bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of antecedent statin use on 30-day, 60-day and 90-day mortality among Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries diagnosed with COVID-19
Authors: Rong Yiran , Goswami Swarnali , Eriakha Omokhodion , Ramachandran Sujith , Bentley John , Banahan Benjamin F , Kirby Terri , Smith Dennis , Pittman Eric , Bhattacharya Kaustuv
Published: November 2023

Objective

To assess if the antecedent statin use was associated with all-cause death among COVID-19 patients enrolled in Medicaid.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

Mississippi Medicaid population.

Participants

This study included 10 792 Mississippi Medicaid-enrolled patients between 18 and 64 years of age with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis from March 2020 to June 2021.

Intervention

Antecedent statin use, which was determined by a record of statin prescription in the 90-day period prior to the COVID diagnosis.

Main outcome measures

The outcomes of interest included mortality from all cause within 30 days, 60 days and 90 days after index.

Results

A total of 10 792 patients with COVID-19 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, with 13.1% of them being antecedent statin users. Statin users were matched 1:1 with non-users based on age, sex, race, comorbidities and medication use by propensity score matching. In total, the matched cohort consisted of 1107 beneficiaries in each group. Multivariable logistic regression showed that statin users were less likely to die within 30 days (adjusted OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32 to 0.83), 60 days (OR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.85) and 90 days (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.82) after diagnosis of COVID-19. Those with low-intensity/moderate-intensity statin use had significantly lower mortality risk in the 60-day and the 90-day follow-up period, while the high intensity of statin use was only found to be significantly associated with a lower odd of mortality within 30 days post index.

Conclusion

After COVID infection, Medicaid beneficiaries who had taken statins antecedently could be at lower risk for death. For patients with chronic conditions, continuity of care is crucial when interruptions occur in their medical care. Further research is required to further investigate the potential mechanisms and optimal use of statins in COVID-19 treatment.
Angiotensin II in liver transplantation (AngLT-1): protocol of a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Bokoch Michael P , Tran Amy T , Brinson Erika L , Marcus Sivan G , Reddy Meghana , Sun Elizabeth , Roll Garrett R , Pardo Manuel , Fields Scott , Adelmann Dieter , Kothari Rishi P , Legrand Matthieu
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Catecholamine vasopressors such as norepinephrine are the standard drugs used to maintain mean arterial pressure during liver transplantation. At high doses, catecholamines may impair organ perfusion. Angiotensin II is a peptide vasoconstrictor that may improve renal perfusion pressure and glomerular filtration rate, a haemodynamic profile that could reduce acute kidney injury. Angiotensin II is approved for vasodilatory shock but has not been rigorously evaluated for treatment of hypotension during liver transplantation. The objective is to assess the efficacy of angiotensin II as a second-line vasopressor infusion during liver transplantation. This trial will establish the efficacy of angiotensin II in decreasing the dose of norepinephrine to maintain adequate blood pressure. Completion of this study will allow design of a follow-up, multicentre trial powered to detect a reduction of organ injury in liver transplantation.

Methods and analysis

This is a double-blind, randomised clinical trial. Eligible subjects are adults with a Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Sodium Score ≥25 undergoing deceased donor liver transplantation. Subjects are randomised 1:1 to receive angiotensin II or saline placebo as the second-line vasopressor infusion. The study drug infusion is initiated on reaching a norepinephrine dose of 0.05 µg kg-1min-1and titrated per protocol. The primary outcome is the dose of norepinephrine required to maintain a mean arterial pressure ≥65 mm Hg. Secondary outcomes include vasopressin or epinephrine requirement and duration of hypotension. Safety outcomes include incidence of thromboembolism within 48 hours of the end of surgery and severe hypertension. An intention-to-treat analysis will be performed for all randomised subjects receiving the study drug. The total dose of norepinephrine will be compared between the two arms by a one-tailed Mann-Whitney U test.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial protocol was approved by the local Institutional Review Board (#20–30948). Results will be posted on ClinicalTrials.gov and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.govNCT04901169
Improving the longevity of intravenous cannulas in sick neonates admitted to NICU in a tertiary care centre: a quality improvement project
Authors: Vadapalli Sailusha , Valvi Chhaya , Nagpal Rema S , Dawre Rahul M , Kinikar Aarti A
Published: November 2023

Background

Neonatal intravenous cannulation, especially in preterms, is more challenging than in children or adults. Placement of an intravenous cannula is painful and many cannulas need frequent changing due to complications. Each attempt at cannulation creates an entry for skin flora to cause systemic bacteraemia. This study was undertaken at a level III NICU. The team attempted to prolong the existing cannula longevity to reduce the frequency of intravenous cannulation thereby reducing handling and pain.

Objectives

To improve the longevity of peripherally inserted intravenous cannula in sick neonates in NICU from the current 25.7 hours to 36 hours or more, over a span of 6 weeks.

Materials and methods

The quality improvement (QI) team comprised resident doctors and staff nurses. A fishbone analysis was used to identify factors that affected the longevity of intravenous cannulas. Five WHYs technique was used to identify the cause behind early cannula removal. Both techniques identified the fixation technique used at the study centre for target intervention. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were planned to explore different fixation techniques to improve cannula longevity. The unpaired t-test and the χ2tests were applied to analyse statistical significance.

Results

We achieved significant improvement in cannula longevity from 25.7 hours to 39.6 hours just by improving the fixation technique over 6 weeks with a p=0.0006.

Conclusions

The QI study was successful and is adopted for routine practice. Such initiatives would greatly impact babies in low-resource settings and in transit.
Interactional behaviour of analgesic drugs in aqueous solution of caffeine at different temperatures using multi-technique approach
Authors: Beri Aashima , Kant Rishi , Banipal T.S.
Published: November 2023

Drug combination therapies have been a promising strategy to overcome drug resistance. However, unexpected drug–drug interaction may cause adverse reactions, which puts patients in danger. Keeping this in mind, the interactions between pain killers, paracetamol (PCM), and ibuprofen sodium with caffeine (CAF) have been studied. Apparent molar volumes ( V2,ϕ) and apparent molar isentropic compression ( Ks,2,ϕ) for analgesic drugs in aqueous (1, 2, 5, and 10 mmol·kg−1) CAF solutions have been determined from measured densities, ρ, and speeds of sound, u, respectively, at T = 288.15–318.15 K and at pressure p = 101.3 kPa. The results have also been interpreted in terms of various interactions occurring in the mixed solution. Calorimetrically determined negative values of ΔtrΔdil H0 indicate the exothermicity and thus the occurrence of energetically more favorable process. The hyperchromic shift (UV absorption) in the spectra of PCM in aqueous solution of CAF suggests the dominance of solute–cosolute interactions through the hydrophobic–hydrophobic/hydrophilic groups (1H NMR) of PCM + CAF system.
Investigating the expression of fertility-regulating LncRNAs in multiparous and uniparous Shal ewe's ovaries
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Shahram , Masoudi Ali Akbar
Published: November 2023

Sheep is the primary source of animal protein in Iran. Birth type is one of the significant features that determine total meat output. Little is known about how long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) affect litter size. The purpose of this research is to investigate the DE–LncRNAs in ovarian tissue between multiparous and uniparous Shal ewes. Through bioinformatics analyses, LncRNAs with variable expression levels between ewes were discovered. Target genes were annotated using the DAVID database, and STRING and Cytoscape software were used to evaluate their interactions. The expression levels of 148 LncRNAs were different in the multiparous and uniparous ewe groups (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05). Eight biological process terms, nine cellular component terms, 10 molecular function terms, and 38 KEGG pathways were significant (FDR < 0.05) in the GO analysis. One of the most significant processes impacting fertility is mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, followed by oocyte meiosis, gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling pathway, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, oxytocin signaling pathway, and cAMP signaling pathway. ENSOARG00000025710, ENSOARG00000025667, ENSOARG00000026034, and ENSOARG00000026632 are LncRNAs that may affect litter size and fertility. The most crucial hub genes include MAPK1, BRD2, GAK, RAP1B, FGF2, RAP1B, and RAP1B. We hope that this study will encourage researchers to further investigate the effect of LncRNAs on fertility.
Systematics of yields of strange hadrons from heavy-ion collisions around threshold energies
Authors: Piasecki K. , Piotrowski P.
Published: November 2023

The parametrizations of experimental yields of K$$^{\pm ,0}$$

±
,
0

, $$\phi $$
ϕ
and $$\Lambda +\Sigma ^0$$

Λ
+

Σ
0

are proposed as function of available energy, $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$

s
NN

, and number of participants, $$\langle A_{\textrm{part}} \rangle _{\textrm{b}}$$

⟨

A
part

⟩

b

, for $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$

s
NN

from 2.15 to 3 GeV. For all the dataset the $$\langle A_{\textrm{part}} \rangle _{\textrm{b}}$$

⟨

A
part

⟩

b

was extracted using the Glauber Monte Carlo method. The $$\alpha $$
α
exponent of yield dependency on $$\langle A_{\textrm{part}} \rangle _{\textrm{b}}$$

⟨

A
part

⟩

b

appears not to change with beam energy and is found to be 1.30 ± 0.02. Our parametrization and the predictions of public versions of RQMD.RMF, SMASH and UrQMD transport models are compared to the HADES experimental data for Ar+KCl at $$\sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}}$$

s
NN

of 2.61 GeV. The phenomenological parametrization currently offers the best overall description of these yields. Predictions are given for yields from Ag + Ag collisions at available energies of 2.41 and 2.55 GeV, analysed by HADES, Au + Au experiment at 2.16 and 2.24 GeV planned by this collaboration, some yields for STAR’s Au + Au collisions at 3 GeV, and for Au + Au collisions planned by CBM, up to 3.85 GeV.
Effect of external magnetic fields on practical quantum random number generator
Authors: Li Yuan-Hao , Fei Yang-Yang , Wang Wei-Long , Meng Xiang-Dong , Wang Hong , Duan Qian-Heng , Han Yu , Ma Zhi
Published: November 2023

Quantum random number generator (QRNG) based on the inherent randomness of fundamental quantum processes can provide provable true random numbers which play an important role in many fields. However, the security of practical QRNGs is linked to the performance of realistic devices. In particular, devices based on the Faraday effect in a QRNG system may be affected by external magnetic fields, which will inevitably open a loophole that an eavesdropper can exploit to steal the information of generated random numbers. In this work, the effects of external magnetic fields on the security of practical QRNGs are analyzed. Taking the quantum phase fluctuation based QRNG with unbalanced Michelson interferometer as an example, we experimentally demonstrate the rotation angle of the Faraday rotation mirror (FRM) is influenced by external magnetic fields. Then, we develop a theoretical model between the rotation angle deviation of FRM and conditional min-entropy. Simulation results show that the imperfect FRM leads to a reduction in the variance of measured signal and extractable randomness. Furthermore, the impacts of practical sampling device on the extractable randomness are analyzed in the presence of imperfect FRM, which indicates suitable parameters of the sampling device can improve the security of practical QRNGs. Potential countermeasures are also proposed. Our work reveals that external magnetic fields should be carefully considered in the application of practical QRNGs.
Arabian Gulf Academic Libraries’ Knowledge Representation Practices, Perspectives and Barriers
Authors: Zavalina Oksana L. , Aljalahmah Saleh H.
Published: November 2023

Knowledge representation through metadata is crucial to successful knowledge management and ensuring access. Libraries, especially those associated with universities and colleges, have been long engaged in important activities of developing, adapting, implementing, and managing descriptive and administrative metadata, bibliographic authority control, etc. A substantial amount of research exists in knowledge representation practices of libraries that operate in North America and Western Europe. However, some other regions of the world, in particular the Arabian Gulf region which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, are currently underrepresented in this research. The exploratory project presented in this paper aimed to address this gap with the goal of developing an understanding of the current state of knowledge representation (including descriptive metadata practices, identity management, use of knowledge organisation systems, and more) in academic libraries of Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, as well as plans and preparedness of these institutions and their staff for future developments in this area to facilitate discovery of resources, specifically in the aggregated digital environment. The qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of metadata managers at a representative sample of regional university libraries. The findings provide insights into this previously under-researched area and contribute to understanding of related knowledge management barriers and perspectives on a global scale. Implications for practice and research are discussed.
An Integrated Feature Extraction Based on Principal Components and Deep Auto Encoder with Extra Tree for Intrusion Detection Systems
Authors: Mallampati Seshu Bhavani , Seetha Hari
Published: November 2023

With advances in computer network technology, the Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. It goes without saying that providing security to network data is crucial. To this effect, the intrusion detection system (IDS) is vital for defending networks against cyberattacks. However, the high dimensionality of data is a significant issue that impacts categorisation accuracy. Therefore, we proposed a novel integrated feature extraction method called PC-UDAE that uses principal component analysis (PCA) and Unsupervised Deep Autoencoder (UDAE) to extract linear and nonlinear relationships. Also, to address the class imbalance, synthetic minority class samples are generated using the combination of Synthetic Minority Over Sampling Technique and Edited Nearest Neighbour (SMOTE-ENN). Finally, the extracted features are trained by using supervised machine learning models like Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting Machine (XGBM), Decision Tree (DT), Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM), Extra Tree (ET), Support Vector Machine (SVM), AdaBoost (AB), and K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) with the original imbalanced and balanced data. We analysed our suggested model using UNSW-NB 15, NSL-KDD, Ton-IoT data sets and obtained 98.85%, 99.59%, and 99.97% accuracy, respectively. Our experimental findings show that our proposed method outperformed all other competing methods.
Lie symmetry, exact solutions and conservation laws of bi-fractional Black–Scholes equation derived by the fractional G-Brownian motion
Authors: Yu Jicheng , Feng Yuqiang , Wang Xianjia
Published: November 2023

The Black–Scholes equation is an important analytical tool for option pricing in finance. This paper discusses the Lie symmetry analysis of bi-fractional Black–Scholes equation derived by the fractional G-Brownian motion. Then some exact solutions are obtained and the figures of which are presented to illustrate the characteristics with different values of the parameters. In addition, the new conservation theorem and the generalization of the Noether operators are developed to construct the conservation laws for bi-fractional Black–Scholes equation.
Communication—Capillary Effects on Metal Cation Solubility
Authors: Sieradzki Karl
Published: November 2023

The effect of capillarity on the chemical equilibrium between a dissolved metal cation and the corresponding metal oxide is determined within the framework of Gibbssian thermodynamics. We examined the equilibrium between Cr3+ and Cr2O3 and found that for 10−6 M Cr3+ in the electrolyte and a curvature of −2 × 109 m−1, the equilibrium pH is −1.8. The corresponding potential-pH diagram shows that chromium passivates in strong acids. This analysis potentially resolves a long-standing issue in corrosion science.
An Improved Hashing Approach for Biological Sequence to Solve Exact Pattern Matching Problems
Authors: Mahmud Prince , Rahman Anisur , Hasan Talukder Kamrul
Published: November 2023

Pattern matching algorithms have gained a lot of importance in computer science, primarily because they are used in various domains such as computational biology, video retrieval, intrusion detection systems, and fraud detection. Finding one or more patterns in a given text is known as pattern matching. Two important things that are used to judge how well exact pattern matching algorithms work are the total number of attempts and the character comparisons that are made during the matching process. The primary focus of our proposed method is reducing the size of both components wherever possible. Despite sprinting, hash-based pattern matching algorithms may have hash collisions. The Efficient Hashing Method (EHM) algorithm is improved in this research. Despite the EHM algorithm’s effectiveness, it takes a lot of time in the preprocessing phase, and some hash collisions are generated. A novel hashing method has been proposed, which has reduced the preprocessing time and hash collision of the EHM algorithm. We devised the Hashing Approach for Pattern Matching (HAPM) algorithm by taking the best parts of the EHM and Quick Search (QS) algorithms and adding a way to avoid hash collisions. The preprocessing step of this algorithm combines the bad character table from the QS algorithm, the hashing strategy from the EHM algorithm, and the collision-reducing mechanism. To analyze the performance of our HAPM algorithm, we have used three types of datasets: E. coli, DNA sequences, and protein sequences. We looked at six algorithms discussed in the literature and compared our proposed method. The Hash-q with Unique FNG (HqUF) algorithm was only compared with E. coli and DNA datasets because it creates unique bits for DNA sequences. Our proposed HAPM algorithm also overcomes the problems of the HqUF algorithm. The new method beats older ones regarding average runtime, number of attempts, and character comparisons for long and short text patterns, though it did worse on some short patterns.
An Innovation Ecosystem Game Study: The Role of Noncontractual Mechanisms
Authors: Gao Ying , Zhu Zihan , Shi Fulei
Published: November 2023

Innovation ecosystem management is now a new paradigm in innovation management research. Innovation ecosystems are dynamic innovation alliances based on noncontractual governance. In this paper, a traditional cooperative innovation game model and a cooperative innovation game model with noncontractual mechanism are developed and compared. The results show that the cooperation formed only by contractual mechanisms’ model is unstable and the system is likely to collapse. The noncontractual mechanism can be used as a supplement to the contractual mechanism to make the game develop towards a stable “cooperation-cooperation” state. The research conclusion of this paper will make the core companies in the innovation ecosystem realize the important role of noncontractual mechanism and help them make decisions.
On a Coupled Time-Varying Beverton–Holt Model with Two Habitats Subject to Harvesting, Repopulation, and Mixed Migratory Flows of Populations
Authors: De la Sen Manuel , Alonso-Quesada Santiago , Ibeas Asier , Garrido Aitor J.
Published: November 2023

Two time-varying Beverton–Holt models are investigated in which the population of the same species evolves jointly in two coupled habitats which can be subject to population exchanges. Both habitats can have different parameterizations concerning their intrinsic growth rates and their environment carrying capacities due to different environmental conditions. Mutual fluxes of populations in-between both habitats are possible together with harvesting actions. In one of the models harvesting acts on juvenile individuals. In the other proposed model, harvesting takes place on the adult populations after the reproduction cycle they have performed has ended. The second investigated model, contrarily to the first one, relies on an “a posteriori” harvesting action to the reproductive stage which is able to modify the stocks of population. The considered harvesting can also be negative to describe repopulation actions. The equilibrium points in steady-state and their stability properties as well as the extinction conditions and the boundedness, oscillation issues, and positivity of the solutions are also investigated.
Research Progress on the Mechanism and Management of Septic Cardiomyopathy: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Pei Xue-Bin , Liu Bo
Published: November 2023

Sepsis is defined as a kind of life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host immune response to infection and is a leading cause of mortality in the intensive care unit. Sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction, also called septic cardiomyopathy, is a common and serious complication in patients with sepsis, which may indicate a bad prognosis. Although efforts have been made to uncover the pathophysiology of septic cardiomyopathy, a number of uncertainties remain. This article sought to review available literature to summarize the existing knowledge on current diagnostic tools and biomarkers, pathogenesis, and treatments for septic cardiomyopathy.
A Phase I Study of the CDK4/6 Inhibitor Palbociclib in Combination with Cetuximab and Radiotherapy for Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Ngamphaiboon Nuttapong , Pattaranutaporn Poompis , Lukerak Somthawin , Siripoon Teerada , Jinawath Artit , Arsa Lalida , Shantavasinkul Prapimporn Ch. , Taonam Naphat , Trachu Narumol , Jinawath Natini , Kositwattanarerk Arpakorn , Sananmuang Thiparom , Jiarpinitnun Chuleeporn
Published: November 2023

Purpose:

Palbociclib, a cyclin D kinase 4 (CDK4)/6 inhibitor, has shown radiosensitizing effects in preclinical studies. There is a strong rationale for adding palbociclib to cetuximab and radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC), especially in p16-negative HNSCC.

Patients and Methods:

We conducted a phase I dose-escalation study (NCT03024489) using a classical 3+3 design to determine safety, tolerability, and MTD of palbociclib, cetuximab, and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combination. At the recommended phase II dose (RP2D), additional p16-negative patients were enrolled.

Results:

Twenty-seven patients with LA-HNSCC (13 in dose escalation, 14 in expansion) with oropharyngeal (41%) and hypopharyngeal (30%) cancers were enrolled. The MTD was not reached, and the RP2D of palbociclib was established at the full standard palbociclib dose of 125 mg/day for 21 days per cycle, administered for two cycles during IMRT. The most common grade 3–4 toxicities were mucositis (59%), radiation dermatitis (22%), and neutropenia (22%), with a febrile neutropenia rate of 7%. Common genomic alterations included mutations in TP53 (57%), GNAQ (35%), and PIK3CA (17%), and copy-number gains in CCND1 (22%), CCND2 (9%), and EGFR (9%). Overall, p16 expression was positive in 15% of patients. No correlation was observed between p16 status, genomic alterations, and preliminary efficacy. The objective response rate was 84%. The rates for 2-year locoregional control, event-free survival, and overall survival were 73%, 48%, and 71%, respectively.

Conclusions:

The palbociclib, cetuximab, and IMRT combination was well tolerated. The RP2D was established, while no MTD was determined. The regimen demonstrated promising preliminary efficacy, suggesting further investigation is warranted in patients with cisplatin-ineligible p16/human papilloma virus–unrelated LA-HNSCC.
Exploiting Iron Metabolism as a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Glioblastoma
Authors: Nabavizadeh Ali , Bagley Stephen J.
Published: November 2023

In this CCR Translations, we discuss pharmacologic ascorbate as a novel therapeutic for glioblastoma (GBM). Aberrant iron metabolism in GBM can be assessed noninvasively by MRI and exploited to potentially improve the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy. We contextualize the study's results and discuss the next steps to further develop this paradigm.

See related article by Petronek et al., p. 283
Product Attributes of CAR T-cell Therapy Differentially Associate with Efficacy and Toxicity in Second-line Large B-cell Lymphoma (ZUMA-7)
Authors: Filosto Simone , Vardhanabhuti Saran , Canales Miguel A. , Poiré Xavier , Lekakis Lazaros J. , de Vos Sven , Portell Craig A. , Wang Zixing , To Christina , Schupp Marco , Poddar Soumya , Trinh Tan , Warren Carmen M. , Aguilar Ethan G. , Budka Justin , Cheng Paul , Chou Justin , Bot Adrian , Shen Rhine R. , Westin Jason R.
Published: November 2023

Treatment resistance and toxicities remain a risk following chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Herein, we report pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and product and apheresis attributes associated with outcomes among patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in ZUMA-7. Axi-cel peak expansion associated with clinical response and toxicity, but not response durability. In apheresis material and final product, a naive T-cell phenotype (CCR7+CD45RA+) expressing CD27 and CD28 associated with improved response durability, event-free survival, progression-free survival, and a lower number of prior therapies. This phenotype was not associated with high-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurologic events. Higher baseline and postinfusion levels of serum inflammatory markers associated with differentiated/effector products, reduced efficacy, and increased CRS and neurologic events, thus suggesting targets for intervention. These data support better outcomes with earlier CAR T-cell intervention and may improve patient care by informing on predictive biomarkers and development of next-generation products.

Significance:

In ZUMA-7, the largest randomized CAR T-cell trial in LBCL, a naive T-cell product phenotype (CCR7+CD45RA+) expressing CD27 and CD28 associated with improved efficacy, decreased toxicity, and a lower number of prior therapies, supporting earlier intervention with CAR T-cell therapy. In addition, targets for improvement of therapeutic index are proposed.

This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 4
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I Enhances Preeclampsia Prediction Beyond Maternal Factors and the sFlt-1/PlGF Ratio
Authors: Bacmeister Lucas , Goßling Alina , Buellesbach Annette , Birukov Anna , Myers Jenny E. , Thomas Susan T. , Lee Stacy , Andersen Marianne S. , Jorgensen Jan S. , Diemert Anke , Blois Sandra M. , Arck Petra C. , Hecher Kurt , Herse Florian , Blankenberg Stefan , Dechend Ralf , Westermann Dirk , Zeller Tanja
Published: November 2023

BACKGROUND:

Preeclampsia shares numerous risk factors with cardiovascular diseases. Here, we aimed to assess the potential utility of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) values during pregnancy in predicting preeclampsia occurrence.

METHODS:

This study measured hs-cTnI levels in 3721 blood samples of 2245 pregnant women from 4 international, prospective cohorts. Three analytical approaches were used: (1) a cross-sectional analysis of all women using a single blood sample, (2) a longitudinal analysis of hs-cTnI trajectories in women with multiple samples, and (3) analyses of prediction models incorporating hs-cTnI, maternal factors, and the sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1)/PlGF (placental growth factor) ratio.

RESULTS:

Women with hs-cTnI levels in the upper quarter had higher odds ratios for preeclampsia occurrence compared with women with levels in the lower quarter. Associations were driven by preterm preeclampsia (odds ratio, 5.78 [95% CI, 2.73–12.26]) and remained significant when using hs-cTnI as a continuous variable adjusted for confounders. Between-trimester hs-cTnI trajectories were independent of subsequent preeclampsia occurrence. A prediction model incorporating a practical hs-cTnI level of detection cutoff (≥1.9 pg/mL) alongside maternal factors provided comparable performance with the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio. A comprehensive model including sFlt-1/PlGF, maternal factors, and hs-cTnI provided added value (cross-validated area under the receiver operator characteristic, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.73–0.82]) above the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio alone (cross-validated area under the receiver operator characteristic, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.65–0.76];
P
=0.027). As assessed by likelihood ratio tests, the addition of hs-cTnI to each prediction model significantly improved the respective prediction model not incorporating hs-cTnI, particularly for preterm preeclampsia. Net reclassification improvement analyses indicated that incorporating hs-cTnI improved risk prediction predominantly by correctly reclassifying women with subsequent preeclampsia occurrence.

CONCLUSIONS:

These exploratory findings uncover a potential role for hs-cTnI as a complementary biomarker in the prediction of preeclampsia. After validation in prospective studies, hs-cTnI, alongside maternal factors, may either be considered as a substitute for angiogenic biomarkers in health care systems where they are sparce or unavailable, or as an enhancement to established prediction models using angiogenic markers.
Relationship of Soluble Lectin‐Like Low‐Density Lipoprotein Receptor‐1 (sLOX‐1) With Inflammation and Coronary Plaque Progression in Psoriasis
Authors: Florida Elizabeth M. , Li Haiou , Hong Christin G. , Ongstad Emily L. , Gaddipati Ranjitha , Sitaula Sadichha , Varma Vijayalakshmi , Parel Philip M. , O'Hagan Ross , Chen Marcus Y. , Teague Heather L. , Playford Martin P. , Karathanasis Sotirios K. , Collén Anna , Mehta Nehal N. , Remaley Alan T. , Sorokin Alexander V.
Published: November 2023

Background

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with coronary artery disease risk. Uptake of oxidized low‐density lipoprotein by the lectin‐like low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐1 triggers release of the soluble extracellular domain of the receptor (sLOX‐1). We sought to characterize the relationship between sLOX‐1, inflammation, and coronary plaque progression in psoriasis.

Methods and Results

A total of 327 patients with psoriasis had serum sLOX‐1 levels measured at baseline by an ELISA‐based assay. Stratification by high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein ≥4.0 mg/L (quartile 4), identified 81 participants who had coronary plaque phenotyping at baseline and were followed longitudinally by coronary computed tomography angiography. Subjects within high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein quartile 4 were middle‐aged (51.47±12.62 years), predominantly men (54.3%) with moderate psoriasis disease severity (6.60 [interquartile range, 3.30–13.40]). In the study cohort, participants with sLOX‐1 above the median displayed increased vulnerable coronary plaque features. At baseline, sLOX‐1 was associated with total burden (rho=0.296;
P
=0.01), noncalcified burden (rho=0.286;
P
=0.02), fibro‐fatty burden (rho=0.346;
P
=0.004), and necrotic burden (rho=0.394;
P
=0.002). A strong relationship between sLOX‐1, noncalcified burden (
β
=0.19;
P
=0.03), and fibro‐fatty burden (
β
=0.29;
P
=0.003) was found in fully adjusted models at baseline and 1‐ and 4‐year follow‐up. Finally, coronary plaque features progressed over 1 year regardless of biologic or systemic treatment in subjects with high sLOX‐1.

Conclusions

Patients with psoriasis with both high sLOX‐1 and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein levels have increased coronary plaque burden associated with atherosclerotic plaque progression independent of biologic and systemic treatment. Thus, sLOX‐1 might be considered as a promising marker in coronary artery disease risk estimation beyond traditional risk factors.

Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01778569.
Association of Depression and Adherence to Oral Anticoagulation in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Lapa Matthew E. , Swabe Gretchen M. , Magnani Jared W.
Published: November 2023

Background

Adherence to oral anticoagulation is essential for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Depression has been associated with decreased adherence to medications in multiple disease states and in AF is further associated with increased risk of stroke. We hypothesized that individuals with depression and AF have decreased adherence to anticoagulation than those without depression.

Methods and Results

We used administrative claims data to identify individuals with AF initiating anticoagulation with direct‐acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) or warfarin between 2013 and 2019. We quantified adherence using proportion of days covered, categorized as limited (proportion of days covered, <80%), adequate (proportion of days covered, ≥80% to <90%), or optimal (proportion of days covered, ≥90%). We related depression to 12‐month adherence to anticoagulation in logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics, medical and psychiatric comorbidities, household income, educational attainment, and insurance type. As a secondary analysis, we determined the association of depression to adherence for each DOAC agent. We identified 101 041 individuals (aged 74.5±8.9 years; 50.6% women; 29.5% race or ethnicity other than White, including Asian or Black race and Hispanic ethnicity) who initiated either DOACs or warfarin. The odds of adequate adherence to DOACs was 11% (95% CI, 0.85–0.93), and the odds of optimal adherence was 12% (95% CI, 0.83–0.91) less in individuals with depression than those without. Depression was not associated with adherence to warfarin.

Conclusions

We identified an association between depression and decreased adherence to DOACs but not warfarin in individuals with AF. Recognizing depression in AF may guide interventions to improve anticoagulation adherence and reduce stroke risk.
Subhairline Electroencephalography for the Detection of Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke
Authors: Groenendijk Eva A. , van Stigt Maritta N. , van de Munckhof Anita A. G. A. , Koelman Johannes H. T. M. , Koopman Miou S. , Marquering Henk A. , Potters Wouter V. , Coutinho Jonathan M.
Published: November 2023

Background

Endovascular thrombectomy is standard treatment for patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO‐a). Prehospital identification of these patients would enable direct routing to an endovascular thrombectomy‐capable hospital and consequently reduce time‐to‐endovascular thrombectomy. Electroencephalography (EEG) has previously proven to be promising for LVO‐a stroke detection. Fast and reliable electrode application, however, can remain a challenge. A potential alternative is subhairline EEG. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of subhairline EEG for LVO‐a stroke detection.

Methods and Results

We included adult patients with a suspected stroke or known LVO‐a stroke and symptom onset time <24 hours. A single 3‐minute EEG recording was performed at the emergency department, before endovascular thrombectomy, using 9 self‐adhesive electrodes placed on the forehead and behind the ears. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracies of EEG features quantifying frequency band power and brain symmetry (pairwise derived Brain Symmetry Index) for LVO‐a stroke detection using receiver operating characteristic analysis. EEG data were of sufficient quality for analysis in 51/52 (98%) included patients. Of these patients, 16 (31%) had an LVO‐a stroke, 16 (31%) a non‐LVO‐a ischemic stroke, 5 (10%) a transient ischemic attack, and 14 (27%) a stroke mimic. Median symptom‐onset‐to‐EEG‐time was 266 (interquartile range 130–709) minutes. The highest diagnostic accuracy for LVO‐a stroke detection was reached by the pairwise derived Brain Symmetry Index in the theta frequency band (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.90; sensitivity 86%; specificity 83%).

Conclusions

Subhairline EEG could detect LVO‐a stroke with high diagnostic accuracy and had high data reliability. These data suggest that subhairline EEG is potentially suitable as a prehospital stroke triage instrument.
The Role of Typological Feature Prediction in NLP and
Linguistics
Authors: Bjerva Johannes
Published: November 2023

Computational typology has gained traction in the field of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in recent years, as evidenced by the increasing number of papers on the topic and the establishment of a Special Interest Group on the topic (SIGTYP), including the organization of successful workshops and shared tasks. A considerable amount of work in this sub-field is concerned with prediction of typological features, for example, for databases such as the World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS) or Grambank. Prediction is argued to be useful either because (1) it allows for obtaining feature values for relatively undocumented languages, alleviating the sparseness in WALS, in turn argued to be useful for both NLP and linguistics; and (2) it allows us to probe models to see whether or not these typological features are encapsulated in, for example, language representations. In this article, we present a critical stance concerning prediction of typological features, investigating to what extent this line of research is aligned with purported needs—both from the perspective of NLP practitioners, and perhaps more importantly, from the perspective of linguists specialized in typology and language documentation. We provide evidence that this line of research in its current state suffers from a lack of interdisciplinary alignment. Based on an extensive survey of the linguistic typology community, we present concrete recommendations for future research in order to improve this alignment between linguists and NLP researchers, beyond the scope of typological feature prediction.
Harmonizing and aligning M/EEG datasets with covariance-based techniques to enhance predictive regression modeling
Authors: Mellot Apolline , Collas Antoine , Rodrigues Pedro L. C. , Engemann Denis , Gramfort Alexandre
Published: November 2023

Neuroscience studies face challenges in gathering large datasets, which limits the use of machine learning (ML) approaches. One possible solution is to incorporate additional data from large public datasets; however, data collected in different contexts often exhibit systematic differences called dataset shifts. Various factors, for example, site, device type, experimental protocol, or social characteristics, can lead to substantial divergence of brain signals that can hinder the success of ML across datasets. In this work, we focus on dataset shifts in recordings of brain activity using MEG and EEG. State-of-the-art predictive approaches on magneto- and electroencephalography (M/EEG) signals classically represent the data by covariance matrices. Model-based dataset alignment methods can leverage the geometry of covariance matrices, leading to three steps: re-centering, re-scaling, and rotation correction. This work explains theoretically how differences in brain activity, anatomy, or device configuration lead to certain shifts in data covariances. Using controlled simulations, the different alignment methods are evaluated. Their practical relevance is evaluated for brain age prediction on one MEG dataset (Cam-CAN, n = 646) and two EEG datasets (TUAB, n = 1385; LEMON, n = 213). Among the same dataset (Cam-CAN), when training and test recordings were from the same subjects but performing different tasks, paired rotation correction was essential (δR2=+0.13 (rest-passive) or +0.17 (rest-smt)). When in addition to different tasks we included unseen subjects, re-centering led to improved performance (δR2=+0.096 for rest-passive, δR2=+0.045 for rest-smt). For generalization to an independent dataset sampled from a different population and recorded with a different device, re-centering was necessary to achieve brain age prediction performance close to within dataset prediction performance. This study demonstrates that the generalization of M/EEG-based regression models across datasets can be substantially enhanced by applying domain adaptation procedures that can statistically harmonize diverse datasets.
Smicromyrme ceballosi Suárez, 1959 and S. plantourianus Schwartz, 1986: two little known species new for Portugal (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae)
Authors: MATIAS RAFAEL
Published: November 2023

The mutillid wasps (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) of the Iberian Peninsula, and particularly of Portugal, are insufficiently researched. In this paper, two species in the genus Smicromyrme are added to the Portuguese fauna: S. ceballosi Suárez, 1959 and S. plantourianus Schwartz, 1986, both currently poorly known species. The former was hitherto recorded only from Spain, for which notes complementing the original description are given. The latter species was unexpected, as it was known only from Southern France and is thus also new for the Iberian Peninsula; given its original description may be considered insufficient by modern standards, a full redescription is here presented; the presently known localities in Portugal suggest S. plantourianus has a wide distribution and is probably a mainly Iberian species, which thus reaches in France the north-eastern limit of its distribution. In addition, the putative male of S. plantourianus is here newly described. A key to the Iberian Smicromyrme is presented, currently represented by 13 species and three subspecies.
Review of the genus Saridoscelis Meyrick, 1894 (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae) in China, with descriptions of four new species
Authors: LIU HAOYU , WANG SHUXIA
Published: November 2023

Six species of the genus Saridoscelis Meyrick, 1894 from China are reviewed. Four species are described as new: S. exstria Wang, sp. nov. and S. longiprocessa Wang, sp. nov. from Xizang, S. baoshana Wang, sp. nov. and S. biprocessa Wang, sp. nov. from Yunnan. Images of both adults and genitalia are provided, along with a key to all the treated species.
Description of the male of Cyana nigrilineata (Hampson, 1900) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae: Arctiinae), a little-known species endemic to Sumatra Island
Authors: KOSHKIN EVGENY S.
Published: November 2023

First description of the hitherto unknown male of Cyana nigrilineata (Hampson, 1900) (Lepidoptera, Erebidae: Arctiinae) is presented. This species is similar to Cyana malayensis (Hampson, 1914) and C. barisana Roesler & Küppers, 1976 in external features and the structure of the male genitalia. These three species co-occur in Sumatra Island.
Thermodynamic and Dynamic Components of Winter Temperature Changes in Western Canada, 1950–2020
Authors: Newton Brandi , Sayanda Diogo , Bonsal Barrie
Published: November 2023

Most of the globe has experienced significant warming trends that have been attributed to anthropogenic climate change. However, these rates of warming are also influenced by short-term climate fluctuations driven by atmospheric circulation dynamics, resulting in inconsistent trend magnitudes in both time and space. This research evaluated winter (December–February) temperature trends over 1950–2020 at 91 climate stations across British Columbia (BC), Alberta (AB), and Saskatchewan (SK), Canada, and determined the components attributed to thermodynamic and dynamic (atmospheric circulation) factors. A synoptic climatological approach was used to classify atmospheric circulation patterns in the midtroposphere, relate those patterns to surface temperature, and evaluate changes in frequency. Moderate to high temperature increases over 71 years were found for most of the region, averaging 3.1°C in southern SK to 4.1°C in central-northern AB, and a maximum of 5.8°C in northern BC. Low to moderate increases were found for southern BC, averaging 1.2°C. Changes in atmospheric circulation accounted for 29% and 31% of observed temperature changes in central-northern BC and AB, respectively. Dynamic factors were a moderate driver in southern AB (18%) and central-northern SK (13%), and low in southern SK (5%). Negative dynamic contributions in southern BC (−6%), suggest that atmospheric circulation changes counteracted thermodynamically driven temperature changes. Results were consistent with trend analyses, indicating this method is well suited for trend detection and identification of thermodynamic and dynamic drivers. Results of this research improve our understanding of the magnitude of winter temperature changes critical for informing adaptation and climate-related policy decisions.

Significance Statement

Winter temperatures are strongly influenced by atmospheric circulation patterns, which move warm or cold air masses over large distances. We wanted to understand how changes in atmospheric circulation affect observed changes in winter temperatures in three provinces in western Canada. This also helps us to understand how much temperature change is due to anthropogenic (e.g., caused by greenhouse gases and land cover changes) and naturally occurring changes to Earth’s energy balance. Our results highlight the importance of understanding variability when selecting a time series for trend analyses or climate baselines for modeling studies. This study also helps to inform climate-related policies, decision-making, and adaptation strategies.