bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Production of highly homogeneous and structurally intact recombinant von Willebrand factor multimers by furin‐mediated propeptide removal in vitro
Authors: Schlokat U. , BE Fischer , Herlitschka S. , Antoine G. , Preininger A. , Mohr G. , Himmelspach M. , Kistner O. , FG Falkner , Dorner F.
Published: October 2023

Recombinant human von Willebrand Factor (rvWF), a multimeric glycoprotein essential to haemostasis, has been developed as a potential therapeutic agent for treatment of von Willebrand disease (vWD). Permanent Chinese‐hamster ovary (CHO)‐rvWF cell clones co‐expressing recombinant furin (rfurin) were established in order to ensure complete rvWF propeptide removal [Fischer, Schlokat, Mitterer, Reiter, Mundt, Turecek, Schwarz and Dorner (1995) FEBS Lett. 375, 259–262]. Large quantities of material are required for in vivo tests and clinical studies. This demand is commonly met by achieving high‐yield expression of the desired protein via amplification. Co‐amplification of rfurin, necessary to completely process increasing amounts of rvWF precursor, could not be accomplished, presumably due to lethal effects of overexpressed rfurin for the host cells [Creemers (1994) Ph.D. Thesis, University of Leuven]. Recent reports have inferred that rfurin can only mediate rvWF processing intracellularly [Rehemtulla and Kaufman (1992) Blood 79, 2349–2355; Rehemtulla, Dorner and Kaufman (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 8235–8239]. We report here that rvWF‐precursor processing, however, occurs predominantly extracellularly upon rfurin co‐expression. Mixing experiments employing rfurin‐ as well as rvWF‐precursor‐containing conditioned media demonstrate that rvWF precursors are accessible and cleavable by rfurin in vitro. Exposure to rfurin in vitro converts the heterogeneous multimer pattern typical of incompletely processed rvWF multimers into highly homogeneous and structurally intact multimers superior to the ones exhibited by plasma‐derived vWF. These findings thus demonstrate the feasibility of large‐scale production of a completely processed, intact and homogeneous rvWF preparation, based on individual rvWF‐precursor high‐yield expression and subsequent propeptide removal by rfurin in vitro.
Spanish dental students knowledge of oral malignancy and premalignancy
Authors: Jaber M. A. , Dios P. Diz , García E. Vazquez , Soriano A. Cutando , Porter S. R.
Published: October 2023

Background: In view of the gradual rise in oral malignancy in Europe, there is an increased need for undergraduate dental students to have some appropriate training in the recognition of the signs and symptoms of oral premalignancy and malignancy, and be aware of the appropriate early management of patients with such oral lesions. The present study outlines the results of a pilot study to determine the knowledge and awareness of a cohort of undergraduate dental students in Spain regarding the management of oral premalignancy and malignancy.

Method: In March 1997 a self‐administered questionnaire (SAQ) addressing student's knowledge, opinions, and related aspects of screening and detection of oral malignancy and premalignancy, was mailed to 200 undergraduate dental students in two Spanish Universities. The present report details the responses of this cohort of undergraduates. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the χ2 test and the results were considered significant when P<0.05.

Results: 37.0% of the respondents were male and 63.0% female. Almost all of the respondents (99.0%) had attended general dental congresses and 81.5% had attended specific courses on oral malignancy and premalignancy. Only 20% of undergraduate students had witnessed at least one patient with oral malignancy. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most frequently observed (94.4%) oral tumour. 79% of the respondents had examined or witnessed at least one patient with a potentially malignant lesion. Leukoplakias were the most commonly observed (80.0%) premalignant lesions. 5th year students were more likely to have performed a biopsy than 4th year students (P<0.05), particularly male students (P<0.005). 40.0% of respondents believed that the lower lip was the most common site of an oral cancer; almost half realised that a tumour could have a speckled appearance. 79% to 82% of the respondents indicated that tobacco and alcohol were the principal causes of oral SCC, but 34.6% suggested that HIV disease was a risk factor for oral SCC. Almost all respondents routinely recorded the tobacco or alcohol consumption of patients and would offer advice to patients regarding modification of these habits. 64.0% of undergraduates suggested that clinical screening at intervals of 6 to 12 months was an effective means of diagnosing oral premalignant and malignant lesions, and almost all considered oral health promotion to be an effective means of reducing oral cancer mortality.

Conclusions: Undergraduate dental students in Spain have limited clinical experience or knowledge of related aspects of oral premalignant and malignant lesions, and they may fail to recognise appropriate signs and symptoms and aetiological factors of such disease.
9 Suicide in San Francisco, CA: A Comparison of Caucasian and Asian Groups, 1987–1994
Authors: Shiang Julia , Blinn Robert , Bongar Bruce , Stephens Boyd , Allison Donna , Schatzberg Alan
Published: October 2023

Completed suicides in the city of San Francisco, California, were examined across all ages in the racial groups of Caucasians (n = 798) and Asians (n = 124) from 1987 to 1994. A comparison of Caucasians and Asians showed that there were differences between them in their rates across all age groups. The major findings are: (1) Caucasians predominately used gunshot to complete suicide whereas Asians predominately used hanging to complete suicide, (2) Asian women over the age of 85 have the highest rates across both groups and genders, (3) Asians, as compared to Caucasians, used fewer drugs and alcohol at time of death. Theoretical connections between differences in suicide and definition of the self, as influenced by culture, are discussed.
Clinician‐perceived barriers and facilitators for the provision of actionable processes of care important for persistent or chronic critical illness
Authors: Istanboulian Laura , Dale Craig , Terblanche Ella , Rose Louise
Published: October 2023

Aim

To explore clinician‐perceived barriers to and facilitators for the provision of actionable processes of care important for patients with persistent or chronic critical illness.

Design

Qualitative descriptive interview study.

Methods

Secondary analysis of semi‐structured telephone interviews (December 2018 – February 2019) with professionally diverse clinicians working with adults experiencing persistent or chronic critical illness in Canadian intensive care units. We used deductive content analysis informed by the Social‐Ecological Model.

Results

We recruited 31 participants from intensive care units across nine Canadian provinces. Reported intrapersonal level barriers to the provision of actionable processes of care included lack of training, negative emotions and challenges prioritizing these patients. Facilitators included establishment of positive relations and trust with patients and family. Interpersonal barriers included communication difficulties, limited access to physicians and conflict. Facilitators included communication support, time spent with the patient/family and conflict management. Institutional barriers comprised inappropriate care processes, inadequate resources and disruptive environmental conditions. Facilitators were regular team rounds, appropriate staffing and employment of a primary care (nurse and/or physician) model. Community‐level barriers included inappropriate care location and insufficient transition support. Facilitators were accessed to alternate care sites/teams and to formalized transition support. Public policy‐level barriers included inadequacy of formal education programs for the care of these patients; knowledge implementation for patient management was identified as a facilitator.

Conclusion

Our results highlighted multilevel barriers and facilitators to the delivery of actionable processes important for quality care for patient/family experiencing persistent or chronic critical illness.

Impact

Using the Social‐Ecological Model, the results of this study provide intra and interpersonal, institutional, community and policy‐level barriers to address and facilitators to harness to improve the care of patients/family experiencing persistent or chronic critical illness.

Reporting Method

Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.
When do stock options affect CEO risk‐taking? The moderating role of CEO regulatory focus
Authors: Chen Yenn‐Ru , Chung Tuck Siong , Lin Chia‐Hsien , Low Angie
Published: October 2023

Executive stock options are provided to risk‐averse CEOs to encourage risk‐taking. We show that the efficacy of such stock options is moderated by CEOs’ regulatory focus—their intrinsic motivations to avoid losses or achieve gains. We show that stock options have a negligible impact on the risk‐taking behavior of CEOs who are intrinsically motivated to avoid losses or take on risks. The impact of stock options on firm risk is strongest among CEOs whose regulatory focus is moderate and whose behavior is thus more malleable. Our paper shows that CEO intrinsic risk‐taking motivations have important implications for the effectiveness of extrinsic risk‐taking incentives provided by stock options.
The left adrenal vein: An important direction for right adrenal venous sampling
Authors: Xiong Hongliang , Du Li , Yang Jiao , Hu WeiTong , Huang JiaBing , Li YunDe , Chen Xi , Dong YiFei
Published: October 2023

This study aimed to evaluate the guiding role of left adrenal vein (LAV) for right adrenal venous sampling (AVS). A total of 347 patients who were diagnosed with primary aldosteronism (PA) and underwent successful AVS procedures from January 2020 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different quadrant position of the orifice of right adrenal vein (RAV), the area where the orifice of RAV is located is divided into three areas: A, B, and C and the area A is further subdivided into A1, A2, and A3 areas. By counting the area where the orifice of RAV is located, the guiding role of the LAV on the RAV is determined. Most of the orifice of RAV are located in area A, and the proportions of areas A, B, and C was 96.8%, 1.4%, and 1.7%, respectively. In area A, areas A1, A2, and A3 account for 80.9%, 17.0%, and 2.1%, respectively. High body mass index, female and smaller the angle between the LAV and horizontal line was associated with the closer positional relationship between the LAV on the RAV. These findings suggest that most of the horizontal position of the RAV orifice is close to the horizontal position of the most distal end of the LAV, which indicate that the LAV location can play an important role on the guiding for right AVS. Additionally, body mass index, sex, and the angle of the LAV was largely related to location of the orifice of the RAV.
Information Functions of Rank‐2PL Models for Forced‐Choice Questionnaires
Authors: Fu Jianbin , Tan Xuan , Kyllonen Patrick C.
Published: October 2023

This paper presents the item and test information functions of the Rank two‐parameter logistic models (Rank‐2PLM) for items with two (pair) and three (triplet) statements in forced‐choice questionnaires. The Rank‐2PLM model for pairs is the MUPP‐2PLM (Multi‐Unidimensional Pairwise Preference) and, for triplets, is the Triplet‐2PLM. Fisher's information and directional information are described, and the test information for Maximum Likelihood (ML), Maximum A Posterior (MAP), and Expected A Posterior (EAP) trait score estimates is distinguished. Expected item/test information indexes at various levels are proposed and plotted to provide diagnostic information on items and tests. The expected test information indexes for EAP scores may be difficult to compute due to a typical test's vast number of item response patterns. The relationships of item/test information with discrimination parameters of statements, standard error, and reliability estimates of trait score estimates are discussed and demonstrated using real data. Practical suggestions for checking the various expected item/test information indexes and plots are provided.
Improvements in depressive symptoms following a brief relationship intervention
Authors: Mitchell Erica A. , Roberson Patricia N. E. , DiPillo Michaela , Cordova James V. , Gordon Kristina Coop
Published: October 2023

In the United States, 21 million adults are diagnosed with depression. Couple therapy effectively treats depression, however, couples encounter access barriers. The Relationship Checkup is an assessment and feedback intervention delivered in participants' homes. The current study examines changes in relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms, and moderators and mechanisms of change in a community sample (N = 85 couples). Changes in depressive symptoms and satisfaction, and the association between changes in satisfaction and depressive symptoms were examined with multilevel modeling. Depressive symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.36) and satisfaction (d = 1.43) improved from baseline to 1‐month follow‐up, with greater declines in depression (d = 0.44) for those with more severe symptoms. Increases in satisfaction were associated with decreases in depressive symptoms (d = 0.23), and decreases in depressive symptoms were associated with increases in satisfaction (d = 0.33). Individuals with depression and relationship distress may be well served by this intervention.
Immunity impacts cognitive deficits across neurological disorders
Authors: Shaw Benjamin C. , Anders Victoria R. , Tinkey Rachel A. , Habean Maria L. , Brock Orion D. , Frostino Benjamin J. , Williams Jessica L.
Published: October 2023

Cognitive deficits are a common comorbidity with neurological disorders and normal aging. Inflammation is associated with multiple diseases including classical neurodegenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in which over half of all patients experience some form of cognitive deficits. Other degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) including frontotemporal lobe dementia (FTLD), and Parkinson's disease (PD) as well as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological disorders like major depressive disorder (MDD), and even normal aging all have cytokine‐associated reductions in cognitive function. Thus, there is likely commonality between these secondary cognitive deficits and inflammation. Neurological disorders are increasingly associated with substantial neuroinflammation, in which CNS‐resident cells secrete cytokines and chemokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α and interleukins (ILs) including IL‐1β and IL‐6. CNS‐resident cells also respond to a wide variety of cytokines and chemokines, which can have both direct effects on neurons by changing the expression of ion channels and perturbing electrical properties, as well as indirect effects through glia–glia and immune‐glia cross‐talk. There is significant overlap in these cytokine and chemokine expression profiles across diseases, with TNFα and IL‐6 strongly associated with cognitive deficits in multiple disorders. Here, we review the involvement of various cytokines and chemokines in AD, MS, FTLD, PD, TBI, MDD, and normal aging in the absence of dementia. We propose that the neuropsychiatric phenotypes observed in these disorders may be at least partially attributable to a dysregulation of immunity resulting in pathological cytokine and chemokine expression from both CNS‐resident and non‐resident cells.

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Dual action of serotonin on local excitatory and inhibitory neural circuits regulating the corticotropin‐releasing factor neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus
Authors: Sato Takayuki , Sugaya Takuma , Talukder Ashraf Hossain , Tsushima Yuki , Sasaki Shotaro , Uchida Katsuya , Sato Tatsuya , Ikoma Yoko , Sakimura Kenji , Fukuda Atsuo , Matsui Ko , Itoi Keiichi
Published: October 2023

Serotonergic neurons originating from the raphe nuclei have been proposed to regulate corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH). Since glutamate‐ and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA)‐containing neurons, constituting the hypothalamic local circuits, innervate PVH CRF neurons, we examined whether they mediate the actions of serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine [5‐HT]) on CRF neurons. Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) or spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) were recorded in PVH CRF neurons, under whole cell patch‐clamp, using the CRF‐modified yellow fluorescent protein (Venus) ΔNeo mouse. Serotonin elicited an increase in the frequency of sEPSCs in 77% of the cells and a decrease in the frequency of sIPSCs in 71% of the cells, tested in normal medium. Neither the amplitude nor decay time of sEPSC and sIPSC was affected, thus the site(s) of action of serotonin may be presynaptic. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), serotonin had no significant effects on either parameter of sEPSC or sIPSC, indicating that the effects of serotonin are action potential‐dependent, and that the presynaptic interneurons are largely intact within the slice; distant neurons may exist, though, since some 20%–30% of neurons did not respond to serotonin without TTX. We next examined through what receptor subtype(s) serotonin exerts its effects on presynaptic interneurons. DOI (5‐HT2A/2C agonist) mimicked the action of serotonin on the sIPSCs, and the serotonin‐induced decrease in sIPSC frequency was inhibited by a selective 5‐HT2C antagonist RS102221. 8‐OH‐DPAT (5‐HT1A/7 agonist) mimicked the action of serotonin on the sEPSCs, and the serotonin‐induced increase in sEPSC frequency was inhibited by a selective 5‐HT7 antagonist SB269970. Thus, serotonin showed a dual action on PVH CRF neurons, by upregulating glutamatergic‐ and downregulating GABAergic interneurons; the former may partly be mediated by 5‐HT7 receptors, whereas the latter by 5‐HT2C receptors. The CRF‐Venus ΔNeo mouse was useful for the electrophysiological examination.
High‐fibre diets regulate antioxidative capacity and promote intestinal health by regulating bacterial microbiota in growing pigs
Authors: Li Zhiqing , Zhao Yujie , Wang Hao , Zhang Wenxi , Zhang Chen , Xie Junyan , Ma Xiaokang
Published: October 2023

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of a high‐fibre diet on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, intestinal health, and intestinal microbiota composition of growing pigs. Twelve healthy “Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire” castrates (49 ± 1.35 kg) were randomly divided into two groups with six replicates and one pig per replicate. The two diet treatments were fed the basal diet (CON) based on corn and soybean meal and high fibre diet (HF) respectively. The nutritional levels of the two treatments were the same. The experiment lasted 28 days. The results showed that the addition of 16% wheat bran fibre to the diet of growing pigs did not affect growth performance (p > 0.05). Compared with the CON, contents of isobutyric and butyric acid, GSH‐PX and T‐AOC in serum were increased in the HF. It decreased the gross energy digestibility and acetic acid content in feces of growing pigs (p < 0.05), the contents of GSH‐PX and T‐AOC in serum. It decreased the gross energy digestibility and acetic acid content in feces of growing pigs (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON, the Shannon, and Chao1 indexes of the HF were increased (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, the abundance of g_Lactobacillus increased in the HF (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that a total of 18 microbial genera were correlated with antioxidant capacity and volatile fatty acid levels (p < 0.05). In summary, this study showed that adding 16% wheat bran to the diet of growing pigs had no effect on growth performance but helped to improve the richness and stability of intestinal microbiota, promote posterior intestinal fermentation and increase serum antioxidant capacity.
A test of island plant syndromes using resource‐use traits
Authors: Westerband Andrea C. , Knight Tiffany M. , Barton Kasey E.
Published: October 2023

Despite representing a fraction of the global terrestrial surface area, oceanic islands are disproportionately diverse in species, resulting from high rates of endemicity. Island plants are thought to share a unique phenotype—referred to as an island syndrome—which is thought to be driven by convergent evolution in response to selection by shared abiotic and biotic factors. One aspect of the island plant syndrome that has received relatively little research focus is that island plants are expected to have converged on conservative resource use associated with slow growth rates and weak competitive abilities. Here we tested whether native, woody Hawaiian plant species are phenotypically distinct—with more resource‐conservative leaf traits—compared to a globally distributed sample of continental species. Using an archipelago‐wide trait data set, we detected that on average, native Hawaiian species had lower leaf nutrient concentrations overall, and lower nutrient concentrations at high leaf mass per area, but no other phenotypic differences compared with continental plants. There was also considerable overlap in the trait spaces of native Hawaiian species and continental species. Our findings indicate that an island plant syndrome for leaf traits is not present in the Hawaiian flora, and that island species can demonstrate extensive variation in their resource‐use strategies, on a scale that is comparable with that of continental species worldwide.
Interkingdom ecological networks between plants and fungi drive soil multifunctionality across arid inland river basin
Authors: Wang Yin , Wang Jianming , He Yicheng , Qu Mengjun , Zhu Weilin , Xue Yujie , Li Jingwen
Published: October 2023

Despite the known collective contribution of above‐ (plants) and below‐ground (soil fungi) biodiversity on multiple soil functions, how the associations among plant and fungal communities regulate soil multifunctionality (SMF) differentially remains unknown. Here, plant communities were investigated at 81 plots across a typical arid inland river basin, within which associated soil fungal communities and seven soil functions (nutrients storage and biological activity) were measured in surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface soil (15–30 cm). We evaluated the relative importance of species richness and biotic associations (reflected by network complexity) on SMF. Our results demonstrated that plant species richness and plant–fungus network complexity promoted SMF in surface and subsurface soil. SMF in two soil layers was mainly determined by plant–fungus network complexity, mean groundwater depth and soil variables, among which plant–fungus network complexity played a crucial role. Plant–fungus network complexity had stronger effects on SMF in surface soil than in subsurface soil. We present evidence that plant–fungus network complexity surpassed plant‐fungal species richness in determining SMF in surface and subsurface soil. Moreover, plant–fungal species richness could not directly affect SMF. Greater plant–fungal species richness indirectly promoted SMF since they ensured greater plant–fungal associations. Collectively, we concluded that interkingdom networks between plants and fungi drive SMF even in different soil layers. Our findings enhanced our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms that above‐ and below‐ground associations promote SMF in arid inland river basins. Future study should place more emphasis on the associations among plant and microbial communities in protecting soil functions under global changes.
The cross‐cutting edge: Medical selection and education viewed through the lens of emotional intelligence
Authors: Tiffin Paul A. , Roberts Richard D.
Published: October 2023

Context

Evidence suggesting the benefits of compassionate, person‐centred care, for both patients and physicians is accruing. Medical selection, for example, aims to choose future health professionals that possess the correct attitudes, beliefs and personal attributes to deliver such care. Moreover, once in training, these desirable personal qualities should be developed and maintained, sometimes in the face of adverse health care service conditions. However, advances in selecting for, and developing, these abilities and attributes in health care have been hindered by a lack of clarity regarding how the relevant skills and traits should be defined, measured, developed and maintained in clinicians.

Methods

In this article, we demonstrate how developments in the emotional intelligence (EI) field can be applied to the challenge of selecting for, and developing, relevant interpersonal care skills in medical students and physicians. The concept of EI itself has been somewhat controversial. However, a more nuanced understanding of EI has evolved in the light of research findings that can be applied to medical selection and education. Specifically, we propose modifications to the existing ‘cascading’ model of EI. This model identifies, and relates, several key socioemotional skills and traits that could be considered as ‘the elementary particles’ of EI required to deliver compassionate, person‐centred care.

Conclusions

Our model of EI, which is relevant to care delivery, identifies putative targets for both medical selection and training. Selection for medical school and subsequent clinical education should focus on screening out those with low levels of the traits and abilities less amenable to training. Conversely, medical education should be concerned with developing and maintaining the socioemotional skills, attitudes and behaviours critical to the delivery of compassionate, person‐centred care. This is especially important for specialties characterised by high levels of emotional labour and possible resultant compassion fatigue.
Cardiac complications in thalassemia throughout the lifespan: Victories and challenges
Authors: Wood John C.
Published: October 2023

Thalassemias are among the most common hereditary diseases in the world because heterozygosity offers protection against malarial infection. Affected individuals have variable expression of alpha or beta chains that lead to their unbalanced utilization during hemoglobin formation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis of red cell precursors prior to maturation. Some individuals produce sufficient hemoglobin to survive but suffer the vascular stress imposed by chronic anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis. In other patients, mature red cell formation is insufficient, and chronic transfusions are required—suppressing anemia and ineffective erythropoiesis but at the expense of iron overload. The cardiovascular consequences of thalassemia have changed dramatically over the previous five decades because of evolving treatment practices. This review summarizes this evolution, focusing on complications and management pertinent to modern patient cohorts.
Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin accelerates apoptotic bleb formation in human ameloblastoma
Authors: Yamashita Junya , Kimoto Akira , Teraoka Shun , Hiraoka Yujiro , Takeda Daisuke , Kakei Yasumasa , Shigeoka Manabu , Hasegawa Takumi , Akashi Masaya
Published: October 2023

Objective

Although benign, ameloblastoma is a locally aggressive lesion in some patients and the development of additional treatments is needed. Verteporfin (VP) is a photosensitizer exhibiting considerable photocytotoxicity in various tumor cells. We aimed to investigate the effects of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (VP PDT) on ameloblastoma.

Methods

Eighteen patients who underwent surgery for ameloblastoma were randomly selected. We performed an immunohistochemical assessment to investigate the expression of low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and Yes‐associated protein (YAP), targets of VP, in human ameloblastoma tissues and cultured human ameloblastoma cell line (HAM1). The effect of VP PDT on cell proliferation and apoptosis in HAM1 was analyzed.

Results

The expression of LDLR and YAP were detected in human ameloblastoma tissues and HAM1. LDLR expression was significantly higher in patients who had previously undergone surgery than in patients who were receiving it for the first time. The cytotoxic effect of the combination of low‐concentration VP administration and laser irradiation was comparable to high‐concentration VP administration with and without laser irradiation. The addition of laser irradiation to VP administration significantly accelerated apoptotic bleb formation compared with VP administration alone.

Conclusion

VP PDT has the potential to become an additional treatment for large‐sized ameloblastoma.
Remote monitoring of implantable cardiac monitors in patients with unexplained syncope: Predictors of false‐positive alert episodes
Authors: Russo Vincenzo , Covino Simona , De Pasquale Valentina , Parente Erika , Comune Angelo , Rago Anna , Papa Andrea Antonio , Ammendola Ernesto , Spadaro Guerra Andrea , Napoli Paola , Golino Paolo , Nigro Gerardo
Published: October 2023

Background

Remote monitoring is recommended for patients with implantable cardiac monitors (ICMs), but compared to other cardiac implantable devices, ICMs are less accurate and transmit a higher number of alerts.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictors of false‐positive (FP) arrhythmic alerts in patients with unexplained syncope who were implanted with ICM and followed by an automatic remote monitoring system.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients who received a long‐sensing vector ICM for unexplained syncope between January 2019 to September 2021 at our Syncope Unit. The primary endpoint was the incidence of the first FP episode. The secondary endpoints included assessing the incidence of FP episodes for all types of algorhythms and indentifying the reasons for the misdetection of these episodes.

Results

Among 105 patients (44.8% males, median age 51 years), 51 (48.6%) transmitted at least one FP alert during a median follow‐up of 301 days. The presence of pre‐ventricular complexes (PVCs) on the resting electrocardiogram was the only clinical characteristic associated with an increased risk of FP alerts (adjusted Hazard ratio [HR] 5.76 [2.66–12.4], p = 0.010). The other significant device‐related variables were a low‐frequency filter at 0.05 Hz versus the default 0.5 Hz (adjusted HR 3.82 [1.38–10.5], p = 0.010) and the R‐wave amplitude (adjusted HR 0.35 [0.13–0.99], p = 0.049).

Conclusion

Patients who have PVCs are at higher risk of inappropriate ICM activations. To reduce the occurrence of FP alerts, it may be beneficial to target a large R‐wave amplitude during device insertion and avoid programming a low‐frequency filter at 0.05 Hz.
Predictive variables of depressive symptoms and anxiety in older adults from primary care: a cross‐sectional observational study
Authors: Gómez‐Soria Isabel , Ferreira Chelo , Oliván‐Blazquez Bárbara , Aguilar‐Latorre Alejandra , Calatayud Estela
Published: October 2023

Background

By 2050, the number of people aged 60 years and older will have doubled worldwide and the most common mental disorders in this age group are currently depressive symptoms and anxiety. This study aimed to analyze the Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (BADLs and IADLs, respectively) in older adults; socio‐demographic, clinical, lifestyle, and environmental variables; and cognitive impairment related to the appearance of depressive symptoms and anxiety.

Material and Methods

A cross‐sectional observational study was conducted with 327 participants aged ≥65 years in primary care. The variables were Yesavage's Geriatric Depression Scale, the Goldberg Anxiety Subscale, socio‐demographic, clinical, lifestyle, environmental variables, BADLs, IADLs, and the Spanish version of the Mini‐Mental State Examination.

Results

An analysis of variance was carried out for the predictive multiple linear regression models. ‘≥ 1 chronic pathology’ and ‘low dependency’ in BADL are negatively associated with anxiety, while ‘physical activity’ and ‘low dependency’ in BADL are associated with positive factors for depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Predictor variables could improve the early detection of anxiety and depressive symptoms by general practitioners and serve as a basis for future studies and personalised‐adapted cognitive stimulation programs.
Competition influences outcome processing involving social comparison: An ERP study
Authors: Lin Huiyan , Liang Jiafeng
Published: October 2023

In a complicated social context, outcome evaluation involves not only oneself but also others in relation to the self (i.e., social comparison). Previous event‐related potential (ERP) studies have investigated the processing of social comparison‐related outcomes when one's interests are independent of the interests of others (i.e., noncompetition circumstances). However, it is unclear how social comparison‐related outcomes are processed in the brain when there are conflicts of interest between oneself and others (i.e., competition circumstances). To address this issue, participants in the current study were asked to perform an attentional task with several peers and were subsequently presented with self‐related outcomes (i.e., the performance difference between the current trial and several preceding trials) and social comparison‐related outcomes (i.e., the performance difference between oneself and their peer). Importantly, rewards and punishments were based on social comparison‐related outcomes in the competition condition and on self‐related outcomes in the noncompetition condition. ERP results revealed that in the competition condition, positive outcomes involving social comparison elicited a greater P300 response than negative outcomes, whereas this effect was not observed in the noncompetition condition. Additionally, there was generally a larger late positive potential (LPP) response to negative outcomes involving social comparison than to positive outcomes only when one obtained a self‐related positive outcome in the competition condition. These findings suggest that competition might strengthen outcome processing involving social comparison at late time ranges relying on self‐related outcomes to some extent.
Exploring uterine inflammation in postpartum primiparous precocious and conventional and multiparous Bos indicus beef cows
Authors: Andrade Jéssica de Souza , Moreira Elizângela Mírian , de Souza Vanessa Lemos , Barbosa Ingrid Pedraça , Silva George Moreira , Gomes Leonardo Silva , Silva Samira Alves de Souza , Noleto Gabrielly Cristina Santos , da Silva Renata Reis , Londero Uriel Secco , Correa Márcio Nunes , Pfeifer Luiz Francisco Machado
Published: October 2023

This study aimed to compare the postpartum uterine dynamics of primiparous precocious (PP), primiparous conventional (PC) and multiparous conventional (MC) Bos indicus beef cows. For this purpose, PP (n = 8), PC (n = 18) and MC (n = 12) cows were enrolled in this study. These cows were evaluated at 20 and 10 days prepartum and weekly from parturition to 42 days postpartum (DPP). During this period, body weight (BW), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) and serum concentrations of glucose, β‐hydroxybutyrate, albumin and haptoglobin were measured. Proportion of polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, and abundance of mRNA transcripts of genes involved in uterine inflammation and uterine health were evaluated. The PP cows had lower (p < .05) BW and SFT than that for PC and MC cows during the study period. The serum concentration of albumin after 35 DPP was lower (p < .05) in PP cows. The PP cows had the highest proportion of PMN on 28 and 35 DPP compared to PC and MC cows. The relative mRNA abundance of IL‐1β and IL‐8 increased after 21 DPP in PP cows compared to the other groups. The PC had the highest, MC had an intermediate, and PP cows had the lowest relative abundance of IL10 mRNA. Overall, these findings indicated that uterine inflammation was more pronounced in PP cows. Moreover, based on the proportion of PMN and abundance of transcripts associated with inflammation in the uterus, PP cows may require a longer period to recover their uterine health after calving.
Do China and Russia undermine Western sanctions? Evidence from DiD and event study estimation
Authors: Gutmann Jerg , Neuenkirch Matthias , Neumeier Florian
Published: October 2023

Motivated by the claim that China and Russia purposefully and systematically undermine Western sanction efforts, we study the effects of US and EU sanctions on trade flows between sanctioned and third countries during the period 2002–2019. We find no evidence of systematic sanction busting by Russia. For China, our results are more ambiguous. While we do not find robust evidence for an increase in overall trade between China and countries targeted by Western sanctions, trade in (raw) materials and critical goods increases notably.
Clinically representative therapy for Nordic adult outpatients with common mental health problems: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Brattmyr Martin , Lindberg Martin Schevik , Lundqvist Jakob , Öst Lars‐Göran , Solem Stian , Hjemdal Odin , Havnen Audun
Published: October 2023

There is a knowledge gap regarding clinically representative therapy given in routine settings, that is treatment as usual (TAU), for patients with common mental health problems (CMHP). This review and meta‐analysis aimed to investigate what characterizes clinically representative therapy in Nordic routine clinics and meta‐analyze the outcome of such treatment. Databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and SveMed+) were searched for TAU, CMHP, and Nordic countries, together with backward and forward search in Scopus (7 November 2022). Studies were either randomized controlled trials (RCT) or open trials, using prospective study designs, examining heterogeneous outpatient groups in routine treatment. Within‐ and between‐group effect sizes (ES), using random effects model, and moderator analyses were calculated. Eleven studies (n = 1,413), demonstrated a small to moderate within‐group ES with high heterogeneity (g = 0.49, I2 = 90%). ESs in RCTs were significantly smaller than in open trials. TAU had a marginally smaller ES (g = −0.21; adjusted for publication bias g = −0.06) compared to a broad set of clinical interventions. Clinically representative therapy in the Nordic countries demonstrated a wide variety of characteristics and also a marginally lower ES compared to other interventions. The ESs were smaller than other meta‐analyses examining evidence‐based treatments in routine treatment.
Decreased neural drive affects the early rate of force development after repeated burst‐like isometric contractions
Authors: Boccia Gennaro , D'Emanuele Samuel , Brustio Paolo Riccardo , Rainoldi Alberto , Schena Federico , Tarperi Cantor
Published: October 2023

The neural drive to the muscle is the primary determinant of the rate of force development (RFD) in the first 50 ms of a rapid contraction. It is still unproven if repetitive rapid contractions specifically impair the net neural drive to the muscles. To isolate the fatiguing effect of contraction rapidity, 17 male adult volunteers performed 100 burst‐like (i.e., brief force pulses) isometric contractions of the knee extensors. The response to electrically‐evoked single and octet femoral nerve stimulation was measured with high‐density surface electromyography (HD‐sEMG) from the vastus lateralis and medialis muscles. Root mean square (RMS) of each channel of HD‐sEMG was normalized to the corresponding M‐wave peak‐to‐peak amplitude, while muscle fiber conduction velocity (MFCV) was normalized to M‐wave conduction velocity to compensate for changes in sarcolemma properties. Voluntary RFD 0–50 ms decreased (d = −0.56, p < 0.001) while time to peak force (d = 0.90, p < 0.001) and time to RFDpeak increased (d = 0.56, p = 0.034). Relative RMS (d = −1.10, p = 0.006) and MFCV (d = −0.53, p = 0.007) also decreased in the first 50 ms of voluntary contractions. Evoked octet RFD 0–50 ms (d = 0.60, p = 0.020), M‐wave amplitude (d = 0.77, p = 0.009) and conduction velocity (d = 1.75, p < 0.001) all increased. Neural efficacy, i.e., voluntary/octet force ratio, largely decreased (d = −1.50, p < 0.001). We isolated the fatiguing impact of contraction rapidity and found that the decrement in RFD, particularly when calculated in the first 50 ms of muscle contraction, can mainly be explained by a decrease in the net neural drive.
Photosynthetic plasticity aggravates the susceptibility of magnesium‐deficient leaf to high light in rapeseed plants: the importance of Rubisco and mesophyll conductance
Authors: Ye Xiaolei , Gao Ziyi , Xu Ke , Li Binglin , Ren Tao , Li Xiaokun , Cong Rihuan , Lu Zhifeng , Cakmak Ismail , Lu Jianwei
Published: October 2023

Plants grown under low magnesium (Mg) soils are highly susceptible to encountering light intensities that exceed the capacity of photosynthesis (A), leading to a depression of photosynthetic efficiency and eventually to photooxidation (i.e., leaf chlorosis). Yet, it remains unclear which processes play a key role in limiting the photosynthetic energy utilization of Mg‐deficient leaves, and whether the plasticity of A in acclimation to irradiance could have cross‐talk with Mg, hence accelerating or mitigating the photodamage. We investigated the light acclimation responses of rapeseed (Brassica napus) grown under low‐ and adequate‐Mg conditions. Magnesium deficiency considerably decreased rapeseed growth and leaf A, to a greater extent under high than under low light, which is associated with higher level of superoxide anion radical and more severe leaf chlorosis. This difference was mainly attributable to a greater depression in dark reaction under high light, with a higher Rubisco fallover and a more limited mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm). Plants grown under high irradiance enhanced the content and activity of Rubisco and gm to optimally utilize more light energy absorbed. However, Mg deficiency could not fulfill the need to activate the higher level of Rubisco and Rubisco activase in leaves of high‐light‐grown plants, leading to lower Rubisco activation and carboxylation rate. Additionally, Mg‐deficient leaves under high light invested more carbon per leaf area to construct a compact leaf structure with smaller intercellular airspaces, lower surface area of chloroplast exposed to intercellular airspaces, and CO2 diffusion conductance through cytosol. These caused a more severe decrease in within‐leaf CO2 diffusion rate and substrate availability. Taken together, plant plasticity helps to improve photosynthetic energy utilization under high light but aggravates the photooxidative damage once the Mg nutrition becomes insufficient.
Does Belt and Road Initiative attract Cross‐Border M&As from other countries?
Authors: Zhan Chaoqun , Wang Hanxi , Hou Chenxue
Published: October 2023

This article examines how the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) affects Cross‐Border M&As (CMAs) inflows to countries along the Belt and Road routes (BRI countries) from non‐BRI countries. We conduct a difference‐in‐differences estimation with a control group constructed through propensity score matching. We find that the BRI significantly reduces CMAs from non‐BRI countries to BRI countries. The results are robust to various concerns and specifications. We uncover two important mechanisms driving the results: the increased CMAs within BRI countries and the potential debt risks. We also find heterogeneous effects across countries.
Eyelid and conjunctival mast cell tumors: A retrospective study of 26 dogs and 8 cats
Authors: Fischer Britta M. , Kessler Martin , Braus Barbara K.
Published: October 2023

Objective

The objective of the study was to describe clinical and histologic characteristics of eyelid (LMCT) and conjunctival (CMCT) mast cell tumors in dogs and cats presented to a referral clinic in Germany.

Animal Studied

Medical records were reviewed to identify dogs and cats diagnosed with LMCTs or CMCTs between 2006 and 2020.

Results

LMCT were diagnosed in 31 patients and were cutaneous (n = 28; 20 dogs and 8 cats) or subcutaneous (three dogs). Five cases involved the mucocutaneous junction (four dogs, one cat). CMCTs occurred only in dogs (n = 3). At the time of presentation two of the four canine LMCT cases involving the mucocutaneous junction had metastasized to a mandibular lymph node. When applying the Kiupel system, both these cases were categorized as high grade. 85.7% (18/21) of the canine (19 cutaneous and 2 subcutaneous) LMCT and all CMCT cases were categorized as Kiupel low grade. No local recurrences occurred in all LMCT cases in which clean surgical margins were obtained (n = 18, mean surgical margin width: dogs 9.4 mm, cats 3.8 mm). Two cats (2/4) and four dogs (4/7) with questionable or incomplete surgical margins experienced local recurrences (mean time to recurrence of 180 and 637 days in dogs and cats, respectively).

Conclusion

Recurrence of low‐grade LMCTs and CMCTs following excision with clean margins is rare. Tumors involving the mucocutaneous junction may be of higher grade and prone to lymphatic metastasis.
Upper Extremity Muscle Activation Pattern Prediction Through Synergy Extrapolation and Electromyography-Driven Modeling
Authors: Tahmid Shadman , Font-Llagunes Josep M. , Yang James
Published: October 2023

Patients with neuromuscular disease fail to produce necessary muscle force and have trouble maintaining joint moment required to perform activities of daily living. Measuring muscle force values in patients with neuromuscular disease is important but challenging. Electromyography (EMG) can be used to obtain muscle activation values, which can be converted to muscle forces and joint torques. Surface electrodes can measure activations of superficial muscles, but fine-wire electrodes are needed for deep muscles, although it is invasive and require skilled personnel and preparation time. EMG-driven modeling with surface electrodes alone could underestimate the net torque. In this research, authors propose a methodology to predict muscle activations from deeper muscles of the upper extremity. This method finds missing muscle activation one at a time by combining an EMG-driven musculoskeletal model and muscle synergies. This method tracks inverse dynamics joint moments to determine synergy vector weights and predict muscle activation of selected shoulder and elbow muscles of a healthy subject. In addition, muscle-tendon parameter values (optimal fiber length, tendon slack length, and maximum isometric force) have been personalized to the experimental subject. The methodology is tested for a wide range of rehabilitation tasks of the upper extremity across multiple healthy subjects. Results show this methodology can determine single unmeasured muscle activation up to Pearson's correlation coefficient (R) of 0.99 (root mean squared error, RMSE = 0.001) and 0.92 (RMSE = 0.13) for the elbow and shoulder muscles, respectively, for one degree-of-freedom (DoF) tasks. For more complicated five DoF tasks, activation prediction accuracy can reach up to R = 0.71 (RMSE = 0.29).