bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of CD49f as a novel surface marker to identify functional adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cell subset
Authors: Zha Kangkang , Li Xu , Tian Guangzhao , Yang Zhen , Sun Zhiqiang , Yang Yu , Wei Fu , Huang Bo , Jiang Shuangpeng , Li Hao , Sui Xiang , Liu Shuyun , Guo Quanyi
Published: March 2021

Objectives

CD49f is expressed on a variety of stem cells and has certain effects on their cytological functions, such as proliferation and differentiation potential. However, whether CD49f is expressed on the surface of adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) and its effect on ADSCs has not been clarified.

Materials and methods

The effects of in vitro culture passage and inflammatory factor treatment on CD49f expression and the adhesion ability of ADSCs from mice and rats were investigated. CD49f+ cells were selected from rat ADSCs (rADSCs) by magnetic‐activated cell sorting (MACS), and the cellular functions of CD49f+ ADSCs and unsorted ADSCs, including their clonogenic, proliferation, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation, migration and anti‐apoptotic capacities, were compared.

Results

CD49f expression and the adhesion ability of ADSCs decreased with increasing in vitro culture passage number. TNF‐α and IFN‐γ treatment decreased CD49f expression but increased the adhesion ability of ADSCs. After CD49f was blocked with an anti‐CD49f antibody, the adhesion ability of ADSCs was decreased. No significant difference in clonogenic activity was observed between unsorted ADSCs and CD49f+ ADSCs. CD49f+ ADSCs had greater proliferation, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation, migration and anti‐apoptotic capacities than unsorted ADSCs.

Conclusion

In the current study, the expression of CD49f on ADSCs was identified for the first time. The expression of CD49f on ADSCs was influenced by in vitro culture passage number and inflammatory factor treatment. Compared with unsorted ADSCs, CD49f + ADSCs exhibited superior cellular functions, thus may have great application value in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐based therapies.
Titration and follow‐up for home noninvasive positive pressure ventilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: The potential role of tele‐monitoring and the Internet of things
Authors: Jiang Weipeng , Wang Linlin , Song YuanLin
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Home noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) has become a well‐established treatment for stable hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. There are still other challenges including appropriate titration of ventilator parameters, adequacy of follow‐up, monitoring, and management at home to ensure effectiveness and security, and to improve quality of life. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the name given to the network of devices and other “things” with built‐in sensors, software, electronics, and network connectivity, which can communicate these objects over wireless networks and then send data to a cloud platform. Reliable tele‐monitoring and transmission of clinical parameters from home to hospitals have prompted the development of IoT‐based home NIPPV.

Objectives

This review provides an overview of titration and follow‐up of home NIPPV and focuses on different technologies, modalities, managements, and cost‐effectiveness used in IoT‐based tele‐monitoring of home mechanical ventilation.

Data Source

Literature search of Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE was made to find relevant articles about tele‐monitoring and the IoT in home mechanical ventilation over the last 15 years. We used the following search terms: NIPPV, COPD, home mechanical ventilation, telemedicine, tele‐monitoring, and management.

Conclusion

IoT‐based management of home NIPPV, such as home titration and follow‐up with the use of tele‐monitoring, are emerging and yielding positive findings. However, clear conclusions based on RCT of tele‐monitoring in COPD patients with NIPPV at home are only a few and large‐scale multicenter studies are required for replication and further validation.
Left‐digit bias and deceased donor kidney utilization
Authors: Husain S. Ali , King Kristen L. , Mohan Sumit
Published: March 2021

Cognitive biases shown to impact medical decision‐making include left‐digit bias, the tendency to focus on a continuous variable's leftmost digit. We hypothesized that left‐digit bias impacts deceased donor kidney utilization through heuristic processing of donor age and creatinine. We used US registry data to identify 87 019 kidneys recovered (2015–2019) and compared the proportion around thresholds for donor age (69 vs. 70 years) and creatinine (1.9 vs. 2.0 mg/dl), then compared the risk of kidney discard. Kidneys from donors aged 70 vs. 69 years were more frequently discarded (77% vs. 65%, p < .001), with higher risk of discard even after adjusting for KDRI (adjusted RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.02–1.21, p = .018). Similarly, kidneys from donors with final creatinine 2.0 vs. 1.9 mg/dl were more frequently discarded (37% vs. 29%, p < .001), with higher risk of discard after adjusting for KDRI (adjusted RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.07–1.33, p = .001). However, no significant left‐digit effect was found when examining other donor age (39/40, 49/50, 59/60 years) or creatinine (0.9/1.0, 2.9/3.0 mg/dl) thresholds. The findings suggest a possible left‐digit effect affecting kidney utilization at specific thresholds. Additional investigations of the impact of this and other heuristics on organ utilization are needed to identify potential areas for decision‐making interventions aimed at reducing kidney discard.
Poroid adnexal skin tumors with YAP1 fusions exhibit similar histopathologic features: A series of six YAP1‐rearranged adnexal skin tumors
Authors: Prieto‐Granada Carlos , Morlote Diana , Pavlidakey Peter , Rodriguez‐Waitkus Paul , Ramirez Cristina , Florento Elena , Swensen Jeffrey , Gatalica Zoran , Stevens Todd M.
Published: March 2021

Background

Adnexal skin tumors are diagnostically challenging with few known molecular signatures. Recently, however, YAP1‐MAML2 and YAP1‐NUTM1 fusions were identified in poroid adnexal skin tumors.

Methods

Herein, we subjected eight poroid adnexal skin tumors (three poromas and five porocarcinomas) to fusion gene analysis by whole transcriptome sequencing and next‐generation DNA sequencing analysis.

Results

YAP1 fusions were identified in six cases. YAP1‐NUTM1 fusions were identified in two poromas and three porocarcinomas. A single case of porocarcinoma harbored a YAP1‐MAML2 fusion. Two cases were negative for gene fusion. All cases that harbored YAP1‐NUTM1 fusions showed nuclear protein in testis (NUT) expression by immunohistochemistry, with NUT being negative in the YAP1‐MAML2‐positive case. In this case series, we provide a detailed histopathologic description of six YAP1‐fused poroid skin tumors, which we show harbor reproducible histopathologic features, to include broad, bulbous tumor tongues with admixtures of basaloid, poroid cells punctuated by squamatized cuticles and ductules, with uniform tumor nuclei featuring frequent grooves and pseudonuclear inclusions.

Conclusions

Awareness of the characteristic histopathologic features of YAP1‐fused poroid adnexal skin tumor is a step toward a more reproducible classification of adnexal skin tumors as well as a step toward targeted therapy for metastatic and/or unresectable examples of this poroid group of neoplasms.
Model‐based integration of citizen science data from disparate sources increases the precision of bird population trends
Authors: Hertzog Lionel R. , Frank Claudia , Klimek Sebastian , Röder Norbert , Böhner Hannah G. S. , Kamp Johannes
Published: March 2021

Aim

Timely and accurate information on population trends is a prerequisite for effective biodiversity conservation. Structured biodiversity monitoring programmes have been shown to track population trends reliably, but require large financial and time investment. The data assembled in a large and growing number of online databases are less structured and suffer from bias, but the number of observations is much higher compared to structured monitoring programmes. Model‐based integration of data from these disparate sources could capitalize on their respective strengths.

Location

Germany.

Methods

Abundance data for 26 farmland bird species were gathered from the standardized Common Breeding Bird Survey (CBBS) and three online databases that varied with regard to their degree of survey standardization. Population trends were estimated with a benchmark model that included only CBBS data, and five Bayesian hierarchical models integrating all data sources in different combinations. Across models, we compared consistency and precision of the predicted population trends and the accuracy of the models. Bird species body mass, prevalence in the dataset and abundance were tested as potential predictors of the explored quantities.

Results

Consistency in predicted annual abundance indices was generally high especially when comparing the benchmark models to the integrated models without unstructured data. The accuracy of the estimated population changes was higher in the hierarchical models compared to the benchmark model but this was not related to data integration. Precision of the predicted population trends increased as more data sources were integrated.

Main conclusions

Model‐based integration of data from different sources can lead to improved precision of bird population trend estimates. This opens up new opportunities for conservation managers to identify declining populations earlier. Integrating data from online databases could substantially increase sample size and thus allowing to derive trends for currently not well‐monitored species, especially at sub‐national scales.
Effect of macroarthropods on Drosophila suzukii peri‐oviposition events: an experimental screening
Authors: Ulmer Romain , Couty Aude , Eslin Patrice , Chabrerie Olivier
Published: March 2021

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive pest which causes important damage to fruit crops, in particular in strawberry and cherry fields in Europe and North America. So far, its interaction with local fauna remains poorly studied, whereas it could give insight in the possibilities of biological control by using local predators. Indeed, no sustainable means of controlling populations of this fruit fly have been found, and alternative methods of pest management are needed. Here we compared the efficiency of 16 selected macroarthropods present in strawberry and cherry fields and farm structures from northern France. Most of them have never been tested against D. suzukii for their ability to disrupt its egg‐laying behavior and/or to prey upon it under experimental conditions. A set of 17 morphological and behavioral traits potentially associated with the predation success of macroarthropods was measured. We counted nearly 16 000 eggs laid by female D. suzukii on artificial substrate in 1 008 experimental arenas. We observed an egg difference ranging from +65 to –98% in the presence of an arthropod, compared to control arenas (without arthropods), with an overall mean decrease of 44%. Some macroarthropod predatory species, mostly spiders (from the families Agelenidae, Salticidae, and Lycosidae) and the centipede Lithobius forficatus (L.), were efficient at killing the flies before they could lay eggs. Other species, such as the carabids Limodromus assimilis (Pontoppidan) and Poecilus cupreus (L.), or the woodlouse Porcellio scaber (Latreille), reduced egg‐laying despite a lower predation rate. The macroarthopods’ traits mainly involved in predation and disruption of oviposition were the size of their body and their mobility. Our results add novel information about the acceptability of D. suzukii as prey for common macroarthropods of the local fauna. This experimental approach provides a first pre‐selection of promising macroarthropods that could be interesting in the control of D. suzukii populations.
The effect of organic and conventional management practices on soil macropore structure in greenhouse vegetable production
Authors: Wang Meiyan , Xu Shengxiang , Yang Jizhou , Xu Lingying , Yu Quanbo , Xie Xinqiao , Shi Xuezheng , Zhao Yongcun
Published: March 2021

Greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) is developing rapidly and farming practices strongly affect soil quality. However, quantitative evidence of the differences in soil macropore structure between organic and conventional greenhouse vegetable cultivation is still unavailable. In this study, we sampled paired organic and conventional greenhouse vegetable soils from the tilled and plough pan layers at sample sites south of Nanjing, China. Using industrial computed tomography (CT) scanning technology to measure soil macropore characteristics, we examined the effects of different farming practices on soil macropore structure, as well as the main factors that influenced soil macropore characteristics. Organic greenhouse vegetable (OGV) production was associated with a greater quantity and quality of soil macropores compared with conventional greenhouse vegetable (CGV) production. The total macroporosity in the tilled soil layer averaged 16.9% in OGV soils, more than twice that of CGV soils. OGV soils exhibited an improved pore size distribution with a greater relative abundance of transmission pores (50–500 μm) and a decreased relative abundance of large macropores (>1,000 μm). Pore size and shape data suggested that OGV soils had fewer soil cracks but more biopores than CGV soils in the tilled layer, as well as more root biopores in the plough pan layer. Furthermore, macropore morphology was improved in both the tilled and plough pan layers of OGV soils. In particular, macropore connectivity was nearly 10 times greater in the tilled layer of OGV soils. Soil organic matter (SOM) content was the dominant factor influencing most macropore characteristics (total macroporosity, connectivity, and relative porosity of 100–1,000 μm pores, all small macropores and elongated medium macropores). We suggest that greater SOM content and consequently better soil macropore structure in OGV soils was dependent not only on greater organic manure input, but also on the non‐application of chemical fertilizer.

Highlights

Farm management affects soil macropore structure in greenhouse vegetable production.

Compared soil macropore structure in organic and conventional greenhouse vegetable cultivation.

OGV had greater quantity and quality of soil macropores than CGV.

Greater SOM in organic farming contributed to the better soil macropore structure.
Habitat amount and distribution modify community dynamics under climate change
Authors: Fourcade Yoan , WallisDeVries Michiel F. , Kuussaari Mikko , van Swaay Chris A. M. , Heliölä Janne , Öckinger Erik
Published: March 2021

Habitat fragmentation may present a major impediment to species range shifts caused by climate change, but how it affects local community dynamics in a changing climate has so far not been adequately investigated empirically. Using long‐term monitoring data of butterfly assemblages, we tested the effects of the amount and distribution of semi‐natural habitat (SNH), moderated by species traits, on climate‐driven species turnover. We found that spatially dispersed SNH favoured the colonisation of warm‐adapted and mobile species. In contrast, extinction risk of cold‐adapted species increased in dispersed (as opposed to aggregated) habitats and when the amount of SNH was low. Strengthening habitat networks by maintaining or creating stepping‐stone patches could thus allow warm‐adapted species to expand their range, while increasing the area of natural habitat and its spatial cohesion may be important to aid the local persistence of species threatened by a warming climate.
Extended TODIM‐PROMETHEE II method with hesitant probabilistic information for solving potential risk evaluation problems of water resource carrying capacity
Authors: Wang Xiao‐kang , Zhang Hong‐yu , Wang Jian‐qiang , Li Jun‐bo , Li Lin
Published: March 2021

With the excessive consumption and pollution of water resources, the sustainable development of water resources poses a serious threat currently. How to perceive and prevent the degradation of water resource in advance is an urgent problem. The water resource carrying capacity (WRCC) is a significant indicator to reflect the condition of water resources in a region. Resounding to these circumstances, our research establishes a decision support framework to solve WRCC risk evaluation issues. First, hesitant probabilistic fuzzy sets (HPFSs) are selected as a representation for the evaluation information in the expert group. Aimed at existing studies of HPFSs, some limitations are overcome involving the distance and comparison rule. Secondly, a TODIM‐PROMETHEE II based multi‐criteria group decision making (MCGDM) method is developed to overcome the inherent restrictions of PROMETHEE II method and make it suitable for a practical decision‐making condition with bounded rationality. Subsequently, a case study is utilized to demonstrate the feasibility of our newly proposed decision support framework, followed by a sensitivity analysis and a comparison analysis. The outcome indicates that the framework has an excellent performance to solve this kind of MCGDM issues.
Adjuvant‐mediated enhancement of the immune response to HIV vaccines
Authors: Ratnapriya Sneha , Perez‐Greene Eva , Schifanella Luca , Herschhorn Alon
Published: March 2021

Protection from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition will likely require an effective vaccine that elicits antibodies against the HIV‐1 envelope glycoproteins (Envs), which are the sole target of neutralizing antibodies and a main focus of vaccine development. Adjuvants have been widely used to augment the magnitude and longevity of the adaptive immune responses to immunizations with HIV‐1 Envs and to guide the development of specific immune responses. Here, we review the adjuvants that have been used in combination with HIV‐1 Envs in several preclinical and human clinical trials in recent years. We summarize the interactions between the HIV‐1 Envs and adjuvants, and highlight the routes of vaccine administration for various formulations. We then discuss the use of combinations of different adjuvants, the potential effect of adjuvants on the elicitation of antibodies enriched in somatic hypermutation and containing long complementarity‐determining region 3 of the antibody heavy chain, and the elicitation of non‐neutralizing antibodies.
“Two‐steps” seed‐derived plugs as an effective propagation method for the establishment of Miscanthus in saline–alkaline soil
Authors: Zheng Cheng , Xue Shuai , Xiao Liang , Iqbal Yasir , Sun Guorong , Duan Meijuan , Yi Zili
Published: March 2021

Miscanthus, a perennial rhizomatous C4 grass, has emerged as a promising lignocellulosic crop. To avoid competition with food crops, marginal lands especially saline–alkaline soil are being recommended to grow Miscanthus across China. However, the challenges such as high cost and low reproduction coefficient associated with the propagation methods are impeding its large‐scale plantation in saline–alkaline soil. In this study, a “two‐steps” propagation method was designed, which was comprised of two phases: (1) seedling cultivation and (2) seedling strengthening. The parameters (substrate composition and plug size) for this method were determined. The optimal substrate composition of the seedling bed for M. sinensis, M. lutarioriparius, and their interspecific hybrids was peat and perlite at a ratio of 3:2, 3:1, and 3:3 by volume, respectively. The seedlings were transplanted into the plugs to deliver robust plantlets. The most appropriate plug size for M. sinensis, M. lutarioriparius, and their interspecific hybrids was 50 plugs (50 cm3/plug), 72 plugs (40 cm3/plug), and 72 plugs (40 cm3/plug), respectively. Three propagation methods, that is, direct sowing of seeds, rhizomes plantation, and “two‐steps” seed‐derived plugs for M. lutarioriparius were compared in saline–alkaline soil over 3 years (2014, 2015, and 2016). The establishment rate of the seeds directly planted was poor (zero). The performance (e.g., biomass yield) of the plants derived from the “two‐steps” seed‐derived plugs was better than that of the plants derived from rhizomes directly planted. Therefore, the “two‐steps” seed‐derived plugs can be regarded as an effective propagation method to upscale Miscanthus cultivation in saline–alkaline soil.
China's move to mass higher education since 1998: Analysis of higher education expansion policies
Authors: Jiang Jin , Ke Guoguo
Published: March 2021

Under the knowledge‐based economy, higher education plays an important role in cultivating talents and enhancing national competitiveness. Compared with other countries, China is a latecomer in the expansion of higher education but has undergone considerable transformation from elite to massification in a short time since 1998. Most important, China's higher education expansion is not limited to the undergraduate level but includes junior college and postgraduate education. This dramatic development in higher education is also simultaneously affected by marketisation and decentralisation. Moreover, the unprecedented growth and achievements of the reform drew scholars' attention to this inspired case of the consequences of educational expansion. However, few studies analyse higher education expansion policies. This study analyses educational policies since 1998 to understand how the move to mass higher education was achieved through marketisation and decentralisation with the strong control of the central government. Drawing on policy analyses, this study suggests that the higher education expansion in China exhibits the characteristics of the East Asian model, which is shaped by the strong nation‐state structure with instrumentalism.
Molecular epidemiology of Enteroviruses and Rhinoviruses in patients with acute respiratory infections in Yaounde, Cameroon
Authors: Kenmoe Sebastien , Sadeuh‐Mba Serge Alain , Vernet Marie‐Astrid , Penlap Beng Véronique , Vabret Astrid , Njouom Richard
Published: March 2021

Background

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are associated with a huge morbidity and mortality worldwide. Rhinoviruses (RVs) and Enteroviruses (EVs) are recognized as leading causes of ARI.

Objectives

The present study describes the molecular epidemiology of RVs and EVs in Cameroon over a 3‐year surveillance period.

Methods

From September 2011 to October 2014, nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from patients with influenza‐like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI). Two sub‐genomic regions of the EVs and RVs were targeted for molecular characterization. These included the most conserved 5′‐untranslated region (5′UTR) and the viral protein 4/viral protein 2 transition region (VP4/VP2).

Results

A total of 974 samples were collected. Children ≤5 years accounted for 85.7% (835/974) of all participants. Among them, 160 (16.4%) were positive for RVs and/or EVs. RVs and/or EVs were significantly more identified in ILI compared to SARI patients (P = .015). Both viruses co‐circulated all year long with a marked increase of occurrence during rainy and cold season. All RV species were found to circulate in Cameroon, with 6, 10 and 6 virus types belonging to the RV‐A, RV‐B and RV‐C, respectively. EV species identified comprised EV‐A (1 Coxsackie virus A5), EV‐B (1 Coxsackie virus A9 and 2 Coxsackie virus B1) and EV‐C (1 EV‐C117).

Conclusions

This study indicates a strong year‐round occurrence of EV and RV associated respiratory infections in Cameroon. Molecular characterization identified a wide variety of RVs and EVs in patients with ARI in Cameroon.
International study to develop the WOUND‐Q patient‐reported outcome measure for all types of chronic wounds
Authors: Klassen Anne F. , van Haren Emiel L. W. G. , van Alphen Tert C. , Cano Stefan , Cross Karen M. , van Dishoeck Anne‐Margreet , Fan Kenneth L. , Michael Hoogbergen Maarten , Orgill Dennis , Poulsen Lotte , Ahm Sørensen Jens , Squitieri Lee , Tsangaris Elena , Vasilic Dalibor , Pusic Andrea L.
Published: March 2021

Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) for chronic wounds mainly focus on specific types of wounds. Our team developed the WOUND‐Q for use with all types of wounds in any anatomic location. We conducted 60 concept elicitation interviews with patients in Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States. Analysis identified concepts of interest to patients and scales were formed and refined through cognitive interviews with 20 patients and input from 26 wound care experts. Scales were translated into Danish and Dutch. An international field‐test study collected data from 881 patients (1020 assessments) with chronic wounds. Rasch measurement theory (RMT) analysis was used to refine the scales and examine psychometric properties. RMT analysis supported the reliability and validity of 13 WOUND‐Q scales that measure wound characteristics (assessment, discharge, and smell), health‐related quality of life (life impact, psychological, sleep impact, and social), experience of care (information, home care nurses, medical team, and office staff), and wound treatment (dressing and suction device). The WOUND‐Q can be used to measure outcomes in research and clinical practice from the perspective of patients with any type of wound.
Cryoballoon ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: mid‐term outcome evaluated by ECG monitoring with an implantable loop recorder
Authors: Maj Riccardo , De Ceglia Sergio , Piazzi Elena , Pozzi Mattia , Montemerlo Elisabetta , Casiraghi Mirko , Fienga Marianna , Gressoni Sara , Rovaris Giovanni
Published: March 2021

Background

The success rate after cryoballoon ablation (CB‐A) performed for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) might be overestimated by traditional noninvasive monitoring techniques. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mid‐term outcome of CB‐A in patients with PAF implanted with an implantable loop recorder (ILR) after the procedure.

Methods

Between January 2017 and March 2019, all patients who underwent CB‐A for PAF and who were subsequently implanted with an ILR were retrospectively included. All devices were equipped with remote monitoring. All ILR‐documented atrial tachycardia (AT) or AF episodes ≥ 6 min were considered as recurrence; both true and false episodes were collected. A 3‐month post‐procedural blanking period (BP) was applied.

Results

A total of 102 patients (77 men, mean age 60.6 ± 9.6 years) who underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) by CB‐A were included; mean time from first diagnosis of AF to PVI was 51.5 ± 46.9 months. Mean follow‐up was 29.3 ± 8.1 months; at 12‐month follow‐up, the success rate was 65.7%, while at 2‐year follow‐up, freedom from AT/AF recurrences was achieved in 59.3% of the patients. In the follow‐up, a total of 4987 ECG strips were analyzed; true‐positive episodes were confirmed in 2026 cases (40.6%), whereas 2961 episodes (59.4%) were considered false‐positive.

Conclusion

In patients with PAF implanted with an ILR, CB‐A results in freedom from any AT/AF recurrence in 65.7% of patients at 12‐month follow‐up and in 59.3% of patients when evaluated at 2‐year. Careful adjudication of all ILR‐documented AF episodes is required to avoid misdiagnosis.
Unipolar electrogram‐based voltage mapping with far‐field cancellation to improve detection of abnormal atrial substrate during atrial fibrillation
Authors: Ragot Don , Nayyar Sachin , Massin Sophia Z. , Ha Andrew C. T. , Singh Sheldon M. , Labos Christopher , Suszko Adrian , Dalvi Rupin , Chauhan Vijay S.
Published: March 2021

Introduction

An important substrate for atrial fibrillation (AF) is fibrotic atrial myopathy. Identifying low voltage, myopathic regions during AF using traditional bipolar voltage mapping is limited by the directional dependency of wave propagation. Our objective was to evaluate directionally independent unipolar voltage mapping, but with far‐field cancellation, to identify low‐voltage regions during AF.

Methods

In 12 patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation for AF, high‐resolution voltage mapping was performed in the left atrium during sinus rhythm and AF using a roving 20‐pole circular catheter. Bipolar electrograms (EGMs) (Bi) < 0.5 mV in sinus rhythm identified low‐voltage regions. During AF, bipolar voltage and unipolar voltage maps were created, the latter with (uni‐res) and without (uni‐orig) far‐field cancellation using a novel, validated least‐squares algorithm.

Results

Uni‐res voltage was ~25% lower than uni‐orig for both low voltage and normal atrial regions. Far‐field EGM had a dominant frequency (DF) of 4.5–6.0 Hz, and its removal resulted in a lower DF for uni‐orig compared with uni‐res (5.1 ± 1.5 vs. 4.8 ± 1.5 Hz; p < .001). Compared with Bi, uni‐res had a significantly greater area under the receiver operator curve (0.80 vs. 0.77; p < .05), specificity (86% vs. 76%; p < .001), and positive predictive value (43% vs. 30%; p < .001) for detecting low‐voltage during AF. Similar improvements in specificity and positive predictive value were evident for uni‐res versus uni‐orig.

Conclusion

Far‐field EGM can be reliably removed from uni‐orig using our novel, least‐squares algorithm. Compared with Bi and uni‐orig, uni‐res is more accurate in detecting low‐voltage regions during AF. This approach may improve substrate mapping and ablation during AF, and merits further study.
Wall thickness‐based adjustment of ablation index improves efficacy of pulmonary vein isolation in atrial fibrillation: Real‐time assessment by intracardiac echocardiography
Authors: Motoike Yuji , Harada Masahide , Ito Takehiro , Nomura Yoshihiro , Nishimura Asuka , Koshikawa Masayuki , Watanabe Eiichi , Ozaki Yukio , Izawa Hideo
Published: March 2021

Background

Ablation index (AI) linearly correlates with lesion depth and may yield better therapeutic performance in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) when tailored to a patient's wall thickness (WT) in the left atrium (LA).

Methods and results

First study: In paroxysmal atrial fibrillation patients (PAF; n = 20), the average LA WT (mm) in each anatomical segment for PVI was measured by intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) placed in the LA; the optimal AI for creating 1‐mm transmural lesion (AI/mm) was calculated. Second study: PAF (n = 80) patients were randomly assigned either to a force‐time integral protocol (FTI; 400 g·s, n = 40) or a tailored‐AI protocol (TAI; n = 40). In TAI, the LA WT in each segment was individually measured by ICE before starting ablation; a target AI was adjusted according to the individual WT in each segment (AI/mm × WT). The acute procedure outcomes and the 1‐year AF‐recurrence rate were compared between FTI and TAI. TAI had higher success rate of first‐pass isolation (88% vs. 65%) and had lower incidence of residual PV‐potentials/conduction‐gaps after a circular ablation than FTI (15% vs. 45%). The procedure time to complete PVI decreased in TAI compared to FTI (52 vs. 83 min), being attributed to the increased radiofrequency power and the decreased radiofrequency application time in each point in TAI. TAI had a lower 1‐year AF‐recurrence rate than FTI.

Conclusion

TAI increased acute procedure success, decreased time for PVI, and reduced the 1‐year AF‐recurrence rate, compared to FTI. Understanding the precise ablation target and tailoring AI would improve the efficacy of PVI.
Interpreting Legitimation Through Participation: The ASEAN Civil Society Conference
Authors: Gerard Kelly
Published: March 2021

The dynamics of the relationship between political participation and legitimacy have received limited attention, despite the widely held view that the former contributes to the latter. This article advances conceptualizations of this relationship by demonstrating how participatory innovations can be analysed as processes of legitimation. Studies of participation highlight how institutional actors define the terms of participation, but do not attend to how these terms function in constructing legitimacy. Studies of legitimation, conversely, emphasize participation but pay limited attention to how participatory innovations form. Building on these linkages, the article describes how the modes of participation framework can be used to evaluate the legitimating potential of participatory innovations and demonstrates this in the case of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Civil Society Conference. The article demonstrates that more participation does not necessarily increase legitimacy, and calls for greater attention to what is being legitimated and to whom through participatory innovations.
Transcriptomic, peptidomic, and mass spectrometry imaging analysis of the brain in the ant Cataglyphis nodus
Authors: Habenstein Jens , Schmitt Franziska , Liessem Sander , Ly Alice , Trede Dennis , Wegener Christian , Predel Reinhard , Rössler Wolfgang , Neupert Susanne
Published: March 2021

Behavioral flexibility is an important cornerstone for the ecological success of animals. Social Cataglyphis nodus ants with their age‐related polyethism characterized by age‐related behavioral phenotypes represent a prime example for behavioral flexibility. We propose neuropeptides as powerful candidates for the flexible modulation of age‐related behavioral transitions in individual ants. As the neuropeptidome of C. nodus was unknown, we collected a comprehensive peptidomic data set obtained by transcriptome analysis of the ants’ central nervous system combined with brain extract analysis by Q‐Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (MS) and direct tissue profiling of different regions of the brain by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) MS. In total, we identified 71 peptides with likely bioactive function, encoded on 49 neuropeptide‐, neuropeptide‐like, and protein hormone prepropeptide genes, including a novel neuropeptide‐like gene (fliktin). We next characterized the spatial distribution of a subset of peptides encoded on 16 precursor proteins with high resolution by MALDI MS imaging (MALDI MSI) on 14 µm brain sections. The accuracy of our MSI data were confirmed by matching the immunostaining patterns for tachykinins with MSI ion images from consecutive brain sections. Our data provide a solid framework for future research into spatially resolved qualitative and quantitative peptidomic changes associated with stage‐specific behavioral transitions and the functional role of neuropeptides in Cataglyphis ants.

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Eavesdropping: The craft of social inquiry
Authors: Russi Luigi
Published: March 2021

This article is an exploration of John Shotter's suggestion to approach social inquiry as a ‘craft’. To take this suggestion seriously calls for making visible the specific ‘skills’ that conjure social inquiry into being, as craft. For this reason, the article presents small vignettes—drawn from the author's practice of supervision of researcher‐practitioners—that elucidate some of the turbulent passages that social researchers learn to negotiate, as they ‘acrobatically’ stretch themselves to eavesdrop on the messy trails of world‐making activity they are thrown into, as they participate in a social milieu. From waiting at awkward thresholds that do not announce an agenda; to approaching mis‐takes as occasions for bringing experience to articulation; to registering the pregnancy of silences that meet language at its edge. Just like Joyce's masterpiece Finnegans Wake brings into visibility the work that readers must perform to engage with its messy text, so this article argues that social inquiry as craft involves becoming skilled in various heuristic moves, through which social worlds can be listened into articulation.
Anaerobic bacterial response to nitric oxide stress: Widespread misconceptions and physiologically relevant responses
Authors: Cole J. A.
Published: March 2021

How anaerobic bacteria protect themselves against nitric oxide‐induced stress is controversial, not least because far higher levels of stress were used in the experiments on which most of the literature is based than bacteria experience in their natural environments. This results in chemical damage to enzymes that inactivates their physiological function. This review illustrates how transcription control mechanisms reveal physiological roles of the encoded gene products. Evidence that the hybrid cluster protein, Hcp, is a major high affinity NO reductase in anaerobic bacteria is reviewed: if so, its trans‐nitrosation activity is a nonspecific secondary consequence of chemical inactivation. Whether the flavorubredoxin, NorV, is equally effective at such low [NO] is unknown. YtfE is proposed to be an enzyme rather than a source of iron for the repair of iron‐sulfur proteins damaged by nitrosative stress. Any reaction catalyzed by YtfE needs to be revealed. The concentration of NO that accumulates in the cytoplasm of anaerobic bacteria is unknown, but indirect evidence indicates that it is in the pM to low nM range. Also unknown are the functions of the NO‐inducible cytoplasmic proteins YgbA, YeaR, or YoaG. Experiments to resolve some of these questions are proposed.
Rewilding Language Education: Emergent Assemblages and Entangled Actions
Authors: THORNE STEVEN L. , HELLERMANN JOHN , JAKONEN TEPPO
Published: March 2021

Integrating concepts and techniques from ethnomethodology and sociomaterialism, this article investigates the observable material processes involving human action and place‐based contexts of language use enabled by locative media. The focal pedagogical intervention utilized mobile augmented reality (AR) activities, the development of which was inspired by research on learning ‘in the wild.’ Applying the principle of reverse engineering, we introduce a pedagogical approach termed ‘rewilding’ for its emphasis on designing supportive conditions for goal‐directed interaction outside of classrooms. Three instances of AR materials use are presented from an out‐of‐class activity associated with university‐level language courses involving a quest‐type AR game calledChronoOps. Video data of 3‐player groups were transcribed using conventions from multimodal conversation analysis. The empirical investigation illustrates meaning making through visible embodied displays, the performance of new actions through incorporation of public semiotic resources, and the contributions of the material surround as actants in the flow of interaction. Analysis illustrates that mobile AR activities enable languaging events among assemblages of environments, mobile devices, and embodied experience. We conclude by outlining the affordances of mobile AR activities as one example of rewilding approaches to creating material conditions for language use and learning.
Student Self‐Initiated Use of Smartphones in Multilingual Writing Classrooms: Making Learner Agency and Multiple Involvements Visible
Authors: MATSUMOTO YUMI
Published: March 2021

This study examines students’ self‐initiated use of smartphones in multilingual writing classrooms in English‐language programs at a U.S. university. Responding to calls for empirical research on materials use in second‐language (L2) classrooms, researchers have focused on the roles of language learning and teaching materials in various L2 classroom contexts. Despite widespread access to smartphones among university students, how these students self‐initiate use of smartphones for learning in L2 classrooms in noninterventional settings (cf. mobile‐assisted language learning, which is often implemented for pedagogical purposes) has been under‐researched. Employing linguistic ethnography along with a multimodal approach, this study examines moments (a) when L2 learners select smartphones as a relevant resource for learning and (b) when learner agency (e.g., Larsen–Freeman, 2019) and multiple involvements (i.e., simultaneously engaging in multiple activities and responsibilities as interlocutors; see Greer, 2016) become visible while students self‐initiate smartphone use. It highlights how smartphones enable L2 learners to access diverse semiotic resources, maintain long turns by gazing at the devices, gain epistemic authority or primacy with those resources, resolve communicative problems, and change interactional dynamics.
Empirically Defining Language Learning and Teaching Materials in Use Through Sociomaterial Perspectives
Authors: GUERRETTAZ ANNE MARIE , ENGMAN MEL M. , MATSUMOTO YUMI
Published: March 2021

Language learning and teaching (LLT) materials—like teacher‐created handouts, textbooks, and overhead transparencies—are central elements of language classrooms worldwide. Nonetheless, how language students and teachers actually engage with and deploy LLT materials has rarely been the focus of research. In response, this issue offers the first compilation of classroom‐based studies of ‘materials use’ in language education and includes research on Ojibwe, Japanese, French, and English language pedagogy. In this introductory article to the special issue, we set the stage for the 7 empirical articles by offering much‐needed definitions for the concepts of ‘LLT materials’ and ‘materials use.’ These definitions are based on a metasynthesis (i.e., an integrative qualitative analysis) of all of the materials used throughout the 7 empirical articles. Additionally, we explore sociomaterialism as a compelling and well‐suited framework for the study of materials in use. Sociomaterialism is not a unified theory but rather a research orientation that seeks to examine connections between the social and the material world. In addition to substantively and theoretically advancing the field, all the articles of this special issue also have practical implications for language pedagogy.
Movement‐induced hypoalgesia: behavioral characteristics and neural mechanisms
Authors: Lu Xuejing , Yao Xinru , Thompson William Forde , Hu Li
Published: March 2021

Pain is essential for our survival because it helps to protect us from severe injuries. Nociceptive signals may be exacerbated by continued physical activities but can also be interrupted or overridden by physical movements, a process called movement‐induced hypoalgesia. Several neural mechanisms have been proposed to account for this effect, including the reafference principle, non‐nociceptive interference, and top‐down descending modulation. Given that the hypoalgesic effects of these mechanisms temporally overlap during movement execution, it is unclear whether movement‐induced hypoalgesia results from a single neural mechanism or from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. To address this question, we conducted five experiments on 129 healthy humans by assessing the hypoalgesic effect after movement execution. Combining psychophysics and electroencephalographic recordings, we quantified the relationship between the strength of voluntary movement and the hypoalgesic effect, as well as the temporal and spatial characteristics of the hypoalgesic effect. Our findings demonstrated that movement‐induced hypoalgesia results from the joint action of multiple neural mechanisms. This investigation is the first to disentangle the distinct contributions of different neural mechanisms to the hypoalgesic effect of voluntary movement, which extends our understanding of sensory attenuation arising from voluntary movement and may prove instrumental in developing new strategies for pain management.
Selective IgM deficiency: Follow‐up and outcome
Authors: Caka Canan , Cimen Ozlem , Kahyaoğlu Pinar , Tezcan İlhan , Cagdas Deniz
Published: March 2021

Background

Selective IgM deficiency (sIgMD) is classified under primary immunodeficiencies (PID). This study aimed to define the clinical and immunologic features of sIgMD.

Patient and Methods

We assessed a retrospective medical record of patients who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for sIgMD in a pediatric immunology department.

Results

There were 55 patients with sIgMD. Out of 55 patients, 13 (23.6%) patients, diagnosed with a well‐defined PID disease, and nine, evaluated as transient hypogammaglobulinemia, were excluded in the follow‐up. The ratio of the sIgMD was %0.12 in the outpatient clinic of pediatric immunology (33/27,000). Out of 33 patients, eight (24,2%) were asymptomatic during the follow‐up period. Fifteen (45.4%) patients presented with upper/lower respiratory and skin infections. Six patients (18%) had chromosomal anomaly, or syndrome (trisomy 21, 22q11.2 deletion 1p deletion, CHARGE syndrome, and Cohen syndrome). Six (18%) had autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, such as Behcet's disease, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, Crohn's disease, Guillain‐Barre syndrome, and diabetes mellitus. Five (15%) had allergic disorders. Three patients (9%) developed malignancy. The PID diagnoses were combined immunodeficiency, common variable immunodeficiency, chronic granulomatous disease, adenosine deaminase deficiency, and congenital neutropenia.

Conclusion

Genetic disorders, autoimmune/inflammatory, and allergic diseases may accompany sIgMD. Approximately 25% of the patients were asymptomatic in our series. Patients had increased malignancy risk. We diagnosed about 25% of the patients having low IgM with a specific PID in the follow‐up period. Thus, patients with sIgMD should be followed up regularly in immunology clinics.
Antithymocyte globulin induction therapy and myocardial complement deposition in pediatric heart transplantation
Authors: Ghaleb Stephanie , Wittekind Samuel G. , Martinez Hugo , Kasten Jennifer , Gao Zhiqian , Hengehold Tricia , Chin Clifford
Published: March 2021

Background

Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) consists of polyclonal antibodies directed primarily against human T lymphocytes but may contain antibodies with affinity for other tissues in the transplanted organ, resulting in complement (C4d) deposition. This phenomenon has been demonstrated in endomyocardial biopsies (EMBs) of adult cardiac transplants. We examined the relationship of induction immunosuppression with ATG and C4d deposition in EMB of pediatric cardiac transplants.

Methods

Results of C4d immunohistochemistry were available from all EMB of patients transplanted at our center between June 2012 and April 2018 (n = 48) who received induction immunosuppression with either ATG (n = 20) or basiliximab (n = 28) as the standard of care.

Results

C4d deposition in the first year post–heart transplant was more commonly seen among patients who received ATG induction (20% of EMBs in ATG group vs 1% of EMBs in basiliximab group; p < .0001). C4d deposition related to ATG was observed early post‐transplant (50% ATG vs 0% basiliximab on first EMB; p < .0001 and 35% ATG vs 0% basiliximab on the second EMB; p = .0012). While this difference waned by the third EMB (5% ATG vs 0% basiliximab; p = .41), positive C4d staining persisted to the sixth EMB in the ATG group only (6%).

Conclusion

C4d deposition is common on EMB up to 1 year post–pediatric cardiac transplant following ATG induction. This high rate of positive C4d staining in the absence of histologic AMR after ATG induction therapy must be accounted for in making clinical decisions regarding cardiac allograft rejection diagnosis and treatment.