bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Using a transection paradigm to enhance the repair mechanisms of an investigational human cell therapy
Authors: Chau Monica J. , Quintero Jorge E. , Monje Paula V. , Voss S. Randal , Welleford Andrew S. , Gerhardt Greg A. , van Horne Craig
Published: February 2022

One promising strategy in cell therapies for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is to harness a patient’s own cells to provide neuroprotection in areas of the brain affected by neurodegeneration. No treatment exists to replace cells in the brain. Thus, our goal has been to support sick neurons and slow neurodegeneration by transplanting living repair tissue from the peripheral nervous system into the substantia nigra of those with PD. Our group has pioneered the transplantation of transection-activated sural nerve fascicles into the brain of human subjects with PD. Our experience in sural nerve transplantation through FDA-regulated clinical trials has supported the safety and feasibility of this approach. We are among the first to collect human sural nerve both before and after transection and to perform single nuclei RNA sequencing to determine the cell types present. We collected nerve tissue before and approximately 2 weeks after sural nerve transection for immunoassays from 15 participants, and collected from two additional participants for single nuclei RNA sequencing. We quantified the expression of key neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic genes along with their corresponding protein levels using immunoassays. The single nuclei data clustered into 10 distinctive groups defined on the basis of previously published cell type-specific genes. Transection-induced reparative peripheral nerve tissue showed RNA expression of neuroprotective factors and anti-apoptotic factors across multiple cell types after nerve injury induction. Key proteins of interest (BDNF, GDNF, beta-NGF, PDGFB, and VEGF) were significantly upregulated in reparative tissue compared to naïve. These results provide insight on this repair tissue’s utility as a neuroprotective cell therapy.

Clinical Trial

Clinicaltrials.gov (Trial registration number NCT02369003)

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02369003).
SKOR1 mediates FER kinase-dependent invasive growth of breast cancer cells
Authors: Sluimer Lilian , Bullock Esme , Rätze Max , Enserink Lotte , Overbeeke Celine , Hornsveld Marten , Brunton Valerie G. , Derksen Patrick W.B. , Tavares Sandra
Published: February 2022

High expression of the tyrosine kinase FER is an independent prognostic factor that correlates with poor survival in breast cancer patients. To investigate whether the kinase activity is essential for FER oncogenic properties, we developed an ATP analogue-sensitive knock-in allele (FERASKI). Specific FER kinase inhibition in MDA-MD-231 cells reduces migration, invasion, and metastasis in a mouse model of breast cancer. Using the FERASKI system, we identify SKI family transcriptional corepressor 1 (SKOR1) as a direct FER kinase substrate. SKOR1 loss phenocopies FER inhibition, leading to impaired proliferation, migration and invasion, and inhibition of breast cancer growth and metastasis formation in mice. We show that the candidate FER phosphorylation residue, SKOR1-Y234, is essential for FER-dependent tumor progression features. Finally, our work suggests that the SKOR1-Y234 residue promotes Smad2/3 signaling through SKOR1 binding to Smad3 attenuation.

Our study thus identifies SKOR1 as a mediator of FER-dependent breast cancer progression, advocating FER kinase inhibition as a candidate strategy to treat high-grade breast cancers.

The SKI FAMILY TRANSCRIPTIONAL COREPRESSOR 1 (SKOR1) has been mainly associated with neuronal development. Now, Sluimer et al. identify SKOR1 as a new substrate of the oncogenic tyrosine kinase FER, and a driver of TNBC progression.
Complete sequence of a 641-kb insertion of mitochondrial DNA in the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome
Authors: Fields Peter D. , Waneka Gus , Naish Matthew , Schatz Michael C. , Henderson Ian R. , Sloan Daniel B.
Published: February 2022

Intracellular transfers of mitochondrial DNA continue to shape nuclear genomes. Chromosome 2 of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana contains one of the largest known nuclear insertions of mitochondrial DNA (numts). Estimated at over 600 kb in size, this numt is larger than the entire Arabidopsis mitochondrial genome. The primary Arabidopsis nuclear reference genome contains less than half of the numt because of its structural complexity and repetitiveness. Recent datasets generated with improved long-read sequencing technologies (PacBio HiFi) provide an opportunity to finally determine the accurate sequence and structure of this numt. We performed a de novo assembly using sequencing data from recent initiatives to span the Arabidopsis centromeres, producing a gap-free sequence of the Chromosome 2 numt, which is 641-kb in length and has 99.933% nucleotide sequence identity with the actual mitochondrial genome. The numt assembly is consistent with the repetitive structure previously predicted from fiber-based fluorescent in situ hybridization. Nanopore sequencing data indicate that the numt has high levels of cytosine methylation, helping to explain its biased spectrum of nucleotide sequence divergence and supporting previous inferences that it is transcriptionally inactive. The original numt insertion appears to have involved multiple mitochondrial DNA copies with alternative structures that subsequently underwent an additional duplication event within the nuclear genome. This work provides insights into numt evolution, addresses one of the last unresolved regions of the Arabidopsis reference genome, and represents a resource for distinguishing between highly similar numt and mitochondrial sequences in studies of transcription, epigenetic modifications, and de novo mutations.

Significance statement

Nuclear genomes are riddled with insertions of mitochondrial DNA. The model plant Arabidopsis has one of largest of these insertions ever identified, which at over 600-kb in size represents one of the last unresolved regions in the Arabidopsis genome more than 20 years after the insertion was first identified. This study reports the complete sequence of this region, providing insights into the origins and subsequent evolution of the mitochondrial DNA insertion and a resource for distinguishing between the actual mitochondrial genome and this nuclear copy in functional studies.
Characterization of Arabian Peninsula whole exomes: exploring high inbreeding features
Authors: Ferreira Joana C. , Alshamali Farida , Pereira Luisa , Fernandes Veronica
Published: February 2022

The exome (WES) capture enriched for UTRs on 90 Arabian Peninsula (AP) populations contributed nearly 20,000 new variants from a total over 145,000 total variants. Almost half of these variants were in UTR3, reflecting the low effort we have dedicated to cataloguing these regions, which can bear an important proportion of functional variants, as being discovered in genome-wide association studies. By applying several pathogenic predicting tools, we have demonstrated the high burden in potentially deleterious variants (especially in nonsynonymous and UTR variants located in genes that have been associated mainly with neurologic disease and congenital malformations) contained in AP WES, and the burden was as high as the consanguinity level (inferred as sum of runs of homozygosity, SROH) increased. Arabians had twice SROH values in relation to Europeans and East Asians, and within AP, Saudi Arabia had the highest values and Oman the lowest. We must pursuit cataloguing diversity in populations with high consanguinity, as the potentially pathogenic variants are not eliminated by genetic drift as much as in less consanguineous populations.
Dynamic Sex Differences in Appetitive and Reactive Aggression
Authors: Aubry Antonio , Burnett C. Joseph , Goodwin Nastacia L. , Li Long , Navarrete Jovana , Zhang Yizhe , Tsai Valerie , Durand-de Cuttoli Romain , Golden Sam A. , Russo Scott J.
Published: February 2022

Aggression is an evolutionarily conserved, adaptive component of social behavior. Studies in male mice illustrate that aggression is influenced by numerous factors including the degree to which an individual finds aggression rewarding and will work for access to attack and subordinate mice. While such studies have expanded our understanding of the molecular and circuit mechanisms of male aggression very little is known about female aggression, owed in part to limited availability of valid mouse models in females. Here we use an ethologically relevant model of male vs. female aggression by pair housing adult male and female outbred CFW mice with opposite sex cage mates. We assess reactive (defensive) aggression in the resident intruder (RI) test and appetitive (rewarding) aggression in the aggression conditioned place preference (CPP) and operant self-administration (SA) tests. Our results show dramatic sex differences in both qualitative and quantitative aspects of reactive vs. appetitive aggression. Males exhibit more wrestling and less investigative behavior during RI, find aggression rewarding and will work for access to a subordinate to attack. Females exhibit more bites, alternate between aggressive behaviors and investigative behaviors more readily during RI, however, they do not find aggression to be rewarding or reinforcing. These results establish sex differences in aggression in mice, providing an important resource for the field to better understand the circuit and molecular mechanisms of aggression in both sexes.
Influence of claustrum on cortex varies by area, layer, and cell type
Authors: McBride Ethan G. , Gandhi Saurabh R. , Kuyat Jacqulyn R. , Ollerenshaw Douglas R. , Arkhipov Anton , Koch Christof , Olsen Shawn R.
Published: February 2022

The claustrum is a small subcortical structure with widespread connections with disparate regions of the cortex. These far-reaching projections have led to many hypotheses concerning its function. However, we know little about how claustrum input affects neural activity in cortex, particularly beyond frontal areas. Here, using optogenetics and multi-regional Neuropixels recordings from over 15,000 neurons in awake mice, we demonstrate that the effect of claustrum input differs depending on brain area, layer, and cell type. Brief claustrum stimulation produces approximately 1 spike per claustrum neuron, which affects many fast-spiking (FS; putative inhibitory) but very few regular-spiking (RS; putative excitatory) cortical neurons. Prolonged claustrum stimulation affects many more cortical FS and RS neurons. More inhibition occurs in frontal regions and deeper layers, while more excitation occurs in posterior regions and superficial layers. These differences imply that the function of claustrum input to cortex depends on the area, supporting the idea that claustro-cortical circuits are organized into functional modules.
Long-term learning transforms prefrontal cortex representations during working memory
Authors: Miller Jacob A. , Tambini Arielle , Kiyonaga Anastasia , D’Esposito Mark
Published: February 2022

The lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) is reliably active during working memory (WM) across human and animal models, but the role of lPFC in successful WM is under debate. For instance, non-human primate (NHP) electrophysiology research finds that lPFC circuitry stores WM representations. Human neuroimaging instead suggests that lPFC plays a control function over WM content that is stored in sensory cortices. These seemingly incompatible WM accounts are often confounded by differences in the amount of task training and stimulus exposure across studies (i.e., NHPs tend to be trained extensively). Here, we test the possibility that such long-term training may alter the role of lPFC in WM maintenance. We densely sampled WM-related activity across learning, in three human participants, using a longitudinal functional MRI (fMRI) protocol. Over three months, participants trained on (1) a serial reaction time (SRT) task, wherein complex fractal stimuli were embedded within probabilistic sequences, and (2) a delayed recognition task probing WM for trained or novel stimuli. Participants were scanned frequently throughout training, to track how WM activity patterns change with repeated stimulus exposure and long-term associative learning. WM task performance improved for trained (but not novel) fractals and, neurally, delay activity significantly increased in distributed lPFC voxels across learning. Pattern similarity analyses also found that item-level WM representations became detectable within lPFC, but not in sensory cortices, and lPFC delay activity increasingly reflected sequence relationships from the SRT task, even though that information was task-irrelevant for WM. These findings demonstrate that human lPFC can show stimulus-selective WM responses with learning and WM representations are shaped by long-term experience. Therefore, influences from training and long-term memory may reconcile competing accounts of lPFC function during WM.
A glimpse into the DNA virome of the unique “living fossil” Welwitschia mirabilis
Authors: Debat Humberto , Bejerman Nicolás
Published: February 2022

Here, we report the identification and characterization of four novel DNA viruses associated with Welwitschia mirabilis. Complete circular virus-like sequences with affinity to Caulimoviridae members and geminiviruses were detected and characterized from Welwitschia mirabilis genomic data. The two newly Caulimoviridae-like viruses have been tentatively named as Welwitschia mirabilis virus 1 and 2 (WMV1-WMV2); whereas the two identified geminiviruses were named as Welwitschia mirabilis associated geminivirus A and B (WMaGVA-WMaGVB). Phylogenetic analysis suggests that WMV1-2 belong to a proposed genus of Caulimoviridae-infecting gymnosperms. WMaGVA-B are phylogenetically related with both mastreviruses and capulaviruses and likely represent a distinct evolutionary lineage within geminiviruses.
An exploration of alcohol and drug related fire injuries
Authors: Taylor Mark , Appleton Deb , Fielding John , Oakford Gary
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The study examines alcohol and drug related accidental dwelling fire injuries during 2006–2016 in Merseyside in England.

Design/methodology/approach

The study carries out an examination of alcohol and drug related fire injuries from 2006 to 2016 in Merseyside, including analysis of injuries by age group, gender, level of deprivation and housing type.

Findings

Deprivation was a significant factor in alcohol and drug related fire injuries over the period studied, with 70% of such injuries occurring in areas with the highest level of deprivation. Males appeared roughly twice as likely to be injured in an alcohol and drug related fire incident than females. The majority of those injured were in the age range 35–59.

Research limitations/implications

There were limitations on the generalizability of the research findings to other fire and rescue services, as Merseyside has some of the highest levels of alcohol consumption and deprivation in UK.

Practical implications

An understanding of those vulnerable to alcohol and drug related fire risks can support more targeted fire prevention strategies and aid referrals to partner health agencies to help to reduce underlying alcohol and drug misuse issues.

Originality/value

The study provides a detailed analysis of the circumstances associated with alcohol and drug related fire injuries over a ten-year period covered by a UK fire and rescue service, in particular, in terms alcohol and drug related fire injury risk differences between different groups.
A data mining approach using machine learning algorithms for early detection of low-performing students
Authors: Khor Ean Teng
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to build predictive models for early detection of low-performing students and examine the factors that influence massive open online courses students' performance.

Design/methodology/approach

For the first step, the author performed exploratory data analysis to analyze the dataset. The process was then followed by data pre-processing and feature engineering (Step 2). Next, the author conducted data modelling and prediction (Step 3). Finally, the performance of the developed models was evaluated (Step 4).

Findings

The paper found that the decision trees algorithm outperformed other machine learning algorithms. The study also confirms the significant effect of the academic background and virtual learning environment (VLE) interactions feature categories to academic performance. The accuracy enhancement is 17.66% for decision trees classifier, 3.49% for logistic regression classifier and 4.89% for neural networks classifier. Based on the results of CorrelationAttributeEval technique with the use of a ranker search method, the author found that the assessment_score and sum_click features are more important among academic background and VLE interactions feature categories for the classification analysis in predicting students' academic performance.

Originality/value

The work meets the originality requirement.
Microstructure investigations and optimisation of maraging steel parts for UAV applications
Authors: Indukuri Rama Pavan Kumar Varma , Penmetsa Rama Murty Raju , Chalamalasetti Srinivasa Rao , Siriyala Rajesh
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Military and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) applications like rocket motor casings, missile covers and ship hulls use components that are made of maraging steel. Maraging steel has properties that are superior to other metals, making it more suitable for the fabrication of such components. A grey relational analysis (GRA) that is based on the Taguchi method has been utilised in the current study to optimise a laser beam welding (LBW) process. Further aspects such as GRA's optimum ranges and percentage contributions were also estimated.

Design/methodology/approach

A Taguchi L16 orthogonal array is utilised to design and conduct the experiments. Laser power (LP), welding speed (WS) and focal position (FP) are the three parameters are chosen for the process of welding. The output responses are the upper width of the heat-affected zone (HAZup), the upper width of the fusion zone (FZup) and the depth of penetration (DOP). The effect of the above key parameters on the responses was examined using an analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings

The results of ANOVA reveal that the parameter that has the most influence on the overall grey relational grade (GRG) is the FP. Finally, metallographic characterisation and a microstructural analysis are conducted on the weld bead geometry to demarcate the zone of HAZ and fusion zone (FZ).

Originality/value

As the most important criteria for LBW of maraging steels is the provision of higher DOP, higher FZ width and lower heat-affected zone, the study intended to prove the applicability of GRA technique in solving multi-objective optimisation problems in applications like defence and unmanned systems.
Traditional dairy goat value chain in Lebanon: an uneven distribution of values
Authors: Khairallah Lamisse , Chedid Mabelle , Jaber Lina , Martiniello Giuliano , Hamadeh Shady K.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Small-scale goat farming and dairy goat productions are significant constituents in the livelihoods of marginal Lebanese rural communities. Reviving and supporting that sector is instrumental in creating value for rural communities to build sustainable livelihoods and safeguard climate-adapted value chains (VCs). The paper aims to describe the dairy goat VC in the Shouf and West Bekaa (WB) areas of Lebanon, which are traditionally popular for caprine production.

Design/methodology/approach

A socio-economic approach was employed to determine the perceived challenges, opportunities and context of goat farmers and dairy processor in the Shouf and WB casas as case studies, using the Heifer International's toolkit for goat value chains. Questionnaires were developed for the five actors of the VC: farmer, milk collector, processor, retailer and consumer. The data were analyzed quantitatively, using simple statistical analysis, and qualitatively through observation, gathering, coding and thematically organizing the responses.

Findings

In the Shouf, the chain is shorter, consisting of a farmer, processor and consumer, while in the WB the VC includes a milk collector and larger dairy factories. The value is unequally and unfairly distributed among the actors putting the small-scale farmers and processors in subordinate positions. In terms of enabling environment, the role of the state, authorities and organizations remains minimal in supporting the sector. The challenges facing this sector are economic, regulatory, operational, social and hygienic as perceived by the participants.

Research limitations/implications

The economic, political and social instability of the country hinders the performance of the sector.

Originality/value

Limited research is available on the small ruminants' VC in Lebanon, addressing the socio-economic status of goat farmers and opportunities available in the sector. On the other hand, the demand for traditional dairy products is increasing amid rising concerns related to intensive livestock systems and negative association of livestock systems with climate change. Accordingly, basic assessment and research on the existing small ruminant dairy chains is important as a first step for the sustainable development of the sector.
The relevance of management research debate: a historical view, 1876–2018
Authors: Wood Thomaz , Souza Renato , Caldas Miguel P.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to map how the debate concerning the relevance of management research historically evolved to (a) determine if B-schools and management researchers have been uninterested bystanders, as critics posit, or if they have had a relevant role, and (b) discover if a pathway for management research becoming socially relevant has been established by such debate.

Design/methodology/approach

This study performed a citation network analysis of the scientific literature concerning the relevance of management research. The network had a total of 1,186 research papers published between 1876 and 2018.

Findings

The results show that from a minimal to peripheral role at the beginning and middle stages, management researchers have rather taken over this debate since the 1990s; the key components of the citation network reveal a strong convergence on what needs to be done, but no convergence on how to do it; and the debate has failed to generate actual change.

Originality/value

This study maps the debate concerning the relevance of management research since its historical inception using a method underused in management history research. It reveals the main path of the debate and the journals that echoed such debate.
The importance of managerial discretion on managerial ability–firm cash holding nexus
Authors: Magerakis Efstathios
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This paper examines the role of managerial discretion in the relation between managerial ability on the level of corporate cash.

Design/methodology/approach

Conjoining the upper echelons theory's premises and the theoretical framework of cash holdings, we posit that the managerial ability's effect on cash policy varies with managerial discretion using firm-level data. To test the empirical prediction, we employ a linear regression model with fixed effects with a sample of US listed firms from 1980 to 2016.

Findings

The findings reveal that the positive association between the ability of chief executive officers and corporate cash savings is weakened by firm-level managerial discretion. The results are robust to various additional analyses, namely lagged independent variables regression, reduced form regression and granger causality test. Overall, the findings are generally consistent with the cash holding motives yielding transaction and precautionary demand for money. However, our findings also shed light on whether managerial discretion moderates or exacerbates agency problems related to top executives' cash holding policies.

Originality/value

This work's distinct characteristic is the investigation of the joint effect of managerial talent and discretion on a firm's cash holding, which remains unexplored in the literature.
Dynastic cores and the borrowed time of newcomers. Wealth accumulation and the Norwegian one percent
Authors: Toft Maren , Hansen Marianne Nordli
Published: February 2022

This paper explores the trajectories of Norwegians who, in their late‐thirties, possessed financial assets, such as securities, company shares and stocks, qualifying them as the wealthiest one percent nationally. We describe the accumulation of financial wealth over a 25‐year period in adulthood and study how different wealth sequences are linked to family origins and kinship ties. Although some Norwegians manage to build up large fortunes from relatively modest starting points over their life courses, we find that the value of the assets possessed by self‐made individuals, and their ability to retain wealth over time, differ significantly to those based on dynastic lineage. Among the latter group, profound wealth early in adulthood and strategic positions in the economy add to propel exponential ownership of financial wealth from a young age and throughout adulthood. This chimes with C. Wright Mills' suggestion that the amassing of great fortunes is driven by two mechanisms of the big jump that enables initial asset build‐up, and the accumulation of advantages that flows from advantageous economic and social ties. Kinship seems of key importance to ensure the efficacy of both mechanisms. Differences in the relationship of wealth accumulation and class origin seem to have little to do with educational strategies. We draw attention to direct wealth transfers and the institution of marriage as two little explored dimensions involved in dynastic closure.
The value of fetal size measurement in the estimation of gestational age in low and middle income countries
Authors: Steer Philip J.
Published: February 2022

Linked article: This is a mini commentary on Alice Self et al., pp. 1447–1458 in this issue. To view this article visit https://doi.org/10.1111/1471‐0528.17123.
Free‐ranging livestock altered the spatiotemporal behavior of the endangered North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) and its prey and intensified human–leopard conflicts
Authors: LIU Mingzhang , WANG Yiqing , XIA Fan , BU Hongliang , LIU Yanlin , SHEN Xiaoli , LI Sheng
Published: February 2022

Widespread distribution of livestock in the natural habitats of large carnivores may negatively impact carnivore populations by reducing wild prey availability and increasing human–carnivore conflicts. In this study, we used camera‐trapping data collected in the temperate forests of the Taihang Mountains in North China during 2016–2019 to examine whether and how free‐ranging cattle affected habitat use and Diel activity patterns of the endangered North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) and its 2 wild prey species, Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Residents were also interviewed to record livestock depredation events by leopards during 2015–2019. We found that roe deer spatially avoided sites frequented by cattle, but wild boar did not. In the growing seasons, leopards shared habitats with cattle and tended to increase their diurnal activities where cattle were present. All 3 study species exhibited fine‐scale spatial‐temporal segregation to cattle. Leopards selectively preyed on calves over adult cattle and livestock depredation frequency was positively correlated with the detection rates of cattle and wild prey, but not that of leopard. These findings not only show that through behavioral adaption large carnivores and their ungulate prey may persist under livestock disturbance, but also highlight how important proper livestock management is for conserving North Chinese leopards in this region. To enhance livestock management and mitigate human–leopard conflicts, we recommend specific actions, such as better guarding of free‐ranging cattle or adoption of a captive farming system.
Influence of rurality on general practitioner registrars' participation in their practice's after‐hours roster: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Morgan Tobias , Tapley Amanda , Davey Andrew , Holliday Elizabeth , Fielding Alison , van Driel Mieke , Ball Jean , Spike Neil , FitzGerald Kristen , Morgan Simon , Magin Parker
Published: February 2022

Objective

To investigate whether practice rurality and rural training pathway are associated with general practitioner registrars' participation in their practice's after‐hours care roster.

Design

A cross‐sectional analysis of data (2017‐2019) from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training study, an ongoing inception cohort study of Australian general practitioner registrars. The principal analyses used logistic regression.

Setting

Three national general practitioner regional training organisations across 3 Australian states.

Participants

General practitioner registrars in training within regional training organisations.

Main outcome measure

Involvement in practice after‐hours care was indicated by a dichotomous response on a 6‐monthly Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training study questionnaire item.

Results

1576 registrars provided 3158 observations (response rate 90.3%). Of these, 1574 (48.6% [95% confidence interval: 46.8‐50.3]) involved registrars contributing to their practice's after‐hours roster. In major cities, 40% of registrar terms involved contribution to their practice's after‐hours roster; in regional and remote practices, 62% contributed to the after‐hours roster. On multivariable analysis, both level of rurality of practice (odds ratio(OR) 1.75, P = .007; and OR 1.74, P = .026 for inner regional and outer regional/remote locations, respectively, versus major city) and rural training pathway of registrar (OR 1.65, P = .008) were significantly associated with more after‐hours roster contribution. Other associations were registrars' later training stage, larger practices and practices not routinely bulk billing. Significant regional variability in after‐hours care was identified (after adjusting for rurality).

Conclusion

These findings suggest that registrars working rurally and those training on the rural pathway are more often participating in practice after‐hours rosters. This has workforce implications, and implications for the educational richness of registrars' training environment.
Viscoelastic haemostatic point‐of‐care assays in the management of postpartum haemorrhage: a narrative review
Authors: Dias J. D. , Butwick A. J. , Hartmann J. , Waters J. H.
Published: February 2022

Viscoelastic haemostatic assays provide rapid testing at the bed‐side that identify all phases of haemostasis, from initial fibrin formation to clot lysis. In obstetric patients, altered haemostasis is common as pregnancy is associated with coagulation changes that may contribute to bleeding events such as postpartum haemorrhage, as well as thrombosis events. In this narrative review, we examine the potential clinical utility of viscoelastic haemostatic assays in postpartum haemorrhage and consider the current recommendations for their use in obstetric patients. We discuss the clinical benefits associated with the use of viscoelastic haemostatic assays due to the provision of (near) real‐time readouts with a short turnaround, coupled with the identification of coagulation defects such as hypofibrinogenaemia. The use of viscoelastic haemostatic assay‐guided algorithms may be beneficial to diagnose coagulopathy, predict postpartum haemorrhage, reduce transfusion requirements and monitor fibrinolysis in women with obstetric haemorrhage. Further studies are required to assess whether viscoelastic haemostatic assay‐guided treatment improves clinical outcomes, and to confirm the utility of prepartum viscoelastic haemostatic assay measurements for identifying patients at risk of postpartum haemorrhage.
Universal gestational diabetes screening and antepartum stillbirth rates in Austria—A population‐based study
Authors: Muin Dana A. , Pfeifer Bernhard , Helmer Hanns , Oberaigner Wilhelm , Leitner Hermann , Kiss Herbert , Neururer Sabrina
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Occult or untreated gestational diabetes (GDM) is a well‐known risk factor for adverse perinatal outcomes and may contribute to antepartum stillbirth. We assessed the impact of screening for GDM on the rate of antepartum stillbirths in non‐anomalous pregnancies by conducting a population‐based study in 974 889 women in Austria.

Material and Methods

Our database was derived from the Austrian Birth Registry. Inclusion criteria were singleton live births and antepartum stillbirths ≥24+0 gestational weeks, excluding fetal congenital malformations, terminations of pregnancy and women with pre‐existing type 1 or 2 diabetes. Main outcome measures were (a) overall stillbirth rates and (b) stillbirth rates in women at high risk of GDM (i.e., women with a body mass index ≥30 kg/m2, history of previous intrauterine fetal death, GDM, previous macrosomic offspring) before (2008–2010, “phase I”) and after (2011–2019, “phase II”) the national implementation of universal GDM screening with a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test in Austrian pregnant women by 2011.

Results

In total, 940 373 pregnancies were included between 2008 and 2019, of which 2579 resulted in intrauterine fetal deaths at 33.51 ± 5.10 gestational weeks. After implementation of the GDM screening, a statistically significant reduction in antepartum stillbirth rates among non‐anomalous singletons was observed only in women at high risk for GDM (4.10‰ [95% confidence interval (CI) 3.09–5.43] in phase I vs. 2.96‰ [95% CI 2.57–3.41] in phase II; p = 0.043) but not in the general population (2.76‰ [95% CI 2.55–2.99] in phase I vs. 2.74‰ [95% CI 2.62–2.86] in phase II; p = 0.845). The number needed to screen with the oral glucose tolerance test to subsequently prevent one case of (non‐anomalous) intrauterine fetal death was 880 in the high‐risk and 40 000 in the general population.

Conclusions

The implementation of a universal GDM screening program in Austria in 2011 has not led to any significant reduction in antenatal stillbirths among non‐anomalous singletons in the general population. More international data are needed to strengthen our findings.
Practical recommendations on room sizes for hospitalised newborn infants and their families based on a systematic review of the literature
Authors: Zana‐Taïeb Elodie , Sizun Jacques , Kuhn Pierre , Reynaud Audrey ,   GREEN study group from the French Neonatal Society
Published: February 2022

Aim

Neonatal unit design may affect the neurodevelopment of hospitalised neonates and the well‐being of parents and healthcare staff (HCS). We aimed to provide recommendations regarding the minimum area required for a hospital room for a single neonate and their family.

Methods

We searched PubMed and Web of Science for relevant articles published from 1 January 2011 to 1 May 2021 by using the keywords NICU and facility design. Recommendations were developed after internal and external review by a multidisciplinary group including 15 professionals and parent representatives.

Results

We identified 314 studies and developed six recommendations from four eligible studies. Recommendations for room size were developed according to three perspectives: opinions of users, who emphasised the need for a spacious room; proposals of organisations by HCS, which advocated for a minimum floor area of 11.2–18 m2 in a single non‐family room and 15.3–24 m2 in a single‐family room; and simulation methods indicating that the minimum floor area in the neonatal unit should be 18.5–24 m2.

Conclusion

Units need to provide a minimum room size to allow for optimal newborn development and a better experience for parents and caregivers.
Episodic future thinking and anticipatory emotions: Effects on delay discounting and preventive behaviors during COVID‐19
Authors: Wang X. T. (XiaoTian) , Wang Peng , Lu Junsong , Zhou Jianjun , Li Grunting , Garelik Steven
Published: February 2022

We examined the effects of anticipatory emotions induced by episodic future thinking on the basic decision‐process of delay discounting and preventive behaviors during the most stringent COVID‐19 “lockdown” period in China. We define anticipatory emotions as any discrete emotions induced from anticipating decision outcomes and felt during decision‐making. In an online study conducted with healthy volunteers, anticipatory emotions were induced and appraised by asking participants to rate various emotions they feel when thinking they may be infected by COVID‐19 (N = 246). The participants in the control group reported their present emotions during the COVID‐19 pandemic (N = 245). Compared with the control group, the participants in the anticipatory emotion group had a higher future‐oriented preference for monetary rewards, with a significantly lower delay discounting rate. These participants also had a higher intention to engage in proactive, preventive behaviors. The likelihood estimate of being infected by COVID‐19 mediated these effects. Moreover, anticipatory disgust increased the preference for larger‐and‐later rewards. Anticipatory emotions induced by future thinking guide fast and rational decision‐making in a health crisis.
Early cognitive intervention using mediated learning for preschoolers with developmental delay: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Keung Alice Yuen‐ching , Ho Vania Fai‐ling , Shum Kathy Kar‐man
Published: February 2022

Background

The use of mediated learning in cognitive training has been shown to be effective in enhancing students’ cognitive development. Nonetheless, its effects on language development are less explored.

Aims

This study examined the effects of an early cognitive intervention (Think Bright program) in enhancing the cognitive and language development of Hong Kong preschoolers with developmental delay.

Method

Sixty‐eight children (48 boys and 20 girls; mean age = 58 months) with developmental delay were recruited from preschool rehabilitation centres and randomized to two groups (Think Bright training vs. active control). Each child in the Think Bright group received 12 sessions of 1‐hr individual training on thinking skills over 6 months. The control group received the same amount of training based on the regular training regimen adopted at the rehabilitation centres.

Results

After a 6‐month intervention, the Think Bright group significantly outperformed the control group in language, general cognition, analogical thinking, sequential thinking, and logical reasoning. The Think Bright teachers’ mediation skills significantly improved during the course of intervention and correlated moderately with the improvement in students’ language abilities.

Conclusion

This study has shown promising results on the effectiveness of using mediated learning in early cognitive intervention in enhancing both the cognitive and language development of preschoolers with developmental delay.
The history of the history of learning disability
Authors: Jarrett Simon , Tilley Elizabeth
Published: February 2022

This article traces and summarises historiographical trends in the history of learning disability. It identifies three major waves of historical approaches beginning with a medicalised analysis which emerged in the early 20th century. This presented a story of medical progress which began with the asylum movement of the 19th century and represented ‘idiots’ as creatures of the asylum and objects of the medicalised gaze. In the 1990s a new social history challenged these assumptions, focusing on the iniquities of institutionalisation and the eugenics period, while attempting to give a voice to people with learning disabilities and their families in their own history. A cultural history movement later emerged to challenge the idea of learning disability as a fixed universal concept over time. It argued that the idea of learning disability (in all its different linguistic iterations) is contingent on time and place, and a product of the culture within which it is framed. Not all work fits neatly into one of these categories, sometimes they overlap and sometimes they cannot be easily categorised. Nevertheless, these broad frames of reference within the historiography of learning disability do point to wider social, cultural and political concerns, which are worth holding in mind as we consider how the ‘work’ of history can and does act to inform attitudes, policy‐making and change. The authors describe the encouraging recent emergence of historian activists who seek to write and define their own history, and who may constitute a fourth wave in the historiography of learning disability.
Inhibition of chemically and mechanically activated Piezo1 channels as a mechanism for ameliorating atherosclerosis with salvianolic acid B
Authors: Pan Xianmei , Wan Rentao , Wang Yuman , Liu Silin , He Yu , Deng Bo , Luo Shangfei , Chen Yuan , Wen Lizhen , Hong Tianying , Xu Han , Bian Yifei , Xia Mingfeng , Li Jing
Published: February 2022

Background and Purpose

Salvianolic acid B (SalB) is effective for treating cardiovascular diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain unclear. Mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels play important roles in vascular biology, although their pharmacological properties are poorly defined. Here, we aimed to identify novel Piezo1 inhibitors and gain insights into their mechanisms of action.

Experimental Approach

Intracellular Ca2+ ions were measured in HUVECs, murine liver endothelial cells (MLECs), THP‐1 and RAW264.7 cell lines and bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs). Isometric tensions in mouse thoracic aorta were recorded. Shear‐stress assays with HUVECs were conducted. Patch‐clamp recordings with mechanical stimulation were performed with HUVECs in whole‐cell mode. Foam cell formation was induced by treating BMDMs with oxidised LDL (oxLDL). Atherosclerotic plaque assays were performed with Ldlr−/− and Piezo1 genetically depleted mice on a high‐fat diet.

Key Results

Salvianolic acid B inhibited Yoda1‐induced Ca2+ influx in HUVECs and MLECs. Similar results were observed in macrophage cell lines and BMDMs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that salvianolic acid B inhibited Yoda1‐ and mechanically activated currents. Salvianolic acid B suppressed Yoda1‐induced aortic ring relaxation and inhibited HUVECs alignment in the direction of shear stress. Additionally, Yoda1 enhanced the formation of foam cells, which was reversed by salvianolic acid B. Salvianolic acid B also inhibited formation of atherosclerotic plaques and was insensitive to Piezo1 genetic depletion.

Conclusion and Implications

Our study provides novel mechanistic insights into the inhibitory role of salvianolic acid B against Piezo1 channels and improves our understanding of salvianolic acid B in preventing atherosclerotic lesions.
Parental experiences of caring for children who have learning disabilities and procedural anxiety in hospital: An interpretive phenomenological study
Authors: Murdoch Lauren , Chang Yan‐Shing
Published: February 2022

Background

Children with learning disabilities (LD) are more likely to have health conditions that require hospital attendance than children without LD. Like all children, they can experience fear and distress related to procedural anxiety. Parents play a key role in managing procedural anxiety in children with LD. No previous published qualitative studies have explored parental experiences of caring for a child with LD and procedural anxiety in hospital.

Objectives

To explore how parents experienced caring for their child with LD and procedural anxiety in hospital.

Methods

A purposive sample of six participants were recruited through a Facebook group for parents of children with LD. Remote semi‐structured interviews were conducted via telephone, Microsoft Teams or Whatsapp. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results

Five key themes were generated: (1) Emotional toll: parents characterized their experiences as highly emotional; reporting feeling stressed, anxious and worried. (2) Restraint and holding: parents spoke of their experiences of restraint which was largely viewed as negative and sometimes inappropriate. (3) Advocacy: parents articulated their responsibility as advocates for their children. (4) Going it alone: parents were extremely proactive in managing their child's anxieties but some also felt highly‐pressurized and isolated. (5) Inconsistency and uncertainty: parents experienced inconsistency and uncertainty in their children's care from healthcare professionals which led to anxiety and frustration.

Conclusion

Parents of children with both LD and procedural anxiety experienced many challenges. Parents' expertise must be utilized by clinicians when caring for children with LD and procedural anxiety whilst ensuring appropriate support for parents. Nurses require specific training in psychosocial interventions to enhance care for children with LD and procedural anxiety. Further research identifying effective nursing strategies to enhance parental experiences would be beneficial to improve care to this patient group.
Implementation of music in colorectal perioperative standard care—barriers and facilitators among patients and healthcare professionals
Authors: Kakar Ellaha , van Ruler Oddeke , van Straten Bram , Hoogteijling Bas , de Graaf Eelco J. R. , Ista Erwin , Lange Johan F. , Jeekel Johannes , Klimek Markus
Published: February 2022

Aim

Perioperative anxiety and pain are still prevalent among patients undergoing surgery. Inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer patients are known to have higher anxiety rates than the general population. Perioperatively applied music intervention has been proven to be effective in reducing perioperative anxiety and pain, resulting in a decrease of intra‐operative sedative use, postoperative opioid requirement and neurohormonal stress response. IMPROVE evaluates the adherence to music intervention in colorectal perioperative standard care during systematic implementation.

Method

The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used for implementation in three steps. This study addresses the first step in which barriers and facilitators for implementing perioperative music were identified by surveying patients who underwent colorectal surgery and healthcare professionals involved in perioperative care. Also, perioperative anxiety scores were assessed and data on perioperative pain was collected from the patients’ medical records.

Results

Fifty patients and 69 professionals (response rate 68.3%) were surveyed. For patients, all domains of the CFIR were facilitating implementation. The median reported preoperative and postoperative anxiety scores were 4.5 (1.0–7.0) and 3.0 (1.0–5.75) respectively. The median postoperative pain score on the first postoperative day was 2.8 (2.0–3.7). Also, for professionals most domains were facilitating, except for some factors related to work climate and culture among nurses.

Conclusions

In this study it was identified that facilitating factors for implementing music in standard perioperative care were more prominent in both patients and healthcare professionals and therefore successful implementation is probable. Also, this study provides a guideline for assessing facilitators and barriers in other settings.