bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A scoping review of community health needs and assets assessment: concepts, rationale, tools and uses
Authors: Ravaghi Hamid , Guisset Ann-Lise , Elfeky Samar , Nasir Naima , Khani Sedigheh , Ahmadnezhad Elham , Abdi Zhaleh
Published: January 2023

Background

Community health needs and assets assessment is a means of identifying and describing community health needs and resources, serving as a mechanism to gain the necessary information to make informed choices about community health. The current review of the literature was performed in order to shed more light on concepts, rationale, tools and uses of community health needs and assets assessment.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of the literature published in English using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, PDQ evidence, NIH database, Cochrane library, CDC library, Trip, and Global Health Library databases until March 2021.

Results

A total of 169 articles including both empirical papers and theoretical and conceptual work were ultimately retained for analysis. Relevant concepts were examined guided by a conceptual framework. The empirical papers were dominantly conducted in the  United States. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approaches were used to collect data on community health needs and assets, with an increasing trend of using mixed-method approaches. Almost half of the included empirical studies used participatory approaches to incorporate community inputs into the process.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight the need for having holistic approaches to assess community’s health needs focusing on physical, mental and social wellbeing, along with considering the broader systems factors and structural challenges to individual and population health. Furthermore, the findings emphasize assessing community health assets as an integral component of the process, beginning foremost with community capabilities and knowledge. There has been a trend toward using mixed-methods approaches to conduct the assessment in recent years that led to the inclusion of the voices of all community members, particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. A notable gap in the existing literature is the lack of long-term or longitudinal–assessment of the community health needs assessment impacts.
Implementation gaps in culturally responsive care for refugee and migrant maternal health in New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Olcoń Katarzyna , Rambaldini-Gooding Delia , Degeling Chris
Published: January 2023

Background

Refugee and migrant women are at higher risk of childbirth complications and generally poorer pregnancy outcomes. They also report lower satisfaction with pregnancy care because of language barriers, perceived negative attitudes among service providers, and a lack of understanding of refugee and migrant women’s needs. This study juxtaposes health policy expectations in New South Wales (NSW), Australia on pregnancy and maternity care and cultural responsiveness and the experiences of maternal healthcare providers in their day-to-day work with refugee and migrant women from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Methods

This study used a qualitative framework method to allow for a comparison of providers’ experiences with the policy expectations. Sixteen maternal health service providers who work with refugee and migrant women were recruited from two local health districts in New South Wales, Australia and interviewed (November 2019 to August 2020) about their experiences and the challenges they faced. In addition, a systematic search was conducted for policy documents related to the provision of maternal health care to refugee and migrant women on a state and federal level and five policies were included in the analysis.

Results

Framework analysis revealed structural barriers to culturally responsive service provision and the differential impacts of implementation gaps that impede appropriate care resulting in moral distress. Rather than being the programmatic outcome of well-resourced policies, the enactment of cultural responsiveness in the settings studied relied primarily on the intuitions and personal responses of individual service providers such as nurses and social workers.

Conclusion

Authentic culturally responsive care requires healthcare organisations to do more than provide staff training. To better promote service user and staff satisfaction and wellbeing, organisations need to embed structures to respond to the needs of refugee and migrant communities in the maternal health sector and beyond.
FASN multi-omic characterization reveals metabolic heterogeneity in pancreatic and prostate adenocarcinoma
Authors: Chianese Ugo , Papulino Chiara , Ali Ahmad , Ciardiello Fortunato , Cappabianca Salvatore , Altucci Lucia , Carafa Vincenzo , Benedetti Rosaria
Published: January 2023

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and prostate cancer (PCa) are among the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. There is now a comprehensive understanding of metabolic reprogramming as a hallmark of cancer. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is a key regulator of the lipid metabolic network, providing energy to favor tumor proliferation and development. Whereas the biological role of FASN is known, its response and sensitivity to inhibition have not yet been fully established in these two cancer settings.

Methods

To evaluate the association between FASN expression, methylation, prognosis, and mutational profile in PDAC and PCa, we interrogated public databases and surveyed online platforms using TCGA data. The STRING database was used to investigate FASN interactors, and the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis platform Reactome database was used to perform an enrichment analysis using data from RNA sequencing public databases of PDAC and PCa. In vitro models using PDAC and PCa cell lines were used to corroborate the expression of FASN, as shown by Western blot, and the effects of FASN inhibition on cell proliferation/cell cycle progression and mitochondrial respiration were investigated with MTT, colony formation assay, cell cycle analysis and MitoStress Test.

Results

The expression of FASN was not modulated in PDAC compared to normal pancreatic tissues, while it was overexpressed in PCa, which also displayed a different level of promoter methylation. Based on tumor grade, FASN expression decreased in advanced stages of PDAC, but increased in PCa. A low incidence of FASN mutations was found for both tumors. FASN was overexpressed in PCa, despite not reaching statistical significance, and was associated with a worse prognosis than in PDAC. The biological role of FASN interactors correlated with lipid metabolism, and GSEA indicated that lipid-mediated mitochondrial respiration was enriched in PCa. Following validation of FASN overexpression in PCa compared to PDAC in vitro, we tested TVB-2640 as a FASN inhibitor. PCa proliferation arrest was modulated by FASN inhibition in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas PDAC proliferation was not altered. In line with this finding, mitochondrial respiration was found to be more affected in PCa than in PDAC. FASN inhibition interfered with metabolic signaling causing lipid accumulation and affecting cell viability with an impact on the replicative processes.

Conclusions

FASN exhibited differential expression patterns in PDAC and PCa, suggesting a different evolution during cancer progression. This was corroborated by the fact that both tumors responded differently to FASN inhibition in terms of proliferative potential and mitochondrial respiration, indicating that its use should reflect context specificity.
Land-use preferences of the European green toad (Bufotes viridis) in the city of Vienna (Austria): the importance of open land in urban environments
Authors: Landler Lukas , Burgstaller Stephan , Schweiger Silke
Published: January 2023

Urban areas are increasing worldwide, which poses threats to animal wildlife. However, in certain cases cities can provide refuges for endangered animals. The European green toad (Bufotes viridis) is one of such examples, which is known from cities throughout their distribution. In contrast, considerable areas of their former (primary) habitats have been degraded. The primary habitats of this species include steppes and wild river floodplains, both characterized by dynamic changes and the presence of open areas. We used available green toad observation data (2007–2020) to model the effects of land-use types on occurrence probability in the city of Vienna. Forest and densely populated areas were highly significantly negatively associated with green toad presence, while transformation/construction site areas showed a strong positive effect. Such occurrence pattern might be characteristic for early succession species, which depend on stochastic environmental disturbances (e.g., droughts and floods) in their primary habitats. We argue that urban landscape planning should appreciate the potential ecological value of open land in cities which is either in a transition phase or a permanent ‘wasteland’. Ecological managing of such landscape could vastly increase urban biodiversity.
Kinematic analysis of sensorimotor control during the craniocervical flexion movement in patients with neck pain and asymptomatic individuals: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Bocos-Corredor Elena , Moggioli Filippo , Pérez-Fernández Tomás , Armijo-Olivo Susan , Sánchez Cristina , Cuenca-Zaldívar Juan Nicolás , Fernández-Carnero Josué , Martín-Pintado-Zugasti Aitor
Published: January 2023

Background

Patients with craniocervical pain have shown reduced performance in the craniocervical flexion test (CCFT). However, there is limited evidence of other possible kinematic alterations not assessed in the context of the CCFT. Previous studies on other functional or planar movements have reported alterations in sensorimotor control (e.g., range of motion [ROM], velocity, or smoothness) in subjects with neck pain. The objective of this study was to explore the association between sensorimotor control variables associated with craniocervical flexion movement and different characteristics related to pain, age, disability, and fear of movement in individuals with non-traumatic chronic neck pain and asymptomatic controls.

Methods

This was an observational, cross-sectional study in patients with non-traumatic neck pain and asymptomatic participants. Regression models were used to assess whether descriptive characteristics of the sample, including: (a) age, (b) intensity of pain, (c) neck disability, (d) chronicity of pain, and (e) fear of movement could explain sensorimotor control variables such as ROM, velocity, jerk, head repositioning accuracy, and conjunct motion. All these variables were recorded by means of light inertial measurement unit sensors during the performance of three maximal repetitions of full range craniocervical flexion in the supine position.

Results

A total of 211 individuals were screened and 192 participants finished the protocol and were included in the analyses. Participants had an average age of 34.55 ± 13.93 years and included 124 patients with non-traumatic neck pain and 68 asymptomatic subjects. Kinesiophobia partially explained lower craniocervical flexion ROM (p = .01) and lower peak velocity in flexion (P < .001). Age partially explained increased craniocervical extension ROM (P < .001) and lower peak velocity in flexion (P = .03). Chronicity partially explained increased lateral flexion conjunct motion (P = .008). All models showed low values of explained variance (< 32%) and low absolute values of regression coefficients.

Conclusions

This study did not find a clear relationship between population characteristics and sensorimotor control variables associated with the craniocervical flexion movement. Kinesiophobia might have some association with reduced ROM in craniocervical flexion, but further research in this field is needed in large samples of patients with higher levels of kinesiophobia pain or disability.
Salvage total hip arthroplasty after failed internal fixation for proximal femur and acetabular fractures
Authors: Hung Ching-Chieh , Chen Kuan-Hsiang , Chang Chih-Wei , Chen Yi-Chen , Tai Ta-Wei
Published: January 2023

Background

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is the treatment of choice for posttraumatic arthritis with failed internal fixation for hip fractures. However, the postoperative prognosis is not clear.

Questions/purposes

The primary aim of the study is to report the postoperative outcome, prognosis, and complication rates of total hip arthroplasty in posttraumatic hip arthritis after failed internal fixation of fractures around the hip. The secondary aim of the study is to report results among different fracture types around the hip.

Patients and methods

We enrolled salvage THA patients after failed internal fixation of fractures around the hip and matched control patients undergoing primary THA for hip osteoarthritis. Subgroup analysis was performed to compare the postoperative outcomes, prognosis, and complication rates of salvage THA in posttraumatic hip arthritis after failed internal fixation of different fracture types around the hip.

Results

A total of 315 THAs (105 salvage THAs and 210 primary THAs) were analyzed. Patients with salvage THA had a longer operative time, lower postoperative hemoglobin (Hb) level, more Hb drop (2.2 ± 1.4 vs. 1.7 ± 1.2 gm/dl, p = 0.002), and delayed ambulation. The salvage THA group also had a higher dislocation rate within 2 months after salvage THA (9.5% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.002), reoperation rate (10.5% vs. 3.8%, p = 0.019, including debridement, open and closed reduction under sedation, revision surgery, surgical fixation for periprosthetic fractures), and revision rate (5.7% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.003) than patients undergoing primary THA. Patients who had failed fixation for acetabular fractures were younger and tended to recover well. Patients with previous intertrochanteric fracture had the longest operative time, more hip pain (83.8%, p = 0.022) and more complications.

Conclusion

Salvage THA in posttraumatic hip arthritis after failed internal fixation required a longer operative time and led to more blood loss and postoperative complications. The dislocation, reoperation, and revision rates after salvage THA were higher than those after primary THA. Patients with salvage THA after failed internal fixation for intertrochanteric fractures were the most susceptible to more complications compared to those with femoral neck fracture or acetabular fracture.

Level of Evidence level III
Gender-related differences on outcome following transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR): a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yi Kang , Gao Jie , Wang Wen-Xin , Ma Yu-Hu , Wang Wei , He Shao E. , Xu Xiao-Min , Li Peng-Fei , You Tao
Published: January 2023

Background

The effect of gender on patients with mitral valve regurgitation (MR) undergoing transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) remains to be defined. The aim of the present study is a comprehensive meta-analysis of studies that investigate differences between men and women after TMVR.

Methods

A systematic literature search was carried out on eight databases to collect all relevant studies on gender-related outcomes of TMVR before March 1, 2021. The main outcomes of interest were mortality, cardiac function, MR class and other complications.

Results

A total of eight literatures were included, all of which were retrospective observational studies. Compared to women patients, men had lower postoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) class (OR = 1.53, 95%CI [1.23, 1.91], P = 0.0001) and higher incidence of postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR = 1.25, 95%CI [1.16, 1.34], P < 0.05). There were no significant difference on mortality in 30 days (OR = 0.95, 95%CI [0.81, 1.11], P = 0.53) and in 2 years (OR = 0.99, 95%CI [0.75, 1.30], P = 0.93), mitral valve regurgitation (MR) class (OR = 1.30, 95%CI [0.97, 1.75], P = 0.08) and incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) (OR = 0.88, 95%CI [0.65, 1.18], P = 0.38), stroke (OR = 0.80, 95%CI [0.63, 1.02], P = 0.08) and bleeding in hospital (OR = 0.84, 95%CI [0.59, 1.19], P = 0.32).

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis demonstrates that men undergoing TMVR have worse preoperative diseases (diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, renal failure and myocardial infarction) while they have superior postoperative NYHA class at one-year. There are no significantly difference in other indexes between men and women.
Inactivation of ZSCAN18 by promoter hypermethylation drives the proliferation via attenuating TP53INP2-mediated autophagy in gastric cancer cells
Authors: Li Bin , Ren Baoqing , Ma Gang , Cai Fenglin , Wang Pengliang , Zeng Yi , Liu Yong , Zhang Li , Yang Yang , Liang Han , Zhang Rupeng , Deng Jingyu
Published: January 2023

Background

Zinc finger and scan domain containing 18 (ZSCAN18) belongs to the zinc finger transcription factor superfamily, which consists of hundreds of members that play critical roles in all steps of tumorigenesis.

Methods

This study aims to investigate the roles of ZSCAN18 in gastric cancer (GC). The expression level in GC and the clinicopathologic features of ZSCAN18 were detected by immunohistochemistry staining. Methylation of ZSCAN18 promoter in GC tissues and cell lines was analyzed via MassARRAY; the same method was used to detect GC cell lines demethylated by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment. The biological function of ZSCAN18 in GC cells was verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The downstream molecular mechanism of ZSCAN18 was explored using RNA next-generation sequencing, immunofluorescence and chromatin immunoprecipitation.

Results

Our work revealed ZSCAN18 expression was markedly reduced in GC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues as a result of hypermethylation in GC. Likewise, ZSCAN18 expression was significantly reduced in a panel of GC cell lines as a result of the densely methylated ZSCAN18 promoter. Functionally, ZSCAN18 overexpression inhibited the biological progression of GC cells, which was characterized by weaken proliferation, enhanced autophagy and suppressed tumor growth. ZSCAN18 acted as a transcription factor and played an important role in binding to the promoter of tumor protein 53-induced nuclear protein 2 (TP53INP2), and we also confirmed the anti-tumor effect of TP53INP2 in GC. Furthermore, the knockdown of TP53INP2 alleviated the inhibiting effects of ZSCAN18 in GC cells by in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Conclusions

Collectively, this study unveiled that ZSCAN18 played an anticancer role in GC by promoting autophagy and transcriptional regulation of TP53INP2 and provided a promising target for the diagnosis and treatment of GC.
Primary care asthma surveillance: a review of knowledge translation tools and strategies for quality improvement
Authors: Moloney Max , Digby Geneviève , MacKinnon Madison , Morra Alison , Barber David , Queenan John , Gupta Samir , To Teresa , Lougheed M. Diane
Published: January 2023

Background

Viable knowledge translation (KT) strategies are increasingly sought to improve asthma diagnosis, particularly in primary care. Despite this understanding, practical KT tools to support primary care practitioners are not widely available. Electronic medical records (EMRs) offer an opportunity to optimize the diagnosis and surveillance of chronic diseases such as asthma, and support quality improvement initiatives that increase adherence to guideline-recommended care. This review aims to describe the current state of electronic KT electronic tools (eTools) and surveillance systems for asthma and identify opportunities to increase adherence to asthma diagnostic guidelines by implementing digital KT eTools.

Methods

Systematic literature searches were conducted on Ovid MEDLINE that included the search terms: asthma, asthma diagnosis, asthma surveillance, electronic health records, translational medical research, quality improvement, professional practice gaps, and primary health care published in the previous 10 years. In total, the searches returned 971 articles, 163 of which were considered relevant and read in full. An additional 28 articles were considered after reviewing the references from selected articles. 75 articles were included in this narrative review.

Results

Established KT eTools for asthma such as electronic questionnaires, computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSS), chronic disease surveillance networks, and asthma registries have been effective in improving the quality of asthma diagnosis and care. As well, chronic disease surveillance systems, severe asthma registries, and workplace asthma surveillance systems have demonstrated success in monitoring asthma outcomes. However, lack of use and/or documentation of objective measures of lung function, challenges in identifying asthma cases in EMRs, and limitations of data sources have created barriers in the development of KT eTools. Existing digital KT eTools that overcome these data quality limitations could provide an opportunity to improve adherence to best-practice guidelines for asthma diagnosis and management.

Conclusion

Future initiatives in the development of KT eTools for asthma care should focus on strategies that assist healthcare providers in accurately diagnosing and documenting cases of asthma. A digital asthma surveillance system could support adherence to best-practice guidelines of asthma diagnosis and surveillance by prompting use of objective methods of confirmation to confirm an asthma diagnosis within the EMR.
Secure spatial modulation based on two-dimensional generalized weighted fractional Fourier transform encryption
Authors: Huang Yongxin , Sha Xuejun , Fang Xiaojie , Song Ge
Published: January 2023

In this paper, a two-dimensional generalized weighted fractional Fourier transform (2DGWFRFT) and constellation scrambling (CS)-based secure spatial modulation (SM) scheme, called 2DGWFRFT-CS-SM, is proposed to enhance the physical layer security (PLS) of the wireless communication system. The proposed scheme is executed by two steps. In the first step, 2DGWFRFT is implemented as the security kernel for PLS provision. In the second step, the parameters of 2DGWFRFT, regarded as the encryption core, control the antenna number rotation to further enhance the security of the SM modulation symbol. Both the 2DGWFRFT signal generation strategy and the SM system including the transfer process have been elaborated to depict the security mechanism of the proposed scheme. Moreover, we give a key extraction algorithm utilized to generate the parameters, which can help scramble the antenna serial number. From the perspective of signal characteristics, the uniqueness of variation in the constellation has been investigated to outperform other cryptography-based encryption algorithms. Finally, the secrecy rates and the energy efficiency of our proposed scheme are theoretically analyzed and evaluated via Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrating that the proposed scheme can achieve a much higher secrecy capacity than artificial noise schemes without requiring additional jamming power consumption and myriad costs of hardware.
Eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image research in New Zealand: a scoping review
Authors: Cleland Lana , Kennedy Hannah L. , Pettie Michaela A. , Kennedy Martin A. , Bulik Cynthia M. , Jordan Jennifer
Published: January 2023

Background

The prevention and treatment of eating disorders relies on an extensive body of research that includes various foci and methodologies. This scoping review identified relevant studies of eating disorders, body image, and disordered eating with New Zealand samples; charted the methodologies, sample characteristics, and findings reported; and identified several gaps that should be addressed by further research.

Methods

Using scoping review methodology, two databases were searched for studies examining eating disorders, disordered eating, or body image with New Zealand samples. Snowball methods were further used to identify additional relevant articles that did not appear in initial searches. Two independent reviewers screened the titles and abstracts of 473 records. Full text assessment of the remaining 251 records resulted in 148 peer-reviewed articles being identified as eligible for the final review. A search of institutional databases yielded 106 Masters and Doctoral theses for assessment, with a total of 47 theses being identified as eligible for the final review. The included studies were classified by methodology, and the extracted information included the study foci, data collected, sample size, demographic information, and key findings.

Results

The eligible studies examined a variety of eating disorder categories including binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa, in addition to disordered eating behaviours and body image in nonclinical or community samples. Methodologies included treatment trials, secondary analysis of existing datasets, non-treatment experimental interventions, cross-sectional observation, case-control studies, qualitative and mixed-methods studies, and case studies or series. Across all of the studies, questionnaire and interview data were most commonly utilised. A wide range of sample sizes were evident, and studies often reported all-female or mostly-female participants, with minimal inclusion of males and gender minorities. There was also an underrepresentation of minority ethnicities in many studies, highlighting the need for future research to increase diversity within samples.

Conclusion

This study provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of research into eating disorders and body image in New Zealand, while highlighting important considerations for both local and international research.
Using passive Wi-Fi for community crowd sensing during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ribeiro Miguel , Teixeira Diogo , Barbosa Pedro , Nunes Nuno Jardim
Published: January 2023

Sensing passersby and detecting crowded locations is a growing area of research and development in the last decades. The COVID-19 pandemic compelled authorities and public and private institutions to monitor access and occupancy of crowded spaces. This work addresses the detection of crowds in points of interest (POI) by using a territory grid analysis categorizing POIs by the services available in each location and comparing data gathered from a community passive Wi-Fi infrastructure against mobile cellular tower association data from telecom companies. In Madeira islands (Portugal), we used data from the telecom provider NOS for the timespan of 4 months as ground truth and found a strong correlation with sparse passive Wi-Fi. An official regional mobile application shows the occupancy data to end-users based on the territory categorization and the passive Wi-Fi infrastructure in POIs. Occupancy data shows historical hourly trends of each location, and the real-time occupation, helping visitors and locals plan their commutes better to avoid crowded spaces.
Psychological side effects of hormonal contraception: a disconnect between patients and providers
Authors: Martell Sarah , Marini Christina , Kondas Cathy A. , Deutch Allison B.
Published: January 2023

Background

Existing literature about the psychological side effects of hormonal contraception (HC) is limited. The goal of this study is to better characterize patients’ subjective experiences with HC, its side effects, and contraception counseling.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional, survey-based study using a convenience sample of patients who had used HC at some point in their lives. Recruitment occurred from June 2021-February 2022.

Results

Of the 188 responses included in the analysis, 43.6% reported experiencing mood changes as a side effect of HC at some point in their lives. The most common reason participants cited for discontinuing or switching contraception methods was side effects (48.3%). Participants with a history of psychiatric illness were significantly more likely to report mood changes as a side effect of their HC (61.2%) compared to participants with no history of psychiatric illness (29.5%). Among patients with a history of psychiatric illness, 38.8% responded that their psychiatric symptoms worsened with HC while only 11.2% responded that their symptoms improved with HC. The majority (83%) of participants responded that their provider never mentioned the possibility of psychological side effects during contraception counseling. If/when they experienced side effects associated with their HC, 22.7% of participants disagreed that their provider adequately addressed their concerns.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that mood changes may be among the most common perceived side effects of HC and speak to a disconnect between patients and providers when it comes to discussing the possibility of psychological side effects with HC.
Novel modelling strategies for high-frequency stock trading data
Authors: Zhang Xuekui , Huang Yuying , Xu Ke , Xing Li
Published: January 2023

Full electronic automation in stock exchanges has recently become popular, generating high-frequency intraday data and motivating the development of near real-time price forecasting methods. Machine learning algorithms are widely applied to mid-price stock predictions. Processing raw data as inputs for prediction models (e.g., data thinning and feature engineering) can primarily affect the performance of the prediction methods. However, researchers rarely discuss this topic. This motivated us to propose three novel modelling strategies for processing raw data. We illustrate how our novel modelling strategies improve forecasting performance by analyzing high-frequency data of the Dow Jones 30 component stocks. In these experiments, our strategies often lead to statistically significant improvement in predictions. The three strategies improve the F1 scores of the SVM models by 0.056, 0.087, and 0.016, respectively.
Design, pharmacokinetic profiling, and assessment of kinetic and thermodynamic stability of novel anti-Salmonella typhi imidazole analogues
Authors: Ameji John Philip , Uzairu Adamu , Shallangwa Gideon Adamu , Uba Sani
Published: January 2023

Background

Typhoid fever, a disease caused by a gram negative bacterial species known as Salmonella typhi, constitutes a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in developing nations of the world. Antibiotic therapy is the major treatment option currently but the rising incidences of resistance to existing antibiotics has necessitated the search for newer ones. The aim of this study is to apply in silico techniques to design highly potent novel imidazole-based drug candidates that strongly antagonize a cell invasion protein (SipA) of Salmonella typhi.

Methods

In this study, a set of anti-Salmonella typhi imidazole analogues were subjected to molecular docking against an important cell invasion protein of the bacterium known as SipA using PyRx graphical user interface of AutoDock Vina software. The best ligand was selected as template for designing more potent analogues. Drug-likeness, pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles of the designed ligands were assessed through the use of Swiss ADME online tool and Osiris DataWarrior V5.5.0 chemo-informatics program. Kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities of the ligands were ascertained via Density Functional Theory’s Becke-3-parameter Lee–Yang–Parr hybrid functional and 6-31G** basis set-based quantum chemical calculations.

Results

The bioactive ligands were found to possess Gibb’s free binding energy (ΔG) values ranging from − 5.4 to − 6.7 kcal/mol against the active sites of the protease. Ligand 13 with ΔG = − 6.7 kcal/mol was used as template to design more potent analogues; B-1 and B-2 with ΔG value of − 7.8 kcal/mol and − 7.6 kcal/mol, respectively, against the protein target. When compared with ciprofloxacin used as control with ΔG value of − 6.8 kcal/mol, the designed ligands were found to be more potent. Furthermore, drug-likeness and ADMET profiling of the designed ligands revealed that they have excellent oral bioavailability and sound pharmacokinetic profiles. In addition, quantum chemical calculations revealed HOMO–LUMO energy gap of 3.58 eV and 3.45 eV; and global electrophilicity index of 4.95 eV and 4.79 eV for B-1 and B-2 ligands, respectively, indicative of their favorable kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities.

Conclusions

It is envisaged that the findings of this study would provide an excellent blueprint for developing novel antibiotics against multidrug resistant Salmonella typhi.
Integration of COVID-19 and TB screening in Kampala, Uganda: healthcare provider perspectives
Authors: Semitala Fred C. , Katwesigye Rodgers , Kalibbala Dennis , Mbuliro Mary , Lalitha Rejani , Owachi Darius , Atine Edgar , Nassazi Josephine , Turyahabwe Stavia , Sekadde Moorine
Published: January 2023

Background

Following the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, Uganda experienced a 40% drop in tuberculosis (TB) screening by June 2020. We sought to identify barriers to and facilitators of integrated COVID-19 and TB screening from the perspective of healthcare providers (HCPs) at a National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.

Design/methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study using in-depth interviews with 12 HCPs involved in TB activities in the outpatient and emergency departments at Kiruddu National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda. We explored the HCP experiences at work in the setting of COVID-19, HCP perceived effect of COVID-19 on TB screening activities at the hospital, and perceptions about social and contextual factors that might influence the willingness of HCP to integrate screening of COVID-19 and TB. We analyzed the data using an inductive thematic approach and we denoted the emergent themes as barriers to and facilitators of COVID-19/TB integrated screening. We then mapped the themes to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior (COM-B) model.

Results

The facilitators to integrated COVID-19 and TB screening included the availability of TB focal persons and already existing training forums at the hospital that could be utilized to strengthen the capacity of HCP to integrate COVID-19 and TB screening. The barriers included HCP’s inadequate knowledge on how to integrate screening of COVID-19 and TB, the absence of simple easy-to-use standard operating procedures and data collection tools for integrated screening, inconsistent supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), understaffing, and fear of contracting COVID-19 infection. The identified intervention functions to address the facilitators or barriers included education, persuasion, enablement, and training.

Conclusions

These findings provided a basis for designing contextually appropriate interventions targeting factors that are likely to influence HCP decisions and willingness to conduct TB screening in the context of COVID-19. Future studies should evaluate the effect of addressing these barriers to the integration of COVID-19 and TB as well as the effect of this on TB case finding in high-burden TB settings.
What Bertha Knows: Proprietary Narration in Katherine Mansfield’s “Bliss”
Authors: Whiting Kezia
Published: January 2023

How do we know what a character knows? What assumptions do we make about a character and their awareness when we read a text? How, in fact, does a text codify and construct knowledge, character, and thought? This essay addresses these questions in relation to Katherine Mansfield’s short story, “Bliss.” Most readers of “Bliss” assume that the protagonist, Bertha, knows nothing of her husband’s apparent affair with a guest at their dinner party and even that she is unaware of her own burgeoning homosexual desire for this same guest. And yet the persistent ambiguity of Mansfield’s free indirect style, at the least, allows Bertha to be read as knowing, deliberate, and complicit in her apparent ignorance. In conjunction with the text’s critique of gender roles and expectations, Mansfield’s free indirect style implicitly criticizes her reader’s willingness to sideline Bertha’s self-awareness. Mansfield’s demonstration of the fungibility of the ownership of thoughts is underscored by her critique of Bertha’s largely privileged lifestyle filled with possessions she is ultimately unable to fully possess.
Three's a crowd – why did three N-terminal methyltransferases evolve for one job?
Authors: Conner Meghan M. , Schaner Tooley Christine E.
Published: January 2023

N-terminal methylation of the α-amine group (Nα-methylation) is a post-translational modification (PTM) that was discovered over 40 years ago. Although it is not the most abundant of the Nα-PTMs, there are more than 300 predicted substrates of the three known mammalian Nα-methyltransferases, METTL11A and METTL11B (also known as NTMT1 and NTMT2, respectively) and METTL13. Of these ∼300 targets, the bulk are acted upon by METTL11A. Only one substrate is known to be Nα-methylated by METTL13, and METTL11B has no proven in vivo targets or predicted targets that are not also methylated by METTL11A. Given that METTL11A could clearly handle the entire substrate burden of Nα-methylation, it is unclear why three distinct Nα-methyltransferases have evolved. However, recent evidence suggests that many methyltransferases perform important biological functions outside of their catalytic activity, and the Nα-methyltransferases might be part of this emerging group. Here, we describe the distinct expression, localization and physiological roles of each Nα-methyltransferase, and compare these characteristics to other methyltransferases with non-catalytic functions, as well as to methyltransferases with both catalytic and non-catalytic functions, to give a better understanding of the global roles of these proteins. Based on these comparisons, we hypothesize that these three enzymes do not just have one common function but are actually performing three unique jobs in the cell.
Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Muscle Size, Power, and V̇O2max in Active Adults
Authors: Bradley Kathryn M. , Bunn Jennifer A. , Feito Yuri , Myers Bradley J.
Published: January 2023

Introduction/Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effects of isovolumetric training with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) on muscle hypertrophy, power, strength, and aerobic capacity.

Methods

Twenty participants (30.2 ± 7.7 yr, 69.6 ± 15.0 kg, 166.8 ± 7.3 cm) were randomized to a control (n = 11) or BFR group (n = 9). Testing sessions included measurement of bilateral thigh circumference, cross-sectional area of the vastus lateralis and biceps femoris via ultrasound imaging, determination of maximum oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) and power output via rowing, and estimated one-repetition maximum (1-RM) deadlift. Participants trained twice weekly for 4 wk. The BFR group (applied to thighs bilaterally at 80% occlusion) rowed at 40% maximum power output and lifted 30% 1-RM for 1 × 20 reps and 3 × 10 reps. The control group rowed at 80% power and lifted 60% 1-RM for 1 × 10 reps and 3 × 5 reps.

Results

Analyses indicated a main effect over time (P = 0.001) for power (P = 0.001), cross-sectional area of vastus lateralis and biceps femoris bilaterally (P = 0.001 for both), and V̇O2max (P = 0.003), indicating that both groups improved over time. Results also indicated that the control group had higher ratings of perceived exertion than the BFR group during training (P = 0.04).

Conclusions

The two types of training did not produce different results, except the BFR group had a higher output in maximum power. BFR training can be a feasible option for individuals unable to train at 60%–80% of maximum allowing for progressive rehabilitation with lower intensity.
Use of high-flow nasal cannula in patients with COVID-19: A retrospective study
Authors: Tsolakoglou Ioannis , Sakkou Agni , Giannoulakis Alexandros , Stergiannis Pantelis , Karathanasi Eleytheria , Intas George
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background: During COVID-19 pandemia, the healthcare systems all over the world had to confront many different and complicated issues. One of them was the way to support the patients’ respiratory system. Generally, the HFNC therapy was applied in the past for respiratory support, but we did not have studies to establish its efficiency. Therefore, with the recent study, despite the small number of patients, an effort was made to apply the HFNC therapy so as to avoid intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation.
Methods: This current study is a retrospective. Patients’ medical data admitted in the Covid – 19 ward from Agios Pavlos General hospital in Thessaloniki from October 25, 2020 to May 25, 2021 were reviewed. General clinical outcomes, the success of HFNC therapy, and related respiratory support methods were evaluated.
Results: The present study included 39 patients (27 men and 12 women), whose mean age was 64,5±10,3 years old, 44% of the population had a clear medical history, and 56,4% had some comorbidities. After applying HFNC therapy, 66,7% withdrew successfully, and 33,3% were intubated. The mean time of HFNC therapy is 3,3±2,4 days, while the mean total length of hospitalization was 18,3±10,9.
Conclusions: This current study describes the application of HFNC during the COVID-19 pandemia, and the conclusion is that the use of HFNC is an effective way to treat COVID-19 infected patients but under close monitoring. It had been shown that the application of HFNC can reduce the rate of intubation and mortality. Nevertheless, the conclusions of this particular study cannot be generalized.
Heart Failure: An overall assessment
Authors: Vartela Vasiliki
Published: January 2023

No abstract available
Improved predictions of phase behaviour of intrinsically disordered proteins by tuning the interaction range
Authors: Tesei Giulio , Lindorff-Larsen Kresten
Published: January 2023

The formation and viscoelastic properties of condensates of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is dictated by amino acid sequence and solution conditions. Because of the involvement of biomolecular condensates in cell physiology and disease, advancing our understanding of the relationship between protein sequence and phase separation (PS) may have important implications in the formulation of new therapeutic hypotheses. Here, we present CALVADOS 2, a coarse-grained model of IDPs that accurately predicts conformational properties and propensities to undergo PS for diverse sequences and solution conditions. In particular, we systematically study the effect of varying the range of the nonionic interactions and use our findings to improve the temperature scale of the model. We further optimize the residue-specific model parameters against experimental data on the conformational properties of 55 proteins, while also leveraging 70 hydrophobicity scales from the literature to avoid overfitting the training data. Extensive testing shows that the model accurately predicts chain compaction and PS propensity for sequences of diverse length and charge patterning, as well as at different temperatures and salt concentrations.
Genomes on a Tree (GoaT): A versatile, scalable search engine for genomic and sequencing project metadata across the eukaryotic tree of life
Authors: Challis Richard , Kumar Sujai , Sotero-Caio Cibele , Brown Max , Blaxter Mark
Published: January 2023

As genomic data transform our understanding of biodiversity, the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) has set a goal of generating reference quality genome assemblies for all ~1.9 million described eukaryotic taxa. Meeting this goal requires coordination among many individual regional and taxon-focussed projects working under the EBP umbrella. Large-scale sequencing projects require ready access to validated genome-relevant metadata, such as genome sizes and karyotypes, but these data are dispersed across the literature, and directly measured values are lacking for most taxa. To meet these needs, we have developed Genomes on a Tree (GoaT), an Elasticsearch-powered datastore and search index for genome-relevant metadata and sequencing project plans and statuses.

GoaT indexes publicly available metadata for all eukaryotic species and interpolates missing values through phylogenetic comparison. GoaT also holds target priority and sequencing status information for many projects affiliated to the EBP to aid project coordination. Metadata and status attributes in GoaT can be queried through a mature API, a web front end, and a command line interface. The web front end additionally provides summary visualisations for data exploration and reporting (see https://goat.genomehubs.org).

GoaT currently holds direct or estimated values for over 70 taxon attributes and over 30 assembly attributes across 1.5 million eukaryotic species.

The depth and breadth of curated data, frequent updates, and a versatile query interface make GoaT a powerful data aggregator and portal to explore and report underlying data for the eukaryotic tree of life. We illustrate this utility through a series of use cases from planning through to completion of a genome-sequencing project.
The genome sequence of a caddisfly, Limnephilus lunatus (Curtis, 1834)
Authors: Austin Michael , Clifford Caleala , Rutt Graham , Price Benjamin W. ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Wallace Ian ,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: January 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individualLimnephilus lunatus(a caddisfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Trichoptera; Limnephilidae). The genome sequence is 1,270 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 13 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.4 kilobases long.
Development of Communication Skills in an Inclusive Educational Environment as a Factor in the Development of Emotional Intelligence in Primary School Age
Authors: Kondyukova A.
Published: January 2023

The article reveals the importance of the development of communication skills in an inclusive educational environment as a factor in the development of emotional intelligence in primary school age. The research work is carried out, the results of the ascertaining and control experiment are presented.
Effective Communication as the Basis of Responsible Parenting: Teaching Daddies to Communicate with Your Children
Authors: Serebryakova T. , Shibalkina S.
Published: January 2023

The article reflects a fragment of an experimental program for the formation of responsible fatherhood among modern parents. Based on the analysis of studies by J. Bowlby, A. Freud, E. Fromm, K Horney, E. Erickson; B.G. Anneva, L.S. Vygotsky, V.V. Dubanova, I.V. Dubrovina, E.P. Ilyina, M.I. Lisina, A.A. Reana, A.S. Spivakovskaya and many other scientists, and understanding parenthood as a complex complex education, which includes a set of value orientations of a parent, his attitudes, expectations, feelings and attitudes towards children, parental responsibility, as well as the style of raising children and interacting with them, namely the communi-cation of parents (in our case, fathers) with their children, we consider as the most important condition for the manifestation of responsible parenthood. Our study showed that for the majority of fathers, our pupils are characterized by minimal involvement in the process of raising their children and ineffective interaction with them. The conclusion made prompted us to single out as one of the basic topics of our developmental program the topic “Communication in a Child’s Life”, focused not only on the formation of a system of knowledge among dads in the field of the role of communication in the full development of preschool children, but also a system of skills and abilities to effectively interaction with their children, which, we believe, will not only optimize the relationship in the “father-child” system, but will also “make” their parenthood more conscious and responsible.