bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practical implications of the erroneous treatment of exposure time in the Eulerian hemolysis power law model
Authors: Faghih Mohammad M. , Craven Brent A. , Sharp M. Keith
Published: April 2023

Background

Eulerian and Lagrangian power‐law formulations are both widely used for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to predict flow‐induced hemolysis in blood‐contacting medical devices. Both are based on the same empirical power‐law correlation between hemolysis and the shear stress and exposure time. In the Lagrangian approach, blood damage is predicted by tracking both the stress and exposure time along a finite number of pathlines in the domain. In the Eulerian approach, a scalar transport equation is solved for a time‐linearized damage index within the entire domain. Previous analytical work has demonstrated that there is a fundamental problem with the treatment of exposure time in the Eulerian model formulation such that the only condition under which the model correctly represents the true exposure time is in a flow field with no streamwise velocity variation. However, the practical implications of this limitation have yet to be thoroughly investigated.

Methods

In this study, we demonstrate the inaccuracy of Eulerian hemolysis power‐law model predictions due to the erroneous treatment of exposure time by systematically considering four benchmark test cases with increasing degrees of flow acceleration: Poiseuille flow through a straight tube, inclined Couette flow, and flow through a converging tube with two different convergence ratios.

Results

Compared with Lagrangian predictions, we show that, as flow acceleration becomes more pronounced, the resultant inaccuracy in the Eulerian predictions increases. For the inclined Couette flow case, there is a small degree of flow acceleration that yields a discrepancy in the range of 10% between Lagrangian and Eulerian predictions. For flows with a larger degree of acceleration, as occurs in the converging tube flow cases, the discrepancy is considerably larger (up to 257%).

Conclusion

The inaccuracy of hemolysis predictions due to the erroneous treatment of exposure time in the Eulerian power‐law model can be significant when there is streamwise velocity variation in the flow field. These results may partially explain the extremely large variability in CFD hemolysis predictions reported in the literature between Lagrangian and Eulerian models.
Large focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver treated with transcatheter arterial embolization and laparoscopic resection: A case report
Authors: Sato Hiroki , Monden Kazuteru , Iwasaki Toshimitsu , Hioki Masayoshi , Sadamori Hiroshi , Takakura Norihisa
Published: April 2023

Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a rare benign hepatic tumor which is frequently observed in women of reproductive age, and therapeutic intervention needs to be considered in cases wherein the tumor has a risk of rupture. The laparoscopic approach is beneficial, especially for young women, but is often challenging because the tumor is large and hemorrhagic. Herein, we report a case of large FNH in a 22‐year‐old woman. The patient was asymptomatic; however, the tumor was approximately 15 cm in diameter and protruded from the liver. Given the risk of rupture, we decided to perform surgical resection. Preoperative transcatheter arterial embolization led to rapid shrinkage of the tumor and control of intraoperative bleeding, which enabled us to safely perform laparoscopic liver resection. The combination of surgical resection with intravascular embolization may be a promising therapeutic option for hypervascular tumors such as FNH.
Sparse Bayesian Modeling of Hierarchical Independent Component Analysis: Reliable Estimation of Individual Differences in Brain Networks
Authors: Lukemire Joshua , Pagnoni Giuseppe , Guo Ying
Published: April 2023

Independent component analysis (ICA) is one of the leading approaches for studying brain functional networks. There is increasing interest in neuroscience studies to investigate individual differences in brain networks and their association with demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes. In this work, we develop a sparse Bayesian group hierarchical ICA model that offers significant improvements over existing ICA techniques for identifying covariate effects on the brain network. Specifically, we model the population-level ICA source signals for brain networks using a Dirichlet process mixture. To reliably capture individual differences on brain networks, we propose sparse estimation of the covariate effects in the hierarchical ICA model via a horseshoe prior. Through extensive simulation studies, we show that our approach performs considerably better in detecting covariate effects in comparison with the leading group ICA methods. We then perform an ICA decomposition of a between-subject meditation study. Our method is able to identify significant effects related to meditative practice in brain regions that are consistent with previous research into the default mode network, whereas other group ICA approaches find few to no effects.
TDP‐43 and tau concurrence in the entorhinal subfields in primary age‐related tauopathy and preclinical Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Llamas‐Rodríguez Josué , Oltmer Jan , Marshall Michael , Champion Samantha , Frosch Matthew P. , Augustinack Jean C.
Published: April 2023

Phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) pathology correlates strongly with cognitive decline and is a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In recent years, phosphorylated transactive response DNA‐binding protein (pTDP‐43) has emerged as a common comorbidity, found in up to 70% of all AD cases (Josephs et al., Acta Neuropathol, 131(4), 571–585; Josephs, Whitwell, et al., Acta Neuropathol, 127(6), 811–824). Current staging schemes for pTDP‐43 in AD and primary age‐related tauopathy (PART) track its progression throughout the brain, but the distribution of pTDP‐43 within the entorhinal cortex (EC) at the earliest stages has not been studied. Moreover, the exact nature of p‐tau and pTDP‐43 co‐localization is debated. We investigated the selective vulnerability of the entorhinal subfields to phosphorylated pTDP‐43 pathology in preclinical AD and PART postmortem tissue. Within the EC, posterior‐lateral subfields showed the highest semi‐quantitative pTDP‐43 density scores, while the anterior‐medial subfields had the lowest. On the rostrocaudal axis, pTDP‐43 scores were higher posteriorly than anteriorly (p < 0.010), peaking at the posterior‐most level (p < 0.050). Further, we showed the relationship between pTDP‐43 and p‐tau in these regions at pathology‐positive but clinically silent stages. P‐tau and pTDP‐43 presented a similar pattern of affected subregions (p < 0.0001) but differed in density magnitude (p < 0.0001). P‐tau burden was consistently higher than pTDP‐43 at every anterior–posterior level and in most EC subfields. These findings highlight pTDP‐43 burden heterogeneity within the EC and the posterior‐lateral subfields as the most vulnerable regions within stage II of the current pTDP‐43 staging schemes for AD and PART. The EC is a point of convergence for p‐tau and pTDP‐43 and identifying its most vulnerable neuronal populations will prove key for early diagnosis and disease intervention.
Diversifying youth temporal orientations during educational transitions in China
Authors: Wang Ziyu , Liu Fengshu , Julkunen Ilse
Published: April 2023

Analysing young people's temporal experiences can help understand their varied transition pathways in individualised societies. This study explores the diversity of Chinese youths' orientations towards time by addressing how they practise agency, situated within the temporal, familial and gender matrices. We surveyed and interviewed young people at a county‐seat lower secondary school in North China and identified three temporal orientations: ‘long‐term planners’, ‘seizers of the day’ and ‘compromisers’. The findings challenge the conventional understanding of Chinese youth temporal orientations as homogeneous by identifying the differentiations and complexities when navigating their transition to upper secondary education.
The Collective Image of the City: Informal Taxis and the Production of Vernacular Toponyms in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Authors: Olma Nikolaos
Published: April 2023

Decades of politically motivated place renaming have prompted the population of Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to adopt a bottom‐up vernacular toponymic register, wherein locations are indicated in relation to points of reference known as orientiry. Orientiry take cues from the built environment and are generated through the population's affective pluritemporal engagements with the city. Accordingly, they can take different material forms, but they can also be dropped or discursively replaced by new ones situated temporally or physically closer to the population's everyday experiences. This article argues that orientiry are kept more or less coherent by the need for Tashkent dwellers to indicate locations to their fellow residents and especially to Tashkent's informal taxi drivers. Orientiry are proliferated and standardized by the exchange of environmental information that occurs between driver and passenger as they find their way through various places and temporalities. The article demonstrates how a combination of cognition, affect, and social stimuli shapes wayfinding in Tashkent, revealing the city's orientiry as a representation of a collective image of the city—an assemblage of individual mental maps that overlap, interfere, contradict, and exclude one another and yet remain functional by similar habitual use of the city.
Fast Futures and Everyday Endurance: Mobility, Temporality, andCycle‐Rickshawsin Dhaka
Authors: Prins Annemiek
Published: April 2023

This article takes the cycle‐rickshaw industry in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as a point of departure for examining the discrepancy between the everyday rhythms and embodied realities of Dhaka traffic and the idealized image of mobility that drives imaginations of the urban future. The cycle‐rickshaw is often excluded from such imaginations, as the vehicle is not only blamed for obstructing the flow of traffic but also for impeding trajectories of urban change. I argue that such exclusionary notions of the urban future, which build on linear and epochal notions of urban change, obscure the many ways in which everyday mobilities gesture to temporal experiences of endurance rather than transformation. I employ the notion of endurance to capture both the physical effort of navigating Dhaka traffic and the distinct temporality of rickshaw labor. I show that rickshaw labor, although arduous, allows drivers to keep on going amidst the various needs of the present by providing them with “instant cash.” Rickshaw mobilities thus highlight the friction between epochal notions of urban change and the durability and contingency of the imperfect safety nets and practices that people rely on for the time being.
Spike‐and‐wave discharges of absence seizures in a sleep waves‐constrained corticothalamic model
Authors: Dervinis Martynas , Crunelli Vincenzo
Published: April 2023

Aims

Recurrent network activity in corticothalamic circuits generates physiological and pathological EEG waves. Many computer models have simulated spike‐and‐wave discharges (SWDs), the EEG hallmark of absence seizures (ASs). However, these models either provided detailed simulated activity only in a selected territory (i.e., cortical or thalamic) or did not test whether their corticothalamic networks could reproduce the physiological activities that are generated by these circuits.

Methods

Using a biophysical large‐scale corticothalamic model that reproduces the full extent of EEG sleep waves, including sleep spindles, delta, and slow (<1 Hz) waves, here we investigated how single abnormalities in voltage‐ or transmitter‐gated channels in the neocortex or thalamus led to SWDs.

Results

We found that a selective increase in the tonic γ‐aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABA‐A) inhibition of first‐order thalamocortical (TC) neurons or a selective decrease in cortical phasic GABA‐A inhibition is sufficient to generate ~4 Hz SWDs (as in humans) that invariably start in neocortical territories. Decreasing the leak conductance of higher‐order TC neurons leads to ~7 Hz SWDs (as in rodent models) while maintaining sleep spindles at 7–14 Hz.

Conclusion

By challenging key features of current mechanistic views, this simulated ictal corticothalamic activity provides novel understanding of ASs and makes key testable predictions.
Anti‐neuroinflammation effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation against depression‐like behaviors via hypothalamic α7nAchR/JAK2/STAT3/NF‐κB pathway in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress
Authors: Chen Yu , Zhang Yue , Wang Junying , Li Shaoyuan , Wang Yifei , Zhang Zixuan , Zhang Jinling , Xin Chen , Wang Yu , Rong Peijing
Published: April 2023

Background

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a vital neuromodulation for the treatment of depression, but its antidepressant molecular mechanism is unclear. The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAchR) is a key mediator of the vagus nerve that mediates its anti‐inflammatory efficacy. Here, we investigated whether the antidepressant effect of taVNS in chronic unpredicted mild stress (CUMS)‐exposed rats works through the α7nAchR/JAK2/STAT3/NF‐κB pathway.

Methods

The depression model was established by CUMS for continuous 6 weeks in rats. From the 4th week of the experiment, CUMS‐exposed rats were subjected to taVNS for 3 weeks. To clarify the role of α7nAchR in the antidepressant effect of taVNS, we used α7nAchR−/− gene knockout rats. The sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), and forced swimming test (FST) were used to evaluate depression‐like behaviors of rats. Immunofluorescent staining was used to observe the morphology of microglia in the hypothalamus. Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of α7nAchR, p‐JAK2, p‐STAT3, IL‐1β, NF‐κB p65, and p‐NF‐κB p65 in the hypothalamus.

Results

Depression‐like behaviors in CUMS‐exposed rats were manifested by decreased SPT ratio, increased FST immobility time, decreased total distance, vertical movement score, and activity time of OFT. Hypothalamic neuroinflammation in CUMS‐exposed rats was manifested by an amoebic‐like activated state of microglia, downregulated expression of α7nAchR, p‐JAK2, p‐STAT3, and upregulated expression of NF‐κB p65, p‐NF‐κB p65, and IL‐1β. TaVNS could significantly reverse the above‐mentioned phenomena, but had a poor improvement effect for CUMS‐exposed α7nAchR−/− rats.

Conclusion

The hypothalamic α7nAchR/JAK2/STAT3/NF‐κB signaling pathway may play an important role in the antidepressant‐like behavior of taVNS.
The effects of AQP4 rs162009 on resting‐state brain activity in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Jiang Mengze , Fang Yi , Dai Shaobing , Si Xiaoli , Wang Zhiyun , Tang Jiahui , Gao Ting , Liu Yi , Song Zhe , Pu Jiali , Zhang Baorong
Published: April 2023

Background

We previously identified a significant association between Aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) and Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives

To identify whether AQP4 single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs162009 affects regional brain activity and clinical phenotypes of PD.

Methods

Low‐frequency fluctuation amplitude (ALFF) was used to evaluate spontaneous brain activity, regional homogeneity (ReHo) was used to evaluate the pace of activity of adjacent voxel regions, and degree centrality (DC) was used to describe the functional connection strength between a voxel and the whole brain. Disease severity and PD stage were assessed with the Movement Disorder Society‐sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and Hoehn and Yahr scales, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to assess the participants' cognitive function.

Results

In patients with PD, AQP4 SNP rs162009 was associated with a significant higher ALFF in the right caudate head and the left occipital gyrus, a significant lower ReHo in the right inferior frontal gyrus, a different DC in the right frontal gyrus, the left calcarine, and the right inferior temporal gyrus. A significant positive correlation between ALFF in the right caudate head and MoCA in rs162009_A carriers was found. A significant negative correlation between the DC at the left calcarine and MDS‐UPDRS and MDS‐UPDRS III in rs162009_A noncarriers was found.

Conclusions

Our study further revealed the effect of AQP4 SNP rs162009 on brain activity in PD, indicating that AQP4 may play an important role in PD neuropathophysiology.
Pushing the Bounds of Bounded Optimality and Rationality
Authors: Musslick Sebastian , Masís Javier
Published: April 2023

All forms of cognition, whether natural or artificial, are subject to constraints of their computing architecture. This assumption forms the tenet of virtually all general theories of cognition, including those deriving from bounded optimality and bounded rationality. In this letter, we highlight an unresolved puzzle related to this premise: what are these constraints, and why are cognitive architectures subject to cognitive constraints in the first place? First, we lay out some pieces along the puzzle edge, such as computational tradeoffs inherent to neural architectures that give rise to rational bounds of cognition. We then outline critical next steps for characterizing cognitive bounds, proposing that some of these bounds can be subject to modification by cognition and, as such, are part of what is being optimized when cognitive agents decide how to allocate cognitive resources. We conclude that these emerging views may contribute to a more holistic perspective on the nature of cognitive bounds, as well as their alteration subject to cognition.
A study of spectral reflectance reconstruction using the weighted fitting algorithm based on the Sino Colour Book
Authors: Liu Yuexin , Li Juan , Wang Xin , Li Xuetong , Song Yang , Li Rong
Published: April 2023

The spectral reflectance of a colour is its most essential characteristic, and it does not change with changes of equipment or light source. Therefore, the reconstruction of spectral reflectance from parameters such as colour tristimulus value and RGB has attracted the attention of researchers. To avoid the occurrence of metamerism in the colour reproduction process and to achieve the purpose of colour spectral reproduction, the spectral reflectance and the optimal parameters of the reconstruction using the weighted fitting method were discussed experimentally with the colour data measured from the Sino Colour Book as the research object. The results show that the best results are obtained when the weighted fitting parameters are weighted by the third power and eight colour samples are involved in the fitting. The reconstructed spectral reflectance obtained by the weighted fitting method has little variation and high overlap with the actual spectral reflectance obtained at each hue and lightness, thus meets the requirements of practical applications.
Fighting with words: humanitarian security and the changing role of law in contemporary armed conflict
Authors: Tammi Iida‐Maria
Published: April 2023

Violence against humanitarians is a commonplace phenomenon in contemporary armed conflict. This paper examines how the manipulation of international legal principles for political or military purposes, a practice known as ‘lawfare’, impacts humanitarian security in conflict‐affected areas. Drawing on a case study of the Syrian conflict (2011–), it finds that lawfare has been used to legitimate systematic civilian targeting by pro‐government forces and to delegitimise the delivery of aid to opposition‐held areas of the country. Efforts to use legal measures to promote civilian welfare—by way of sanctions or demands for cross‐border humanitarian access—have been taken as evidence of Western attempts to politicise humanitarian considerations and international law. In practice, this has meant increased security risks for aid workers and impunity for those implicated in the violence. The paper concludes by calling for more critical research on lawfare and politicisation of international law as part and parcel of civilian protection in conflict‐affected areas.
Early brain magnetic resonance imaging findings and neurodevelopmental outcome in children with congenital heart disease: A systematic review
Authors: Dijkhuizen Emma I. , de Munck Sophie , de Jonge Rogier C. J. , Dulfer Karolijn , van Beynum Ingrid M. , Hunfeld Maayke , Rietman André B. , Joosten Koen F. M. , van Haren Neeltje E. M.
Published: April 2023

Aim

To investigate the association between early brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and neurodevelopmental outcome (NDO) in children with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Method

A search for studies was conducted in Embase, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Observational and interventional studies were included, in which patients with CHD underwent surgery before 2 months of age, a brain MRI scan in the first year of life, and neurodevelopmental assessment beyond the age of 1 year.

Results

Eighteen studies were included. Thirteen found an association between either quantitative or qualitative brain metrics and NDO: 5 out of 7 studies showed decreased brain volume was significantly associated with worse NDO, as did 7 out of 10 studies on brain injury. Scanning protocols and neurodevelopmental tests varied strongly.

Interpretation

Reduced brain volume and brain injury in patients with CHD can be associated with impaired NDO, yet standardized scanning protocols and neurodevelopmental assessment are needed to further unravel trajectories of impaired brain development and its effects on outcome.
Prevalence, birth, and clinical characteristics of dyskinetic cerebral palsy compared with spastic cerebral palsy subtypes: A Norwegian register‐based study
Authors: Evensen Thomas L. , Vik Torstein , Andersen Guro L. , Bjellmo Solveig , Hollung Sandra Julsen
Published: April 2023

Aim

To study the prevalence, birth, and clinical characteristics of children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway compared with spastic quadriplegic CP and other spastic CP subtypes.

Method

Data on children born from 1996 to 2015 were collected from the Norwegian Quality and Surveillance Registry for Cerebral Palsy and the Medical Birth Registry of Norway.

Results

One hundred and seventy (6.8%) children had dyskinetic CP. The birth prevalence decreased during 1996 to 2015 from 0.21 to 0.07 per 1000 livebirths (p < 0.001). Dyskinetic CP was more often associated with term/post‐term birth, and motor and associated impairments were more severe compared with spastic bilateral and unilateral CP, but less severe than spastic quadriplegic CP. On neuroimaging, grey matter injuries were most prevalent in dyskinetic CP (mainly basal ganglia/thalamus) and spastic quadriplegic CP (mainly cortico‐subcortical), white matter injuries in spastic bilateral, and white and grey matter injuries were equally common in spastic unilateral CP. Normal neuroimaging and brain maldevelopment were present in 25% of children with dyskinetic CP.

Interpretation

The decrease in birth prevalence of dyskinetic CP was probably due to improved antenatal and perinatal care. Potential sentinel events at term were more common in dyskinetic CP than other spastic CP subtypes. However, probable antenatal aetiologies were most prevalent. Motor and associated impairments were less severe in children with dyskinetic CP compared with spastic quadriplegic CP.

What this paper adds

Birth prevalence of those with dyskinetic and spastic bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway decreased between 1996 and 2015.

Potential sentinel events at term were more common in dyskinetic CP.

Nonetheless, probable antenatal aetiologies were most prevalent in dyskinetic CP.

Basal ganglia/thalamus lesions were more common in dyskinetic than spastic quadriplegic CP.

Motor and associated impairments were milder in dyskinetic than spastic quadriplegic CP.
Impact of diabetes stigma in diabetes distress and diabetes self‐care: The moderating role of diabetes social support and general self‐esteem in Arabic‐speaking adults with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Alzubaidi Hamzah , Mc Namara Kevin , Samorinha Catarina , Versace Vincent , Saidawi Ward , Speight Jane
Published: April 2023

Aims

There is increasing evidence that diabetes stigma has negative impacts on behavioural and psychological outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, research has focused largely on Caucasian and certain Asian groups. The aim of this study was to examine associations of diabetes stigma with diabetes distress and self‐care, and investigate the moderating effects of self‐esteem and social support, in Arabic‐speaking communities.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study was conducted at 21 outpatient clinics and diabetes‐specialist centres in the United Arab Emirates. Besides the Arabic Type‐2 Diabetes Stigma Assessment Scale, participants completed other validated questionnaires assessing distress, self‐care, social support, and self‐esteem. General linear models were used to estimate the mean difference in diabetes‐specific distress and self‐care for every 1‐point increase in diabetes stigma total score.

Results

Among 327 adults with T2D, the mean total score of diabetes stigma was 43.55 ± 13.95. Every 1‐point increase in diabetes stigma was associated with significantly increased diabetes distress (β = 0.113, 95% CI: 0.078 to 0.147; p = 0.003) and decreased self‐care behaviours: diet (β = −0.029, 95% CI: −0.048 to −0.009; p = 0.008), physical activity (β = −0.022, 95% CI: −0.038 to −0.006; p = 0.013) and foot care (β = −0.043, 95% CI: −0.059 to −0.026; p < 0.001). Self‐esteem mitigated the effect of diabetes stigma on diabetes distress.

Conclusions

Perceived and experienced diabetes stigma was independently associated with increased diabetes distress and decreased engagement in diabetes self‐care among Arabic‐speaking adults with T2D. These findings are crucial to help clinicians provide more effective assessment and counselling and guide public health interventions to decrease diabetes stigma in these communities.
Acceptability and adoption of the Face‐it health promotion intervention targeting women with prior gestational diabetes and their partners: A qualitative study of the perspectives of healthcare professionals
Authors: Timm Anne , Kragelund Nielsen Karoline , Jensen Dorte Moeller , Maindal Helle Terkildsen
Published: April 2023

Aim

In this study, we investigated healthcare professionals' (HCPs) experiences with delivering home visits and digital coaching in the Face‐it health promotion intervention targeting women with recent GDM and their families. Understanding the acceptability and adoption of a health promotion intervention can provide insights into intervention fidelity and future scalability.

Methods

In total, 13 HCPs were interviewed. Data were analysed thematically through an abductive approach using Sekhon et al.'s theoretical framework of acceptability and Greenhalgh et al.'s framework for non‐adoption, abandonment, scale‐up, spread, and sustainability.

Results

Acceptability and adoption of the intervention among HCPs were influenced by (1) skills and technology, (2) values, and (3) organisation. The intervention was experienced as acceptable to HCPs because the dialogue tool, visualising different topics, used in the home visits and digital coaching through the LIVA app were flexible and enabled them to address psychosocial health and personalise goal setting in families. However, delivering asynchronous and non‐verbal communication was experienced as straining HCPs' relationship with families, which misaligned with HCPs' values. Establishing a non‐judgemental environment was needed to increase intervention acceptability among HCPs towards addressing type 2 diabetes risk after GDM. Increased collaboration between HCPs may have aligned advice and support to families and could have benefitted delivery.

Conclusions

When delivering health promotion to women with prior GDM, flexible intervention components that support psychosocial‐ and mental health topics may increase acceptability and adoption of the intervention among HCPs. HCPs' skills, values, and organisational factors should be considered prior and during implementation.
Non‐invasive imaging of functional pancreatic islet beta‐cell mass in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Joshi Shruti S. , Singh Trisha , Kershaw Lucy E. , Gibb Fraser W. , Dweck Marc R. , Williams Michelle , Idris Iskandar , Semple Scott , Forbes Shareen , Newby David E. , Reynolds Rebecca M.
Published: April 2023

Aims

To investigate whether manganese‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging can assess functional pancreatic beta‐cell mass in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

In a prospective case–control study, 20 people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (10 with low (≥50 pmol/L) and 10 with very low (<50 pmol/L) C‐peptide concentrations) and 15 healthy volunteers underwent manganese‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the pancreas following an oral glucose load. Scan‐rescan reproducibility was performed in 10 participants.

Results

Mean pancreatic manganese uptake was 31 ± 6 mL/100 g of tissue/min in healthy volunteers (median 32 [interquartile range 23–36] years, 6 women), falling to 23 ± 4 and 13 ± 5 mL/100 g of tissue/min (p ≤ 0.002 for both) in people with type1 diabetes mellitus (52 [44–61] years, 6 women) and low or very low plasma C‐peptide concentrations respectively. Pancreatic manganese uptake correlated strongly with plasma C‐peptide concentrations in people with type1 diabetes mellitus (r = 0.73,p < 0.001) but not in healthy volunteers (r = −0.054,p = 0.880). There were no statistically significant correlations between manganese uptake and age, body‐mass index, or glycated haemoglobin. There was strong intra‐observer (mean difference: 0.31 (limits of agreement −1.42 to 2.05) mL/100 g of tissue/min; intra‐class correlation, ICC = 0.99), inter‐observer (−1.23 (−5.74 to 3.27) mL/100 g of tissue/min; ICC = 0.85) and scan‐rescan (−0.72 (−2.9 to 1.6) mL/100 g of tissue/min; ICC = 0.96) agreement for pancreatic manganese uptake.

Conclusions

Manganese‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging provides a potential reproducible non‐invasive measure of functional beta‐cell mass in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus. This holds major promise for investigating type 1 diabetes, monitoring disease progression and assessing novel immunomodulatory interventions.
Clinical outcomes and phylogenetic analysis in reflection with three predominant clades of SARS‐CoV‐2 variants
Authors: Ali Kameran M. , Rashid Peshnyar M. A. , Ali Ayad M. , Tofiq Ahmed M. , Salih Gaza F. , Dana Omer I. , Rostam Hassan M.
Published: April 2023

Background

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) undergoes continuous evolution, resulting in the emergence of several variants. Each variant has a different severity and mortality rate.

Materials and Methods

In this study, 1174 COVID‐19 patients were studied for mortality and severity over three SARS‐CoV‐2 predominating variant periods in 2021 and 2022 in Sulaimani Province, Iraq. In each period, a representative, variant virus was subjected to phylogenetic and molecular and clinical analysis.

Results

Phylogenetic analysis revealed three SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, belonging to: Delta B.1.617.2, Omicron BA.1.17.2, and Omicron BA.5.6. The Delta variants showed more severe symptoms and a lower PCR‐Ct value than Omicron variants regardless of gender, and only 4.3% of the cases were asymptomatic. The mortality rate was lower with Omicron (.5% for BA.5.2 and 1.3% for BA.1.17.2) compared with Delta variants (2.5%). The higher mortality rate with Delta variants was in males (2.84%), while that with Omicron BA1.17.2 and BA.5.2 was in females, 1.05% and .0%, respectively. Age group (≥70) years had the highest mortality rate; however, it was (.0%) in the age group (30–49) years with Omicron variants, compared with (.96%) in Delta variants.

Conclusions

There has been a surge in COVID‐19 infection in the city due to the predominant lineages of SARS‐CoV‐2, B.1.617, Omicron BA.1.17.2 and Omicron BA.5.6, respectively. A higher PCR‐Ct value and severity of the Delta variant over Omicron BA.1.17.2 and/or BA.5.2 variants were significantly correlated with a higher death rate in the same order.
‘FIESTA': a forest inventory estimation and analysis R package
Authors: Frescino Tracey S. , Moisen Gretchen G. , Patterson Paul L. , Toney Chris , White Grayson W.
Published: April 2023

Ecologists are increasingly relying on national forest inventories to address a wide variety of issues. The ‘FIESTA' R package (Forest Inventory ESTimation and Analysis) is a tool that enables customized investigations using the extensive sample‐based inventory data collected across all lands in the US by the US Dept of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program. To date, the complex nature of the FIA inventory constrains many users to conduct only limited analyses through existing tools with pre‐specified geographic boundaries, timeframes, and auxiliary data under a single statistical estimation process. Yet, the rapid evolution of available remotely sensed data and statistical methods present the opportunity to conduct spatial and temporal analyses of forest attributes that are much more relevant to many pressing ecological, environmental, economic, and social issues in the US, The ‘FIESTA' package was developed to augment the current set of available tools by providing a flexible platform that accommodates evolving technologies and leading‐edge estimation techniques. The package contains a collection of functions that can query FIA databases, summarize sample‐based inventory data, extract and aggregate auxiliary spatial data, and generate estimates with associated variances. The ‘FIESTA' R package is available on CRAN (https://cran.r‐project.org/package=FIESTA).
Spatially varying coefficients can improve parsimony and descriptive power for species distribution models
Authors: Thorson James T. , Barnes Cheryl L. , Friedman Sarah T. , Morano Janelle L. , Siple Margaret C.
Published: April 2023

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to relate species occurrence and density to local environmental conditions, and often include a spatially correlated variable to account for spatial patterns in residuals. Ecologists have extended SDMs to include spatially varying coefficients (SVCs), where the response to a given covariate varies smoothly over space and time. However, SVCs see relatively little use perhaps because they remain less known relative to other SDM techniques. We therefore review ecological contexts where SVCs can improve the interpretability and descriptive power from SDMs, including local responses to regional indices that represent ecological teleconnections; density‐dependent habitat selection; spatially varying detectability; and context‐dependent covariate responses that represent interactions with unmeasured covariates. We then illustrate three additional examples in detail using the vector autoregressive spatio‐temporal (VAST) model. First, a spatially varying decadal trends model identifies decadal trends for arrowtooth flounderAtheresthes stomiasdensity in the Bering Sea from 1982 to 2019. Second, a trait‐based joint SDM highlights the role of body size and temperature in spatial community assembly in the Gulf of Alaska. Third, an age‐structured SDM for walleye pollockGadus chalcogrammusin the Bering Sea contrasts cohorts with broad spatial distributions (1996 and 2009) and those that are more spatially constrained (2002 and 2015). We conclude that SVCs extend SDMs to address a wide variety of ecological contexts and can be used to better understand a range of ecological processes, e.g. density dependence, community assembly and population dynamics.
The occurrence of trophically transmitted parasites is influenced by the trophic level and body size of the fish host
Authors: Lehun Atsler Luana , Silva João Otávio Santos , Michelan Gabriela , Lansac‐Tôha Fernando Miranda , Cavalcanti Lidiany Doreto , Takemoto Ricardo Massato
Published: April 2023

Endoparasites that are trophically transmitted are closely intertwined and constrained by the structure of the food chain. Each fish species can be used as an intermediate or definitive host; thus, the position it occupies in the food web and the body size can be determining factors for the presence of parasites and their transmission. Considering that fish can be parasitized by larval and adult stage endoparasites and that they are exposed to a wide variety of parasite species, we used a helminth dataset from 70 fish species and tested whether the total parasite richness, larval and adult, of fish from the upper Paraná River floodplain can be explained by body size and trophic level. For the trophic level, we observed an increasing trend in the richness of larval parasites. Regarding the richness of adult parasites and the total richness, we observed an increase as a function of the body size of the host. The tropic position and body size of the fish were good predictors, indicating that the position of the host in the trophic chain can influence and determine its life cycle.
Math anxiety and the shifting function: An event‐related potential study of arithmetic task switching
Authors: González‐Gómez Belén , Núñez‐Peña M. Isabel , Colomé Àngels
Published: April 2023

Why is math anxiety usually related to less efficient math processing? According to attentional control theory, anxiety leads to reduced attentional control, which often entails a greater investment of resources (e.g., more time or effort) to carry out a cognitive task. The executive functions mainly affected by anxiety are inhibition and shifting. Previous studies suggest that math anxiety may impair the inhibitory function. In the present study, the relationship between math anxiety and shifting efficiency when switching between two‐digit additions and subtractions was examined. Twenty highly math‐anxious and 20 low math‐anxious individuals participated in an event‐related potential (ERP) transition‐cueing experiment. Math anxiety was expected to delay the shifting process, leading to a larger switch cost in response time and no centroparietal cue‐locked switch‐specific positivity registered in the electroencephalogram during the cue‐target interval. Highly math‐anxious individuals showed a larger switch cost than their low math‐anxious peers. Asymmetrical switch effects between operations in response time were found in both groups, which might be due to larger sequential difficulty effects after subtractions than after additions. The cue‐locked switch‐specific positivity was present only in the low math‐anxious group. The present results suggest that highly math‐anxious individuals take longer to shift task sets. Additionally, the highly math‐anxious group showed a more positive frontal P2 after the cue that announced a switch to subtraction, probably indicating stronger attentional capture by this cue, because the most threatening condition is anticipated. Taken together, these data suggest that math anxiety also impairs attentional control when switching between arithmetic tasks.
Effects of the self‐perceived sensorimotor demand and immersion during video gaming on visual‐attention skills
Authors: Moënne‐Loccoz Cristóbal , Hernández Alfredo , Larraguibel Camila , Lam Gustavo , Lorca‐Ponce Enrique , Montefusco‐Siegmund Rodrigo , Maldonado Pedro , Vergara Rodrigo C.
Published: April 2023

Playing specific genres of video games (e.g., action video games) has been linked to improvements in cognitive skills mostly related to attentional phenomena. Nonetheless, do video games have features or dimensions in common that impact cognitive improvements beyond the game genre? Here, we argue that the sensorimotor demand—the amount of demand for precise coordination between movement and perception—is a key element in the improvements associated with playing video games. We conducted a two‐part study to test this hypothesis: a self‐report online gaming instrument development and validation and an in‐lab behavioural and electrophysiological study. In the first study, data from 209 participants were used to devise the sensorimotor demand instrument (SMDI). The SMDI was split into three dimensions of video game playing: sensorimotor contingency, immersion and unfocused gaming. Criterion validity related to video gamers' characteristics supported that the SMDI is sensitive to the input device (e.g., keyboard or touchscreens), and the most recent experience gained during gaming sessions while not being sensitive to the game genre. In the second study, data from 20 participants who performed four visual‐attentional tasks previously reported in the literature showed that the SMDI's dimensions were associated with behavioural performance measures and the latency and amplitude of event‐related potentials (N1, P2 and P3). Despite the challenge of studying the video gamer population, our study remarks on the relevance of sensorimotor demands in the performance of attentional tasks and its potential use as a dimension to characterize the experience of playing video games beyond the game genre.
Early timing of anesthesia in status epilepticus is associated with complete recovery: A 7‐year retrospective two‐center study
Authors: De Stefano Pia , Baumann Sira M. , Grzonka Pascale , Sarbu Oana E. , De Marchis Gian Marco , Hunziker Sabina , Rüegg Stephan , Kleinschmidt Andreas , Quintard Hervé , Marsch Stephan , Seeck Margitta , Sutter Raoul
Published: April 2023

Objective

This study was undertaken to investigate the efficacy, tolerability, and outcome of different timing of anesthesia in adult patients with status epilepticus (SE).

Methods

Patients with anesthesia for SE from 2015 to 2021 at two Swiss academic medical centers were categorized as anesthetized as recommended third‐line treatment, earlier (as first‐ or second‐line treatment), and delayed (later as third‐line treatment). Associations between timing of anesthesia and in‐hospital outcomes were estimated by logistic regression.

Results

Of 762 patients, 246 received anesthesia; 21% were anesthetized as recommended, 55% earlier, and 24% delayed. Propofol was preferably used for earlier (86% vs. 55.5% for recommended/delayed anesthesia) and midazolam for later anesthesia (17.2% vs. 15.9% for earlier anesthesia). Earlier anesthesia was statistically significantly associated with fewer infections (17% vs. 32.7%), shorter median SE duration (.5 vs. 1.5 days), and more returns to premorbid neurologic function (52.9% vs. 35.5%). Multivariable analyses revealed decreasing odds for return to premorbid function with every additional nonanesthetic antiseizure medication given prior to anesthesia (odds ratio [OR] = .71, 95% confidence interval [CI] = .53–.94) independent of confounders. Subgroup analyses revealed decreased odds for return to premorbid function with increasing delay of anesthesia independent of the Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS; STESS = 1‐2: OR = .45, 95% CI = .27–.74; STESS > 2: OR = .53, 95% CI = .34–.85), especially in patients without potentially fatal etiology (OR = .5, 95% CI = .35–.73) and in patients experiencing motor symptoms (OR = .67, 95% CI = .48–.93).

Significance

In this SE cohort, anesthetics were administered as recommended third‐line therapy in only every fifth patient and earlier in every second. Increasing delay of anesthesia was associated with decreased odds for return to premorbid function, especially in patients with motor symptoms and no potentially fatal etiology.
Characteristics of Australia's alien flora vary with invasion stage
Authors: Bartlett Angela C. , Blackburn Tim M. , Randall Rod , Catford Jane A.
Published: April 2023

Aim

Directly or indirectly, humans select the plants that they transport and introduce outside of species native ranges. Plants that have become invasive may therefore reflect which species had the chance to invade, rather than which species would become invasive given the chance. We examine characteristics of failed introductions, along with invasion successes, by investigating (a) variation in plant characteristics across invasion stages, and (b) how observed characteristics predict the likelihood of species moving through invasion stages.

Location

Australia.

Time period

1770s to present.

Major taxa studied

34,650 plant species, across 424 families.

Methods

We used a comprehensive list of 34,650 plant species that are known to have been introduced to Australia, 4,081 of which are classified as naturalized and 428 as invasive. We represent plant characteristics with categorical growth forms, three functional traits (plant height, seed mass, and specific leaf area) and three factors related to species introduction histories (native regions, purpose, and minimum residence times).

Results

(a) The types of species introduced determine the types of species that naturalize and become invasive; (b) species introduction histories predict the likelihood of species moving through invasion stages; and (c) the numbers of species naturalizing (~15%) and becoming invasive (~15%) slightly exceeds expectation from the “tens rule”, which expects that 10% of introduced species naturalize and 10% become invasive.

Main conclusions

Our findings are significant for global biosecurity, indicating that functional traits alone cannot be used to predict a species' risk of becoming invasive. Rather, evidence suggests that characteristics of species introductions—specifically, a longer time‐lag since first introduction and more pathways of introduction—define the relative risks of species moving through invasion stages. This is important for assessing future invasion risks, as future introductions may differ from those of the past. Our work highlights the need to reduce the number of species introduced.
Association of periodontal disease with migraine: A large‐scale community‐based cross‐sectional study
Authors: Chen Yen‐Ju , Hu Kai‐Fang , Chan Chi , Huang Claire , Huang Yu‐Han , Wang Yen‐Feng , Wang Shuu‐Jiun , Chen Shih‐Pin , Lee Mei‐Hsuan
Published: April 2023

Background

Periodontal disease may drive a systemic inflammatory response that triggers migraine; however, the association between periodontal disease and migraine has rarely been investigated in a community‐based setting.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included 66,109 participants aged 30 to 70 years from Taiwan Biobank (TWB). A structured questionnaire was administered to participants, who were also subjected to whole‐genome single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping using the customized Axiom–TWB array. To identify subjects with periodontal disease and migraine, the computerized linkage of data obtained from TWB and the National Health Insurance Research Database was performed. Participants were evaluated for their genetic predisposition to migraine using a polygenic risk score. We examined and estimated the magnitude of associations between periodontal disease and migraine.

Results

In this study, 4618 (4618/66,109; 7%) participants with migraine and 61,491 (61,491/66,109; 83%) participants without migraine were included. Participants with migraine exhibited a higher prevalence of periodontal disease than participants without migraine (4324/4618; 94% vs. 56,036/61,491; 91%). A significant positive association was observed between periodontal disease and migraine, with an adjusted odds ratio (ORadj) of 1.40 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.24–1.59; p < 0.001). The association remained consistent even after excluding participants with other comorbidities (ORadj = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.16–1.55; p < 0.001). Moreover, the positive association between periodontal disease and migraine remained significant across the subgroups of age, sex, other comorbidities, and classified polygenic risk scores of migraine, with the ORadj ranging from 1.26 to 1.78.

Conclusions

A significant positive association was observed between periodontal disease and migraine. Future studies need to explore the biological mechanisms of how periodontal disease might affect migraine.