formalism and pragmatism.
Preparedness and response to an emerging health threat—Lessons learned from Candida auris outbreaks in the United States
Authors: Meyer Diane , Martin Elena K. , Madad Syra , Dhagat Priya , Nuzzo Jennifer B.
Published: February 2021

Objective:

Candida auris infections continue to occur across the United States and abroad, and healthcare facilities that care for vulnerable populations must improve their readiness to respond to this emerging organism. We aimed to identify and better understand challenges faced and lessons learned by those healthcare facilities who have experienced C. auris cases and outbreaks to better prepare those who have yet to experience or respond to this pathogen.

Design:

Semi-structured qualitative interviews.

Setting:

Health departments, long-term care facilities, acute-care hospitals, and healthcare organizations in New York, Illinois, and California.

Participants:

Infectious disease physicians and nurses, clinical and environmental services, hospital leadership, hospital epidemiology, infection preventionists, emergency management, and laboratory scientists who had experiences either preparing for or responding to C. auris cases or outbreaks.

Methods:

In total, 25 interviews were conducted with 84 participants. Interviews were coded using NVivo qualitative coding software by 2 separate researchers. Emergent themes were then iteratively discussed among the research team.

Results:

Key themes included surveillance and laboratory capacity, inter- and intrafacility communication, infection prevention and control, environmental cleaning and disinfection, clinical management of cases, and media concerns and stigma.

Conclusions:

Many of the operational challenges noted in this research are not unique to C. auris, and the ways in which we address future outbreaks should be informed by previous experiences and lessons learned, including the recent outbreaks of C. auris in the United States.
The Migrant Other: Exclusion without Nationalism?
Authors: Schenk Caress
Published: February 2021

Migrants are an easy, visible Other, seeming to fall neatly into the us-versus-them framework of nationalism. Nevertheless, much of the scholarly approach to migrant identity, with the partial exception of a largely separate literature on citizenship, has eschewed overt ties to nationalism studies. When us-versus-them language is used in relation to nationalism, the focus or nodal point is the identity of the seemingly homogenous “us” of the nation. However, when migrants are othered, the focus is not always the nation, and while othering migrants always creates exclusion, it is not always exclusion from a nation or identity group. This state of the field article analyzes the literature on populism, securitization, biopolitics, and other critical scholarship related to the issue of othering migrants. In each of these bodies of work, different sets of “us” are set against migrants, some of which evoke identity and others of which do not, elucidating the links (or the lack thereof) of each approach to the study of nationalism. In each of these frameworks, the migrant Other comes up against a different frame of reference, leaving migrants themselves (or any sense of migrant identity) somewhat lost amid the analytical frameworks, at continual risk of being re-othered as victims of circumstance without agency.
TRUST, FRIENDS, AND INVESTMENT IN LATE VICTORIAN ENGLAND
Authors: TAYLOR JAMES
Published: February 2021

Why people trust is a question that has preoccupied scholars across many disciplines. Historical explorations of trust abound, but we know relatively little about the workings of trust in the history of investment. Despite becoming increasingly mediated and institutionalized in the nineteenth century, the market for stocks and shares remained local and embedded in personal relations to a significant extent. This created a complex trust environment in which old and new forms of trust co-existed. Investors sought information from the press, but they also relied upon friends to help them navigate the market. Rather than studying trust in the aggregate, this article argues that focusing on the particular allows us to appreciate trust as an emotional and ultimately imaginative process depending as much on affective stories as rational calculation. To this end, it takes the case of a Bath clergyman and workhouse schools inspector, James Clutterbuck, who solicited investments from a wide network of friends and colleagues in the 1880s and 1890s. By capturing the complex interplay of friendship, emotions, and narrative in the formation of trust, the article offers a window onto everyday financial life in late Victorian provincial England.
Do Funding Conditions Explain the Relation Between Cash Holdings and Stock Returns?
Authors: Jensen Tyler K.
Published: February 2021

The prior literature links cash holdings and returns (Simutin (2010), Palazzo (2012)). Using two signals of aggregate-funding availability, I find that the positive association between cash and returns only exists during constrained funding environments. In unconstrained periods, there is no association between cash and returns. The relation in constrained environments does not appear to be related to capital expenditures, expected return, or distress risk but is more prevalent in firms undertaking research and development (R&D) expenditures. This suggests that the association between cash and returns is more consistent with expanding (or maintaining) future growth opportunities rather than being attributable to differences in capital expenditures or risk.
Risk perception, trust and support for wildlife reintroduction and conservation
Authors: Watkins Cristina E , Poudyal Neelam C , Jones Robert E , Muller Lisa I , Hodges Donald G
Published: February 2021

Wildlife reintroduction projects often face resistance from local residents who see potential conflicts with the species or lack trust or confidence in the agencies and professionals involved in reintroduction. Yet the linkages between trust, confidence, risk perceptions, attitudes towards the species and local support for its reintroduction are not well known. The Dual-Mode Model of Cooperation and Cognitive Hierarchy Model were theoretical frameworks used to shed light on these linkages by exploring the potential roles trust and confidence play as mediators between risk perceptions and attitudes towards, and support for, reintroduced elk in Tennessee (USA). A mail survey of 1005 residents living in the five-county area surrounding the North Cumberland Elk Restoration Zone assessed resident attitudes and risk perceptions towards the reintroduced elk, trust towards the managing wildlife agency and support for continued conservation efforts. A structural equation model revealed that trust and confidence play positive roles in mitigating risk perceptions and improving support for the reintroduction of elk. The findings confirm the roles public trust and confidence play in wildlife reintroductions and should help agencies work towards building local trust and confidence, minimizing risks, improving attitudes and increasing the chances for successful outcomes for the species and people.
Review of historical breeding sites of the Northern Bald IbisGeronticus eremitain Syria and south-eastern Turkey
Authors: SCHENKER ANDRE , SERRA GIANLUCA
Published: February 2021

An updated and comprehensive compilation and review of the historical breeding sites of the Northern Bald Ibis in Syria and south-eastern Turkey is presented accompanied by all available details. The original sources, dating from the first half of the 19th century to 2010, were thoroughly assessed and reviewed. A detailed distribution map of confirmed and unconfirmed historical Northern Bald Ibis colonies was developed, showing a cluster of colonies located in the central steppe of Syria, between the villages of Qaryatayn and Sukhna, while several other colonies were scattered along the Euphrates river from southern Turkey to Iraq, passing through Syria.
Post-operative fever (POF) after cardiac surgery in a low- and middle-income-country: 7-year institutional experience
Authors: Nwafor Ikechukwu A , Eze John C.
Published: February 2021

Background:

Post-operative fever (POF) after cardiac surgery in a developing country is of great concern because of the associated morbidity and mortality. In our country, we experience this complication more because of a high rate of malaria infestations, gastroenteritis, and malnutrition. We also experience a low yield of positive diagnostic tests when POF develops; this is partly due to expense and the prioritisation of other essential items in our poorly equipped cardiac ICU.

Aims/Objective:

To assess the causes of POF after cardiac surgery and determine its impact on the outcome on patients.

Materials and methods:

International Cardiac Surgery Mission teams visited our centre for 7 years (2013–2019). During this period, a significant number of cardiac surgeries were performed. A retrospective study of patients with POF was performed with data from our hospital’s database, and included standard demographics; types of surgery performed, and management protocols being used in the peri-operative care.

Results:

A total of 242 patients were treated during the study period and underwent 266 surgeries. Of these, 151 (56.8%) and 115 (43.2%) were adult and paediatric cases respectively. Ages ranged between 0 and 90 years; 34 (14.1%) had POF. When we evaluated the clinical and associated laboratory findings, pyrexia (temp >38.0 °C) and elevated white blood cell count with differential neutrophilia were present in 10 patients (29.4%). The time of onset and duration of POF were between <24 and >144 hours. In the invasive procedure related to POF, sternotomy infections were present in seven patients (18.4%). Malaria infestations and breach in sterility protocol were predominant.

Conclusion:

The management of POF in the cardiac ICU was complicated by the requirement of co-operation from a larger number of specialties than is usually required in advanced centres with special expertise in malaria confirmation. We, therefore, introduced structured clinical, laboratory, and appropriate interventions to treat POF more aggressively. We found that more careful attention to peri-operative details to ensure strict observation of sterility protocol with anti-malaria prophylaxis led to improvements in our centre’s outcomes.
Holiday heart syndrome: an upcoming tachyarrhythmia in today’s youth?
Authors: Noessler Nathalie , Schweintzger Sabrina , Kurath-Koller Stefan
Published: February 2021

Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common arrhythmias in the adult population, in children, however, only a few case reports of isolated atrial fibrillation exist.1 Aside from post-operative AF due to atrial scar formation or suture lines and atrial enlargement in CHD (e.g., mitral stenosis), alcohol consumption represents a rare cause of AF in adolescents. We report on the latter.
Transcatheter closure of post-procedural right ventricular pseudoaneurysms in a neonate with pulmonary atresia
Authors: Jan Sheng-Ling , Wu Chen-Hao , Lin Ming-Chih
Published: February 2021

Post-procedural right ventricular pseudoaneurysm is a rare but life-threatening complication of interventional catheterisation. We describe a 3-day-old newborn who underwent transcatheter intervention for pulmonary atresia with a complication of right ventricular pseudoaneurysms, and transcatheter embolisation of the pseudoaneurysms was performed at 3-week-old. It is the first described case that receives transcatheter closure of right ventricular pseudoaneurysms in a newborn with a favourable outcome.
Household food insecurity and school readiness among preschool-aged children in the USA
Authors: Jackson Dylan B , Testa Alexander , Semenza Daniel C
Published: February 2021

Objective:

The present study examines the association between mild and moderate-to-severe household food insecurity and school readiness among a nationally representative sample of preschool-aged children.

Design:

Cross-sectional data pertaining to household food availability as well as four domains of school readiness – early learning skills, self-regulation, social-emotional development and physical health & motor development – were employed.

Setting:

The USA.

Participants:

15 402 children aged 3–5 years from the 2016–2018 National Survey of Children’s Health.

Results:

Both mild and moderate-to-severe food insecurity are associated with an increase in needing support or being at-risk in each of the four school readiness domains, particularly Self-Regulation (IRR = 4·31; CI 2·68, 6·95) and Social-Emotional Development (IRR = 3·43; CI 2·16, 5·45). Furthermore, while nearly half of the children in food-secure households are on-track across all four school readiness domains (47·49 %), only one in four children experiencing moderate-to-severe household food insecurity is on-track across all domains (25·26 %).

Conclusions:

Household food insecurity is associated with reductions in school readiness among preschool-aged children.
Food and nutrient intake and diet quality among older Americans
Authors: Choi Yeon Jin , Crimmins Eileen M , Kim Jung Ki , Ailshire Jennifer A
Published: February 2021

Objective:

A suboptimal diet and nutritional deficiencies can have important influences on health with significant impact among older adults. This study aims to assess the presence of suboptimal dietary intake among older Americans and identify risk and protective factors influencing diet quality.

Design:

Cross-sectional secondary analysis.

Setting:

USA.

Participants:

A nationally representative sample of 5614 community-dwelling older adults over age 54 in the Health and Retirement Study – Health Care and Nutrition Survey.

Results:

Overall, only 10·7 % of respondents had a good quality diet (Healthy Eating Index score 81 and above); the majority had diets considered poor or needing improvement. Less than 50 % of respondents met dietary guidelines and nutritional goals for most individual food groups and nutrients. Respondents with low socio-economic status, fewer psychosocial resources and those who had limited access to healthy food outlets were more likely to have a diet of suboptimal quality.

Conclusions:

Efforts to remove identified barriers that put older adults at risk for poor nutrition and to provide resources that increase access to healthy food should be made to encourage healthy eating and enhance diet quality.
(Re)defining legitimacy in Canadian drug assessment policy? Comparing ideas over time
Authors: Boothe Katherine
Published: February 2021

How do experts judge the legitimacy of technical policy processes, and do their ideas change as these processes are opened to other stakeholders and the public? This research examines the adoption of public and patient involvement in pharmaceutical assessment in Canada. It finds tensions between scientific legitimacy that prioritizes rigor and objectivity, and democratic legitimacy that values inclusion and a broader range of evidence. In response to policy change, experts incorporate new ideas about democratic inputs and processes, while maintaining scientific policy goals. The research responds to calls for more precise measurement of ideas and ideational change and more evaluation of public and patient involvement in health policy. It helps us understand the significance of, and limits to, ideational change among experts in health policy domains that are highly technical and publicly salient. Understanding the way democratic and scientific legitimacy are negotiated in policy decisions has a wide applicability in health, but is particularly relevant during a global pandemic when evidence is being generated rapidly, decisions must be made quickly, and these decisions have a significant, immediate effect on the lives of all citizens.
Empirical Modeling of Thermospheric Nitric Oxide Radiance Based on SABER Observations
Authors: Ruan Haibing , Lei Jiuhou , Jin Shuanggen
Published: February 2021

Thermospheric nitric oxide (NO) has a strong response to the energy injection, and it serves as the “natural thermostat.” Previous studies have tended to concentrate on NO radiative flux and its effectiveness on the global energy budget rather than the altitudinal dependence. In this study, measurements from TIMED/SABER (the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry instrument on TIMED satellite) were used to investigate the variation of the NO radiance cooling in thermosphere as a function of altitude, latitude, and local time. Using the methods of principal component analysis and spherical harmonic regression, we have developed an empirical model to capture the most significant variation in NO radiance cooling for the altitude range 100–280 km. The model reproduced the variations of NO radiation at different latitudes and altitudes. Moreover, the integrated model NO radiative flux is in good agreement with satellite measurements with a correlation coefficient up to 0.96. This empirical model can be used to investigate the NO cooling evolution and serve as a validation tool for future physics‐based simulations.
Novel chemiluminescent immunoassay to measure plasma aldosterone and plasma active renin concentrations for the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism
Authors: Teruyama Kyoko , Naruse Mitsuhide , Tsuiki Mika , Kobayashi Hiroki
Published: February 2021

Determination of plasma aldosterone concentrations (PAC) and plasma active renin concentrations (ARC) is essential for the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). In Japan, although PAC and ARC are measured by radioimmunoassay and immunoradiometric assay, respectively, non-radioisotopic methods with better detection sensitivity, measurement accuracy, and technical simplicity are needed. We developed two-site sandwich chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays (CLEIAs) to measure both PAC and ARC using monoclonal antibodies immobilized onto ferrite particles. The results of both assays are obtained simultaneously from a single plasma sample within 30 min using a fully automated system. The novel CLEIAs were validated using plasma samples from patients with PA (n = 52) and essential hypertension (n = 23). The PAC determined by the CLEIA was significantly correlated with that measured by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry or conventional radioimmunoassay. The ARC determined by the CLEIA was significantly correlated with that measured by immunoradiometric assay. The limits of detection of the CLEIAs for PAC and ARC were 0.1 ng/dl and 0.04 pg/ml, respectively, which were better than those of conventional methods (PAC: 2.5 ng/dl; ARC: 5 pg/ml). The PAC and PAC/ARC ratio (ARR) were significantly higher, and the ARC significantly lower, in patients with PA than in those with essential hypertension. An ARR cut-off of 1.31 ng/dl per pg/ml showed a sensitivity of 96.2% and specificity of 78.3% for PA screening. The newly developed CLEIAs for measuring PAC and ARC could provide a clinically powerful alternative to conventional methods used for hypertension screening in clinical practice.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: The long noncoding RNA CRYBG3 induces aneuploidy by interfering with spindle assembly checkpoint via direct binding with Bub3
Authors: Guo Ziyang , Dai Yingchu , Hu Wentao , Zhang Yongsheng , Cao Zhifei , Pei Weiwei , Liu Ningang , Nie Jing , Wu Anqing , Mao Weidong , Chang Lei , Li Bingyan , Pei Hailong , Hei Tom K. , Zhou Guangming
Published: February 2021

Aneuploidy is a hallmark of genomic instability that leads to tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. CDC20, Bub1, and Bub3 form the mitosis checkpoint complex (MCC) that binds the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C), a crucial factor of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), to ensure the bi-directional attachment and proper segregation of all sister chromosomes. However, just how MCC is regulated to ensure normal mitosis during cellular division remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrated that LNC CRYBG3, an ionizing radiation-inducible long noncoding RNA, directly binds with Bub3 and interrupts its interaction with CDC20 to result in aneuploidy. The 261–317 (S3) residual of the LNC CRYBG3 sequence is critical for its interaction with Bub3 protein. Overexpression of LNC CRYBG3 leads to aneuploidy and promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis of lung cancer cells, implying that LNC CRYBG3 is a novel oncogene. These findings provide a novel mechanistic basis for the pathogenesis of NSCLC after exposure to ionizing radiation as well as a potential target for the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of an often fatal disease.
HDAC inhibition potentiates anti-tumor activity of macrophages and enhances anti-PD-L1-mediated tumor suppression
Authors: Li Xiaolei , Su Xiao , Liu Rui , Pan Yongsha , Fang Jiankai , Cao Lijuan , Feng Chao , Shang Qianwen , Chen Yongjing , Shao Changshun , Shi Yufang
Published: February 2021

Despite the widespread use of the blockade of immune checkpoints, for a significant number of cancer patients, these therapies have proven ineffective, presumably due to the immunosuppressive nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Critical drivers of immune escape in the TME include tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which not only mediate immune suppression, but also facilitate metastatic dissemination and impart resistance to immunotherapies. Thus, strategies that convert them into tumor fighters may offer great therapeutic potential. In this study, we evaluated whether pharmacologic modulation of macrophage phenotype by HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) could produce an anti-tumor effect. We demonstrated that low-dose HDACi trichostatin-A (TSA) markedly reshaped the tumor immune microenvironment by modulating the suppressive activity of infiltrating macrophages and inhibiting the recruitment of MDSCs in various tumors. These actions, in turn, augmented anti-tumor immune responses and further enhanced anti-tumor effects of immunotherapies. HDAC inhibition, however, also upregulated PD-L1, thereby limiting the beneficial therapeutic effects. Indeed, combining low-dose TSA with anti-PD-L1 in this model significantly enhanced the durability of tumor reduction and prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice, compared with the effect of either treatment alone. These data introduce HDAC inhibition as a potential means to harness the anti-tumor potential of macrophages in cancer therapy.
DNA methylome profiling of circulating tumor cells in lung cancer at single base-pair resolution
Authors: Zhao Lei , Wu Xiaohong , Zheng Junnian , Dong Dong
Published: February 2021

DNA methylation plays a pivotal role in regulating cellular processes, and altered DNA methylation pattern is a general hallmark of cancer. However, DNA methylome in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is still a mystery due to the lack of proper analytical techniques. We introduced an efficient workflow, LCM–µWGBS, which can efficiently profile the DNA methylation of microdissected CTC samples. LCM–µWGBS combines the laser capture microdissection (LCM)-based CTC capture method and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in very small CTC population (µWGBS) to gain insight into the DNA methylation landscape of CTCs. We herein profiled the DNA methylome of CTCs from lung cancer patients. Deriving from a comprehensive analysis of CTC methylome, a unique “CTC DNA methylation signature” that is distinct from primary lung cancer tissues was identified. Further analysis showed that promoter hypermethylation of epithelial genes is a hallmark of stable epithelial–mesenchymal transition process. Moreover, it has been suggested that CTCs are endowed with a stemness-related feature during dissemination and metastasis. This work constitutes a unique DNA methylation analysis of CTCs at single base-pair resolution, which might facilitate to propose noninvasive CTC DNA methylation biomarkers contributing to clinical diagnosis.
The amphibian microbiome exhibits poor resilience following pathogen-induced disturbance
Authors: Jani Andrea J , Bushell Jessie , Arisdakessian Cédric G , Belcaid Mahdi , Boiano Daniel M , Brown Cathy , Knapp Roland A
Published: February 2021

Infectious pathogens can disrupt the microbiome in addition to directly affecting the host. Impacts of disease may be dependent on the ability of the microbiome to recover from such disturbance, yet remarkably little is known about microbiome recovery after disease, particularly in nonhuman animals. We assessed the resilience of the amphibian skin microbial community after disturbance by the pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Skin microbial communities of laboratory-reared mountain yellow-legged frogs were tracked through three experimental phases: prior to Bd infection, after Bd infection (disturbance), and after clearing Bd infection (recovery period). Bd infection disturbed microbiome composition and altered the relative abundances of several dominant bacterial taxa. After Bd infection, frogs were treated with an antifungal drug that cleared Bd infection, but this did not lead to recovery of microbiome composition (measured as Unifrac distance) or relative abundances of dominant bacterial groups. These results indicate that Bd infection can lead to an alternate stable state in the microbiome of sensitive amphibians, or that microbiome recovery is extremely slow—in either case resilience is low. Furthermore, antifungal treatment and clearance of Bd infection had the additional effect of reducing microbial community variability, which we hypothesize results from similarity across frogs in the taxa that colonize community vacancies resulting from the removal of Bd. Our results indicate that the skin microbiota of mountain yellow-legged frogs has low resilience following Bd-induced disturbance and is further altered by the process of clearing Bd infection, which may have implications for the conservation of this endangered amphibian.
The occurrence and ecology of microbial chain elongation of carboxylates in soils
Authors: Joshi Sayalee , Robles Aide , Aguiar Samuel , Delgado Anca G
Published: February 2021

Chain elongation is a growth-dependent anaerobic metabolism that combines acetate and ethanol into butyrate, hexanoate, and octanoate. While the model microorganism for chain elongation, Clostridium kluyveri, was isolated from a saturated soil sample in the 1940s, chain elongation has remained unexplored in soil environments. During soil fermentative events, simple carboxylates and alcohols can transiently accumulate up to low mM concentrations, suggesting in situ possibility of microbial chain elongation. Here, we examined the occurrence and microbial ecology of chain elongation in four soil types in microcosms and enrichments amended with chain elongation substrates. All soils showed evidence of chain elongation activity with several days of incubation at high (100 mM) and environmentally relevant (2.5 mM) concentrations of acetate and ethanol. Three soils showed substantial activity in soil microcosms with high substrate concentrations, converting 58% or more of the added carbon as acetate and ethanol to butyrate, butanol, and hexanoate. Semi-batch enrichment yielded hexanoate and octanoate as the most elongated products and microbial communities predominated by C. kluyveri and other Firmicutes genera not known to undergo chain elongation. Collectively, these results strongly suggest a niche for chain elongation in anaerobic soils that should not be overlooked in soil microbial ecology studies.
Depth-discrete metagenomics reveals the roles of microbes in biogeochemical cycling in the tropical freshwater Lake Tanganyika
Authors: Tran Patricia Q , Bachand Samantha C , McIntyre Peter B , Kraemer Benjamin M , Vadeboncoeur Yvonne , Kimirei Ismael A , Tamatamah Rashid , McMahon Katherine D , Anantharaman Karthik
Published: February 2021

Lake Tanganyika (LT) is the largest tropical freshwater lake, and the largest body of anoxic freshwater on Earth’s surface. LT’s mixed oxygenated surface waters float atop a permanently anoxic layer and host rich animal biodiversity. However, little is known about microorganisms inhabiting LT’s 1470 meter deep water column and their contributions to nutrient cycling, which affect ecosystem-level function and productivity. Here, we applied genome-resolved metagenomics and environmental analyses to link specific taxa to key biogeochemical processes across a vertical depth gradient in LT. We reconstructed 523 unique metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from 34 bacterial and archaeal phyla, including many rarely observed in freshwater lakes. We identified sharp contrasts in community composition and metabolic potential with an abundance of typical freshwater taxa in oxygenated mixed upper layers, and Archaea and uncultured Candidate Phyla in deep anoxic waters. Genomic capacity for nitrogen and sulfur cycling was abundant in MAGs recovered from anoxic waters, highlighting microbial contributions to the productive surface layers via recycling of upwelled nutrients, and greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide. Overall, our study provides a blueprint for incorporation of aquatic microbial genomics in the representation of tropical freshwater lakes, especially in the context of ongoing climate change, which is predicted to bring increased stratification and anoxia to freshwater lakes.
Knockout of ASPP2 promotes DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis via the NF-κB pathway in mice
Authors: Wang Shanshan , Kou Buxin , Chai Mengyin , Gao Yuxue , Lin Xuejun , Yin Ling , Chen Dexi , Liu Xiaoni
Published: February 2021

Apoptosis-stimulating protein p53 2 (ASPP2) is a member of the p53-binding protein family, which is closely related to tumor development. However, the precise mechanism of ASPP2 in liver inflammation and tumorigenesis remains largely unclear. We aimed to characterize the mechanistic significance and clinical implication of ASPP2 in hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, ASPP2 knockout (APKO) mice were generated to confirm the role of ASPP2 in the development of hepatitis and HCC. Liver tissues from mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, proteomic analysis, ChIP-Seq, and qRT-PCR to evaluate the role of ASPP2 in DEN-induced hepatitis and HCC. We found that APKO promoted the formation of hepatitis/hepatocarcinoma and the increased expression of proinflammatory factors. The proteomics and Western blotting results showed that APKO activated the NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, ChIP-Seq results revealed that NF-κB target genes were dramatically increased in APKO mice. In contrast, blockade of the NF-κB pathway by QNZ reduced the expression of proinflammatory factors and the susceptibility of APKO mice to DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. These results suggested that the absence of ASPP2 activates the NF-κB pathway to promote the occurrence of DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating that ASPP2 may be a potential target for the treatment of hepatocarcinoma.