bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Implante imediato em área estética: Da carga imediata ao fluxo digital: Relato de caso clínico e follow-up de 2 anos
Authors: Peralta Felipe da Silva , Serafim Jenifer , Bonelli Sabrina Evelyn de Oliveira , Nascimento Marcelo Pontes do , Barbosa Maylon Luciano Garcia , Affonso Sabrina Quirido , Fischer Tatiana Konrad
Published: September 2024

A técnica cirúrgica de implante imediato, associada a carga imediata e ao fluxo digital, tem revolucionado a implantodontia, oferecendo solução ágil e eficiente para a reabilitação oral. Os implantes dentários requerem um período cicatricial que pode gerar ansiedade ao paciente, porém, com o uso dessa técnica, os implantes podem ser instalados imediatamente após a extração e recebem carga na mesma hora, favorecendo o processo cicatricial e reduzindo o tempo de tratamento. O fluxo digital, por sua vez, incorpora novas tecnologias, como por exemplo o sistema CEREC CAD/CAM, que possibilita o planejamento dos casos e a fabricação de próteses de alta qualidade. O conceito chairside, sistema CEREC, possibilita a realização de restaurações indiretas em sessão única, no próprio onsultório odontológico. Estudos mostraram que o fluxo digital possibilitou a produção de restaurações estéticas indiretas com taxa de manutenção clínica excepcional. O presente estudo tem como objetivo apresentar uma revisão de literatura acerca do tema  implante imediatoem áreaestética e em um relato de caso clínico de implante imediato e carga imediata em paciente reabilitado pelo fluxo digital com o sistema CEREC CAD/CAM.
Percepção dos cuidadores de idosos sobre cuidados paliativos
Authors: Oliveira Francisco Dimas Rodrigues , Santos Saulo Barreto Cunha dos , Araújo Elisângela de Jesus Macêdo , Pereira Luiz Cláudio Ribeiro , Sousa Maria Isadora Ripardo de , Lopes Ângela Maria Liberato Araújo , Sousa Janaina Bábyla Sampaio de , Oliveira Olinda Thiscyara Pessoa
Published: September 2024

O cuidado paliativo é definido como um método em que o paciente e seus familiares recebem uma melhora na qualidade de vida, mesmo após a sua terminalidade. Pacientes em cuidados paliativos em domicílio, em sua maioria, recebem o apoio de um cuidador familiar, que participa de todo o processo de adoecimento e morte. Alguns desses cuidadores são analfabetos, outros não têm formação acadêmica, ou estão desempregados, mas muitos desses trabalhadores cuidam do cliente de uma forma paliativa, sem saber da importância e do processo do que seja o cuidado paliativo. O objetivo é analisar a percepção dos cuidadores de idosos sobre cuidados paliativos. A metodologia utilizada é descritiva, exploratória e de abordagem qualitativa. Foram incluídos os cuidadores de idosos cadastrados no Programa Melhor em casa disponíveis no momento da coleta e que tinham no mínimo seis meses de experiência nesse cuidado por possibilitar alguma vivência nessa prática assistencial. Como critérios de exclusão, os que apresentassem déficit cognitivo que impossibilitasse responder aos questionamentos da pesquisa. Participaram do estudo 10 cuidadores de idosos em cuidados paliativos. Nesse quantitativo, 02 acabaram recusando por motivos pessoais. A presente pesquisa assegura todos os aspectos éticos e legais da relação de envolva seres humanos, gerando dignidade e respeito moral e ético entre o pesquisador com os envolvidos no estudo. Além disso, como resultados e discussões, a presente pesquisa trouxe a caracterização sociocultural de cada cuidador, onde foram abordados os seguintes parâmetros: gênero, faixa etária, escolaridade, profissão e parentesco. Com a coleta de dados, percebeu que os fatores socioculturais influenciam diretamente na linha do cuidar do cuidador em cuidados paliativos. Também, foi abordado sobre o olhar dos cuidadores sobre cuidados paliativos; a espiritualidade no contexto desse cuidar; a relação de afeto entre o cuidador e o idoso em cuidados paliativos e os principais desafios enfrentados pelo prestador do cuidar. Desse modo, este estudo revelou a necessidade de um olhar de cuidado para além dos pacientes, mas também para os cuidadores. De forma a identificar as suas necessidades em decorrência deles se mostrarem muito vulneráveis a sobrecarga de trabalho e sofrimento, trazendo riscos à saúde física e mental.
Comparative analysis of adolescent hypertension definitions for predicting early adulthood carotid artery intima-media thickness: Tehran lipid and glucose study
Authors: Barzin Maryam , Yaghoobpoor Shirin , Mahdavi Maryam , Abiri Behnaz , Valizadeh Majid , Azizi Fereidoun , Dehghan Pooneh , Hosseinpanah Farhad
Published: September 2024

Background: Definitions of childhood and adolescent hypertension (HTN) do not precisely elucidate the relationship between HTN and cardiovascular outcomes. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), as a substitute for cardiovascular outcomes, enables the early identification of cardiovascular events throughout early adulthood.Purpose: This study aimed to compare the ability of childhood HTN definitions to predict a high CIMT in early adulthood.Methods: This prospective cohort study included 921 individuals aged 10–17 years from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. The CIMT was measured after 18 years of follow-up. Participants were categorized into normal blood pressure (BP), high-normal BP, HTN stage 1, and HTN stage 2 groups based on the childhood HTN definitions of the 4th report, European Society of Hypertension (ESH), and American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Practice Guidelines (AAP-CPG). Akaike information criterion (AIC) and relative efficiencies (RE) were calculated to compare the ability of each to predict a high CIMT (≥95th percentile) during early adulthood.Results: The highest and lowest prevalence of stage 1 HTN was observed with the AAP-CPG (17.7%) and ESH (8.8%), respectively. Similarly, the highest and lowest prevalence of stage 2 HTN was noted with the AAP-CPG (1.5%) and ESH (0.8%), respectively. According to the RE values, the highest to lowest predictive abilities belonged to the 4th report, ESH, and AAP-CPG, respectively. In all models, the 4th report’s pediatric HTN definition had the lowest AIC value and offered the best predictive ability.Conclusion: Among the various definitions of pediatric HTN, the 4th report offered the best ability to predict a high CIMT during early adulthood, followed by the ESH and AAP-CPG. Because the reference population of the 4th report includes overweight, obese, and normal- weight individuals, our findings suggest that excessive adiposity is among the main predictors of early adulthood atherosclerosis risk.
Age-Related Endothelial Dysfunction with Respect to Nitric Oxide, Endothelium-Derived Hyperpolarizing Factor and Cyclooxygenase Products
Authors: Matz RL , Schott C , Stoclet JC , Andriantsitohaina R
Published: September 2024

Vascular aging is associated with both structural and functional changes that can take place at the level of the endothelium, vascular smooth muscle cells and the extracellular matrix of blood vessels. With regard to the endothelium, reduced vasodilatation in response to agonists occurs in large conduit arteries as well as in resistance arteries with aging. Reviews concerning the different hypotheses that may account for this endothelial dysfunction have pointed out alterations in the equilibrium between endothelium-derived relaxing and constricting factors. Thus, a decreased vasorelaxation due to nitric oxide and, in some arteries, endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor as well as an increased vasoconstriction mediated by cyclooxygenase products such as thromboxane A2 are likely to occur in age-induced impairment of endothelial vasodilatation. Furthermore, enhanced oxidative stress plays a critical role in the deleterious effect of aging on the endothelium by means of nitric oxide breakdown due to reactive oxygen species. The relative contribution of the above phenomenon in age-related endothelial dysfunction is highly dependent on the species and type of vascular bed.
Catalytic Nitric Oxide Synthase Activity in the White and Gray Matter Regions of the Spinal Cord of Rabbits
Authors: Lukáčová N , Pavel J
Published: September 2024

The latest research reveals that nitric oxide as a gas messenger may diffuse into the surrounding extracellular fluid and act locally upon neighboring target cells. However, several observations raise the possibility that nitric oxide may also be released at a greater distance from the neuronal cell body. The catalytic nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) activity was therefore studied in the cervicothoracic and lumbosacral segments of the spinal cord of rabbits, including the white matter of dorsal columns (DC), lateral columns (LC) and ventral columns (VC), as well as the gray matter of dorsal horns (DH), intermediate zone (IZ) and ventral horns (VH). Lower cNOS activity was found in the white matter of both cervicothoracic (47 %) and lumbosacral (30 %) regions, whereas that detected in the gray matter of the lumbosacral part of the spinal cord was considerably higher (70 %). Enzyme activity varied from 43.4 to 77.2 dpm/µg protein in the cervicothoracic segments of the gray matter in the descending order: DH>VH>IZ. Similar cNOS activity was found in the white matter of the cervicothoracic segments (42.1-62.8 dpm/µg protein). When the activity of cNOS was compared in the lumbosacral segments, the highest enzyme activity was found in DH of the gray matter (198.7 dpm/µg protein) and the lowest cNOS in DC (45.8 dpm/µg protein) of the white matter. It was concluded that the white matter of the spinal cord contains similar cNOS activity in comparison to the gray matter.
Clinical Practice Insights for Hyperpigmentation Treatment
Authors: Barrell Amanda
Published: September 2024

Hyperpigmentation disorders, a group of common skin conditions characterised by darkened patches due to excess melanin production, affect a significant portion of the global population, with women more frequently impacted than men. They are a leading reason for dermatology visits, particularly among people with skin of colour. Risk factors include genetic predisposition, medication use, and sun exposure, with visible light (VL) playing a significant role. While not physically harmful, the conditions, which include post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), melasma, and solar lentigines (age spots) can lead to psychological distress and social stigmatisation. As such, they can have a significant impact on patients’ self-esteem and quality of life (QoL). Hyperpigmentation disorders are challenging to manage. Current treatments include over-the-counter and prescription oral and topical treatments, sunscreen, chemical peels, and laser therapy. However, all these treatments have limitations, and many are associated with side effects and complications, especially in darker skin tones. Hydroquinone, the gold standard of hyperpigmentation management for decades, for example, can cause erythema, desquamation, and a burning sensation, and longterm use of high-concentration hydroquinone can result in exogenous ochronosis. In addition, chemical peels and laser therapy can trigger both irritation and PIH. Isobutylamido-thiazolyl-resorcinol (Thiamidol), a tyrosinase inhibitor identified using recombinant human tyrosinase, is a promising addition to traditional treatments. It has shown efficacy in reducing hyperpigmentation with a good safety profile. As such, it has potential to enhance a holistic approach to hyperpigmentation disorder management. Here, Thierry Passeron, University Hospital of Nice, France; Ncoza Dlova, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; and Vasanop Vachiramon, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, talk about the evolving hyperpigmentation management landscape. They outline the impact, aetiology, pathophysiology, and current treatment approaches for hyperpigmentation disorders. They summarise the evidence base for Thiamidol and, reflecting on their own research and experience, they also explain how and why they are using the ingredient to enhance the management of hyperpigmentation in routine practice.
Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Sleep Referrals and Related Medical Conditions in a Local Chest Unit in Hong Kong
Authors: Le An Emmanuel , Yee Kwok Sang Wilson , Tseng Cee Zhung Steven , Man Wong Sze
Published: September 2024

Objective: To understand obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) epidemiology and associated comorbidities in a Chest Unit in Hong Kong, and to better understand sleep referrals to enhance screening assignment.

Design: A prospective, observational case-series study from a Chest Unit in Hong Kong.

Subjects: Patients, aged ≥17 years old or older and referred to Wong Tai Sin Hospital for polysomnography, were recruited from the 15th of September 2022–31st of January 2023.

Methods: Demographic, anthropometric, and phenotypic characteristics were collected. Questionnaires (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS], Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]) were completed and polysomnography was performed on the following night. The presence of OSA was defined as apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5 events·h -1.

Results: A total of 303 patients were recruited. The prevalence of OSA amongst the referred patients was 91%, and ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension accounted for 16.3%, 34.8%, and 63.4%, respectively. In addition, 43.4% of patients fulfilled the definition of depression according to their PHQ-9 score (≥5).

Conclusion: This observational study showed that the appropriateness of referrals for sleep tests was adequate, with 91% of patients having OSA. The majority of them are overweight or obese and presented with hypertension, diabetes, and mild depression, and excessive daytime sleepiness.
The Importance of Early Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Friedreich Ataxia
Authors: Roberts Eleanor
Published: September 2024

At the 2024 European Association of Neurology (EAN) Congress, one satellite symposium discussed the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of Friedreich ataxia (FA), the most common hereditary ataxia. This condition is characterised by progressive neurodegeneration, multisystem complications, loss of ambulation, and reductions in the ability to carry out activities of daily living (ADL). For many, there is also a premature death. FA is caused by guanine-adenine-adenine triplet (GAA) repeat expansions in the gene FXN. This codes for the protein frataxin, loss of which is associated with impaired mitochondrial function, increased sensitivity to oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species levels, increased inflammation, and cell death.

Decreased frataxin leads to the symptoms of FA, including increasing spasticity, pain, dysphagia, cardiac problems, speech impairment, pes cavus, and scoliosis. The speakers highlighted how delays in diagnosis can occur when FA is mistaken for other ataxias and they called for the use of genetic and biochemical testing early in the patient pathway. This is best accomplished by prompt referral to specialists in ataxia. Treatment and care for patients with FA, along with their families, require a multidisciplinary approach involving allied healthcare professionals, among other specialists. Effective communication and support amongst such networks is key to providing individualised treatment where a patient’s health and disease progression are regularly monitored and associated conditions are treated appropriately. Currently, the only approved FA-specific drug treatment in the EU and the USA for patients 16 years and older is omaveloxolone. Clinical trials of this drug have shown that it can provide a sustained benefit in slowing disease progression over a 3-year period in patients aged 16 years and older. This benefit is particularly evident when omaveloxolone prescription is not delayed. In the future, other pipeline drugs are expected to add to potential disease-slowing treatments for FA.
The Immune Thrombocytopenia Treatment Landscape: A Focus on Patient Perspectives and Unmet Clinical Needs
Authors: Boreham Helen
Published: September 2024

The limitations of currently available therapies for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) mean that long-term responses are difficult to maintain, and patients face a substantial quality of life (QoL) burden imposed by both the disease and its treatment. During this Sanofi industry-supported symposium, leading experts in haematology discussed the significant unmet needs that exist in ITP, and highlighted the importance of new treatment approaches on the horizon with the potential to deliver improved clinical outcomes for patients. Waleed Ghanima, Consultant Hematologist at Østfold Hospital and Professor at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway, reviewed the key clinical considerations when choosing treatment for ITP and risk factors associated with established therapies. Cindy Neunert, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Section Head of Pediatric Hematology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Manhattan, New York, USA, explored patient preferences and goals of therapy in ITP, moving beyond platelet count to address important concerns such as fatigue and cognition. David J. Kuter, Chief of Hematology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, highlighted the promise of emerging therapies on the horizon for ITP that address multiple mechanisms of disease pathology and may help to fill existing treatment gaps.
Documenting Geographically and Contextually Diverse Language Data Sources
Authors: McMillan-Major Angelina , De Toni Francesco , Alyafeai Zaid , Biderman Stella , Chen Kimbo , Dupont Gérard , Elsahar Hady , Emezue Chris , Aji Alham Fikri , Ilić Suzana , Khamis Nurulaqilla , Leong Colin , Masoud Maraim , Soroa Aitor , Ortiz Suarez Pedro , Van Strien Daniel , Talat Zeerak , Jernite Yacine
Published: September 2024

Contemporary large-scale data collection efforts have prioritized the amount of data collected to improve large language models (LLM). This quantitative approach has resulted in concerns for the rights of data subjects represented in data collections. This concern is exacerbated by a lack of documentation and analysis tools, making it difficult to interrogate these collections. Mindful of these pitfalls, we present a methodology for documentation-first, human-centered data collection. We apply this approach in an effort to train a multilingual LLM. We identify a geographically diverse set of target language groups (Arabic varieties, Basque, Chinese varieties, Catalan, English, French, Indic languages, Indonesian, Niger-Congo languages, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, as well as programming languages) for which to collect metadata on potential data sources. We structure this effort by developing an online catalogue in English as a tool for gathering metadata through public hackathons. We present our tool and analyses of the resulting resource metadata, including distributions over languages, regions, and resource types, and discuss our lessons learned.
On Huseyn Huseynzade and His Work "Bayan al-haqq"
Authors:   Azerbaijan Institute of Theology, Alibeyli Javanshir , Habibov Aslan ,   Institute of Oriental Studies named after Academician Ziya Bunyadov of ANAS
Published: September 2024

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Tsarist Russia was implementing a policy of Christianization over Muslim population in the occupied territories, forcing them to forget their national identity and language. This policy was also directed against the Muslim Turkic population of the South Caucasus. In this effort, Tsarist Russia later enlisted the support of the Armenian population, which had been settled on the Turkic, Muslim lands of the Caucasus, ancient Azerbaijan. The Armenians readily contributed to this policy. The intelligentsia and bourgeoisie of our people were aware of Tsarist Russia’s colonial policies and utilized the opportunities of the time and circumstances in their struggle. This struggle was mainly carried out in the field of education, as Tsarist Russia's colonial policy was implemented through educational means. Despite the pressure from Tsarist Russia, the national intelligentsia, with the financial support of the bourgeoisie, established schools in many parts of Azerbaijan where education was in Turkic. “Nashri Maarif” was one of such schools. Huseyn Huseynzade was one of the contributors to this institution, a scholar-educator who made significant contributions to the education of his people. Huseyn Huseynzade lived in the city of Shusha in Karabakh in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the director of one of the schools in Shusha, which operated under the society “Nashri Maarif.” The article provides information about his life and work, as well as his book “Bayan al- haqq,” which addresses responses to the treatise by the Armenian orientalist Amir Khanyans, who claimed that the Quran had been distorted.
Scientific-Theoretical and Philosophical-Methodological Foundations of the Theory of Fuzzy Sets
Authors:   Abiturient journal, Shukurov Ali Shirin
Published: September 2024

To establish the scientific-theoretical and philosophical- methodological foundations for the transition from classical set theory (Cantor set) to fuzzy set theory, the mathematical and ontological structures of the Cantor set are presented in a localized manner. This approach aligns with the research direction, incorporating philosophical reflections on the fundamental concepts of this theory, such as infinity, continuum, and the empty set. Particular emphasis is placed on infinity and infinite sets (countable and continuum), which are crucial to the development of set theory as a scientific field and have been subjects of inquiry in both scientific and philosophical cognitive processes from ancient times to the present. In addition, a relatively concise explanation of the mathematical and ontological structures of both classical set theory and fuzzy set theory is provided. Through certain epistemological and cognitive approaches, the article identifies the scientific-theoretical and philosophical-methodological bases for the emergence of fuzzy set theory, framed within the context of the scientific-philosophical reflections on classical set theory and its core concepts.
Gibran Khalil Gibran's Views on Religion
Authors:   Baku State University, Aghabayova Ulviyya
Published: September 2024

The great poet Gibran Khalil Gibran, who made the Arab culture recognizable in the United States of America, succeeded in endearing his works to European readers. He gathered many Arab intellectuals around the Pen League, which he created in the United States, and together they promoted the cultural heritage of the Arab world and Eastern spirituality. The work of Gibran Khalil was greatly influenced by the Bible and the Quran. It is possible to find different styles in his works – the Bible and the modernity, Eastern and Western culture. Gibran Khalil, a great Christian thinker, developed both Arab and Western cultural values and tried to synthesize them. In his works, Gibran Khalil Gibran spoke about religious matters as well, and even though Gibran was a Christian, he had great sympathy for the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH), and did not discriminate between religions. He was influenced by members of different religions and showed tolerance in his creativity. At the same time, he opposed superstition in religion and criticized Church doctrines that stifled women's rights. Gibran Khalil blamed many mistakes not on religion itself, but on cruel laws adopted by the clergy. The thinker sometimes aligned with pantheism in his thoughts, viewing a human as a part of God. Gibran Khalil Gibran believed that human is a perfect in creation. Therefore, justice must prevail among the humans who are part of God and in society on the same level.
O CONTINENTE DE PONTA-CABEÇA
Authors: Oliveira Emerson Dionisio Gomes de
Published: September 2024

The ambitions of the 1st Ceará América Biennial, which opened in December 2002, were not small: to invert the logic of North-South subordination within the continent; to found an international event in a geography far from the major centers of the art system; to combat the pejorative regionalist sense associated with Latin American production; to expand local cultural spaces and broaden the audience attentive to contemporary art. The biennial was dedicated to the production of the "three Americas", under the sign of the American post-9/11 era and a new chapter in global imperialism. This text discusses the curatorial project, the discourses outlined by the contrast between the coast and the interior, seeking to make distinct temporalities explicit from the city's geography. To improve our analysis, we have chosen to present the context of the event, its reception by national critics and the political and economic conditions for the show not to go ahead.
Exploring the effect of lifestyle behaviors and socioeconomic status on atrial fibrillation: the mediating role of 91 inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Liu Yiheng , Huang Mingsheng , Sun Yue , Dai Weiran
Published: September 2024

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmias and has a significant economic and social burden. Whether it is associated with lifestyle behaviors and socioeconomic status is currently poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the relationship among these factors and determine the role of inflammatory cytokines.

Method

We investigated the causal effects of lifestyle behaviors and socioeconomic status on AF using bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). Instrumental variables were obtained from a publicly available genome-wide association study. A two-step MR was conducted to determine the mediating role of 91 inflammatory cytokines. Inverse variance weighted was used as the main method with four supplementary MR methods. To obtain more robust results, several sensitivity analyses were conducted.

Result

The results indicated that seven of the lifestyle behaviors [smoking initiation, vegetable intake, coffee consumption (cups/day), dozing, lifetime smoking index, napping, and alcohol abuse] were potential risk factors for AF. One socioeconomic status, education attainment (years of education), was causally associated with a decreased risk of AF. Moreover, we found that thymic stromal lymphopoietin, CD40l receptor, C-X-C motif chemokine 6, and C-X-C motif chemokine 11 levels mediated the causal effect, at proportions of 13.6%, 4.1%, 4.3%, and 6.9%, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings provide insight into the relationship between lifestyle behaviors, socioeconomic status, and AF. Inflammatory cytokines are potential mediators of this relationship.
A comprehensive analysis of the role of native and modified HDL in ER stress in primary macrophages
Authors: Bobek Jordan M. , Stuttgen Gage M. , Sahoo Daisy
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Recent findings demonstrate that high density lipoprotein (HDL) function rather than HDL-cholesterol levels themselves may be a better indicator of cardiovascular disease risk. One mechanism by which HDL can become dysfunctional is through oxidative modification by reactive aldehydes. Previous studies from our group demonstrated that HDL modified by reactive aldehydes alters select cardioprotective functions of HDL in macrophages. To identify mechanisms by which dysfunctional HDL contributes to atherosclerosis progression, we designed experiments to test the hypothesis that HDL modified by reactive aldehydes triggers endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in primary murine macrophages.

Methods and results

Peritoneal macrophages were harvested from wild-type C57BL/6J mice and treated with thapsigargin, oxLDL, and/or HDL for up to 48 hours. Immunoblot analysis and semi-quantitative PCR were used to measure expression of BiP, p-eIF2α, ATF6, and XBP1 to assess activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). Through an extensive set of comprehensive experiments, and contrary to some published studies, our findings led us to three novel discoveries in primary murine macrophages: (i) oxLDL alone was unable to induce ER stress; (ii) co-incubation with oxLDL or HDL in the presence of thapsigargin had an additive effect in which expression of ER stress markers were significantly increased and prolonged as compared to cells treated with thapsigargin alone; and (iii) HDL, in the presence or absence of reactive aldehydes, was unable blunt the ER stress induced by thapsigargin in the presence or absence of oxLDL.

Conclusions

Our systematic approach to assess the role of native and modified HDL in mediating primary macrophage ER stress led to the discovery that lipoproteins on their own require the presence of thapsigargin to synergistically increase expression of ER stress markers. We further demonstrated that HDL, in the presence or absence of reactive aldehydes, was unable to blunt the ER stress induced by thapsigargin in the presence or absence of oxLDL. Together, our findings suggest the need for more detailed investigations to better understand the role of native and modified lipoproteins in mediating ER stress pathways.
A case report of Cogan's syndrome with recurrent coronary stenosis
Authors: Na Gao , Nan Zhang , Jingjing Meng , Lili Pan
Published: September 2024

Cogan's syndrome (CS) is recognized as a form of variable vasculitis. This report presents the case of a middle-aged woman experiencing recurrent coronary artery stenosis, accompanied by a history of non-syphilis keratitis, vestibular auditory symptoms, and venous thrombosis. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography revealed an elevated uptake of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the subclavian artery, common carotid artery, aortic arch, and thoracic aorta. A diagnosis of Cogan's syndrome was made. The aim of this study was to increase clinicians’ awareness of the vascular manifestations in CS and to emphasize the importance of thorough history taking. CS should be included in the differential diagnosis when patients present with recurrent coronary artery stenosis.
Barium cycling in the Gulf of Aqaba
Authors: Mayfield Kimberley K. , Horner Tristan J. , Torfstein Adi , Auro Maureen E. , Crockford Peter W. , Paytan Adina
Published: September 2024

The isotopic composition of barium (δ138Ba) has emerged as a powerful tracer of deep-ocean circulation, water mass provenance, and the oceanic Ba cycle. Although the δ138Ba of water masses is primarily controlled by the balance between pelagic barite precipitation and Ba resupply from ocean circulation, questions remain regarding the isotopic offset associated with pelagic barite formation and how the resultant Ba isotope compositions are transmitted through the water column to marine sediments. To address these questions, we conducted a time series study of dissolved, particulate, and sedimentary Ba chemistry in the Gulf of Aqaba (GOA), in the northern Red Sea, from January 2015 to April 2016. These data span significant seasonal changes in hydrography, primary productivity, and aerosol deposition, revealing three principal findings. First, the dissolved Ba chemistry of the GOA is vertically uniform across the time series, largely reflecting water mass advection from the Red Sea, with mean dissolved Ba concentrations of 47.9 ± 4.7 nmol kg−1 and mean δ138Ba = +0.55‰ ± 0.07‰ (±2 SD, n = 18). Second, despite significant variations in particulate matter composition and flux, the δ138Ba of sinking particulate Ba maintained a consistent isotope composition across different depths and over time at +0.09‰ ± 0.06‰ (n = 26). Consequently, these data imply a consistent Ba isotope offset of −0.46‰ ± 0.10‰ (±2 SD) between sinking particulates and seawater. This offset is similar to those determined in previous studies and indicates that it applies to particulates formed across diverse environmental conditions. Third, barite-containing sediment samples deposited in the GOA exhibit δ138Ba = +0.34‰ ± 0.03‰, which is offset by approximately +0.2‰ relative to sinking particles. While the specific mechanism driving this offset remains unresolved, our results highlight the importance of performing site-specific proxy validations and exercising careful site selection when applying novel paleoceanographic proxies.
Echotexture of recurrent laryngeal nerves: the depiction of recurrent laryngeal nerves at high-frequency ultrasound during radical thyroidectomy
Authors: Hu Ziyue , Lu Man , Jiang Zirui , Wang Xu , Yang Wei , Fan Yuting , Li Tingting , Wang Lu , Wei Ting , Dai Quan
Published: September 2024

Introduction

To investigate the ultrasound characteristics of recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLNs) during radical surgery for thyroid cancer and to enhance the understanding of RLN ultrasound features.

Methods

From October 2021 to December 2022, a prospective study was conducted involving 24 patients scheduled for bilateral thyroid surgery. Near the conclusion of the surgery, intraoperative ultrasonography of the RLN within the tracheoesophageal groove was performed using a 15-7 MHz transducer. The thickness and width of the RLN were measured during the procedure.

Results

The internal architecture of the RLN was observed to consist of multiple hypoechoic, parallel, but discontinuous linear hyperechoic areas separated by bands. In the normal RLN group, the diameter of the RLN was relatively consistent, with thickness ranging from 2.20 to 2.71 mm (mean: 2.48 ± 0.14 mm) and width from 1.25 to 1.70 mm (mean: 1.45 ± 0.11 mm). Both weight and the body mass index (BMI) showed a statistically significant correlation with RLN thickness (Weight: r=0.544, P=0.001; BMI: r=0.605, P=0.001). The BMI also showed a statistically significant correlation with the RLN width (r=0.377, P=0.033). In the RLN invasion group, the width of invaded RLNs ranged from 1.9 to 2.3 mm (mean: 2.10 ± 0.11 mm), while the width of non-invaded RLNs ranged from 2.6 to 3.2 mm (mean: 2.93 ± 0.20 mm).

Conclusions

Ultrasound effectively reveals the structural features of the RLN and enhances sonographers’ understanding of RLN characteristics.
Testing the environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis at the sector level: Evidence from PNARDL for OECD countries
Authors: Muratoğlu Yusuf , Songur Mehmet , Uğurlu Erginbay , Şanlı Devran
Published: September 2024

Since the contribution of economic sectors to GDP is heterogeneous, they also contribute differently to CO2 emissions and environmental degradation. In this regard, it is crucial to examine the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis at the sectoral level. Nevertheless, despite the extensive research conducted on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, significant gaps remain in the existing literature, particularly at the sectoral level. This study makes a novel contribution to the existing literature on the environmental EKC hypothesis by examining its validity across four distinct sectors: agriculture, industry, manufacturing, and services. Additionally, it makes a second contribution to the literature by examining the effect of energy consumption on CO2 asymmetrically, employing a novel panel non-linear ARDL (PNARDL) method. The study employs annual data from 38 OECD countries, spanning the period from 1990 to 2022. The findings demonstrate that the EKC hypothesis is valid for sectors other than the industrial sector and for the economy as a whole. The turning point of the Kuznets Curve for the total economy is estimated as $29250 GDP per capita. The PNARDL model’s error correction term (ect) is negative and significant. However, the magnitude of the term suggests that the system will return to long-term equilibrium after approximately 2.87 years following any shock. Asymmetric effects are valid for four sectors. Moreover, the empirical results clearly show that energy consumption has asymmetric effects on emissions in both the long and short run. Positive and negative shocks in energy consumption increase CO2 emissions in OECD economies in the long run. It has been determined that agriculture is the sector that causes the most environmental degradation by increasing CO2 emissions. This situation highlights the limited availability of productive capital equipment and renewable sources in the agricultural sector, even in OECD countries. As a result, the findings show that there is a different relationship between each sector’s GDP and CO2 emissions. It is important for policymakers to formulate sector-specific policies to reduce CO2 emissions while fostering GDP growth.
Environmental health and justice screening tools: a critical examination and path forward
Authors: Osakwe Nnamdi C. , Motsinger-Reif Alison A. , Reif David M.
Published: September 2024

This manuscript critically examines the landscape of public-facing web-based environmental health (EH) and environmental justice (EJ) screening tools aimed at mitigating environmental health crises that are involved in a substantial percentage of deaths globally. These EJ/EH screening tools have proliferated with the growth of publicly available data sources and computational advances that have fueled novel analytics and have made strides toward democratizing access to EJ/EH information impacting communities. The interactive, highly visual analytics offered by some of these EJ/EH screening tools could help address the role of environmental injustice in exacerbating environmental health-related causes of mortality and enable affected communities to take a more active role in EJ/EH efforts. Environmental injustice results from environmental conditions that affect communities differently based on residents’ race, income level, national origin, and level of participation in decision-making processes. We survey existing EJ/EH screening tools and evaluate selected examples based on parameters that include data availability, characterization of environmental burden and vulnerability, evaluation of stressor levels, and interpretability of environmental health and justice scores. This review highlights the unique capabilities and limitations of EJ/EH screening tools used at the local (US-Centric), national (US-Centric), and international levels. We then discuss unmet needs and thematic limitations apparent in this survey, related to data availability, relevancy of stressors, assignment of indicator weights, threshold values for action and intervention, modeling robustness, and appropriate community focus. The results underline the need for robust, accessible, and community-centric EJ/EH screening tools that can effectively address the unique environmental health burdens and vulnerabilities faced by communities. We conclude with proposed strategies to enhance EJ/EH screening tool development.
Amphibian diversity across an urban gradient in southern South America
Authors: Demartín Rocio Pamela , Ghirardi Romina , López Javier Alejandro
Published: September 2024

Habitat alteration is recognized as one of the most important drivers of biodiversity decline. Urbanization implies a major habitat alteration and its impact on biodiversity depends on type and degrees of habitat modifications. Growing cities generate great heterogeneity with respect to the uses of space that enable the preservation of a certain diversity of amphibians within the urban frame. Our objective is to understand how environments with different levels of urbanization influence local amphibian diversity. We grouped various urban green spaces of a medium-sized and growing city of Argentina in relation to natural and anthropic environmental variables which allows us to describe an urban environmental gradient and we calculate beta diversity among these groups of urban environments considering the richness, composition and abundance of amphibian at each sites’ group. From this, we analyze and tested the differences in the functional diversity of amphibians in the defined urban environmental gradient. We hypothesize that: (i) the described spatial heterogeneity would be related to an elevated beta diversity of amphibians within the urban frame; and (ii) the analysis of functional diversity would reveal a stronger biotic or abiotic filtering of the focal community. We found that groups of urban environments with an intermediate degree of urbanization can present a greater functional diversity and species richness than those that are less urbanized. We identified urban avoiders (T. typhonius, P. santafecinus and P. biligonigerus) and urban tolerant species (E. bicolor, R. arenarum, R. dorbignyi, L. macrosternum, L. latinasus, P. albonotatus, D. nanus and S. nasicus). The replacement beta diversity recorded indicated that the species assemblage changes throughout urban environmental gradient, but functionally similar species thrive in the less to the most urbanized sites, allowing them to occupy the entire functional space of the groups of urban environments with different types and degrees of urbanization.
The 4Fs of cotton: genome editing of cotton for fiber, food, feed, and fuel to achieve zero hunger
Authors: Saleem Muhammad Sulyman , Khan Sultan Habibullah , Ahmad Aftab , Rana Iqrar Ahmad , Naveed Zunaira Afzal , Khan Azeem Iqbal
Published: September 2024

Cotton is globally known for its high-priority cellulose-rich natural fiber. In addition to providing fiber for the textile industry, it is an important source material for edible oil, livestock feed, and fuel products. Global warming and the growing population are the major challenges to the world’s agriculture and the potential risks to food security. In this context, improving output traits in cotton is necessary to achieve sustainable cotton production. During the last few years, high throughput omics techniques have aided in identifying crucial genes associated with traits of cotton fiber, seed, and plant architecture which could be targeted with more precision and efficiency through the CIRPSR/Cas-mediated genome editing technique. The various CRISPR/Cas systems such as CRISPR/Cas9, CRISPR/nCas9, and CRISPR/Cas12a have been employed to edit cotton genes associated with a wide range of traits including fiber length, flowering, leaf colour, rooting, seed oil, plant architecture, gossypol content, somatic embryogenesis, and biotic and abiotic stresses tolerance, highlighting its effectiveness in editing the cotton genome. Thus, CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing has emerged as a technique of choice to tailor crop phenotypes for better yield potential and environmental resilience. The review covers a comprehensive analysis of cotton phenotypic traits and their improvement with the help of the latest genome editing tools to improve fiber, food, feed, and fuel-associated genes of cotton to ensure food security.
Mouse monocytes express CD127 by immune cells, not LPS
Authors: Yazdani Reza , Askari Mozhde , Ahmadi Amir Moghadam , Azizi Gholamreza , Ciric Bogoljub , Boehm Alexandra , Zhang Guang-Xian , Rostami Abdolmohamad
Published: September 2024

The essential role of interleukin 7 (IL-7) signaling via its receptor (IL-7Rα; CD127) in T cell development and function has been well documented. However, CD127 expression and function in myeloid cells, including monocytes, are less clear, especially in mice. In the present study we report an inducible CD127 expression in mouse monocytes/macrophages. This induction is dependent on the presence of other immune cells, highlighting that regulation of CD127 expression on monocytes differs in mice and humans. We demonstrate that CD127 is functional, as IL-7 downregulated its expression. We also saw decreased CD127 expression during inflammation in vivo. Overall, upregulation of CD127 expression in vitro and its downregulation in vivo confirm that CD127 is an inducible marker on mouse monocyte/macrophage cells, in contrast to findings recently published by others. Characterizing the role of CD127 signaling in myeloid cells in inflammatory disorders would be worthwhile in future study.
Impact of aging on the frequency, phenotype, and function of CD4+ T cells in the human female reproductive tract
Authors: Shen Zheng , vom Steeg Landon G. , Patel Mickey V. , Rodriguez-Garcia Marta , Wira Charles R.
Published: September 2024

Since CD4+ T cells are essential for regulating adaptive immune responses and for long lasting mucosal protection, changes in CD4+ T cell numbers and function are likely to affect protective immunity. What remains unclear is whether CD4+ T cell composition and function in the female reproductive tract (FRT) changes as women age. Here we investigated the changes in the composition and function of CD4+ T cells in the endometrium (EM), endocervix (CX), and ectocervix (ECX) with aging. We observed a significant decrease in both the total number and percentage of CD4+ T cells in the EM with increasing age, particularly in the years following menopause. CD4+ T cells within the FRT predominantly expressed CD69. The proportion of CD69+CD4+ T cells increased significantly with increasing age in the EM, CX and ECX. The composition of T helper cell subsets within the EM CD4+ T cell population also showed age-related changes. Specifically, there was a significant increase in the proportion of Th1 cells and a significant decrease in Th17 and Treg cells with increasing age. Furthermore, the production of IFNγ by CD4+ T cells in the EM, CX, and ECX significantly decreased with increasing age upon activation. Our findings highlight the complex changes occurring in CD4+ T cell frequency, phenotype, and function within the FRT as women age. Understanding these age-related immune changes in the FRT is crucial for enhancing our knowledge of reproductive health and immune responses in women.
A multimodal approach identifies lactate as a central feature of right ventricular failure that is detectable in human plasma
Authors: Hemnes Anna , Fortune Niki , Simon Katie , Trenary Irina A. , Shay Sheila , Austin Eric , Young Jamey D. , Britain Evan , West James , Talati Megha
Published: September 2024

Background

In PAH metabolic abnormalities in multiple pathways are well-recognized features of right ventricular dysfunction, however, prior work has focused mainly on the use of a single “omic” modality to describe a single deranged pathway. We integrated metabolomic and epigenomic data using transcriptomics in failing and non-failing RVs from a rodent model to provide novel mechanistic insight and translated these findings to accessible human specimens by correlation with plasma from PAH patients.

Methods

Study was conducted in a doxycycline-inducible BMPR2 mutant mouse model of RV failure. Plasma was collected from controls and PAH patients. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were done on mouse RV tissue and human plasma. For mouse RV, we layered metabolomic and transcriptomic data for multiple metabolic pathways and compared our findings with metabolomic and transcriptomic data obtained for human plasma. We confirmed our key findings in cultured cardiomyocyte cells with BMPR2 mutation.

Results

In failing mouse RVs, (1) in the glycolysis pathway, glucose is converted to lactate via aerobic glycolysis, but may also be utilized for glycogen, fatty acid, and nucleic acid synthesis, (2) in the fatty acid pathway, FAs are accumulated in the cytoplasm because the transfer of FAs to mitochondria is reduced, however, the ß-oxidation pathway is likely to be functional. (3) the TCA cycle is altered at multiple checkpoints and accumulates citrate, and the glutaminolysis pathway is not activated. In PAH patients, plasma metabolic and transcriptomic data indicated that unlike in the failing BMPR2 mutant RV, expression of genes and metabolites measured for the glycolysis pathway, FA pathway, TCA cycle, and glutaminolysis pathway were increased. Lactate was the only metabolite that was increased both in RV and circulation. We confirmed using a stable isotope of lactate that cultured cardiomyocytes with mutant BMPR2 show a modest increase in endogenous lactate, suggesting a possibility of an increase in lactate production by cardiomyocytes in failing BMPR2 mutant RV.

Conclusion

In the failing RV with mutant BMPR2, lactate is produced by RV cardiomyocytes and may be secreted out, thereby increasing lactate in circulation. Lactate can potentially serve as a marker of RV dysfunction in PAH, which warrants investigation.