bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The tumor microenvironment and immune targeting therapy in pediatric renal tumors
Authors: Hont Amy B. , Dumont Benoit , Sutton Kathryn S. , Anderson John , Kentsis Alex , Drost Jarno , Hong Andrew L. , Verschuur Arnauld
Published: December 2022

This review highlights the role of several immunomodulating elements contributing to the tumor microenvironment of various pediatric renal tumors including Wilms tumor. The roles of innate and adaptive immune cells in renal tumors are summarized as well as immunomodulatory cytokines and other proteins. The expression and the predictive role of checkpoint modulators like PD‐L1 and immunomodulating proteins like glypican‐3, B7‐H3, COX‐2 are highlighted with a translational view toward potential therapeutic innovations. We further discuss the current state of preclinical models in advancing this field of study. Finally, examples of clinical trials of immunomodulating strategies such as monoclonal antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR‐T) cells for relapsed/refractory/progressive pediatric renal tumors are described.
The impact of COVID‐19 on school‐age children
Authors: Stone Glenn , Witzig Tyler , McIntosh Constance
Published: December 2022

The paper examines the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic on school‐age children and their families. Changes to their daily lives were examined through the lens of their physical, mental, and emotional well‐being. An analysis of current literature was conducted examining the emerging research on the pandemic's effects on families. A case example is provided to offer a narrative snapshot of the many experiences faced by children and families throughout school closures and stay at home orders. The paper concludes with implications for providers and further research with special attention paid to the emergence of telehealth and implications for treatment.
LambdaPP: Fast and accessible protein‐specific phenotype predictions
Authors: Olenyi Tobias , Marquet Céline , Heinzinger Michael , Kröger Benjamin , Nikolova Tiha , Bernhofer Michael , Sändig Philip , Schütze Konstantin , Littmann Maria , Mirdita Milot , Steinegger Martin , Dallago Christian , Rost Burkhard
Published: December 2022

The availability of accurate and fast artificial intelligence (AI) solutions predicting aspects of proteins are revolutionizing experimental and computational molecular biology. The webserver LambdaPP aspires to supersede PredictProtein, the first internet server making AI protein predictions available in 1992. Given a protein sequence as input, LambdaPP provides easily accessible visualizations of protein 3D structure, along with predictions at the protein level (GeneOntology, subcellular location), and the residue level (binding to metal ions, small molecules, and nucleotides; conservation; intrinsic disorder; secondary structure; alpha‐helical and beta‐barrel transmembrane segments; signal‐peptides; variant effect) in seconds. The structure prediction provided by LambdaPP—leveraging ColabFold and computed in minutes—is based on MMseqs2 multiple sequence alignments. All other feature prediction methods are based on the pLM ProtT5. Queried by a protein sequence, LambdaPP computes protein and residue predictions almost instantly for various phenotypes, including 3D structure and aspects of protein function. LambdaPP is freely available for everyone to use under embed.predictprotein.org, the interactive results for the case study can be found under https://embed.predictprotein.org/o/Q9NZC2. The frontend of LambdaPP can be found on GitHub (github.com/sacdallago/embed.predictprotein.org), and can be freely used and distributed under the academic free use license (AFL‐2). For high‐throughput applications, all methods can be executed locally via the bio‐embeddings (bioembeddings.com) python package, or docker image at ghcr.io/bioembeddings/bio_embeddings, which also includes the backend of LambdaPP.
Saussurea involucrata oral liquid regulates gut microbiota and serum metabolism during alleviation of collagen‐induced arthritis in rats
Authors: Cong Shan , Wang Lingrui , Meng Yan , Cai Xuanlin , Zhang Chenxi , Gu Yanqin , Ma Xiumin , Luo Li
Published: December 2022

Saussurea involucrata oral liquid (SIOL) can clinically relieve symptoms, such as joint pain and swelling, and morning stiffness, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the mechanism of action remains unclear. This study used a combination of gut microbiota and serum metabolomics analysis to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of SIOL intervention on rats with RA induced by type II bovine collagen and Freund's complete adjuvant. Results showed that SIOL treatment consequently improved the degree of ankle joint swelling, joint histopathological changes, joint pathological score, and expression of serum‐related inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐4, IL‐6, IL‐10, and tumor necrosis factor‐α) in RA model rats. 16 S rRNA sequencing results showed that SIOL increased the relative richness of the Lactobacillus and Bacteroides genus and decreased the relative richness of Romboutsia, Alloprevotella, Blautia, and Helicobacter genus. Serum nontargeted metabolomic results indicated that SIOL could regulate metabolites related to metabolic pathways, such as glycine, serine, threonine, galactose, cysteine, and methionine metabolism. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the regulatory effects of SIOL on the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, phenylalanine metabolism, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism pathways were correlated with changes in the richness of the Lactobacillus, Romboutsia, Bacteroides, and Alloprevotella genus in the gut microbiome. In conclusion, this study revealed the ameliorative effects of SIOL on RA and suggested that the therapeutic effects of SIOL on RA may be related to the regulation of the community richness of the Lactobacillus, Romboutsia, Bacteroides, and Alloprevotella genus, thereby improving the TCA cycle; phenylalanine metabolism; phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism‐related pathways.
Nimbin analog N2 alleviates high testosterone induced oxidative stress in CHO cells and alters the expression of Tox3 and Dennd1a signal transduction pathway involved in the PCOS zebrafish
Authors: Sudhakaran Gokul , Rajesh Ravi , Murugan Raghul , Velayutham Manikandan , Guru Ajay , Boopathi Seenivasan , Muthupandian Saravanan , Gopinath Pushparathinam , Arockiaraj Jesu
Published: December 2022

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that causes enlargement of ovaries and follicular maturation arrest, which lacks efficient treatment. N2, a semi‐natural triterpenoid from the neem family, was already reported to have antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties in our previous report. This study investigated the anti‐androgenic property of N2 on testosterone‐induced oxidative stress in Chinese Hamster Ovarian cells (CHO) and PCOS zebrafish model. The testosterone exposure disrupted the antioxidant enzymes and ROS level and enhanced the apoptosis in both CHO cells and PCOS zebrafish. However, N2 significantly protected the CHO cells from ROS and apoptosis. N2 improved the Gonado somatic index (GSI) and upregulated the expression of the SOD enzyme in zebrafish ovaries. Moreover, the testosterone‐induced follicular maturation arrest was normalized by N2 treatment in histopathology studies. In addition, the gene expression studies of Tox3 and Denndla in zebrafish demonstrated that N2 could impair PCOS condition. Furthermore, to confirm the N2 activity, the in‐silico studies were performed against PCOS susceptible genes Tox3 and Dennd1a using molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations. The results suggested that N2 alleviated the oxidative stress and apoptosis in‐vitro and in‐vivo and altered the expression of PCOS key genes.
A misuse of the EWMA‐type statistic in acceptance sampling applications
Authors: Haq Abdul , Woodall William H.
Published: December 2022

We study a widely recommended acceptance sampling approach based on the use of an exponentially weighted moving average statistic. A correct mathematical assessment of the resulting sampling plans shows that the required statistical performance cannot be maintained over time. For this reason, these plans are flawed and thus should not be used.
H∞ performance of multi‐agent consensus with output feedback and saturated input
Authors: Aggarwal Shubham , Goyal Jitendra Kumar , Ghosh Sandip , Kamal Shyam
Published: December 2022

This article addresses the distributed consensus problem for linear multi‐agent systems (MASs) with undirected connected communication topology and saturation limits on the controller input. The networked system has been modeled using a multigraph consisting of directed self‐loops. We first represent the saturated control scheme using a polytopic formulation, for appropriate consideration of the control input. Subsequently, we derive sufficient conditions for design of a robust static output feedback controller to achieve consensus of the MAS. The synthesis problem is formulated in the form of linear matrix inequalities for controller design. Next, the leader‐follower topology is considered, with a single leader, for which it is shown that the same controller design technique applies, under a multigraph with single self‐loop. Finally, we validate the theoretical results using numerical examples and further simulate the designed control method on a network of spring‐mass systems.
What frame semantics can offer to task‐based language teaching
Authors: Dalpanagioti Thomai
Published: December 2022

This article argues for the possibility and importance of infusing frame semantic insights into task‐based lesson planning. Frame semantics, a cognitive linguistic theory that takes a usage‐based view of meaning, ties in with task‐based language teaching (TBLT), which emphasizes second or foreign language learning through interactionally authentic language use. The proposal put forward not only demonstrates that the two frameworks are compatible with each other, but also explains how the theoretical model of frame semantics can be used to address some limitations of TBLT as an applied linguistic project. The author illustrates the proposed integration through a lesson plan that can serve as a model for generating frame‐inspired teaching materials.
DLGAP5 knockdown inactivates the Wnt/β‐catenin signal to repress endometrial cancer cell malignant activities
Authors: Chen Ruipu , Liu Jing , Hu Jun , Li Chunxia , Liu Yanhua , Pan Weiwei
Published: December 2022

Human discs large‐associated protein 5 (DLGAP5), a microtubule‐associated protein, has been reported to be upregulated in several tumors. However, the role of DLGAP5 in endometrial cancer (EC) progression and the related underlying mechanism were still unknown. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to analyze the expression and prognostic significance of DLGAP5 in EC tissues using TCGA, CPTAC, Human Protein Atlas, and GSE63678 databases, UALCAN web tool, and the Kaplan–Meier plotter. Effects of DLGAP on EC cell malignant properties were evaluated by CCK‐8, flow cytometry analysis, TUNEL assay, caspase‐3 activity assay, and Transwell invasion assay. The expression of DLGAP5, Wnt3, c‐Myc, Ki67, and cleaved caspase‐3 was detected by western blot analysis. DLGAP5 was highly expressed and correlated with poor prognosis in EC patients. DLGAP5 knockdown inhibited proliferation and invasion, triggered apoptosis, and increased caspase‐3 activity in EC cells. Additionally, DLGAP5 knockdown inactivated the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in EC cells. Moreover, β‐catenin overexpression abolished the effects of DLGAP5 knockdown on the malignant phenotypes of EC cells. DLGAP5 silencing suppressed the malignant properties in EC cells by inactivating the Wnt/β‐catenin pathway.
Re: Comparison of diagnostic criteria for significant anal sphincter defects between endoanal and transperineal ultrasound
Authors: Dietz H. P. , Shek K. L.
Published: December 2022

Linked article: This Correspondence comments on Okeahialam et al. Click here to view the article.
Linguistic Rights in Greece: Crossing Through Territorial and Non-Territorial Arrangements
Authors: Tsitselikis Konstantinos
Published: December 2022

Since 1913, when Greece significantly increased her territory, minority protection has come under the spotlight of international consideration and guarantees. During the past 110 years, language rights, among other minority rights, were either reluctantly granted or ignored. Although minority languages have been treated asymmetrically and incoherently, a particular pattern seems to have emerged: minority languages spoken by Christians (Vlach, Slavic languages, Arvanitika) are subject to assimilation dynamics, whereas minority languages spoken by non-Christians (Muslims, Jews) are governed by protection norms, with or without territorial criteria. This trend was shaped by international political influences and legal regulations through a very narrow perspective, which actually screened out any attempt at establishing non-territorial arrangements. Today, only one minority language enjoys special rights (mostly in the field of education), namely Turkish spoken by the Muslims of Thrace. Despite this, migratory flows after 1990, primarily from Albania, the former USSR and the Middle East, once again brought up the question of multiculturalism, language contact and language management. However, subsequent Greek governments have been reluctant to introduce special language rights for immigrants and refugees. Since Greece refrains from adhering to the main European legal instruments that safeguard language rights, such as the European Charter for Regional of Minority Languages or the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the single protective mechanism granting linguistic rights remains the Treaty of Lausanne, which is limited to a specific minority language within a specific region. The legal protection of linguistic otherness in Greece was and still is fragmented and ambivalent, ranging from non-territorial autonomy invisibility to strict institutional territoriality.
Communication Features Facilitating Appreciation of Cultural Heritage Values for IDN
Authors: Goud Srushti , Lombardo Vincenzo
Published: December 2022

Cultural heritage values are defined as a set of characteristics perceived in heritage by certain individuals or groups. Cultural heritage values highlight the motivations for the conservation of heritage properties by national and international organizations. These include value associations selected by experts and communities. Heritage values of communities are passed down over generations and help in conservation. Historic and traditional (pre-digital) narratives communicated values but not all sources were credible. Current efforts using digital technologies for the communication of cultural heritage disproportionately focuses on engagement and spectacularization. This has had a negative effect on research towards the sharing of cultural heritage values through Interactive Digital Narratives (IDN). We believe that a number of communication features can be beneficial to value appreciation especially when using IDN. In this paper, we discuss values included by the designer(s) and also appreciated by the user(s) of IDN in the communication of cultural heritage. We address four types of features that are suggested as being influential for the communication of cultural heritage values, namely 1) narrative significance, 2) multiperspectivity, 3) dialogue facilitation, 4) contextualization. We go through six case studies and show how to exploit these IDN features to effectively communicate the associated values of cultural heritage to a larger audience.
Case Study on Verification-Witness Validators: Where We Are and Where We Go
Authors: Beyer Dirk , Strejček Jan
Published: December 2022

Software-verification tools sometimes produce incorrect answers, which can be a false alarm or a wrong claim of correctness. To increase the reliability of verification results, many verifiers now accompany their answers by witnesses in an interoperable standard format. There exist witness validators that can examine the witnesses and potentially confirm the verification results. This case study analyzes the quality of existing witness validators for C programs using the witnesses produced by a wide variety of 40 verification tools that participated in SV-COMP 2022. In particular, we show that many witness validators sometimes confirm witnesses that are invalid. To remedy this situation, we suggest some advances in witness validation, including a regular comparative evaluation of validators. Our suggestions were recently adopted by the SV-COMP community for the next edition of the competition.
Flat JT gravity and the BMS-Schwarzian
Authors: Afshar Hamid , Oblak Blagoje
Published: December 2022

Abstract

We consider Minkowskian Jackiw-Teitelboim (JT) gravity in Bondi gauge at finite temperature, with non-zero vacuum energy. Its asymptotic symmetries span an extension of the warped Virasoro group, dubbed ‘BMS2’, which we investigate in detail. In particular, we show that this extension has a single coadjoint orbit when central charges are real and non-zero. The ensuing BMS-Schwarzian action has no saddle points, and only coincides with the boundary action functional of flat JT gravity up to a crucial dilatonic zero-mode that ensures the existence of a well-defined bulk variational principle. We evaluate the corresponding gravitational partition function, which turns out to be one-loop exact precisely thanks to the presence of such a zero-mode.
Multi-objective robust optimization using adaptive surrogate models for problems with mixed continuous-categorical parameters
Authors: Moustapha Maliki , Galimshina Alina , Habert Guillaume , Sudret Bruno
Published: December 2022

Explicitly accounting for uncertainties is paramount to the safety of engineering structures. Optimization which is often carried out at the early stage of the structural design offers an ideal framework for this task. When the uncertainties are mainly affecting the objective function, robust design optimization is traditionally considered. This work further assumes the existence of multiple and competing objective functions that need to be dealt with simultaneously. The optimization problem is formulated by considering quantiles of the objective functions which allows for the combination of both optimality and robustness in a single metric. By introducing the concept of common random numbers, the resulting nested optimization problem may be solved using a general-purpose solver, herein the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The computational cost of such an approach is however a serious hurdle to its application in real-world problems. We therefore propose a surrogate-assisted approach using Kriging as an inexpensive approximation of the associated computational model. The proposed approach consists of sequentially carrying out NSGA-II while using an adaptively built Kriging model to estimate the quantiles. Finally, the methodology is adapted to account for mixed categorical-continuous parameters as the applications involve the selection of qualitative design parameters as well. The methodology is first applied to two analytical examples showing its efficiency. The third application relates to the selection of optimal renovation scenarios of a building considering both its life cycle cost and environmental impact. It shows that when it comes to renovation, the heating system replacement should be the priority.
Witten deformation on non-compact manifolds: heat kernel expansion and local index theorem
Authors: Dai Xianzhe , Yan Junrong
Published: December 2022

Asymptotic expansions of heat kernels and heat traces of Schrödinger operators on non-compact spaces are rarely explored, and even for cases as simple as $${\mathbb {C}}^n$$

C

n

with (quasi-homogeneous) polynomials potentials, it’s already very complicated. Motivated by path integral formulation of the heat kernel, we introduced a parabolic distance, which also appeared in Li–Yau’s famous work on parabolic Harnack estimate. With the help of the parabolic distance, we derive a pointwise asymptotic expansion of the heat kernel for the Witten Laplacian with strong remainder estimate. When the deformation parameter of Witten deformation and time parameter are coupled, we derive an asymptotic expansion of trace of heat kernel for small-time t, and obtain a local index theorem. This is the second of our papers in understanding Landau–Ginzburg B-models on nontrivial spaces, and in subsequent work, we will develop the Ray–Singer torsion for Witten deformation in the non-compact setting.
Evaluation of the clinical molecule anti-human-PD-L1/IL-15 KD033 in the human-PD-1/PD-L1-expressing murine model demonstrates PD-L1 targeting of IL-15 in vivo
Authors: Martomo Stella A. , Patel Jeegar
Published: December 2022

KD033 is a clinical-stage immunocytokine composed of a high-affinity anti-human-PD-L1 antibody and the human IL-15/ IL-15 receptor sushi-domain complex. We have previously shown that KD033-surrogate, the anti-mouse-PD-L1/IL-15 immunocytokine, was efficacious in several syngeneic murine tumor models including those that were refractory to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint blockers. KD033-surrogate showed better efficacy than the combination treatment of its component, anti-PD-L1 antibody with the non-targeting IL-15. KD033-surrogate was also efficacious in both low and high PD-L1-expressing tumors. In this study, we have utilized double knock-in mice expressing functional human PD-1/PD-L1 to show that the clinical molecule, KD033, reproduced the anti-tumor efficacy observed with KD033-surrogate in the syngeneic models. KD033 was equally efficacious in reducing the growth of human-PD-L1 positive (hPDL1+) and negative (hPDL1-) MC38 murine tumors. We observed similar peripheral pharmacodynamics changes in KD033-treated mice bearing either hPDL1+ or hPDL1- MC38 tumors. However, different transcriptomic profiles were observed between KD033-treated hPDL1+ and hPDL1- MC38 tumors with marked changes involving mostly downregulated genes in hPDL1- tumors in addition to the immune-related genes changes observed in both hPDL1+ and hPDL1- MC38 tumors. Cytotoxic and myeloid cell signatures were upregulated in both tumors with relatively greater increases observed in hPDL1- MC38 tumors. These effects of KD033 treatment in PD-L1 positive and negative tumors demonstrate the role of PD-L1 in targeting of IL-15 cytokine in vivo.
Diagnostic performance of serum pentraxin-3 in pediatric acute appendicitis: a prospective diagnostic validation study
Authors: Arredondo Montero Javier , Antona Giuseppa , Bronte Anaut Mónica , Bardají Pascual Carlos , Ros Briones Raquel , Fernández-Celis Amaya , Rivero Marcotegui Adriana , López-Andrés Natalia , Martín-Calvo Nerea
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Pediatric acute appendicitis (PAA) is a pathology with a high rate of diagnostic error. The search for new diagnostic tools is justified by the high morbidity and healthcare costs associated with diagnostic error.

Methods

We designed a prospective study to validate serum pentraxin-3 (PTX3) as a diagnostic tool in PAA. Participants were divided into three groups: (1) patients with no underlying pathology (2) patients with non-surgical abdominal pain and (3) patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PAA. For further analyses, patients in group 3 were divided into complicated or uncomplicated PAA. Quantitative variables were expressed as medians and interquartile ranges and categorical variables as percentages. Quantitative variables were compared using the Kruskal–Wallis test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Diagnostic performance was evaluated with ROC curves.

Results

This study included 215 patients divided into group 1 (n = 63), group 2 (n = 53) and group 3 (n = 99). Median serum PTX3 values were 2.54 (1.70–2.95) ng/mL, 3.29 (2.19–7.64) ng/mL and 8.94 (6.16–14.05) in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (p = 0.001). Patients with complicated PAA showed significantly higher values than patients with uncomplicated PAA (p = 0.04). The AUC (group 2 vs. 3) was 0.77 (95% CI 0.69–0.85) and the best cut-off point was at 7.28 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 61.3% and a specificity of 73.1%. The AUC (complicated vs. uncomplicated PAA) was 0.65 (95% CI 0.54–0.77) and the best cut-off point was 12.33 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 51.72% and a specificity of 72.73%.

Conclusions

The diagnostic ability of serum PTX3 in PAA is only moderate and therefore it cannot be considered a definitive diagnostic test. The discriminatory ability of PTX3 between complicated and uncomplicated PAA is poor. These findings, which contrast with those reported to date, should be validated with future properly designed prospective studies.
Hepatic artery intervention combined with immune-targeted therapy is superior to sequential therapy in BCLC-C hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Dong Hanzhi , Jian Yan , Wang Meijian , Liu Fangfang , Zhang Qi , Peng Zhiqiang , Cheng Na , Zhang Wenfeng
Published: December 2022

Background

Hepatic artery intervention combined with immunotarget therapy exerts excellent disease control and prolongs survival. However, the arrangement of hepatic artery intervention and systemic therapy confuses clinical decisions.

Methods

A two-center, retrospective clinical study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. From December 2018 to February 2022, patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C (BCLC-C) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who received targeted therapy plus PD-1 inhibitors with or without hepatic artery intervention were included. According to the treatment mode, the patients were assigned to three groups: initial hepatic artery intervention combined with immunotarget therapy, immunotarget therapy sequential hepatic artery interventional therapy, and immunotarget therapy only. The survival, response, and adverse events were compared among the three groups. Subgroup analysis and univariate and multivariate prognostic analyses were also evaluated.

Results

The median follow-up time was 18.3 months (95% CI 16.7 to 20.0 months). A total of 163 patients with BCLC-C stage HCC were assigned to three groups: initial hepatic artery intervention plus PD-1 inhibitors plus targeted therapy (HPT, n = 66), PD-1 inhibitors plus targeted therapy followed by hepatic artery intervention (PTH, n = 56) and PD-1 inhibitors plus targeted therapy (PT, n = 41). The median progression-free survival was 8.37 months (95% CI 6.35–10.39) with HPT versus 5.3 months (95% CI 3.48–7.12) with PTH versus 6.33 months (95% CI 3.75–8.92) with PT. The progression-free survival of the HPT group was better than that of the PTH group (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45–0.97, p = 0.027) and PT group (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.39–0.92, p = 0.01). The median overall survival was 14.6 months (95% CI 10.6–18.7) with HPT, 10.0 months (95% CI 8.2–11.8) with PTH and 11.3 months (95% CI 8.3–14.3) with PT. The 1-year overall survival (OS) rates in the HPT, PTH and PT groups were 50%, 33.9%, and 34.1%, respectively. Overall survival was significantly longer in the HTP group than in the PT group (HR 0.60, 95% CI 0.361–0.996, p = 0.032). Compared with the PTH group, the overall survival of the HTP group had a prolonged survival trend (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.416–1.032, p = 0.059). All treatment modalities were deemed equally safe. Multivariate analysis suggested that the mode of treatment, albumin level, Child‒Pugh grade and hepatectomy history were independent prognostic factors for BCLC-C HCC patients.

Conclusions

Initial hepatic artery intervention combined with immunotarget therapy gained survival benefits with tolerable side effects compared with immunotarget sequential hepatic artery intervention and immunotarget therapy alone. Multivariate analysis suggested that liver reserve function was closely correlated with prognosis.
Assessment of pyloric sphincter physiology after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy using an endoluminal functional lumen imaging probe
Authors: Brunner Stefanie , Lorenz Florian , Dratsch Thomas , Schröder Lorenz , Toex Ulrich , Babic Benjamin , Fuchs Hans Friedrich , Schmidt Thomas , Bruns Christiane Josephine , Goeser Tobias , Chon Seung-Hun
Published: December 2022

Objective of the study

The most common functional complication after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy is the delayed emptying of the gastric conduit (DGCE) for which several diagnostic tools are available, e.g. chest X-ray, upper esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and water-soluble contrast radiogram. However, none of these diagnostic tools evaluate the pylorus itself. Our study demonstrates the successful measurement of pyloric distensibility in patients with DGCE after esophagectomy and in those without it.

Methods and procedures

Between May 2021 and October 2021, we performed a retrospective single-centre study of all patients who had an oncological Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy and underwent our post-surgery follow-up programme with surveillance endoscopies and computed tomography scans. EndoFlip™ was used to perform measurements of the pylorus under endoscopic control, and distensibility was measured at 40 ml, 45 ml and 50 ml balloon filling.

Results

We included 70 patients, and EndoFlip™ measurement was feasible in all patients. Successful application of EndoFlip™ was achieved in all interventions (n = 70, 100%). 51 patients showed a normal postoperative course, whereas 19 patients suffered from DGCE. Distensibility proved to be smaller in patients with symptoms of DGCE compared to asymptomatic patients. For 40 ml, 45 ml and 50 ml, the mean distensibility was 6.4 vs 10.1, 5.7 vs 7.9 and 4.5 vs 6.3 mm2/mmHg. The differences were significant for all three balloon fillings. No severe EndoFlip™ treatment-related adverse events occurred.

Conclusion

Measurement with EndoFlip™ is a safe and technically feasible endoscopic option for measuring the distensibility of the pylorus. Our study shows that the distensibility in asymptomatic patients after esophagectomy is significantly higher than that in patients suffering from DGCE. However, more studies need to be conducted to demonstrate the general use of EndoFlip™ measurement of the pylorus after esophagectomy.
Cardiac involvement in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis: a case-based review
Authors: Quintero-González Diana C. , Navarro-Beleño Kevin , López-Gutiérrez L. V. , Muñoz-Urbano Marcela , Vanegas-García Adriana-Lucía , Muñoz-Vahos Carlos Horacio
Published: December 2022

Among myositis-specific antibodies, anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (anti-MDA5) is one of the antibodies with a unique spectrum that is expressed principally in clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis (CADM) and, to a lesser extent, in dermatomyositis (DM). In addition to muscle and classical skin involvement, patients with anti-MDA5 DM/CADM are characterized by the expression of rapidly progressive interstitial lung diseases, vasculopathic lesions, and non-erosive arthritis. Although cardiac involvement has been described in other inflammatory myopathies, such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and conduction disorders, in anti-MDA5 DM/CADM patients, heart disease is infrequent. We report a case of a young male presenting with constitutional symptoms, polyarthritis, skin ulcers, and mild muscle weakness who developed an episode of high ventricular rate atrial fibrillation during his hospitalization. The anti-MDA5 DM diagnosis was supported by increased muscular enzymes, positive anti-MDA5 and anti-Ro52 antibodies, and the presence of organizing pneumonia. He was treated with high-dose glucocorticoids, rituximab, and beta-blocker drugs and received pharmacological cardioversion, which improved his myopathy symptoms and stabilized his heart rhythm. Here, we describe eight similar cases of anti-MDA5 DM/CADM with cardiac involvement. The case presented and the literature reviewed reveal that although rare, physicians must be aware of cardiac disease in patients with suggestive symptoms to guarantee early assessment and treatment, thereby reducing life-treating consequences.
Vertical mixing and oxygen flux caused by daily sea breezes in a shallow stratified lake
Authors: Masunaga Eiji , Itoh Sachihiko , Kitamura Tatsumi
Published: December 2022

Vertical transport caused by mixing is essential for understanding physical processes in lakes. However, mixing processes in shallow lakes are not well understood because of the lack of turbulence measurements. This study presents observations of vertical mixing and oxygen flux in a shallow lake, Lake Kitaura of the Lake Kasumigaura continuous lake system, which is located along the central eastern coast of the Japanese mainland. Mooring and microstructure surveys were conducted in August 2020. The vertical eddy diffusivity was estimated from the Ellison scale using high-frequency sampled temperature data from the mooring location, and the estimations were consistent with those observed from the microstructure profiler. The estimated eddy diffusivity revealed a mixing structure and oxygen flux in the lake during the study period. The daily cycle of stratification and mixing was caused by daily heating due to solar radiation and by winds from daily sea breezes, respectively. The daily stratification maximum occurred around noon, which suppressed vertical mixing. Vertical mixing was intensified due to sea breezes in the afternoon, which led to movement of oxygen from the surface layer to the bottom layer. The maximum vertical mixing was observed at 18:00. The oxygen concentration did not increase during nighttime when the negative surface heat flux was observed; thus, nighttime cooling may not primarily contribute to the vertical oxygen supply.
Altruistic Vaccination: Insights from Two Focus Group Studies
Authors: Kraaijeveld Steven R. , Mulder Bob C.
Published: December 2022

Vaccination can protect vaccinated individuals and often also prevent them from spreading disease to other people. This opens up the possibility of getting vaccinated for the sake of others. In fact, altruistic vaccination has recently been conceptualized as a kind of vaccination that is undertaken primary for the benefit of others. In order to better understand the potential role of altruistic motives in people’s vaccination decisions, we conducted two focus group studies with a total of 37 participants. Study 1 included three focus groups on the subject of HPV vaccination for boys. Study 2 included three focus groups on the subject of pertussis and measles vaccination for childcare workers. We found substantial evidence of other-regarding motives across all focus groups, which suggests that altruistic motives could be an important factor when it comes to people’s vaccination decisions. We address the significance of these findings for vaccination policy surrounding HPV vaccination for boys and vaccination for childcare workers. We also extend the findings to normative work on vaccination for the sake of others more generally.
Distributionally Robust Optimization with Moment Ambiguity Sets
Authors: Nie Jiawang , Yang Liu , Zhong Suhan , Zhou Guangming
Published: December 2022

This paper studies distributionally robust optimization (DRO) when the ambiguity set is given by moments for the distributions. The objective and constraints are given by polynomials in decision variables. We reformulate the DRO with equivalent moment conic constraints. Under some general assumptions, we prove the DRO is equivalent to a linear optimization problem with moment and psd polynomial cones. A Moment-SOS relaxation method is proposed to solve it. Its asymptotic and finite convergence are shown under certain assumptions. Numerical examples are presented to show how to solve DRO problems.
Douyin, storytelling, and national discourse
Authors: Fung Anthony , Hu Yunyi
Published: December 2022

Following its debut in China, TikTok has become the first short video platform to gain global popularity. The world’s obsession with TikTok can be attributed to its creative methods for content generation and dissemination. These attributes heralded the arrival of a new era in which, with the rise of grassroots creators on short video platforms, cultural production and consumption have been profoundly changed. Through examining Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), this study delves into the important but under-investigated consensus-building function of TikTok/Douyin to unveil how social media can be used to create a citizens’ platform for unity and cohesion. TikTok has led a new generation of global culture not through content innovation but through technology innovation; this has improved China’s soft power through strengthening its digital power. This paper provides insights onto the role of digital innovation in national discourse.
A road network simplification algorithm that preserves topological properties
Authors: Pung Jinyoung , D’Souza Raissa M. , Ghosal Dipak , Zhang Michael
Published: December 2022

A road network can be represented as a weighted directed graph with the nodes being the traffic intersections, the edges being the road segments, and the weights being some attribute of a road segment. Such a representation enables researchers to analyze road networks in consistent and automatable ways from the perspectives of graph theory. For example, analysis of the graph along with the traffic demand pattern can identify critical road segments based on centrality measures. However, due to the complexity of real-world road networks and the computationally expensive algorithms, it is challenging to extend the such methods to a large-scale road network. In this paper, we present a simple yet efficient network simplification framework based on graph theory that sub-samples and simplifies the graph while preserving key topological characteristics in the original network. Our method iteratively identifies and removes network elements that do not contribute to transportation functionality, such as self-loops, dead-ends, and interstitial nodes that lies on the same road line. We applied this method to three small cities with distinct street patterns and one large city, and showed that topological characteristics in the original networks are preserved by comparing two distinct kinds of centrality distributions in the original and simplified networks.
On mixed fractional stochastic differential equations with discontinuous drift coefficient
Authors: Sönmez Ercan
Published: December 2022

We prove existence and uniqueness for the solution of a class of mixed fractional stochastic differential equations with discontinuous drift driven by both standard and fractional Brownian motion. Additionally, we establish a generalized Itô rule valid for functions with an absolutely continuous derivative and applicable to solutions of mixed fractional stochastic differential equations with Lipschitz coefficients, which plays a key role in our proof of existence and uniqueness. The proof of such a formula is new and relies on showing the existence of a density of the law under mild assumptions on the diffusion coefficient.
Interactions between lexical and syntactic L1-L2 overlap: Effects of gender congruency on L2 sentence processing in L1 Spanish-L2 German speakers
Authors: Klassen Rachel , Kolb Nadine , Hopp Holger , Westergaard Marit
Published: December 2022

Bringing together lines of research from sentence processing and lexical access, this empirical study investigates the interplay between lexical (grammatical gender) and syntactic (word order) cross-linguistic overlap in L2 German. Eighty-six L1 Spanish-L2 German and thirty-six monolingual German adults completed a German self-paced reading task with noun phrases (NPs) manipulated by L1-L2 gender congruency (congruent, incongruent, neuter) and L1-L2 adjective-noun word order (pre- vs. postnominal adjectives). The study examines the effects of gender congruency, the type of L1-L2 gender mapping (i.e., presence vs. absence of each class in L1 and L2), and L2 proficiency level. Results show that the detection of ungrammatical word order in L2 German interacts with gender congruency, in that L2 speakers are only sensitive to word order violations for sentences with gender-congruent nouns. The detection of ungrammaticality for sentences containing gender-incongruent nouns only emerges at higher L2 proficiency levels. These findings underscore the role of cross-linguistic lexical overlap in syntactic processing.
Developmental cascade models linking contextual risks, parenting, and internalizing symptoms: A 17-year longitudinal study from early childhood to emerging adulthood
Authors: Lee Sujin , Bernstein Rachel , Ip Ka I. , Olson Sheryl L.
Published: December 2022

Although internalizing problems are the most common forms of psychological distress among adolescents and young adults, they have precursors in multiple risk domains established during childhood. This study examined cascading risk pathways leading to depression and anxiety symptoms in emerging adulthood by integrating broad contextual (i.e., multiple contextual risks), parental (i.e., negative parenting), and child (i.e., internalizing behaviors) characteristics in early and middle childhood. We also compared common and differential pathways to depression and anxiety symptoms depending on the conceptualization of symptom outcomes (traditional symptom dimension vs. bifactor dimensional model). Participants were 235 children (109 girls) and their families. Data were collected at 3, 6, 10, and 19 years of child age, using multiple informants and contexts. Results from a symptom dimension approach indicated mediation pathways from early childhood risk factors to depression and anxiety symptoms in emerging adulthood, suggesting common and distinct risk processes between the two disorders. Results from a bifactor modeling approach indicated several indirect pathways leading to a general internalizing latent factor, but not to symptom-specific (i.e., depression, anxiety) latent factors. Our findings highlighted comparative analytic approaches to examining transactional processes associated with later internalizing symptoms and shed light on issues of early identification and prevention.
Ayllus, Ancestors and the (Un)Making of the Wari State
Authors: Jennings Justin , Berquist Stephen
Published: December 2022

At the time of the Spanish invasion, central Andean society was organized around ayllus. These extensive social units, bound together by kinship, reciprocity, land claims, honoured ancestors and other criteria, are an example of the kin-based sodalities that have long been seen in political science as impediments to state development. Class should replace kin when large and complex polities like the Inca Empire form, and groups like the ayllu should fade away. This article seeks to re-evaluate the role played by kin-based sodalities in early state formation and expansion through a case study of the Wari State (ce 600–1000). We argue that the decades-long development of ayllus was a reaction to incipient urbanization, surging interregional interaction and the other challenges associated with Wari's rise. Ayllu development created a more heterarchical political structure that would endure some 200 years into the polity's existence. Elite efforts to consolidate power in the ninth century ce ultimately led to the polity's decline and highlight the need to develop more dynamic models of urbanization and state formation in the Andes and elsewhere.
liberation study
Authors: Mohr Hope
Published: December 2022

Performance offers the chance to break through dead ways of being. Only by harnessing our longing can we unshackle from forms that no longer nourish us. Making performance means creating conditions where we can sense new possibilities for how we show up for our lives. Let the old structures shatter.

Hope Mohr is a choreographer, writer, and advocate. She performed with Lucinda Childs and Trisha Brown. In 2007, she founded Hope Mohr Dance. In 2010, she founded The Bridge Project, now Bridge Live Arts, which creates and supports equity-driven live art that centers artists as agents of change. www.hopemohr.org
A Medium to History
Authors: Reilly Kara
Published: December 2022

William Hunter, a male midwife, was author of an anatomy atlas that featured pregnant cadavers as specimens. He lived in the building that later became the Lyric Theatre. Through an examination of the Lyric Theatre as a hauntological site, and the experience of psychosis, a proposed paradigm shift for theatre and performance historiography emerges: the phenomenology of dyschronia.
Acceptability and effectiveness of CBT and psychologically based interventions for emergency department attenders with medical complaints: a systematic literature review
Authors: McGuire Sally , Safi Mashal Hajar , Daniels Jo
Published: December 2022

This systematic literature review surveyed the evidence for the acceptability and effectiveness of CBT and psychologically based interventions for emergency department (ED) attenders with physical health complaints as their primary concern, in light of over-burdened EDs and the existing evidence base for psychological interventions in other medical settings. The review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42018087860). A systematic search of three databases (APAPsychNet, Cochrane and PubMed) was performed to identify psychological treatment studies targeting physical health problems presenting in the ED, with broad inclusion criteria to capture a coherent understanding of the current knowledge base. A total of 2606 potential studies for inclusion were identified; 45 proceeded to full review. Twenty papers met the full inclusion. Included studies covered four clinical areas: trauma/PTSD-prevention, panic attacks, non-cardiac chest-pain and miscellaneous. A narrative description of findings reflected positive outcomes across all groups, but this was not consistent across any group. Few studies measured ED attendance (20%) or satisfaction/acceptability (10%). The majority of studies (90%) were underpinned by a cognitive behavioural framework, consistent with the current evidence base as applied to the management of medical conditions. Findings suggest there is some evidence that interventions in the ED are effective and acceptable to patients, but interpretation of findings is limited by the mixed quality of designs and risk of bias.

Key learning aims

(1)

To understand the current body of evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of psychological interventions in the emergency department.

(2)

To gain a clear understanding of the models and format of the delivery of CBT and psychological interventions in an acute setting.

(3)

To identify gaps in the evidence to inform future development of CBT-based interventions to improve outcomes and clinical care.