bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methods to improve the quality of low-salt meat products: a meta-analysis
Authors: Yin Jiaxin , Zhang Pangzhen , Fang Zhongxiang
Published: January 2023

Low-salt meat (salt content <2%) is gaining popularity for its lower health risks, while the food industry faces technical challenges in improving its quality. Twenty-one studies involving meat quality improvement measures in low-salt meat products were included in this meta-analysis. The outcomes of these studies were assessed to derive conclusions about their effects on meat hardness and cooking losses. The results demonstrated that higher power ultrasound treatments (300–1500 W) significantly increased the hardness of low-salt meat, while a similar outcome was also achieved by low-strength (50–200 MPa) high-pressure processing (HPP) treatment, which was beneficial for alleviating the undesirable too-soft texture of the low-salt meat products. Furthermore, when salt reduction was greater than 50%, the application of ultrasonic treatment and HPP of 50–200 MPa significantly reduced the cooking losses, and the addition of hydrocolloids also increased the cooking yield of the salt-reduced meat products. Among all the interventions, HPP exhibited the most significant effects in low-salt meat quality improvement, which warrants future studies on the combination of this method with salt reduction strategies in the reduction of salt content in processed meat products.
Negotiating Positionality as a Student and Researcher in Africa: Understanding How Seniority and Race Mediate Elite Interviews in African Social Contexts
Authors: Vlavonou Gino
Published: January 2023

This article takes a reflexive look at the dilemmas and challenges of accessing a predominantly male circle of political and nongovernmental elites in the Central African Republic from the perspective of a young Black African male student researcher. It focuses on questions of positionality, arguing that certain African social norms regarding seniority and hierarchy can affect data generation, specifically access and interactions within interviews. The article argues that the author's identities as a student and researcher complicated access to male and senior elite interviewees during field research, thus illustrating anew how diasporic Africans might experience the field research exercise differently even if accessing elites is generally a difficult exercise. This article contributes to understanding power differentials among interviewers, including differences among students and researchers, and the influence of race during fieldwork by African scholars. This is within an emerging literature on fieldwork that focuses on graduate students in International Relations and Comparative Politics.
Shaeer’s infrapubic technique for penile prosthesis implantation through a single midline corporotomy: A single-center pilot study
Authors: Shaeer Osama , Shaeer Kamal
Published: January 2023

Background

With the infrapubic approach (IPA) for penile prosthesis implantation, lateral corporotomies carry the risk of injury to the laterally coursing dorsal nerves.

Aim

We sought to describe for the first time Shaeer’s IPA, a modification of the IPA whereby malleable penile prosthesis cylinders are implanted through a single midline corporotomy in the bed of the deep dorsal vein, anatomically off the course of the dorsal nerves of the penis.

Methods

We compared semirigid penile prosthesis implantation via the single midline corporotomy IPA (IPA-S, n = 11) to the classic IPA with laterally placed dual corporotomies (IPA-D, n = 11) and to the penoscrotal approach (PSA; n = 13). Shaeer’s IPA is performed through an infrapubic incision. A 3- to 5-cm length of the deep dorsal vein is stripped. A single 3- to 5-cm midline corporotomy is cut along the bed of the vein. Dilation, sizing, and implantation are performed through the single corporotomy on either side of the midline septum. Patients are discharged the same day and are allowed to bend the implant after 2 weeks and to commence intercourse after 3 weeks.

Outcomes

Operative time, postoperative satisfaction, International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5), and possible complications were recorded.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in age, postimplantation IIEF-5, or satisfaction between the 3 groups. Average operative time for the IPA-S group was 21.8% shorter than that for the IPA-D group, and 34.5% shorter than for the PSA group. Those differences were statistically significant. No complications were recorded in the IPA-S group. Infection occurred in 1 PSA case, and partial hypoesthesia in 1 IPA-D case.

Clinical Implications

The midline corporotomy confers an anatomical advantage that may help avoid nerve injury, thereby increasing the safety of the IPA.

Strengths and Limitations

The main limitation of this study is the limited sample number, considering that this is a pilot study.

Conclusion

The Shaeer’s Midline-Corporotomy IPA is a minimally invasive technique for implantation of a semirigid penile prosthesis, with an anatomical advantage that may decrease the possibility of dorsal nerve injury.
Exploring the health care experiences of women diagnosed with vulvodynia
Authors: Templeman Lauren , Eberhardt Judith , Ling Jonathan
Published: January 2023

Background

Although seeking diagnosis and treatment for chronic pain should be straightforward, this is not typically the case for those living with vulvodynia, who often describe it as a battle, frequently involving misdiagnosis, dismissal, and gender-based discrimination.

Aim

This study explored the health care experiences of women living with vulvodynia in the United Kingdom.

Methods

As they are less explored in literature, experiences postdiagnosis and across varying health care settings were specifically considered. Interviews were conducted with 6 women aged 21 to 30 years to explore their experiences when seeking help for vulvodynia.

Outcomes

Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, 5 themes emerged: the impact of diagnosis, patients’ perception of health care, self-guidance and lack of direction, gender as a barrier to effective care, and a lack of consideration of psychological factors.

Results

Women often experienced difficulties before and after diagnosis, and many felt that their pain was dismissed and ignored due to their gender. Pain management was felt to be prioritized by health care professionals over well-being and mental health.

Clinical Implications

There is a need for further exploration of gender-based discrimination experiences among patients with vulvodynia, health care professionals’ perceptions of their capabilities in working with such patients, and the impact of improving professionals’ training in working with these patients2

Strengths and Limitations

Health care experiences after diagnosis are rarely examined within literature, with studies predominantly focusing on experiences surrounding diagnosis, intimate relationships, and specific interventions. The present study provides an in-depth exploration of health care experiences through participants’ lived experiences and gives insight into an underresearched area. Women with negative experiences of health care may have been more likely to participate than those with positive experiences, which may have resulted in their overrepresentation. Furthermore, participants were predominantly young White heterosexual women, and almost all had comorbidities, further limiting generalizability.

Conclusion

Findings should be used to inform health care professionals’ education and training to improve outcomes for those seeking care for vulvodynia.
The Golgi-localized transporter OsPML3 is involved in manganese homeostasis and complex N-glycan synthesis in rice
Authors: Xu Ending , Wu Mengyao , Liu Yuanyuan , Tai Yingping , Zha Wenjuan , Gong Changyi , Zou Yu , Zhang Peijiang , Zhang Wei , Chen Xi
Published: January 2023

Manganese (Mn) is involved in many biochemical pathways as an enzyme cofactor, and is essential for maintaining metabolic processes in various plant cell compartments. Here, we determined the function of a rice (Oryza sativa) Mn transporter, PHOTOSYNTHESIS-AFFECTED MUTANT 71-LIKE 3 (OsPML3), belonging to the UNCHARACTERIZED PROTEIN FAMILY 0016 (UPF0016), in regulating Mn homeostasis and late-stage Golgi N-glycosylation. OsPML3 was highly expressed in rapidly developing tissues such as young leaves, root caps, lateral root primordia, and young anthers. Heterologous expression of OsPML3 restored the growth of Mn uptake-defective yeast strain Δsmf1 under Mn-limited conditions. Sub-cellular localization analysis revealed that OsPML3 localizes in the Golgi apparatus. At the vegetative stage, we observed necrotic root tips and lateral root primordia, and chlorotic young leaves in OsPML3 knockout lines under Mn-deficient conditions. Knocking out OsPML3 reduced the Mn content in the young leaves but did not affect the older leaves. Additionally, knocking out OsPML3 reduced the deposition of cell wall polysaccharides and the content of Lea (Lewis A structure)-containing N-glycan in roots and young leaves. OsPML3 knockout lines grown in the paddy field had reduced pollen fertility. Moreover, we found that the Lewis A structure was reduced in young anthers of OsPML3 knockout lines. Collectively, our results indicate that OsPML3 maintains Mn homeostasis in the Golgi apparatus of the rapidly developing rice tissues, and regulates the deposition of cell wall polysaccharides and late-stage Golgi N-glycosylation, especially biosynthesis of the Lewis A structure.
Online Thickness Determination with Position Averaged Convergent Beam Electron Diffraction using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Oberaigner Michael , Clausen Alexander , Weber Dieter , Kothleitner Gerald , Dunin-Borkowski Rafal E , Knez Daniel
Published: January 2023

Position averaged convergent beam electron diffraction (PACBED) is one of the most convenient and precise thickness determination techniques available in a scanning transmission electron microscope. The thickness is determined by finding the best match of the recorded PACBED pattern with a series of simulated diffraction patterns by visual inspection. The automatization of this process can be enhanced by convolutional neural networks (CNNs), making the method fast and easy to apply. However, the simulation of a synthetic dataset and the training of the CNNs carry a high computational cost. With the aim to simplify this process, we propose to build a server-based database of pretrained CNN models that is accessed by the user via a web service directly from the data acquisition and analysis software. We demonstrate a working prototype comprised of a shared CNN database containing three material systems. By this, the microscope operator can determine the specimen thickness by PACBED within a few seconds in a reproducible way during a microscope session, without any prior knowledge about machine learning or multislice modeling. Furthermore, the service is integrated into other software and workflows through the API.
The impact of migration on wages in Costa Rica
Authors: Cardozo Silva Adriana R , Díaz Pavez Luis R , Martínez-Zarzoso Inmaculada
Published: January 2023

In recent years, Costa Rica has experienced greater international migration from neighboring countries due to political, economic, and social reasons, raising discussions on the impact of migration on wages of native Costa Rican workers. This article is the first that disentangles the impact of migration on wages for native Costa Ricans from the impact for settled immigrants by analyzing the effect within groups of education, experience, and regions and controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. We find that on average, there is a significant negative effect of recent immigration on the wages of established immigrants, but no significant effect on the wages of natives over the period from 2012 to 2019. The outcomes hold when using different units of analysis and identification strategies.
Integrating Phylogenetics With Intron Positions Illuminates the Origin of the Complex Spliceosome
Authors: Vosseberg Julian , Stolker Daan , von der Dunk Samuel H A , Snel Berend
Published: January 2023

Eukaryotic genes are characterized by the presence of introns that are removed from pre-mRNA by a spliceosome. This ribonucleoprotein complex is comprised of multiple RNA molecules and over a hundred proteins, which makes it one of the most complex molecular machines that originated during the prokaryote-to-eukaryote transition. Previous works have established that these introns and the spliceosomal core originated from self-splicing introns in prokaryotes. Yet, how the spliceosomal core expanded by recruiting many additional proteins remains largely elusive. In this study, we use phylogenetic analyses to infer the evolutionary history of 145 proteins that we could trace back to the spliceosome in the last eukaryotic common ancestor. We found that an overabundance of proteins derived from ribosome-related processes was added to the prokaryote-derived core. Extensive duplications of these proteins substantially increased the complexity of the emerging spliceosome. By comparing the intron positions between spliceosomal paralogs, we infer that most spliceosomal complexity postdates the spread of introns through the proto-eukaryotic genome. The reconstruction of early spliceosomal evolution provides insight into the driving forces behind the emergence of complexes with many proteins during eukaryogenesis.
Mortality-Risk With “Capacity” Constraints On Community Treatment Order Utilization
Authors: Segal Steven P , Rimes Lachlan , Badran Leena
Published: January 2023

Background

Assignment to a community treatment order (CTO) has been associated with reduced mortality risk. In Victoria Australia civil-rights enhancements involving capacity to refuse involuntary treatment have contributed to a 15% reduction between 2010 and 2019 in CTO assignments among first hospitalized patients with Schizophrenia diagnoses. Has this change impacted patient mortality risk?

Study Design

This study considered mortality-risk between 2010 and 2019 for 3 patient groups with schizophrenia diagnoses: All 4848 hospitalized patients who were assigned to a CTO for the first time in the period; 3988 matched and randomly selected patients, who were first hospitalized in the decade, without CTO assignment; and 1675 never hospitalized or CTO-assigned outpatients. Deaths of Schizophrenic patients in each group were evaluated against expected deaths given standardized mortality ratios for Victoria. Logistic regression was used to evaluate mortality risk for each treatment group while taking account of race, demographics, differential access to initial diagnoses of life-threatening physical illness, mental health service resources, and indicators of social disadvantage.

Study Results

A total of 78% of the 777 deaths of schizophrenia patients in all 3 groups were premature. The 2 hospitalized groups did not differ in mortality risk. Among Victoria’s 2010–2019 outpatients (inclusive of treatment refusers with a recorded service contact), 16.2% had a Schizophrenia diagnosis—up from 0.2% in 2000–2009, the prior decade. Outpatients with Schizophrenia were at 48% greater risk of death than individuals in the hospitalized groups, taking all the afore mentioned risk factors into account.

Conclusions

Reductions in CTO utilization associated with potential treatment refusals of involuntary community-treatment supervision, seem to have increased mortality risk for this vulnerable population. The line between civil-rights protection and abandonment has been blurred.
Premature ejaculation among Chinese urban men: prevalence and correlates
Authors: Niu Caoyuan , Ventus Daniel , Jern Patrick , Santtila Pekka
Published: January 2023

Background

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction worldwide. It leads to substantial distress in men and their partners, constitutes a serious threat to the quality and stability of romantic relationships, and results in a decreased quality of life in a large part of the population.

Aim

We investigated the prevalence of PE and correlated factors in an urban sample of Chinese men.

Methods

In total, 1976 Chinese men aged 18 to 50 years responded to an online questionnaire regarding background information, present and previous sexual experience, frequency of different types of sex, as well as erectile and ejaculatory function.

Outcomes

Participants’ age, assigned sex at birth, sexual identity, relationship status, present and previous sexual experience, frequency of sexual activities, International Index of Erectile Function–5, and Checklist for Early Ejaculation Symptoms were used in the analyses.

Results

Forty-four (2.3%) participants had scores that were indicative or strongly indicative of PE, which was highly correlated with erectile problems. Men with more sexual experience (ie, more sexual partners and longer duration of being sexually active) had fewer ejaculatory problems. More frequent masturbation was associated with ejaculatory problems when controlling for age and education. More frequent partnered sex (ie, penile-vaginal sex) was associated with fewer ejaculatory problems. Ejaculation latency times for different types of sexual activities were positively correlated.

Clinical Translation

The results indicated that ejaculatory problems have complex relationships with sexual experience that clinicians should be aware of.

Strengths and Limitations

This study was the first to investigate PE with the Checklist for Early Ejaculation Symptoms as the measurement tool and the associations between PE and sexual experience, frequency of sexual activities, and sexual function in a large Chinese sample. However, self-reported ejaculation latency times may suffer from problems with validity.

Conclusion

Men’s sexual experience (ie, more sexual partners and longer duration of being sexually active) has an effect on their sexual function, which in turn affects their sexual activity.
Probable trauma associated sleep disorder in post-9/11 US Veterans
Authors: Taylor Kenneth A , Mysliwiec Vincent , Kimbrel Nathan A , Augustine Ann V ,   The VA Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Registry Workgroup, Beckham Jean C , Calhoun Patrick S , Dedert Eric , Elbogen Eric B , Fairbank John A , Hurley Robin A , Kilts Jason D , Kimbrel Nathan A , Kirby Angela , Martindale Sarah L , Marx Christine E , McDonald Scott D , Moore Scott D , Morey Rajendra A , Naylor Jennifer C , Rowland Jared , Shura Robert D , Swinkels Cindy , Tupler Larry A , Van Voorhees Elizabeth E , Yoash-Gantz Ruth , Ulmer Christi S
Published: January 2023

Study Objectives

The purpose of this study was to (1) estimate trauma associated sleep disorder (TASD) prevalence among post-9/11 era veterans and to describe differences in service and comorbid mental health clinical characteristics among individuals with and without probable TASD, and (2) estimate TASD prevalence and characteristics of reported traumatic experiences stratified by sex.

Methods

We used cross-sectional data from the post-deployment mental health study of post-9/11 veterans, which enrolled and collected baseline data from 2005 to 2018. We classified veterans as having probable TASD using self-reported measures: traumatic experiences from the traumatic life events questionnaire (TLEQ) and items from the Pittsburgh sleep quality index with Addendum for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mapped to TASD diagnostic criteria and ascertained mental health diagnoses (PTSD, major depressive disorder [MDD]) via Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. We calculated effect sizes as prevalence ratios (PR) for categorical variables and Hedges’ g for continuous variables.

Results

Our final sample included 3618 veterans (22.7% female). TASD prevalence was 12.1% (95% CI: 11.1% to 13.2%) and sex-stratified prevalence was similar for female and male veterans. Veterans with TASD had a much higher comorbid prevalence of PTSD (PR: 3.72, 95% CI: 3.41 to 4.06) and MDD (PR: 3.93, 95% CI: 3.48 to 4.43). Combat was the highest reported most distressing traumatic experience among veterans with TASD (62.6%). When stratifying by sex, female veterans with TASD had a wider variety of traumatic experiences.

Conclusions

Our results support the need for improved screening and evaluation for TASD in veterans, which is currently not performed in routine clinical practice.
Assessment of neuropathic pain, functional activity limitation and quality of life of people affected by leprosy in an endemic area in Northeast Brazil: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Silva Sara Ribeiro , de Souza Stéphany Nogueira , Santana Marya Fernandha Santos , Domingos Adriana Maia , Martins Nathálya da Silva , de Paula Hidyanara Luiza , Araujo Heloisa Antunes , dos Santos Glicya Monaly Claudino , Martins-Filho Paulo Ricardo , Santos Victor Santana
Published: January 2023

Background

This study investigated the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) among people affected by leprosy and its effects on functional limitation and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in an endemic area in Northeast Brazil.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study of 122 leprosy patients. Functional limitation and HRQoL were assessed using the Screening of Activity Limitation and Safety Awareness (SALSA) and WHO Quality-of-Life (WHOQoL-BREF) scales, respectively. Participants were assessed for the presence of pain and completed the Douleur Neuropathique 4 and the Brief Pain Inventory scales.

Results

The prevalence of NP was 59%. Participants with NP had higher SALSA scores than those without pain (median; IQR: 42; 32–49.5 vs 27.5; 24–34; p=0.002). Increasing SALSA scores were related to decreasing WHOQoL-BREF scores in the physical (r=−0.54; p<0.001), psychological (r=−0.33; p=0.002) and environmental (r=−0.22; p=0.01) domains, but not in the social domain (r=−0.14; p=0.10). Individuals with NP had the lowest scores in all domains compared with individuals without pain.

Conclusions

Appropriate tools and training of clinicians for diagnosing NP in leprosy patients are necessary for their appropriate management and better HRQoL outcomes.
Is there a role for biomarkers in asymptomatic severe chronic primary mitral regurgitation?
Authors: Verma Raj , Bisleri Gianluigi , Ong Geraldine , Connelly Kim A.
Published: January 2023

Purpose of review

Chronic primary mitral regurgitation (MR) is a common heart valve disease with a rising prevalence with the aging populations worldwide. The timing of surgical intervention in patients who have severe MR but remain asymptomatic is often debated. Herein we synthesize the latest American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and European Society of Cardiology/ European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (ESC/EACTS) heart valve guidelines in such patients and illustrate how circulating and/or imaging biomarkers can be used to help refine decision making algorithms.

Recent findings

The approach to decision making and strength of guideline recommendations in patients with asymptomatic stage C1 (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] > 60% and left ventricular end systolic dimension [LVESD] < 40 mm) and stage C2 disease (LVEF ≤ 60% and/or LVESD ≥ 40 mm) are reviewed. While surgical intervention is clearly indicated in patients with stage C2 disease, a multifaceted approach that integrates repairability, expertise, sub-clinical evidence of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, and patient preferences is required to identify the optimal approach to surveillance vs. surgery. The role of imaging (3D echocardiography, contrast echocardiography, left ventricular global longitudinal strain, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging [CMR]) and circulating (natriuretic peptides) biomarkers in decision making is also reviewed.

The decision making around timing of intervention in chronic primary MR requires a personalized approach that is based on accurate assessments of severity of MR, LV dimensions, LV function, valve morphology/repairability, surgeon and center expertise, and patient wishes. Biomarkers hold promise in refining decision making.
Risk of Intraocular Lens Opacification After Endothelial Keratoplasty for Different Intraocular Lens Models: A Retrospective Single-Center Cohort Study
Authors: Lorenzana-Blanco Natalia , Velarde-Rodríguez Gonzalo , Corte-Alonso Sofía , Mahillo-Fernández Ignacio , García-Sandoval Blanca , Jiménez-Alfaro Ignacio , Alejandre-Alba Nicolás
Published: January 2023

Purpose:

The aims of this study were to calculate the specific risk of opacification for different intraocular lens (IOL) models and to determine whether differences exist, even between lenses made of similar acrylic materials.

Methods:

This is a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent endothelial keratoplasty (EK), either after or in conjunction with cataract surgery, from June 2009 to October 2020 at Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital.

Results:

Three hundred seventy-two eyes of 308 patients with a median follow-up of 856 days [interquartile range (IQR): 384–1570] were included, of which 128 IOLs were hydrophobic, 120 hydrophilic, and 124 unknown. 12.9% of IOLs opacified after a median of 466 days (IQR: 255–743). Visual acuity (VA) was significantly lower in the opacified IOL group [0.51 (IQR: 0.36–1.13)] compared with the nonopacified group [0.22 (IQR: 0.11–0.65)] (P < 0.001). IOL explantation and exchange was performed in 10 eyes, in which VA improved markedly, from 1.75 (IQR: 0.99–3.00) to 0.60 (IQR: 0.36–0.86) (P = 0.004). IOL material and opacification events were not independent (P < 0.001). Significant differences were found between the Akreos ADAPT AO and MI60P models and the Asphina 409M model (P = 0.022). No significant differences were found in the opacification ratio for hydrophilic IOLs in the clinical diagnosis (P = 0.11), the type of EK (P = 0.25), the rebubbling rate (P = 0.44), or the tamponade used (P = 0.36).

Conclusions:

Hydrophilic lenses should be avoided in patients at risk of requiring EK. It is important to know the probability of opacification of each IOL model to balance risk and benefits when planning an EK procedure because not all lenses opacify equally. Opacification is an unwanted event with a negative impact on VA, making IOL explantation and exchange the only viable treatment, although one that is not without risks.
Prognostic influence for hilar cholangiocarcinoma and comparisons of prognostic values of Mayo staging and TNM staging systems
Authors: Sun Zhaowei , Sun Xiaozhi , Guo Jingyun , Li Xueliang , Wang Qinlei , Su Na , Chen Menshou , Cao Guanghua , Yu Yanan , Wang Maobing , Li Haoran , Zhong Haochen , Zou Hao , Ma Kai , Shen Fangzhen , Zhang Bingyuan , Sun Xiaozhi , Feng Yujie
Published: January 2023

The study was designed to discuss the effect of stratification factors in the Mayo staging on the prognosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) patients, and to evaluate the predictive value of the Mayo staging on the prognosis. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve and Log-rank test were used to perform univariate analysis on each index and obtain statistically significant influencing factors. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve and Log-rank test were used to analyze the correlation between the two staging systems and the survival period. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for each single staging system trend analysis, and comparison of their curve area to determine prognosis prediction ability for patients with HCCA. According to Kaplan–Meier survival curve changes and Log-rank test results, it was found that both staging systems were correlated with the survival time of the patients (P < .001). Through a pairwise comparison within the stages, it was found that the heterogeneity between the stages within the Mayo staging is very good, which was better than the TNM staging. A single trend analysis of the prognostic assessment capabilities of the two systems found that the area under the ROC curve of Mayo staging system (AUC = 0.587) was the largest and better than the TNM staging system (AUC = 0.501). Mayo staging can be used for preoperative patient prognosis assessment which can provide better stratification ability based on a single-center small sample study, and the predictive value is better than TNM staging.
A conserved SH3-like fold in diverse putative proteins tetramerizes into an oxidoreductase providing an antimicrobial resistance phenotype
Authors: Lemay-St-Denis Claudèle , Alejaldre Lorea , Jemouai Zakaria , Lafontaine Kiana , St-Aubin Maxime , Hitache Katia , Valikhani Donya , Weerasinghe Nuwani W. , Létourneau Myriam , Thibodeaux Christopher J. , Doucet Nicolas , Baron Christian , Copp Janine N. , Pelletier Joelle N.
Published: January 2023

We present a potential mechanism for emergence of catalytic activity that is essential for survival, from a non-catalytic protein fold. The type B dihydrofolate reductase (DfrB) family of enzymes were first identified in pathogenic bacteria because their dihydrofolate reductase activity is sufficient to provide trimethoprim (TMP) resistance. DfrB enzymes are described as poorly evolved as a result of their unusual structural and kinetic features. No characterized protein shares sequence homology with DfrB enzymes; how they evolved to emerge in the modern resistome is unknown. In this work, we identify DfrB homologues from a database of putative and uncharacterized proteins. These proteins include an SH3-like fold homologous to the DfrB enzymes, embedded in a variety of additional structural domains. By means of functional, structural and biophysical characterization, we demonstrate that these distant homologues and their extracted SH3-like fold can display dihydrofolate reductase activity and confer TMP resistance. We provide evidence of tetrameric assembly and catalytic mechanism analogous to that of DfrB enzymes. These results contribute, to our knowledge, the first insights into a potential evolutionary path taken by this SH3-like fold to emerge in the modern resistome following introduction of TMP.

This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology’.
Allobaculum mucilyticum sp. nov. and Allobaculum fili sp. nov., isolated from the human intestinal tract
Authors: van Muijlwijk Guus H. , Rice Tyler A. , Flavell Richard A. , Palm Noah W. , de Zoete Marcel R.
Published: January 2023

As part of a culturomics study to identify bacterial species associated with inflammatory bowel disease, a large collection of bacteria was isolated from patients with ulcerative colitis. Two of these isolates were tentatively identified as members of the family

Erysipelotrichaceae

. Following phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence and genome sequences, both strain 128T and 539T were found to be most closely related to

Allobaculum stercoricanis

, with G+C contents of 48.6 and 50.5 mol%, respectively, and the genome sizes of 2 864 314 and 2 580 362 base pairs, respectively. Strains 128T and 539T were strict anaerobe rods that grew in long chains between 37 and 42 °C. Scanning electron microscopy did not reveal flagella, fimbriae or visible endospores. Biochemical analysis showed nearly identical results for both strains with enzymatic activity of C4 and C8 esterases, acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, β-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase and arginine arylamidase. In addition, both strains produced indole and reduced nitrate. Major fatty acids were identified as C18:1
ω9c (oleic acid, 64.06% in 128T and 74.35% in 539T), C18:1
ω7c/C18:1
ω9t/C18:1
ω12t/UN17.834 (16.18 % in 128T and 6.22% in 539T) and C16:0 (6.23% in 128T and 7.37% in 538T). Based on these analyses two novel species are proposed, Allobaculum mucilyticum sp. nov. with the type strain 128T (=NCTC 14626T=DSM 112815T) and Allobaculum fili sp. nov. with the type strain 539T (=NCTC 14627T=DSM 112814T).
MedKLIP: Medical Knowledge Enhanced Language-Image Pre-Training
Authors: Wu Chaoyi , Zhang Xiaoman , Zhang Ya , Wang Yanfeng , Xie Weidi
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we consider the problem of enhancing self-supervised visual-language pre-training (VLP) with medical-specific knowledge, by exploiting the paired image-text reports from the radiological daily practice. In particular, we make the following contributions:First, unlike existing works that directly process the raw reports, we adopt a novel report filter to extract the medical entities, avoiding unnecessary complexity from language grammar and enhancing the supervision signals;Second, we propose a novel entity embedding module by querying an external knowledge description base, to exploit the rich context of additional information that the medical domain affords, and implicitly build relationships between entities in the language embedding space;Third, we propose a novel Transformer-based fusion model for spatially aligning the entity description with visual signals at the image patch level only with self-supervised learning, thus enabling the ability for spatial grounding;Fourth, we conduct thorough experiments to validate the effectiveness of our proposed architecture, and benchmark on numerous public benchmarks e.g., ChestX-ray14, RSNA Pneumonia, SIIM-ACR Pneumothorax, COVIDx CXR-2, COVID Rural, and EdemaSeverity. In both zero-shot and fine-tuning settings, our model has demonstrated strong performance compared with the former methods on disease classification and grounding.
Let there be nightlights: the ecological role of bioluminescence in a Costa Rican mushroom
Authors: Adams Catharine A , Donald Marion , Anderson Christin , Escudero Efraín , Sourell Susanne , Landrein Sven , Seas Carolina , Mueller Greg , Chaverri Priscilla
Published: January 2023

Both marine and terrestrial organisms produce light enzymatically in a process called bioluminescence. Though the ecological role of light production is known for some species, such as fireflies and bacteria, the ecological role in mushroom-producing fungi remains relatively unexplored, particularly in Central America. Here, we discovered a bioluminescent mushroom in the high-elevation oak forests of Costa Rica. We developed mushroom models with Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) producing various colors: green, blue, red, and yellow. Over three consecutive evenings after sunset, we applied Tanglefoot invertebrate-trapping glue to both mushroom models and actual mushrooms, and collected the traps before sunrise, then identified the trapped invertebrates to Order. We found green LED traps attracted more invertebrates than non-lit control traps, suggesting that light functions to attract invertebrates. The majority of invertebrates attracted to the green lights were Dipteran flies, who would be capable of dispersing fungal spores. The higher-intensity green LEDs attracted more total invertebrates than the dimmer mushrooms, but the results were not significant. Though we predicted that the invertebrate assemblages attracted to green lights would be similar to the invertebrate assemblage attracted to actual mushrooms, the results were not significant. Similarly, the red, blue, and yellow LEDs attracted fewer invertebrates than the green LEDs, but the differences in community composition were not statistically significant. Our findings corroborate other similar studies in tropical regions that found bioluminescent mushrooms may attract invertebrates.
Improved Quantitative Parameter Estimation for Prostate T2 Relaxometry using Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Bolan Patrick J. , Saunders Sara L. , Kay Kendrick , Gross Mitchell , Akcakaya Mehmet , Metzger Gregory J.
Published: January 2023

This work seeks to evaluate multiple methods for quantitative parameter estimation from standard T2mapping acquisitions in the prostate. The T2estimation performance of methods based on neural networks (NN) was quantitatively compared to that of conventional curve fitting techniques. Large physics-based synthetic datasets simulating T2mapping acquisitions were generated for training NNs and for quantitative performance comparisons. Ten combinations of different NN architectures, training strategies, and training corpora were implemented and compared with four different curve fitting strategies. All methods were compared quantitatively using synthetic data with known ground truth, and further compared onin vivotest data, with and without noise augmentation, to evaluate feasibility and noise robustness. In the evaluation on synthetic data, a convolutional neural network (CNN), trained in a supervised fashion using synthetic data generated from naturalistic images, showed the highest overall accuracy and precision amongst all the methods. Onin vivodata, this best-performing method produced low-noise T2maps and showed the least deterioration with increasing input noise levels. This study showed that a CNN, trained with synthetic data in a supervised manner, may provide superior T2estimation performance compared to conventional curve fitting, especially in low signal-to-noise regions.
How empowerment and materialism contribute to anti-consumers’ well-being
Authors: Balderjahn Ingo , Hoffmann Stefan , Hüttel Alexandra
Published: January 2023

Purpose

Because steadily growing consumption is not beneficial for nature and climate and is not the same as increasing well-being, an anti-consumerism movement has formed worldwide. The renouncement of dispensable consumption will, however, only establish itself as a significant lifestyle if consumers do not perceive reduced consumption as a personal sacrifice. Since prior research has not yielded a consistent understanding of the relationship between anti-consumption and personal well-being, this paper aims to examine three factors about which theory implies that they may moderate this relationship: decision-control empowerment, market-control empowerment and the value of materialism.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on data from a large-scale, representative online survey (N = 1,398). Structural equation modelling with latent interaction effects is used to test how three moderators (decision-control empowerment, market-control empowerment and materialism) affect the relationship amongst four types of anti-consumption (e.g. voluntary simplicity) and three different well-being states (e.g. subjective well-being).

Findings

While both dimensions of empowerment almost always directly promote consumer well-being, significant moderation effects are present in only a few but meaningful cases. Although the materialism value tends to reduce consumers’ well-being, it improves the well-being effect of two anti-consumption styles.

Research limitations/implications

Using only one sample from a wealthy country is a limitation of the study. Researchers should replicate the findings in different nations and cultures.

Practical implications

Consumer affairs practitioners and commercial marketing for sustainably produced, high-quality and long-lasting goods can benefit greatly from these findings.

Social implications

This paper shows that sustainable marketing campaigns can more easily motivate consumers to voluntarily reduce their consumption for the benefit of society and the environment if a high level of market-control empowerment can be communicated to them.

Originality/value

This study provides differentiated new insights into the roles of consumer empowerment, i.e. both decision-control empowerment and market-control empowerment, and the value of materialism to frame specific relationships between different anti-consumption types and various well-being states.
Hidden Differences in Phenomenal Experience
Authors: Lupyan Gary , Uchiyama Ryutaro , Thompson Bill , Casasanto Daniel
Published: January 2023

In addition to the many easily observable differences between people, there are also differences in people's subjective experiences that are harder to observe, and which, as a consequence, remain hidden. For example, people vary widely in how much visual imagery they experience. But those who cannot see in their mind's eye, tend to assume everyone is like them. Those who can, assume everyone else can as well. We argue that a study of such hidden phenomenal differences has much to teach cognitive science. Uncovering and describing this variation (a search for unknown unknowns) may help predict otherwise puzzling differences in human behavior. The very existence of certain differences can also act as a stress test for some cognitive theories. Finally, studying hidden phenomenal differences is the first step toward understanding what kinds of environments may mask or unmask links between phenomenal experience and observable behavior.
Vibrational signals are species‐specific and sex‐specific for sexual communication in the tea leafhopper, Empoasca onukii
Authors: Zhang Huining , Bian Lei , Cai Xiaoming , Yao Qi , Fu Nanxia , Shan Yao , Chen Zongmao
Published: January 2023

Empoasca onukii Matsuda (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is the primary pest of tea gardens, but the species' sexual communication and mating behavior is currently unclear. A similar species, Empoasca vitis Göthe, had been reported to use vibrational signals for mating communication, so we studied these two aspects from the perspective of biotremology. First, laser vibrometry detected both males and females could emit vibrational signals that are sex specific. Females emitted one signal type (the female signal), and males emitted two signal types: the male calling signal and the male courtship signal. Compared with the male signals, the female signal has a simpler structure, lower dominant frequency, and shorter length. Second, the vibrational signals of E. onukii play a decisive role in sexual communication. The male emits calling signals and then recognizes the female based on her reply signal; after establishing a duet with the female, the male emits a series of courtship signals, and then continually locates and approaches the female according to her reply signals, and finally attempts to copulate. Third, vibrational signals of E. onukii are species‐specific. Comparing E. onukii and E. vitis, there are differences in three aspects: the emitting behavior of female signals, the types of male signals, and the structure of male and female signals. We conclude that E. onukii uses sex‐ and species‐specific vibrational signals for sexual communication.
Buccal bone thickness and mid‐facial soft tissue recession after various surgical approaches for immediate implant placement: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis of controlled trials
Authors: Wu Xin‐Yu , Shi Jun‐Yu , Buti Jacopo , Lai Hong‐Chang , Tonetti Maurizio S.
Published: January 2023

Aim

To evaluate the relative efficacy and confidence in the precision of the results of different surgical interventions for immediate implant placement in the anterior area.

Materials and Methods

Electronic searches were performed in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Randomized controlled trials comparing different surgical techniques in anterior jaws for type 1 implant placement were included. Outcome measures included implant survival (primary outcome), buccal bone thickness (BBT) reduction, and mid‐facial soft tissue recession (MSTR). Risks of bias assessment, network meta‐analysis (NMA), sensitivity analysis, and quality‐of‐evidence assessment were performed.

Results

Twenty‐two studies reporting on 948 subjects and 5 surgical interventions were included. Fourteen early failures were reported. Compared with open‐flap surgery without tissue augmentation (F‐N) and looking at BBT preservation, NMA showed that there was moderate confidence that flapless surgery with hard tissue augmentation (FL‐HTA) was better than flapless surgery without tissue augmentation (FL‐N) or open‐flap surgery with hard tissue augmentation (F‐HTA) (mean difference –0.8 mm, 95% confidence interval: −1.1 to −0.5 mm; −0.6 mm, −0.9 to −0.4 mm; and −0.5 mm, −0.7 to −0.3 mm, respectively). There was moderate confidence that flapless surgery with hard and soft tissue augmentation (FL‐HTA&STA) could significantly prevent MSTR compared with FL‐HTA (−0.5 mm, −0.7 to −0.3 mm) and FL‐N (−0.6 mm, −1.2 to −0.04 mm). However, there was no significant additional benefit in BBT with the FL‐HTA&STA approach compared to the FL‐HTA approach (−0.30 mm, −0.81 to 0.21 mm).

Conclusions

For immediate implant placement in the anterior areas, the FL‐HTA approach better preserves BBT (moderate confidence); adding STA improves the stability of the mid‐facial soft tissue level (moderate confidence) but at the expense of BBT (low confidence).
Molecular mechanisms in chloroquine‐exposed muscle cells elucidated by combined proteomic and microscopic studies
Authors: Phan Vietxuan , Hathazi Denisa , Preuße Corinna , Czech Artur , Freier Erik , Shema Gerta , Zahedi René P. , Roos Andreas
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Chloroquine (CQ) is an antimalarial drug with a growing number of applications as recently demonstrated in attempts to treat Covid‐19. For decades, it has been well known that skeletal and cardiac muscle cells might display vulnerability against CQ exposure resulting in the clinical manifestation of a CQ‐induced myopathy. In line with the known effect of CQ on inhibition of the lysosomal function and thus cellular protein clearance, the build‐up of autophagic vacuoles along with protein aggregates is a histological hallmark of the disease. Given that protein targets of the perturbed proteostasis are still not fully discovered, we applied different proteomic and immunological‐based studies to improve the current understanding of the biochemical nature of CQ‐myopathy.

Methods

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of this acquired myopathy and to define proteins targets as well as pathophysiological processes beyond impaired proteolysis, utilising CQ‐treated C2C12 cells and muscle biopsies derived from CQ‐myopathy patients, we performed different proteomic approaches and Coherent Anti‐Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microscopy, in addition to immunohistochemical studies.

Results

Our combined studies confirmed an impact of CQ‐exposure on proper protein processing/folding and clearance, highlighted changes in the interactome of p62, a known aggregation marker and hereby identified the Rett syndrome protein MeCP2 as being affected. Moreover, our approach revealed—among others—a vulnerability of the extracellular matrix, cytoskeleton and lipid homeostasis.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that CQ exposure (secondarily) impacts biological processes beyond lysosomal function and linked a variety of proteins with known roles in the manifestation of other neuromuscular diseases.
Youth engagement in research and policy: The CO‐CREATE framework to optimize power balance and mitigate risks of conflicts of interest
Authors: Nesrallah Samantha , Klepp Knut‐Inge , Budin‐Ljøsne Isabelle , Luszczynska Aleksandra , Brinsden Hannah , Rutter Harry , Bergstrøm Elin , Singh Sudhvir , Debelian Marianna , Bouillon Claire , Katanasho Margrete Bjørge
Published: January 2023

Including youth in the co‐creation of policies that affect them has proven to be particularly impactful in public health. Using youth participatory action research methods, the CO‐CREATE project engages European youth 16–18 years old in the co‐creation of obesity prevention policies. To discuss the feasibility and implications of the policy, youth are invited to engage in an intergenerational dialogue. Given the youth–adult dynamic and policy discussion, conflicts of interests (COIs) can arise and impact the quality of the dialogue. COI frameworks are a tool that can help identify, mitigate, and address COIs. This paper presents a novel framework to mitigate COIs in intergenerational policy dialogues, with a focus on power imbalance. Following a series of youth consultations, interviews, and examination of existing frameworks, our findings suggest that safe, participatory, and empowering dialogues can take place if appropriate measures are integrated into all phases of a dialogue. The selection of stakeholders, use of accessible language, and youth moderation are all factors that can impact COI risks. Measures that promote mutual empowerment, such as equal representation of youth and adults, were deemed important. This framework provides a roadmap to ensure that youth participation in the formulation of policies is safe and empowering.