bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cellular and molecular mechanisms in fibrosis
Authors: Dees Clara , Chakraborty Debomita , Distler Jörg H. W.
Published: September 2020

The activation of fibroblasts is required for physiological tissue remodelling such as wound healing. However, when the regulatory mechanisms are disrupted and fibroblasts remain persistently activated, the progressive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins leads to tissue fibrosis, which results in dysfunction or even loss of function of the affected organ. Although fibrosis has been recognized as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in modern societies, there are only few treatment options available that directly disrupt the release of extracellular matrix from fibroblasts. Intensive research in recent years, however, identified several pathways as core fibrotic mechanisms that are shared across different fibrotic diseases and organs. We discuss herein selection of those core pathways, especially downstream of the profibrotic TGF‐β pathway, which are druggable and which may be transferable from bench to bedside.
Adaptive dialogue management using intent clustering and fuzzy rules
Authors: Griol David , Callejas Zoraida , Molina Jose Manuel , Sanchis Araceli
Published: September 2020

Conversational systems have become an element of everyday life for billions of users who use speech‐based interfaces to services, engage with personal digital assistants on smartphones, social media chatbots, or smart speakers. One of the most complex tasks in the development of these systems is to design the dialogue model, the logic that provided a user input selects the next answer. The dialogue model must also consider mechanisms to adapt the response of the system and the interaction style according to different groups and user profiles. Rule‐based systems are difficult to adapt to phenomena that were not taken into consideration at design‐time. However, many of the systems that are commercially available are based on rules, and so are the most widespread tools for the development of chatbots and speech interfaces. In this article, we present a proposal to: (a) automatically generate the dialogue rules from a dialogue corpus through the use of evolving algorithms, (b) adapt the rules according to the detected user intention. We have evaluated our proposal with several conversational systems of different application domains, from which our approach provided an efficient way for adapting a set of dialogue rules considering user utterance clusters.
Climate impacts on the landings of Indian oil sardine over the south‐eastern Arabian Sea
Authors: Hamza Faseela , Valsala Vinu , Mallissery Anju , George Grinson
Published: September 2020

The landings of Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps, Clupeidae) along the south‐eastern Arabian Sea are about 43.8% of total Indian oil sardine production. The annual landings of this species exhibit large‐scale variability with prolonged years of surplus or deficit landings without identified reason. Evaluating Indian oil sardine landings along the Kerala coast during 1961–2017 in relation to environmental variations, we have elucidated a putative link between variability in landings versus environmental parameters and climate indices. The variables examined in this study, such as salinity and temperature along with physical indices such as upwelling and mixed layer depth (MLD) of the ocean help to propose a mechanism to temporal variability in the landings of Indian oil sardine. Colder temperature and timely intense upwelling lead to nutrient enrichment in the surface water, which promotes the growth of phytoplankton (chl‐a) and thereby food availability to Indian oil sardine are found during years with surplus catch. Less saline surface waters and shoaling of MLD at these times could lead to the aggregation of fish at particular depths and thereby a good catches. The reverse mechanism, such as more surface saline water, warm temperature, downwelling or weak upwelling, and less nutrient enrichment, leads to deficit landings. Further, it was noticed that the Pacific decadal oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation have a more pronounced impact on Indian oil sardine landings over the coast of south‐eastern Arabian Sea than previously reported ENSO associated impacts. All these point towards climate change implications for the Indian oil sardine fishery.
“Race was something we didn't talk about”: Racial Socialization in Asian American Families
Authors: Young Jennifer L. , Kim HaeDong , Golojuch Laura
Published: September 2020

Objective

Our goal was to explore racial socialization practices in Asian American families during a time of heightened racial tension.

Background

Asian Americans hold a complex racial position in the United States, made even more complicated by an increase in public protests regarding socioracial injustices in the United States experienced by racial minority groups. Discussions about race and ethnicity occur within Asian American families but often focus on cultural heritage rather than awareness of discrimination and the historical roots of racism.

Method

Our study used an inductive–deductive thematic analysis to collect data from 12 Asian American young adults. Semistructured interviews queried participants' experiences with racial socialization in their nuclear families and their own racial identity.

Findings

Qualitative analysis revealed the following themes: (a) Participants received limited messages regarding racial issues, (b) participants engaged in “bottom‐up” racial socialization and taught their parents about race, and (c) participants felt left out of society's racial dialogue.

Conclusion

During this time of heightened racial tension, Asian American young adults struggle to find their place, despite wanting to participate in community building.

Implications

Without strong Asian American racial socialization practices in families, young adults must educate themselves and initiate racial meaning‐making in their families.
Exosomes as mediators of immune regulation and immunotherapy in cancer
Authors: Kugeratski Fernanda G. , Kalluri Raghu
Published: September 2020

Exosomes are nanosized extracellular vesicles of endosomal origin that enclose a multitude of functional biomolecules. Exosomes have emerged as key players of intercellular communication in physiological and pathological conditions. In cancer, depending on the context, exosomes can oppose or potentiate the development of an aggressive tumor microenvironment, thereby impacting tumor progression and clinical outcome. Increasing evidence has established exosomes as important mediators of immune regulation in cancer, as they deliver a plethora of signals that can either support or restrain immunosuppression of lymphoid and myeloid cell populations in tumors. Here, we review the current knowledge related to exosome‐mediated regulation of lymphoid (T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and NK cells) and myeloid (macrophages, dendritic cells, monocytes, myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, and neutrophils) cell populations in cancer. We also discuss the translational potential of engineered exosomes as immunomodulatory agents for cancer therapy.
Warming erodes individual‐level variability in life history responses to predation risk in larvae of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum
Authors: Šupina Jan , Bojková Jindřiška , Boukal David S.
Published: September 2020

Warming and predation risk are ubiquitous environmental factors that can modify life histories and population dynamics of aquatic ectotherms. While separate responses to each of these factors are well understood, their joint effects on individual life histories and population dynamics remain largely unexplored. Current theory predicts that the magnitude of prey behavioural, physiological, and life history responses to predation risk should diminish with warming due to the reduced metabolic scope. However, empirical support for this prediction remains equivocal, and experiments covering a substantial proportion of individual prey ontogeny until maturation are lacking.

To fill these gaps, we ran a laboratory experiment to investigate how warming and non‐consumptive predation risk influence life history responses in the larvae of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum, an aquatic insect with highly plastic development. We reared larvae of varying initial sizes at three temperatures (21, 24, and 27°C) in a risk‐free environment and under predation risk signalled by chemical cues from dragonfly larvae (Aeshna cyanea), and followed their individual survival, growth, and development until emergence.

Some C. dipterum larvae substantially prolonged their development and the proportion of these slow individuals declined rapidly with temperature and increased with predation risk. We attribute this response to cohort splitting, a common life history strategy of aquatic insects and other taxa in unpredictable environment.

Growth, development, and maturation varied predictably with temperature in the fast larvae that did not prolong their development. They grew and developed faster but matured at smaller sizes with increasing temperature. Predation risk tended to slow down individual growth and development in line with the reduced metabolic scope hypothesis, but the differences were relatively minor and observable only at 21°C.

Survival to subimago increased with predation risk, possibly due to indirect effects mediated by dissolved micronutrients, but did not vary significantly with temperature. Survival also tended to be higher in the slow individuals. This partly compensated for a smaller final size relative to the fast individuals and made both strategies comparable in overall fitness.

Our results show that warming may erode individual‐level variability in life history responses to predation risk. This implies that warming can synchronise population dynamics and consequently make such populations more vulnerable to unpredictable disturbances.
Warming‐induced global soil carbon loss attenuated by downward carbon movement
Authors: Luo Zhongkui , Luo Yiqi , Wang Guocheng , Xia Jianyang , Peng Changhui
Published: September 2020

The fate of soil organic carbon (SOC) under warming is poorly understood, particularly across large extents and in the whole‐soil profile. Using a data‐model integration approach applied across the globe, we find that downward movement of SOC along the soil profile reduces SOC loss under warming. We predict that global SOC stocks (down to 2 m) will decline by 4% (~80 Pg) on average when SOC reaches the steady state under 2°C warming, assuming no changes in net primary productivity (NPP). To compensate such decline (i.e. maintain current SOC stocks), a 3% increase of NPP is required. Without the downward SOC movement, global SOC declines by 15%, while a 20% increase in NPP is needed to compensate that loss. This vital role of downward SOC movement in controlling whole‐soil profile SOC dynamics in response to warming is due to the protection afforded to downward‐moving SOC by depth, indicated by much longer residence times of SOC in deeper layers. Additionally, we find that this protection could not be counteracted by promoted decomposition due to the priming of downward‐moving new SOC from upper layers on native old SOC in deeper layers. This study provides the first estimation of whole‐soil SOC changes under warming and additional NPP required to compensate such changes across the globe, and reveals the vital role of downward movement of SOC in reducing SOC loss under global warming.
Comparative optimism about infection and recovery from COVID‐19; Implications for adherence with lockdown advice
Authors: Asimakopoulou Koula , Hoorens Vera , Speed Ewen , Coulson Neil S. , Antoniszczak Dominika , Collyer Fran , Deschrijver Eliane , Dubbin Leslie , Faulks Denise , Forsyth Rowena , Goltsi Vicky , Harsløf Ivan , Larsen Kristian , Manaras Irene , Olczak‐Kowalczyk Dorota , Willis Karen , Xenou Tatiana , Scambler Sasha
Published: September 2020

Background

Comparative optimism, the belief that negative events are more likely to happen to others rather than to oneself, is well established in health risk research. It is unknown, however, whether comparative optimism also permeates people’s health expectations and potentially behaviour during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Objectives

Data were collected through an international survey (N = 6485) exploring people’s thoughts and psychosocial behaviours relating to COVID‐19. This paper reports UK data on comparative optimism. In particular, we examine the belief that negative events surrounding risk and recovery from COVID‐19 are perceived as more likely to happen to others rather than to oneself.

Methods

Using online snowball sampling through social media, anonymous UK survey data were collected from N = 645 adults during weeks 5‐8 of the UK COVID‐19 lockdown. The sample was normally distributed in terms of age and reflected the UK ethnic and disability profile.

Findings

Respondents demonstrated comparative optimism where they believed that as compared to others of the same age and gender, they were unlikely to experience a range of controllable (eg accidentally infect/ be infected) and uncontrollable (eg need hospitalization/ intensive care treatment if infected) COVID‐19‐related risks in the short term (P < .001). They were comparatively pessimistic (ie thinking they were more at risk than others for developing COVID‐19‐related infection or symptoms) when thinking about the next year.

Discussion

This is one of the first ever studies to report compelling comparative biases in UK adults’ thinking about COVID‐19.
Remembering and forgetting: How France's slaving ports have come to terms with their past
Authors: Forrest Alan
Published: September 2020

In the decades before the French Revolution, France's Atlantic ports grew rich on the profits of colonial trade with the Americas, not least through the triangular trade in slaves between France, West Africa and the Caribbean. But by the end of the century, that prosperity was threatened. The French Revolution, leading to the first abolition of the slave trade in 1794, was partly responsible; but so were long years of war and blockade; the loss of France's richest sugar island, Saint‐Domingue, to slave insurrection; and the growth of a new moral conscience which challenged the rights of Europeans to sacrifice the freedom of others for their own economic advantage. After 1815, the Atlantic ports were condemned to long years of economic decline, when merchants looked back nostalgically on a world they had lost. In this article, I examine how the revolutionary era left an uneasy memory of the slave trade and suggest how these cities have belatedly come to terms with their past as public memory has evolved to reflect the changing balance of French society.
Tectonic implications of carbonate deposits on the eastern slope of the Hahajima Seamount in the collision zone between the Izu–Bonin Arc on the Philippine Sea Plate and the Ogasawara Plateau on the Pacific Plate
Authors: Miyata Jun , Takayanagi Hideko , Ishigaki Akimasa , Hirano Naoto , Shiokawa Satoshi , Nishimura Akira , Nakazawa Tsutomu , Ishikawa Tsuyoshi , Nagaishi Kazuya , Tokuyama Hidekazu , Ishiwatari Akira , Iryu Yasufumi
Published: September 2020

The Hahajima Seamount is located at the junction between the Izu–Bonin and Mariana forearc slopes in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Ogasawara Plateau on the Pacific Plate. Despite numerous previous studies, the origin of the Hahajima Seamount remains controversial. Here we constrain its origin based on sedimentological and chronological analyses of shallow‐water carbonates collected from the eastern slope of the seamount. The carbonates are dominated by floatstones with numerous mollusks. Gravel‐sized bioclasts include mollusks (e.g. nerineids and rudists) and local calcareous spines and minor amounts of corals. Sand‐sized components include bioclasts of benthic foraminifers and dasycladalean algae, and non‐skeletal grains of intraclasts and peloids, with no ooids. Most of the bioclasts are bioeroded and coated with micrite envelopes. The Sr isotope ages of the samples fell into two ranges: Berriasian or Aptian (140.3 Ma or 118.3–113.2 Ma, respectively) and Coniacian to Campanian (86.5–77.2 Ma). Shallow‐water carbonates on the Hahajima Seamount are similar in lithology and Sr isotope ages to those on the Ogasawara Plateau located to the east, on the opposite side of the Izu–Bonin Trench (i.e. on the Pacific Plate). This indicates that the shallow‐water carbonates on the eastern slope of the Hahajima Seamount were not deposited in situ, but instead originated from the Ogasawara Plateau. The eastern section of this seamount can thus be interpreted as an accretionary wedge.
Non‐breeding movements of Gentoo Penguins at the Falkland Islands
Authors: Baylis Alastair M. M. , Tierney Megan , Orben Rachael A. , González de la Peña Daniel , Brickle Paul
Published: September 2020

Although many penguin species migrate during the non‐breeding period, Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis papua are year‐round residents. Despite being characterized as inshore feeders, the at‐sea spatial usage of Gentoo Penguins during the non‐breeding period, when central place foraging constraints are relaxed, is poorly understood. Here, we tracked the movements of Gentoo Penguins from five breeding colonies at the Falkland Islands, globally one of the largest Gentoo Penguin breeding populations. Gentoo Penguin movement patterns during the non‐breeding period were complex, which likely reflects a high degree of foraging plasticity. Specifically, considerable individual variation existed in foraging trip distance, duration and fidelity to deployment location. For example, maximum foraging trip distance for individual penguins ranged from 64 to 600 km from the colony location (or 480 km from the nearest point on land), and maximum foraging trip duration ranged from 5.7 to 24.8 days. Gentoo Penguin foraging trip distance and duration at the Falkland Islands far exceeded those reported at other locations during the non‐breeding period, and challenge the inshore, diurnal feeding stereotype. Gentoo Penguins also frequently moved between breeding colonies within the Falkland Islands archipelago, but typically returned to their respective colonies, although not necessarily on consecutive foraging trips. Extended movements highlight Gentoo Penguin breeding dispersal capability, which might play a crucial role in population dynamics and gene flow.
Facilitating fructose‐driven metabolism exerts a protective effect on anoxic stress in Drosophila
Authors: Kim H. , Kim M. , Kim M. S.
Published: September 2020

Hypoxic stress is linked to various cardiovascular disorders (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction), mediated, at least in part, by a reduction in ATP synthesis. Fructose‐driven glycolysis is proposed as an alternative pathway capable of sustaining ATP production even under anoxic conditions. Here, we tested the hypothesis that facilitating fructose‐driven metabolism exerts a protective effect against anoxic stress in Drosophila. Genetically modified flies with the human fructose transporter (GluT5) and ketohexokinase (KHK) genes downstream of upstream activating sequence (UAS) were constructed. The GAL4‐UAS system was confirmed to: (i) increase the expression of GluT5 and KHK in a tissue‐specific and a time‐dependent manner (i.e., whole flies [with Act5c‐gene switch GAL4 driver], neurons [with elav‐gene switch GAL4 driver]) and (ii) reduce mortality of flies when placed under anoxic stress. Taken together, these data suggest that increasing fructose metabolism may be a clinically relevant approach to minimize hypoxia‐induced cellular damage.
Switching from long‐acting beta‐agonist and inhaled corticosteroid to long‐acting beta‐agonist and long‐acting muscarinic antagonist for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case report of inhaled corticosteroid withdrawal
Authors: Lam Jamie Chung Mei
Published: September 2020

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a medical condition characterised by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. For the long‐term management of COPD, inhaled therapies are the main approach to maintenance treatment. In order to improve treatment efficacy and tolerability for patients with COPD, recent clinical trials have focused on the withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs), the use of which has been associated with adverse outcomes, including pneumonia. In this case report, a patient with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease grade 3 COPD was switched from a combined inhaled therapy of a long‐acting beta‐agonist (LABA) and ICS to a combination of a LABA and a long‐acting muscarinic antagonist (tiotropium/olodaterol) during hospitalisation for an acute exacerbation of COPD in April 2016. He was subsequently maintained in a stable condition, and was able to live and travel independently. This case report of successful ICS withdrawal suggests that, for moderate‐to‐severe COPD, if it is assessed individually, dual therapy of LABA and long‐acting muscarinic antagonist can be highly effective and well‐tolerated. Treatment compliance and lifestyle modifications have been shown to be critical in optimising treatment outcomes.
Real‐world outcomes for neoadjuvant capecitabine versus infusional 5‐fluorouracil in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer
Authors: Loft Matthew , Wong Hui‐Li , Kosmider Suzanne , Lee Margaret , Tie Jeanne , Wong Rachel , Jones Ian T. , Croxford Matthew , Steel Malcolm , Faragher Ian , Guerrieri Mario , Christie Michael , Gibbs Peter
Published: September 2020

Background

Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy is standard‐of‐care treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). A pathological complete response (pCR) following chemoradiation therapy is an early indicator of treatment benefit and associated with excellent survival outcomes, with capecitabine largely replacing infusional 5‐fluorouracil as the choice in routine care of LARC.

Aims

To analyse the uptake of capecitabine usage over time, and on the back of clinical trial data demonstrating equivalence between fluoropyrimidines, confirm that efficacy is maintained in the real‐world setting.

Methods

We analysed data from a prospectively maintained colorectal cancer database at three Australian hospitals including patients diagnosed from January 2009 to December 2018. Pathological response was determined as either complete or incomplete and compared for patients receiving 5‐FU or capecitabine.

Results

A total of 657 patients was analysed, 498 receiving infusional 5‐FU and 159 capecitabine. Capecitabine use has markedly increased from approval in 2014 in Australia, now being used in more than 80% of patients. Patient characteristics were similar by treatment, including age, tumour location and pre‐treatment stage. pCR was reported in 22/159 (13.8%) of capecitabine‐treated patients and 118/380 (23.7%) that received 5‐FU (P ≤ 0.01). More capecitabine‐treated patients received post‐operative oxaliplatin (44.2% vs 6.3%, P < 0.01). Two‐year progression‐free survival was similar (84.9% vs 88.0%, P = 0.34).

Conclusions

Capecitabine is now the dominantly used neoadjuvant chemotherapy in LARC. Capecitabine use was associated with a lower rate of pCR versus infusional 5‐FU, a difference not explained by examined patient or tumour characteristics. Poor treatment compliance with oral therapy in the real‐world setting is one possible explanation.
Implications of cellular metabolism for immune cell migration
Authors: Guak Hannah , Krawczyk Connie.M.
Published: September 2020

Cell migration is an essential, energetically demanding process in immunity. Immune cells navigate the body via chemokines and other immune mediators, which are altered under inflammatory conditions of injury or infection. Several factors determine the migratory abilities of different types of immune cells in diverse contexts, including the precise co‐ordination of cytoskeletal remodelling, the expression of specific chemokine receptors and integrins, and environmental conditions. In this review, we present an overview of recent advances in our understanding of the relationship of each of these factors with cellular metabolism, with a focus on the spatial organization of glycolysis and mitochondria, reciprocal regulation of chemokine receptors and the influence of environmental changes.
Monetary policy through exchange rate pegs: The removal of the Swiss franc‐Euro floor and stock price reactions
Authors: von Schweinitz Gregor , Tonzer Lena , Buchholz Manuel
Published: September 2020

The Swiss National Bank abolished the exchange rate floor versus the Euro in January 2015. Using a synthetic matching framework, we analyze the impact of this unexpected (and therefore exogenous) policy change on the stock market. The results reveal a significant level shift (decline) in asset prices following the discontinuation of the minimum exchange rate. As a novel finding in the literature, we document that the exchange‐rate elasticity of Swiss asset prices is around −0.75. Differentiating between sectors of the Swiss economy, we find that the industrial, financial and consumer goods sectors are most strongly affected by the abolition of the minimum exchange rate.
Pathophysiology of coronavirus disease 2019 for wound care professionals
Authors: Al‐Benna Sammy
Published: September 2020

There is pressing urgency to understand the pathogenesis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) which causes Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). The tissue tropism of SARS‐CoV‐2 includes not only the lung but also the vascular and integumentary systems. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) appears to be the key functional receptor for the virus. There is a prominent innate immune response to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, including inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, the complement system, and acute phase proteins. The pathophysiologic significance of SARS‐COV‐2 and host immune system interaction, and COVID‐19‐associated coagulopathy instigating microvascular injury syndrome mediated by activation of complement pathways, and an associated procoagulant state is important for wound care professionals to understand.
Purification of endo‐polygalacturonase by affinity precipitation using alginate
Authors: Gupta MN , Dong G. , Mattiasson B.
Published: September 2020

The precipitation of alginate by Ca2+ at pH 3.8 was found to occur concomitantly with the precipitation of endo‐polygalacturonase from Aspergillus niger. Under optimum conditions, 92% of the enzyme activity was precipitated. The enzyme could be recovered from the precipitate by washing with 0.5 M NaCl/0.2 M Ca2+. All the precipitated endo‐polygalacturonase activity could be recovered in this way. The enzyme thus obtained was purified 10‐fold. A comparison of SDS/PAGE gel patterns of the crude preparation and enzyme purified by the affinity precipitation also showed a significant purification of the enzyme.
Bridging Sustainability and Finance: The Value Driver Adjustment Approach
Authors: Schramade Willem
Published: September 2020

Even though most large corporations view sustainability considerations and concerns as having the potential to affect their revenue and profits, and studies have shown that sustainability can affect stock returns, investors and corporate managers continue to struggle to incorporate such concerns into their financial decision‐making. As a consequence, the valuation effects of sustainability issues are not fully reflected in either the valuation of companies by investors or in capital investment decisions by corporate managers.

The author argues that sustainability can be integrated into both of these kinds of financial decision‐making by linking it to business models, competitive positions, and value drivers using what the author calls a “value‐driver adjustment” (VDA) approach. The basic idea is simple: material sustainability issues affect business models and competitive positions, which in turn affect the company's value drivers—notably, sales, margins, and capital. The VDA approach explicitly considers these linkages by taking three steps: (1) identifying a company's material sustainability issues; (2) analyzing how these issues are expected to affect the company's business model and competitive position; and (3) quantifying the effects of such changes in business model and competitive position on the company's value drivers, including its cost of capital.

In the first part of the article, the author provides an investor perspective that shows how sustainability can be integrated into investment decisions by asset managers. There he explains how and why ESG integration has so far failed to become mainstream, and what needs to be done to make it successful. The second part of this article takes the corporate perspective and shows how sustainability can be linked to value drivers using much the same ingredients as in asset management, but slightly different tools that can help corporate managers incorporate sustainability concerns into strategy and operations, including the finance function. And in closing, the author brings together corporate and investor perspectives while showing how sustainability programs can be used to make the relationship between companies and their shareholders both stronger and longer‐lasting.
Comparison of Sport Competitive Anxiety Levels of Flemish athletes with and without intellectual disability
Authors: Van Biesen Debbie , Marin‐Urquiza Adriana , McCulloch Katina , Van Damme Tine
Published: September 2020

Background

High anxiety levels are common in people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and anxiety can affect sport performance, but sport competitive anxiety profiles in athletes with ID are unknown.

Methods

A total of 303 athletes; 116 with ID (33% female, M age = 22.64, SD = 3.94), and 187 without ID (54% female, M age = 21.81, SD = 3.23), completed the modified questionnaire Sport Anxiety Scale‐2‐FLemish‐ID (SAS‐2‐FL‐ID).

Results

The SAS‐2‐FL‐ID was a valid tool to use in a population of athletes with ID. They had higher trait anxiety (9.36 ± 2.62) than peers without ID (7.58 ± 2.44), F = 26.95, p<.001. With respect to sport anxiety, they only scored higher on the “concentration disruption” subscale. Their overall level of competitive anxiety across all subscales (24.14 ± 7.73) was significantly lower compared to athletes without ID (26.51 ± 7.49), F = 27.10, p<.001.

Conclusion

On the sporting field, athletes with ID worry less and feel less somatic anxiety compared to athletes without ID.
Evening locomotor activity during stopover differs on pre‐departure and departure days in free‐living songbirds
Authors: Morbey Yolanda E. , Beauchamp Andrew T. , Bonner Simon J. , Mitchell Greg W.
Published: September 2020

The length of time songbirds remain at a migratory stopover site is likely regulated by a daily stay/go decision informed by fat stores and weather conditions, but the finer‐scale timing of this decision and associated pre‐departure behaviours are still poorly understood. Using automated radiotelemetry of free‐living songbirds captured at a migratory stopover site in spring, we tested whether individuals change their locomotor activity near sunset on their migratory departure day compared to their non‐departure days. To do so, we extracted precise transition times between diurnal activity and nocturnal inactivity, which always precedes departure, using changepoint analysis of radio transmission signal strength. Among four warbler species, individuals extended diurnal activity by 8–19 min towards sunset on their departure day. In three species, this extension was significant. In contrast, white‐throated sparrows significantly shortened diurnal activity on their departure day by 13 min, also towards sunset. This is the first study to detect and quantify a change in locomotor activity schedule on departure versus non‐departure days in free‐living songbirds, and is consistent with the hypothesis that birds engage in pre‐departure preparatory behaviours near sunset.
Reproducibility of clinical late gadolinium enhancement magnetic resonance imaging in detecting left atrial scar after atrial fibrillation ablation
Authors: Kamali Roya , Schroeder Joyce , DiBella Edward , Steinberg Benjamin , Han Frederick , Dosdall Derek J. , Macleod Rob S. , Ranjan Ravi
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect postablation atrial scar (PAAS) but its reproducibility and reliability in clinical scans across different magnetic flux densities and scar detection methods are unknown.

Methods

Patients (n = 45) having undergone two consecutive MRIs (3 months apart) on 3T and 1.5T scanners were studied. We compared PAAS detection reproducibility using four methods of thresholding: simple thresholding, Otsu thresholding, 3.3 standard deviations (SD) above blood pool (BP) mean intensity, and image intensity ratio (IIR). We performed a texture study by dividing the left atrial wall intensity histogram into deciles and evaluated the correlation of the same decile of the two scans as well as to a randomized distribution of intensities, quantified using Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC).

Results

The choice of scanner did not significantly affect the reproducibility. The scar detection performed by Otsu thresholding (DSC of 71.26 ± 8.34) resulted in a better correlation of the two scans compared with the methods of 3.3 SD above BP mean intensity (DSC of 57.78 ± 21.2, p < .001) and IIR above 1.61 (DSC of 45.76 ± 29.55, p <.001). Texture analysis showed that correlation only for voxels with intensities in deciles above the 70th percentile of wall intensity histogram was better than random distribution (p < .001).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that clinical LGE‐MRI can be reliably used for visualizing PAAS across different magnetic flux densities if the threshold is greater than 70th percentile of the wall intensity distribution. Also, atrial wall‐based thresholding is better than BP‐based thresholding for reproducible PAAS detection.
Wide pulse pressure: A clinical review
Authors: Tang Kevin S. , Medeiros Edward D. , Shah Ankur D.
Published: September 2020

Pulse pressure naturally increases over time as individuals’ age due to arteriosclerosis and diffuse vascular stiffening. However, the differential for widened pulse pressure is broad and includes causes of hyperdynamic circulation and high‐output heart failure, such as aortic regurgitation and hyperthyroidism. In the absence of an underlying cause, wide pulse pressure is a sign of deteriorating cardiovascular health and carries increased risk for mortality, disease progression, and adverse clinical outcomes in chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease. Current emphasis of antihypertensive treatment on systolic and diastolic blood pressure does not always address pulse pressure, thus subjecting many patients to an independent risk factor for poor outcomes. Pulse pressure control is more successfully achieved with thiazide diuretics and long‐acting nitrates when compared to other antihypertensive agents, but further research is needed to quantify the additional benefits of pulse pressure control over conventional blood pressure therapy. This case review provides an overview of the pathogenesis, pathologic causes, and treatment of widened pulse pressure and evaluates current evidence for pulse pressure as a predictor of clinical outcomes.
LncRNA HOXA‐AS3 promotes the malignancy of glioblastoma through regulating miR‐455‐5p/USP3 axis
Authors: Chen Wanghao , Li Qiaoyu , Zhang Guilong , Wang Hong , Zhu Zhihan , Chen Lukui
Published: September 2020

Our objective was to determine the molecular mechanisms by which lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 regulates the biological behaviour of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We used an lncRNA microarray assay to identify GBM‐related lncRNA expression profiles. Qrt‐PCR was used to survey the levels of expression of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) HOXA‐AS3 and the target gene. Dual‐luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate the interaction of lncRNA HOXA‐AS3, the target gene and miRNA. Western blot analysis was used to examine the expression of USP3 and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) genes. The MTT assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay were used to analyse the effects of lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 on GBM cell viability, mobility and invasiveness, respectively. Our results showed that lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 was significantly up‐regulated in GBM cells and could promote GBM cell proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro and in vivo. HOXA‐AS was found to be associated with poor survival prognosis in glioma patients. The dual‐luciferase reporter assay also revealed that lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 acts as a mir‐455‐5p sponge by up‐regulating USP3 expression to promote GBM progression. Western blot analysis showed that lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 could up‐regulate EMT‐related gene expression in GBM. Experiments showed mir‐455‐5p could rescue the effect of lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 on cell proliferation and invasion. The newly identified HOXA‐AS3/mir‐455‐5p/USP3 pathway offers important clues to understanding the key mechanisms underlying the action of lncRNA HOXA‐AS3 in glioblastoma.
LINC00470 promotes tumour proliferation and invasion, and attenuates chemosensitivity through the LINC00470/miR‐134/Myc/ABCC1 axis in glioma
Authors: Wu Changwu , Su Jun , Long Wenyong , Qin Chaoying , Wang Xiangyu , Xiao Kai , Li Yang , Xiao Qun , Wang Junquan , Pan Yimin , Liu Qing
Published: September 2020

Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumour in the brain; temozolomide (TMZ) is the most prevalent chemotherapeutic drug currently used to combat this cancer. We reported previously that the long intergenic non‐protein coding RNA 470 (LINC00470) is a novel prognostic biomarker for glioma and promotes the tumour growth in an intracranial transplantation mouse model. However, the effects of LINC00470 on glioma cell proliferation, invasion and TMZ chemosensitivity, as well as its molecular mechanism, remain unclear. In this study, we found elevated expression levels of LINC00470 and MYC in glioma tissues and cells and decreased expression of microRNA‐134 (miR‐134). Functional studies have shown that LINC00470 promotes proliferation and invasion, and attenuates chemosensitivity of glioma cells, while miR‐134 exerts the opposite effect. In the rescue experiments, the tumorigenic effect of LINC00470 was offset by miR‐134. In the mechanism study, we found that LINC00470 was a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR‐134 and that miR‐134 can directly target MYC and negatively regulate its expression. Furthermore, MYC was positively correlated with ATP‐binding cassette subfamily C member 1 (ABCC1) expression in glioma cells and MYC up‐regulated ABCC1 expression. Further studies found that LINC00470 regulated MYC by sponging miR‐134 to regulate the expression of ABCC1. We concluded that LINC00470 promoted the expression of MYC and ABCC1 by suppressing miR‐134, thus promoting glioma cell proliferation and invasion, and attenuating TMZ chemosensitivity. Moreover, the LINC00470/miR‐134/MYC/ABCC1 axis constitutes a potential therapeutic target.
Patients’ perspective on current treatments and demand for novel treatments in vitiligo
Authors: Narayan V.S. , Uitentuis S.E. , Luiten R.M. , Bekkenk M.W. , Wolkerstorfer A.
Published: September 2020

Background

The treatment of non‐segmental vitiligo (NSV) remains a challenge. Current treatments often achieve suboptimal clinical results. To improve these treatment results, several new therapies are being developed and investigated. There is, however, little evidence on the actual need for novel therapies.

Objective

To assess patients’ perspective on current and novel therapies for vitiligo.

Methods

A prospective questionnaire study was conducted in a large cohort of vitiligo patients that consecutively visited the outpatient clinic of the Amsterdam University Medical Centre between April 2017 and January 2019. Patients were requested to fill in a digital questionnaire on patient characteristics, disease burden, quality of life, efficacy and satisfaction of current treatments and aspects regarding new treatments.

Results

A total of 325 vitiligo patients completed the questionnaire (60% response rate). Of the respondents, 94% believed that new and improved treatments are needed and 86% would be willing to participate in clinical trials investigating a new therapy. Sixty‐nine per cent would agree on taking weekly injections if it led to effective treatment results. Of the patients that had received therapy before, 49% reported that the current treatments were not effective and 50% was not satisfied with the current treatments. Sixty‐seven per cent of the patients experienced facial lesions as an extreme burden, whereas this was, 25%, 12% and 10% for lesions on the hands, trunk and feet, respectively. The emotional burden score was significantly higher in dark skin types compared with light skin types (respectively, 8 vs 5, U P < 0.05).

Conclusion

There is a substantial need for new vitiligo therapies. A considerable number of patients in our study are dissatisfied with current treatments and are emotionally burdened by the disease. Moreover, the vast majority demands novel treatments and is willing to participate in clinical trials.
Novel bendable abutments as a solution to correct unfavorable implant inclination. A clinical report
Authors: Carpena Augusto Luis Mendes de Mattos , de Azevedo Kinalski Mateus , Bergoli César Dalmolin , dos Santos Mateus Bertolini Fernandes
Published: September 2020

Objective

This clinical case report describes a novel bendable abutment as a prosthetic solution for implants presenting with an unfavorable inclination.

Clinical considerations

A metal‐ceramic screw‐retained single crown was made on this novel bendable abutment in a patient presenting with a pronounced buccal inclination of an implant. A plastic reference guide is used to define the correct inclination and then this inclination is transferred to the abutment using a specific bending device at the same appointment.

Conclusions

Bendable abutments can be used as a solution to correct unfavorable implant inclinations. This abutment can be customized at the same appointment considering a case‐specific inclination rather than conventional pre‐angled abutments.

Clinical significance

Bendable abutments can be customized according to each case specificities while conventional pre‐angled abutments may not be adequate for all patients. Also, the abutment customization could be easily done by dentists at their own practices using a specific bending device with hand pressure only, saving time, and the need to order pre‐angled abutments or having it in stock.
Yellow‐eyed piranhas produce louder sounds than red‐eyed piranhas in an invasive population of Serrasalmus marginatus
Authors: Raick Xavier , Huby Alessia , Kurchevski Gregório , Godinho Alexandre L. , Parmentier Éric
Published: September 2020

Serrasalmus marginatus is a piranha species native from the lower Paraná River basin and has been invasive in the upper Paraná River basin since the 1980s. In piranhas, sounds of different species have different features. The aim of this study was to investigate if the sounds produced by this species could be used to distinguish two morphotypes: red‐ and yellow‐eyed S. marginatus from the Araguari River (upper Paraná River basin). All the temporal and frequency features of the sounds were equivalent in both groups of eye colour; it corresponds to the species‐specific signature described for S. marginatus. Nonetheless, the amplitude features were all statistically different between red‐ and yellow‐eyed piranhas. Yellow‐eyed specimens produced louder sounds. In different fish species, colour change in eyes can be due to the absence or the presence of a dominant allele. It can also be involved in social rank or during reproduction. Different hormones and neuropeptides can modulate vocal features. It is hypothesized that a mutation or different hormonal concentrations could explain both sound amplitude and eye colour playing a role in animal communication in S. marginatus.
A new species of Odontostilbe cope (Characiformes: Cheirodontinae) from rio Madeira basin diagnosed based on morphological and molecular data
Authors: Chuctaya Junior , Ohara Willian M. , Malabarba Luiz R.
Published: September 2020

A new species of Odontostilbe is described from the rio Jaciparaná, rio Madeira basin, Rondônia, Brazil. Odontostilbe pacaasnovos differs from all its congeners, except O. pequira, by the colour pattern. Additionally, it differs from its congeners by the terminal mouth, number of cusps in the teeth of the premaxilla (5–7), number of branched rays in the anal fin (19–22), by the shape of dentary teeth (5–7 cusps with central cusp larger and longer than laterals cusps) and by the number of lamellae of the olfactory rosette (17–18 in male and 14 in female). Morphological and molecular comparisons corroborate the distinctiveness between O. pacaasnovos and its congeners, justifying its recognition as a new species.
First insights into the vertical habitat use of the whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari revealed by pop‐up satellite archival tags
Authors: Brewster Lauran R. , Cahill Brianna V. , Burton Miranda N. , Dougan Cassady , Herr Jeffrey S. , Norton Laura Issac , McGuire Samantha A. , Pico Marisa , Urban‐Gedamke Elizabeth , Bassos‐Hull Kim , Tyminski John P. , Hueter Robert E. , Wetherbee Bradley M. , Shivji Mahmood , Burnie Neil , Ajemian Matthew J.
Published: September 2020

The whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari is a tropical to warm‐temperate benthopelagic batoid that ranges widely throughout the western Atlantic Ocean. Despite conservation concerns for the species, its vertical habitat use and diving behaviour remain unknown. Patterns and drivers in the depth distribution of A. narinari were investigated at two separate locations, the western North Atlantic (Islands of Bermuda) and the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A.). Between 2010 and 2014, seven pop‐up satellite archival tags were attached to A. narinari using three methods: a through‐tail suture, an external tail‐band and through‐wing attachment. Retention time ranged from 0 to 180 days, with tags attached via the through‐tail method retained longest. Tagged rays spent the majority of time (82.85 ± 12.17% S.D.) within the upper 10 m of the water column and, with one exception, no rays travelled deeper than ~26 m. One Bermuda ray recorded a maximum depth of 50.5 m, suggesting that these animals make excursions off the fore‐reef slope of the Bermuda Platform. Individuals occupied deeper depths (7.42 ± 3.99 m S.D.) during the day versus night (4.90 ± 2.89 m S.D.), which may be explained by foraging and/or predator avoidance. Each individual experienced a significant difference in depth and temperature distributions over the diel cycle. There was evidence that mean hourly depth was best described by location and individual variation using a generalized additive mixed model approach. This is the first study to compare depth distributions of A. narinari from different locations and describe the thermal habitat for this species. Our study highlights the importance of region in describing A. narinari depth use, which may be relevant when developing management plans, whilst demonstrating that diel patterns appear to hold across individuals.
Determination of rainbow trout quality parameters with Arduino microcontroller
Authors: Yavuzer Emre
Published: September 2020

In this study, the rainbow trout was stored under refrigeration conditions (3 ± 1°C) for 18 days. Changes in the resistance levels in head, meat and eyes, changes of color in the head and meat, changes of liquid levels in the skin and meat, and odor values in the head and the meat were measured with Arduino microcontroller card and recorded during the storing period. In order to perform a significant comparison with the data obtained via Ardunio, the total viable count, psychrotrophic count and Enterobacteriaceae count in the fish meat were identified on a daily basis during storage. The results of the study indicated that the resistance value on the meat decreased significantly as the storage period increased; and that the Arduino‐based color, odor and liquid level measurement sensors could be used effectively in identifying the food quality.