bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic left pneumonectomy: Retrospective analysis of eighteen consecutive patients from a single center
Authors: Li Jiagen , Xue Qi , Gao Yushun , Mao Yousheng , Zhao Jun , Gao Shugeng
Published: January 2021

Background

Uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is being more widely used in lung cancer, yet reports on its application in pneumonectomies are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic left pneumonectomy for lung cancer.

Methods

A series of 18 lung cancer patients who had received uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic left pneumonectomies were included in the study. Their clinical, pathological, and surgical features, as well as postoperative recovery, were analyzed.

Results

The majority of the patients were male and smokers and their average age was 62.0 ± 8.9 years. All had primary lung cancer, while three (16.7%) had received neoadjuvant therapy. A total of 16 (88.9%) patients had stage II–III disease, with an average tumor size of 3.6 ± 1.5 cm. The average surgery time was 137.4 ± 47.0 minutes, with a 16.7% (3/18) conversion rate. The mean blood loss was 37.5 ± 59.4 mL and no patients needed blood transfusion during, or after, surgery. There was no perioperative death and the overall complication rate was 22.2% (4/18). Two (11.1%) patients needed to stay in the intensive care unit after surgery, and the average length of hospital stay after surgery was 6.3 ± 1.1 days (range 4–7 days).

Conclusions

Uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic left pneumonectomy is a safe and feasible procedure for selected lung cancer patients. The use of uniportal VATS in right pneumonectomies and the effect of uniportal video‐assisted thoracoscopic pneumonectomy on the survival of patients merits further study.

Patients receiving uniportal VATS pneumonectomies had standard surgical results and recovery. Uniportal VATS pneumonectomy is safe for properly selected lung cancer patients.

Key points

Significant findings of the study: • Patients receiving uniportal VATS left pneumonectomies had standard surgical results and recovery.

What this study adds: • Uniportal VATS left pneumonectomy is safe for properly selected lung cancer patients.
Peripheral airways type 2 inflammation, neutrophilia and microbial dysbiosis in severe asthma
Authors: Azim Adnan , Green Ben , Lau Laurie , Rupani Hitasha , Jayasekera Nivenka , Bruce Kenneth , Howarth Peter
Published: January 2021

Background

IL‐13 is considered an archetypal T2 cytokine central to the clinical disease expression of asthma. The IL‐13 response genes, which are upregulated in central airway bronchial epithelial of asthma patients, can be normalized by high‐dose inhaled steroid therapy in severe asthma. However, this is not the case within the peripheral airways. We have sought to further understand IL‐13 in the peripheral airways in severe asthma through bronchoalveolar analysis.

Methods

Bronchoalveolar lavage samples were collected from 203 asthmatic and healthy volunteers, including 78 with severe asthma. Inflammatory mediators were measured using a multiple cytokine immunoassay platform. This analysis was replicated in a further 59 volunteers, in whom 16S rRNA analysis of BAL samples was undertaken by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Results

Severe asthma patients with high BAL IL‐13, despite treatment with high‐dose inhaled corticosteroids, had more severe lung function and significantly higher BAL neutrophil percentages, but not BAL eosinophils than those with normal BAL‐13 concentrations. This finding was replicated in the second cohort, which further associated BAL IL‐13 and neutrophilia with a greater abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the peripheral airways.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate a steroid unresponsive source of IL‐13 that is associated with BAL neutrophilia and bacterial dysbiosis in severe asthma. Our findings highlight the biological complexity of severe asthma and the importance of a greater understanding of the innate and adaptive immune responses in the peripheral airways in this disease.
Health behaviour change during the UK COVID‐19 lockdown: Findings from the first wave of the C‐19 health behaviour and well‐being daily tracker study
Authors: Naughton Felix , Ward Emma , Khondoker Mizanur , Belderson Pippa , Marie Minihane Anne , Dainty Jack , Hanson Sarah , Holland Richard , Brown Tracey , Notley Caitlin
Published: January 2021

Objectives

To provide baseline cohort descriptives and assess change in health behaviours since the UK COVID‐19 lockdown.

Design

A prospective cohort (N = 1,044) of people recruited online, purposively targeting vulnerable populations.

Methods

After a baseline survey (April 2020), participants completed 3 months of daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA). Dietary, physical activity, alcohol, smoking, vaping and substance use behaviours collected retrospectively for the pre‐COVID‐19 period were compared with daily EMA surveys over the first 30 days during early lockdown. Predictors of behaviour change were assessed using multivariable regression models.

Results

30% of the cohort had a COVID‐19 at risk health condition, 37% were classed as deprived and 6% self‐reported a mental health condition. Relative to pre‐pandemic levels, participants ate almost one portion of fruit and vegetables less per day (vegetables mean difference −0.33, 95% CI −0.40, −0.25; fruit −0.57, 95% CI −0.64, −0.50), but showed no change in high sugar portions per day (−0.03, 95% CI −0.12, 0.06). Participants spent half a day less per week doing ≥30 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity (−0.57, 95% CI −0.73, −0.40) but slightly increased days of strength training (0.21, 95% CI 0.09, 0.34), increased alcohol intake (AUDIT‐C score change 0.25, 95% CI 0.13, 0.37), though did not change smoking, vaping or substance use behaviour. Worsening health behaviour change was associated with being younger, female and higher body mass index.

Conclusions

The cohort reported worsening health behaviours during early lockdown. Longer term changes will be investigated using further waves of data collection.
Mediators of cerebral hypoperfusion and blood‐brain barrier leakiness in Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia and mixed dementia
Authors: Tayler Hannah , Miners J. Scott , Güzel Özge , MacLachlan Rob , Love Seth
Published: January 2021

In vascular dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), cerebral hypoperfusion and blood‐brain barrier (BBB) leakiness contribute to brain damage. In this study, we have measured biochemical markers and mediators of cerebral hypoperfusion and BBB in the frontal (BA6) and parietal (BA7) cortex and underlying white matter, to investigate the pathophysiology of vascular dysfunction in AD, VaD and mixed dementia. The ratio of myelin‐associated glycoprotein to proteolipid protein‐1 (MAG:PLP1), a post‐mortem biochemical indicator of the adequacy of ante‐mortem cerebral perfusion; the concentration of fibrinogen adjusted for haemoglobin level, a marker of blood‐brain barrier (BBB) leakiness; the level of vascular endothelial growth factor‐A (VEGF), a marker of tissue hypoxia; and endothelin‐1 (EDN1), a potent vasoconstrictor, were measured by ELISA in the frontal and parietal cortex and underlying white matter in 94 AD, 20 VaD, 33 mixed dementia cases and 58 age‐matched controls. All cases were assessed neuropathologically for small vessel disease (SVD), cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) severity, Aβ and phospho‐tau parenchymal load, and Braak tangle stage. Aβ40 and Aβ42 were measured by ELISA in guanidine‐HCl tissue extracts. We found biochemical evidence of cerebral hypoperfusion in AD, VaD and mixed dementia to be associated with SVD, Aβ level, plaque load, EDN1 level and Braak tangle stage, and to be most widespread in mixed dementia. There was evidence of BBB leakiness in AD—limited to the cerebral cortex and related to EDN1 level. In conclusion, abnormalities of cerebral perfusion and BBB function in common types of dementia can largely be explained by a combination of arteriolosclerosis, and Aβ‐, tau‐ and endothelin‐related vascular dysfunction. The relative contributions of these processes vary considerably both between and within the diseases.
Housing Vancouver, 1972–2017: A personal urban geography and a professional response
Authors: Ley David , Mountz Alison , Mendez Pablo , Lees Loretta , Walton-Roberts Margaret , Helbrecht Ilse , Mountz Alison , Ley David , Mendez Pablo , Lees Loretta , Walton‐Roberts Margaret , Helbrecht Ilse , Mountz Alison
Published: January 2021

The forum includes a research paper, preceded by a brief introduction and followed by five short responses from Pablo Mendez, Loretta Lees, Margaret Walton‐Roberts, Ilse Helbrecht, and Alison Mountz. Mountz's introduction sets the context for the paper and makes some framing remarks on David Ley's career. The main paper examines the housing question in Vancouver, in the period from 1972 to 2017. Re‐examining a number of Ley's research projects over this period, three broader themes are explored: the continuity of the housing crisis, and its reconfiguration over the period under study; the contrast between innovative and interventionist housing policy in the 1970s, with the later withdrawal of the state from significant intervention while endorsing market solutions; and the new centrality of housing as an empirical and analytical category in current human geography. This period saw upscaling from the 1970s welfare state to neoliberal globalization, including wealth immigration and off‐shore property investment that accelerated serious metropolitan affordability problems. Following this research paper, colleagues and former students respond to the paper and locate the contributions in David Ley's broader career. Their commentaries address Ley's key contributions to debates in human geography, including his work on gentrification, urbanism, urban activism, global migration, art, aesthetics, and ethnography.
Congenital cervical spine malformation due to bi‐allelic RIPPLY2 variants in spondylocostal dysostosis type 6
Authors: Wegler Meret , Roth Christian , Schumann Eckehard , Kogan Jillene , Totten Ellen , Guillen Sacoto Maria J. , Abou Jamra Rami , Hornemann Frauke
Published: January 2021

RIPPLY2 is an essential part of the formation of somite patterning during embryogenesis and in establishment of rostro‐caudal polarity. Here, we describe three individuals from two families with compound‐heterozygous variants in RIPPLY2 (NM_001009994.2): c.238A > T, p.(Arg80*) and c.240‐4 T > G, p.(?), in two 15 and 20‐year‐old sisters, and a homozygous nonsense variant, c.238A > T, p.(Arg80*), in an 8 year old boy. All patients had multiple vertebral body malformations in the cervical and thoracic region, small or absent rib involvement, myelopathies, and common clinical features of SCDO6 including scoliosis, mild facial asymmetry, spinal spasticity and hemivertebrae. The nonsense variant can be classified as likely pathogenic based on the ACMG criteria while the splice variants must be classified as a variant of unknown significance. With this report on two further families, we confirm RIPPLY2 as the gene for SCDO6 and broaden the phenotype by adding myelopathy with or without spinal canal stenosis and spinal spasticity to the symptom spectrum.
Management guidelines for low anterior resection syndrome – the MANUEL project
Authors: Christensen Peter , IM Baeten Coen , Espín‐Basany Eloy , Martellucci Jacopo , Nugent Karen P , Zerbib Frank , Pellino Gianluca , Rosen Harald ,   MANUEL Project Working Group
Published: January 2021

Aim

Little is known about the pathophysiology of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS), and evidence concerning the management of patients diagnosed with this condition is scarce. The aim of the LARS Expert Advisory Panel was to develop practical guidance for healthcare professionals dealing with LARS.

Method

The ‘Management guidelines for low anterior resection syndrome’ (MANUEL) project was promoted by a team of eight experts in the assessment and management of patients with LARS. After a face‐to‐face meeting, a strategy was agreed to create a comprehensive, practical guide covering all aspects that were felt to be clinically relevant. Eight themes were decided upon and working groups established. Each working group generated a draft; these were collated by another collaborator into a manuscript, after a conference call. This was circulated among the collaborators, and it was revised following the comments received. A lay patient revised the manuscript, and contributed to a section containing a patient's perspective. The manuscript was again circulated and finalized. A final teleconference was held at the end of the project.

Results

The guidance covers all aspects of LARS management, from pathophysiology, to assessment and management. Given the lack of sound evidence and the often poor quality of the studies, most of the recommendations and conclusions are based on the opinions of the experts.

Conclusions

The MANUEL project provides an up‐to‐date practical summary of the available evidence concerning LARS, with useful directions for healthcare professional and patients suffering from this debilitating condition.
Multiobjective optimization on adhesive bonding of aluminum‐carbon fiber laminate
Authors: Valdés Eduardo , Mosquera‐Artamonov J. D , Cruz‐Gonzalez Celso , Jaime Taha‐Tijerina Jose
Published: January 2021

This work presents a multi‐objective optimization methodology to find compromise adhesive bonding schemes that possess a great shear load and a low percentage of remaining fiber in the bonding. The joining overlap, adhesive type, and prior surface finishing are considered. The Pareto front of the multi‐objective response surface model is found with an Nondominated Sorting Genetic algorithm. The adhesive bonding factors are the adhesive (MP55420, Betamate 120, and DC‐80), the surface finishing (acetone cleaned and atmospheric plasma), and the overlapping distance of the test coupons.
Recent progress of animal transplantation studies for treating articular cartilage damage using pluripotent stem cells
Authors: Yamashita Akihiro , Tsumaki Noriyuki
Published: January 2021

Focal articular cartilage damage can eventually lead to the onset of osteoarthritis with degradation around healthy articular cartilage. Currently, there are no drugs available that effectively repair articular cartilage damage. Several surgical techniques exist and are expected to prevent progression to osteoarthritis, but they do not offer a long‐term clinical solution. Recently, regenerative medicine approaches using human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have gained attention as new cell sources for therapeutic products. To translate PSCs to clinical application, appropriate cultures that produce large amounts of chondrocytes and hyaline cartilage are needed. So too are assays for the safety and efficacy of the cellular materials in preclinical studies including animal transplantation models. To confirm safety and efficacy, transplantation into the subcutaneous space and articular cartilage defects have been performed in animal models. All but one study we reviewed that transplanted PSC‐derived cellular products into articular cartilage defects found safe and effective recovery. However, for most of those studies, the quality of the PSCs was not verified, and the evaluations were done with small animals over short observation periods. Large animals and longer observation times are preferred. We will discuss the recent progress and future direction of the animal transplantation studies for the treatment of focal articular cartilage damages using PSCs.
Pope Leo of Bourges, clerical immunity and the early medieval secular
Authors: West Charles
Published: January 2021

This article investigates the early medieval secular through the lens of clerical immunity – that is, the legal exemption of clerics from courts labelled as secular. It focusses on a short text, eventually attributed to Pope Leo, which was written in fifth‐century Gaul to define this immunity. By pursuing this text’s fate as it was revised and put to use into the eleventh century, the article demonstrates how the early medieval secular was a religious category employed for different purposes at different times.
Insights into the H2O2‐driven catalytic mechanism of fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases
Authors: Hedison Tobias M. , Breslmayr Erik , Shanmugam Muralidharan , Karnpakdee Kwankao , Heyes Derren J. , Green Anthony P. , Ludwig Roland , Scrutton Nigel S. , Kracher Daniel
Published: January 2021

Fungal lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) depolymerise crystalline cellulose and hemicellulose, supporting the utilisation of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for biorefinery and biomanufacturing processes. Recent investigations have shown that H2O2 is the most efficient cosubstrate for LPMOs. Understanding the reaction mechanism of LPMOs with H2O2 is therefore of importance for their use in biotechnological settings. Here, we have employed a variety of spectroscopic and biochemical approaches to probe the reaction of the fungal LPMO9C from N. crassa using H2O2 as a cosubstrate and xyloglucan as a polysaccharide substrate. We show that a single ‘priming’ electron transfer reaction from the cellobiose dehydrogenase partner protein supports up to 20 H2O2‐driven catalytic cycles of a fungal LPMO. Using rapid mixing stopped‐flow spectroscopy, alongside electron paramagnetic resonance and UV‐Vis spectroscopy, we reveal how H2O2 and xyloglucan interact with the enzyme and investigate transient species that form uncoupled pathways of NcLPMO9C. Our study shows how the H2O2 cosubstrate supports fungal LPMO catalysis and leaves the enzyme in the reduced Cu+ state following a single enzyme turnover, thus preventing the need for external protons and electrons from reducing agents or cellobiose dehydrogenase and supporting the binding of H2O2 for further catalytic steps. We observe that the presence of the substrate xyloglucan stabilises the Cu+ state of LPMOs, which may prevent the formation of uncoupled side reactions.
Oyster oligopeptide improving cyclophosphamide‐induced partial androgen deficiency of the aging male by promotion of testosterone synthesis
Authors: Jin Qiguan , Ma Yongqing , Shi Wenting , Wang Jing , Zhao Renqing , Zhang Haixin , Wu Meitong , Liu Wenying
Published: January 2021

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oyster oligopeptide (OOP) at different doses on testosterone secretion and its regulating mechanism in partial androgen deficiency syndrome of aging male.

Methods

The cyclophosphamide‐induced partial androgen deficiency syndrome of the aging male rats were treated with a low, medium and high dose of OOP for 6 weeks.

Results

Cyclophosphamide could decrease levels of total testosterone and luteinizing hormone in serum, and testosterone and glutathione peroxidase in testis, and increase malondialdehyde, and downregulate the mRNA expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein, steroidogenic acute regulatory‐related lipid transfer domain 7 and P450 cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme in testis (P < 0.05). All these changes were reversed by OOP co‐administration with different doses, although, OOP at a low dose did not increase serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone and testicular glutathione peroxidase levels.

Conclusions

OOP treatment with different doses can effectively reduce oxidative stress in testicular tissue, promote the synthesis of testosterone and then prevent the formation of partial androgen deficiency syndrome of the aging male, with optimal effect at medium dose. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 268–275.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and late presentation in Poland – data from Test and Keep in Care (TAK) Polska project
Authors: Jabłonowska E , Szetela B , Bielecki M , Horban A , Bociąga‐Jasik M , Mularska E , Hlebowicz M , Olczak A , Parczewski M , Grzeszczuk A , Bielec D , Cybula A , Kocbach‐Przudzik A , Ankiersztejn‐Bartczak M , Kowalska JD
Published: January 2021

Objectives

Late presentation (LP) at HIV diagnosis is associated with worse prognosis and an increase in the number of new infections. We analyse the proportion of patients diagnosed late and factors related to LP in Poland in 2016–2017.

Methods

Data were obtained from 13 out of 17 HIV centres in Poland from 2016 and 2017, including date of diagnosis, age, sex, transmission route, anti‐hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV), Venereal Diseases Research Laboratory (VDRL) antibodies, AIDS diagnosis, baseline HIV viral load and CD4 count.

Results

Out of 1522 patients, 88.9% were male with median age of 33.6 years. Men who have sex with men (MSM) comprised 69.4% of all new infections, heterosexual route of transmission (HTX) 18.2% and injecting drug use (IDU) 4.7%.

Late presenters comprised 44.8% of the study group. Factors associated with LP were female sex [odds ratio (OR) = 1.5, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.09–2.08], older age (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.42–1.79 per decade), route of transmission (HTX: OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.50–2.56; IDU: OR = 3.17, 95% CI: 1.92–5.37), positive HCV results (OR = 1.90, 95% CI: 1.23–2.95) and syphilis diagnosis (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 2.29–3.31). Adjusting for these factors, the only independent factors associated with LP were age (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.35–1.71) and route of transmission (HTX: OR = 1.73, 95% CI: 1.23–2.44; IDU: OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.25–4.10).

Conclusions

Late presentation in Poland follows European trends. A total of 44.8% of all newly diagnosed patients in Poland continue to present late or at the AIDS stage. Independent factors associated with LP/AIDS were older age, IDU and HTX. Patients from these groups should be targeted to improve early diagnosis and medical care.
Morphological and biochemical effects of food deprivation during the early development of Pacific red snapper Lutjanus peru
Authors: Peña Renato , Moguel‐Hernández Ivette , Haro‐Ballesteros Gretchen M.
Published: January 2021

We report the effects of food deprivation on the early development of Pacific red snapper Lutjanus peru during the first days of development. The point of no return (PNR) was determined using the feeding incidence after a delay in first feeding. The gradual deterioration of the larvae during food deprivation was recorded using morphometric, histological, enzymatic and biochemical analysis. The time to reach the PNR was 120 h after hatching. Morphologically, the total length, muscle height, head length, tail length and pectoral angle showed the biggest reductions and their growth coefficients changed significantly during food deprivation. Histologically, enterocyte height also was reduced significantly. The protein concentration and activities of the digestive enzymes trypsin, cathepsin‐like and lipase showed a significant decrease; meanwhile, amylase activity remained constant during food deprivation. The concentration of total essential free amino acids (EFAAs) decreased significantly while that of the nonessential free amino acids (NEFAAs) remain stable during food deprivation. The most abundant EFAAs were lysine, leucine, isoleucine and valine; the most abundant NEFAAs were alanine, glycine and glutamate, suggesting a more prominent role as energy substrates. At the time of the PNR the concentration of almost all the free amino acids showed a significant decrease. Early food deprivation has a significant impact on the morphology and biochemical characteristics of L. peru. These results suggest that initial feeding of L. peru should begin within 3 days of yolk sac depletion to avoid the PNR. Further studies are necessary to confirm and validate the characters identified in this study as biomarkers of starvation under culture conditions and evaluate their possible utility in ichthyoplankton surveys.
Immunotherapy in cutaneous warts: comparative clinical Study between MMR vaccine, tuberculin, and BCG Vaccine
Authors: Shaker Engi Seif E. , Doghim Noha N. , Hassan Arwa Mhammad , Musafa Samia S. , Fawzy Mohamed M.
Published: January 2021

Background

Warts are common viral infection of the skin. Treating warts are still an ongoing challenge and no general agreement is reached, on the best treatment, despite different therapeutic approaches. Intralesional (IL) immunotherapy has recently been shown to be effective in treating various wart forms.

Aims

To assess the efficacy and safety of IL tuberculin, IL MMR vaccine, and intradermal (ID) BCG vaccination in treating viral warts.

Patients and Methods

Sixty patients with single or multiple warts were divided equally into three groups. Group A received IL MMR vaccine, and group B received IL tuberculin every 3 weeks (maximum 3 times). Group C received ID BCG vaccination in the arm with one month interval (maximum 3 times). Recurrence was followed up for 6 months.

Results

In group A, complete response occurred in 30%, partial response in 5%, and no response in 65%. In group B, complete response occurred in 45%, partial response in 20%, minimal response in 10% and no response in 25%. In group C, complete response occurred in 70%, partial response in 5%, minimal response in 5%, and no response in 20%. No recurrence was observed in group A and B but occurred in one patient in group C with the same lesion.

Conclusions

Immunotherapy by IL tuberculin and ID BCG vaccination are safe, effective, and inexpensive techniques in treating all types of warts even if recalcitrant or multiple but immunotherapy by IL MMR vaccine has shown less effectiveness and less safety technique.
Hypoalbuminemia in COVID‐19: assessing the hypothesis for underlying pulmonary capillary leakage
Authors: Wu M. A. , Fossali T. , Pandolfi L. , Carsana L. , Ottolina D. , Frangipane V. , Rech R. , Tosoni A. , Lopez G. , Agarossi A. , Cogliati C. , Meloni F. , Marchini B. , Nebuloni M. , Catena E. , Colombo R.
Published: January 2021

Background

Since the first observations of patients with COVID‐19, significant hypoalbuminaemia was detected. Its causes have not been investigated yet.

Objective

We hypothesized that pulmonary capillary leakage affects the severity of respiratory failure, causing a shift of fluids and proteins through the epithelial–endothelial barrier.

Methods

One hundred seventy‐four COVID‐19 patients with respiratory symptoms, 92 admitted to the intermediate medicine ward (IMW) and 82 to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Luigi Sacco Hospital in Milan, were studied.

Results

Baseline characteristics at admission were considered. Proteins, interleukin 8 (IL‐8) and interleukin 10 (IL‐10) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analysed in 26 ICU patients. In addition, ten autopsy ultrastructural lung studies were performed in patients with COVID‐19 and compared with postmortem findings in a control group (bacterial pneumonia‐ARDS and H1N1‐ARDS). ICU patients had lower serum albumin than IMW patients [20 (18–23) vs 28 (24–33) g L−1, P < 0.001]. Serum albumin was lower in more compromised groups (lower PaO2‐to‐FiO2 ratio and worst chest X‐ray findings) and was associated with 30 days of probability of survival. Protein concentration was correlated with IL‐8 and IL‐10 levels in BALF. Electron microscopy examinations of eight out of ten COVID‐19 lung tissues showed loosening of junctional complexes, quantitatively more pronounced than in controls, and direct viral infection of type 2 pneumocytes and endothelial cells.

Conclusion

Hypoalbuminaemia may serve as severity marker of epithelial–endothelial damage in patients with COVID‐19. There are clues that pulmonary capillary leak syndrome plays a key role in the pathogenesis of COVID‐19 and might be a potential therapeutic target.
Maintaining normal sleep patterns, lifestyles and emotion during the COVID‐19 pandemic: The stabilizing effect of daytime napping
Authors: Dai Wenjuan , Zhou Jieying , Li Guangming , Zhang Bin , Ma Ning
Published: January 2021

This study aimed to assess changes in sleep pattern and their influence on people's daily life and emotion during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Self‐developed questionnaires were used to measure changes in nocturnal sleep, daytime napping, lifestyles and negative emotions in individuals before and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. Nine hundred and thirty effective questionnaires were collected in this study. Repeated measures analysis of variance and hierarchical regression analysis were applied. We found that individuals' sleep rhythms were delayed, and sleep duration and sleep latency were increased during the stay‐at‐home orders. Meanwhile, their exercise levels and learning/working efficiency were decreased, and electronic device use time, annoyance levels and anxiety levels were increased. Delayed sleep patterns affected lifestyles and emotions. Moreover, sleep quality positively predicted learning/working efficiency and exercise levels, and negatively predicted use of electronic devices and negative emotions. Sleep patterns became delayed on weekdays during stay‐at‐home orders in all four daytime napping groups (no daytime napping, daytime napping as before, more daytime napping and less daytime napping), and the group taking daytime naps as before had a minimal variation, and their lifestyles and emotions were significantly better than those of the other groups. This study demonstrated that under the influence of stress caused by the pandemic, maintaining regular daytime napping was an effective way to stabilize sleep patterns and biological rhythms, keep good lifestyles and alleviate the effect of acute psychological stress, and to prevent and control mental disorders during the pandemic.
Post‐epizootic microbiome associations across communities of neotropical amphibians
Authors: Jervis Phillip , Pintanel Pol , Hopkins Kevin , Wierzbicki Claudia , Shelton Jennifer M.G. , Skelly Emily , Rosa Gonçalo M. , Almeida‐Reinoso Diego , Eugenia‐Ordoñez Maria , Ron Santiago , Harrison Xavier , Merino‐Viteri Andrés , Fisher Matthew C.
Published: January 2021

Microbiome–pathogen interactions are increasingly recognized as an important element of host immunity. While these host‐level interactions will have consequences for community disease dynamics, the factors which influence host microbiomes at larger scales are poorly understood. We here describe landscape‐scale pathogen–microbiome associations within the context of post‐epizootic amphibian chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the panzootic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We undertook a survey of Neotropical amphibians across altitudinal gradients in Ecuador ~30 years following the observed amphibian declines and collected skin swab‐samples which were metabarcoded using both fungal (ITS‐2) and bacterial (r16S) amplicons. The data revealed marked variation in patterns of both B. dendrobatidis infection and microbiome structure that are associated with host life history. Stream breeding amphibians were most likely to be infected with B. dendrobatidis. This increased probability of infection was further associated with increased abundance and diversity of non‐Batrachochytrium chytrid fungi in the skin and environmental microbiome. We also show that increased alpha diversity and the relative abundance of fungi are lower in the skin microbiome of adult stream amphibians compared to adult pond‐breeding amphibians, an association not seen for bacteria. Finally, stream tadpoles exhibit lower proportions of predicted protective microbial taxa than pond tadpoles, suggesting reduced biotic resistance. Our analyses show that host breeding ecology strongly shapes pathogen–microbiome associations at a landscape scale, a trait that may influence resilience in the face of emerging infectious diseases.
Timing strains of the marine insect Clunio marinus diverged and persist with gene flow
Authors: Kaiser Tobias S. , von Haeseler Arndt , Tessmar‐Raible Kristin , Heckel David G.
Published: January 2021

Genetic divergence of populations in the presence of gene flow is a central theme in speciation research. Theory predicts that divergence can happen with full range overlap – in sympatry – driven by ecological factors, but there are few empirical examples of how ecologically divergent selection can overcome gene flow and lead to reproductive isolation. In the marine midge Clunio marinus (Diptera: Chironomidae) reproduction is ecologically restricted to the time of the lowest tides, which is ensured through accurate control of development and adult emergence by circalunar and circadian clocks. As tidal regimes differ along the coastline, locally adapted timing strains of C. marinus are found in different sites across Europe. At the same time, ecologically suitable low tides occur at both full and new moon and twice a day, providing C. marinus with four nonoverlapping temporal niches at every geographic location. Along the coast of Brittany, which is characterized by a steep gradient in timing of the tides, we found an unusually large number of differentially adapted timing strains, and the first known instances of sympatric C. marinus strains occupying divergent temporal niches. Analysis of mitochondrial genotypes suggests that these timing strains originated from a single recent colonization event. Nuclear genotypes show strong gene flow, sympatric timing strains being the least differentiated. Even when sympatric strains exist in nonoverlapping temporal niches, timing adaptations do not result in genome‐wide genetic divergence, suggesting timing adaptations are maintained by permanent ecological selection. This constitutes a model case for incipient ecological divergence with gene flow.
Gear modifications reduced humpback whale entanglements in a commercial rock lobster fishery
Authors: How Jason R. , de la Mare William K. , Coughran Douglas K. , Double Michael C. , de Lestang Simon
Published: January 2021

Entanglement of whales in fishing gear occurs globally and where populations are recovering from past exploitation, entanglement frequency is likely to increase. The Western Australian population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) is growing rapidly, yet from 1990 to 2010 the number of whales reported entangled in gear from the pot‐based western rock lobster fishery was relatively stable at around one per year. However, from 2010, reported entanglements increased, reaching a maximum of 17 in 2013. This increase occurred immediately after a shift to a year‐round quota‐based fishery that eliminated the annual 4½‐month closure that coincided with the whale migration. Gear modifications that eliminated surface rope, shortened rope lengths, and reduced float numbers were implemented in June 2014 to reduce whale entanglements. The effectiveness of these modifications was evaluated using a Bayesian model that incorporated changes in humpback whale population size, entanglement reporting probability, fishing effort, and whale migration timing. Our analyses indicate that gear modifications reduced entanglement in fishing gear from the rock lobster fishery by at least 25% (with 95% probability), with a median reduction of 64%. The model also showed that the greatest entanglement risk occurs on the northward migration and in water depths of 55–73 m.
Functional traits and symbiotic associations of geoxyles and trees explain the dominance of detarioid legumes in miombo ecosystems
Authors: Gomes Amândio L. , Revermann Rasmus , Meller Paulina , Gonçalves Francisco M. P. , Aidar Marcos P. M. , Lages Fernanda , Finckh Manfred
Published: January 2021

The miombo region in Africa is covered by a mosaic of woodlands and geoxylic grasslands and is subject to disturbances such as fires, frost and drought, and low nutrient availability. The dominance of Fabaceae Detarioideae species in miombo ecosystems is remarkable but little understood. We therefore compared plant functional traits (PFTs) of common woody species of the Angolan plateau, grouped by life form (trees, geoxyles), lineage (Fabaceae: Detarioideae, non‐Detarioideae) and symbiont association (ectomycorrhiza, rhizobia).

PFTs reflect group‐specific adaptations to prevalent environmental conditions. To analyse the impact of environmental drivers, we selected PFTs reflecting ecophysiological aspects of leaf morphology, nutrient content and water transport. Traits were measured following standardized protocols.

We found differences in key PFTs between trees and geoxyles reflecting both life form‐specific adaptations to environmental conditions and lineage‐specific strategies to cope with environmental stresses. We interpret higher leaf thickness and higher wood density of geoxyles as responses to harsher open environments. Fabaceae in general and ectomycorrhizal species showed better nutrient status.

Symbiotic associations of detarioid legumes with ectomycorrhiza show specific advantages for phosphorous uptake as compared to Rhizobia‐associated Fabaceae and to non‐Fabaceae and thus may be crucial for the stunning dominance of Detarioideae in miombo landscapes.
Approaches for the integration of big data in translational medicine: single‐cell and computational methods
Authors: Amirmahani Farzane , Ebrahimi Nasim , Molaei Fatemeh , Faghihkhorasani Ferdos , Jamshidi Goharrizi Kiarash , Mirtaghi Seyede Masoumeh , Borjian‐Boroujeni Marziyeh , Hamblin Michael R.
Published: January 2021

Translational medicine describes a bench‐to‐bedside approach that eventually converts findings from basic scientific studies into real‐world clinical research. It encompasses new treatments, advanced equipment, medical procedures, preventive and diagnostic approaches creating a bridge between basic studies and clinical research. Despite considerable investment in basic science, improvements in technology, and increased knowledge of the biology of human disease, translation of laboratory findings into substantial therapeutic progress has been slower than expected, and the return on investment has been limited in terms of clinical efficacy. In this review, we provide a fresh perspective on some experimental and computational approaches for translational medicine. We cover the analysis, visualization, and modeling of high‐dimensional data, with a focus on single‐cell technologies, sequence, and structure analysis. Current challenges, limitations, and future directions, with examples from cancer and fibrotic disease, will be discussed.
THE HALLATON INGOT: SILVER IN IRON AGE BRITAIN
Authors: Farley Julia
Published: January 2021

This article is a case study of the detailed contextual and scientific analysis of a single object, moving beyond a conventional object biography to consider flows of materials and shifts in meaning and value. The object is a simple triangular silver ingot from the Late Iron Age shrine site at Hallaton, Leicestershire, UK. Scientific analysis is used to uncover the biography of the ingot, and the raw materials from which it was created. The results suggest that the metal which eventually formed the ingot circulated through both Iron Age and Roman social networks, being reworked and transformed several times before it was deposited. Silver emerges as a material which mediated between the Mediterranean world and Iron Age communities in Britain, allowing translation and transmutation between different systems of value in conquest‐period Britain.
An exploration of factors associated with food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome: Birth, infant feeding and food triggers
Authors: Lee Eric , Barnes Elizabeth H. , Mehr Sam , Campbell Dianne E.
Published: January 2021

Background

Food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non–IgE‐mediated food allergic disorder with a well‐characterized phenotype, but limited understanding of factors associated with food cross‐reactivity, severity and tolerance.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study spanning 20 years on children with acute FPIES from a single paediatric tertiary centre in New South Wales, Australia, focusing on identifying food trigger co‐associations and factors associated with reaction severity, multiple trigger FPIES and/or tolerance was performed.

Results

A total of 168 individuals with 329 recorded FPIES episodes between 1997 and 2017 were included. 49% were male. The median age at first reaction was 5 months, and median age at diagnosis was 9 months. 73% experienced at least one severe FPIES reaction. Rice (45%), cow's milk (30%) and soya (13%) were the most common triggers. Rice or cow's milk FPIES was strongly associated with increased odds of having multiple trigger FPIES. The odds of having multiple food FPIES and severe reactions were slightly decreased with vaginal delivery. No factors were associated with increased risk of severe reactions. Infants with rice and grains FPIES outgrew their reactions at an earlier age, compared to those with fish FPIES.

Conclusions

Rice remains the most common trigger in Australia with co‐associations between rice/oats and cow's milk/soya observed. This suggests that taxonomically related foods may share similar protein structure and trigger similar mechanisms of antigen recognition. Vaginal delivery may have a mild protective effect on the development of multiple FPIES and severe reactions. No other features from birth or infant‐feeding history influenced outcomes in FPIES.
Acute urticaria preceding other COVID‐19–associated manifestations—A case report
Authors: Chen Vivien , Escandon Brehm Julia , Bellodi Schmidt Fernanda
Published: January 2021

The novel coronavirus SARS‐CoV‐2 has been associated with a variety of dermatologic manifestations, often the predominant finding in otherwise asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic patients. Urticarial eruption is one example, but few cases have been reported among pediatric patients. We present a case of acute urticaria in a 6‐month‐old boy preceding other COVID‐19 symptoms. The suspicion of a possible COVID‐19–associated cutaneous manifestation prompted timely testing and diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Automated Registration of SfM‐MVS Multitemporal Datasets Using Terrestrial and Oblique Aerial Images
Authors: Parente Luigi , Chandler Jim H. , Dixon Neil
Published: January 2021

Accurate alignment of 3D models is critical for valid change‐detection analysis from multitemporal photogrammetric datasets. This paper assesses an automated registration strategy which uses the scale‐invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm implemented in modern photogrammetric software. This registration solution, also known as “Time‐SIFT”, was tested at two study sites featuring vertical surfaces, including a sea cliff (~500 m2) and a quarry face (~50 000 m2). Tests demonstrated that the investigated registration strategy can achieve accurate alignments between multitemporal point clouds even when using multisource and multi‐perspective data, captured across widely varying spatial and temporal scales and under a range of weather and illumination conditions. The combination of the Time‐SIFT approach with an ICP algorithm produced moderate improvements in the alignment. Furthermore, the use of an innovative direct georeferencing technique, which used the tracking feature of a robotic total station, allowed for accurate georectification of 3D models.
Recurrent Events Modelling of Haemophilia Bleeding Events
Authors: Titman Andrew C. , Wolfsegger Martin J. , Jaki Thomas F.
Published: January 2021

A pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) approach is developed for modelling the recurrent bleeding events in patients with severe haemophilia to investigate the relationship between factor VIII plasma activity level and the instantaneous risk of a bleed. The model incorporates patient-level pharmacokinetic (PK) information obtained through measurements taken prior to the study which are used to fit a non-linear mixed-effects two-compartment PK model. Dosing times within the study are combined with the PK model to provide the estimated factor VIII plasma level for all patients, which is used as a time-dependent covariate within the recurrent events model. Methods are developed to correct the attenuation in covariate effects that would otherwise arise due to the discrepancy between estimated and true factor VIII. In contrast to existing methods proposed for such data, such as count data regression or time-to-event analysis, the new method allows all the bleeding times to be used to investigate the relationship between current factor VIII and risk of a bleed. The performance of the proposed estimators are assessed via simulation and found to outperform the naive estimator, which treats the estimated factor VIII levels as if they were measured without error, both in terms of bias and mean squared error.
Physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood
Authors: Thibodeau‐Nielsen Rachel B. , Turley Danielle , DeCaro Jason A. , Gilpin Ansley T. , Nancarrow Alexandra F.
Published: January 2021

Recent research suggests that imagination, defined as engaging in behaviors or cognitions not representative of one's current reality, is related to the development of emotion regulation (ER) skills in early childhood. Yet, the underlying mechanisms responsible for driving this relationship are unknown. The present study aimed to elucidate one potential pathway through which imagination may influence ER by examining the possible physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood. Specifically, one theoretical perspective proposes that imagination may be related to ER because it allows children to become absorbed in highly emotional, imaginative scenarios, leading to physiological arousal that must be regulated. To support this idea, we must first investigate if imagination evokes a physiological response. To date, no studies have examined physiology during imagination in early childhood. Therefore, the present study included 44 preschool‐aged children who participated in a standard reactivity protocol where physiological responses to mild social, cognitive, sensory, emotional, and imaginative challenges were assessed. Results demonstrated a significant increase in sympathetic nervous system activity when children engaged in a cognitive imaginative storytelling task, even after controlling for overall arousal and task engagement. As the first study to identify a meaningful physiological response during imagination, these data provide one potential explanation for why imagination is related to ER skills in early childhood.
An Experimental and Modeling Strategy for Obtaining Complete Characteristic Maps of Dual-Volute Radial Inflow Turbines
Authors: Serrano José Ramón , Arnau Martínez Francisco José , García-Cuevas Luis Miguel , Samala Vishnu , Guilain Stephane , Batard Samuel
Published: January 2021

Despite the importance of turbocharged engines with dual-volute turbines, their characteristic maps and fully predictive modeling using 1D gas dynamic codes are not well established yet. The complexity of unsteady flow and the unequal admission of these turbines, when operating with pulses of engine exhaust gas, makes them a challenging system. This is mainly due to the unequal flow admission, which generates an additional degree-of-freedom with respect to well-known single entry vanned or vaneless turbines. This paper has as the main novelty a simple procedure for characterizing experimentally and elaborating characteristic maps of these turbines with unequal flow conditions. This method of analysis allows for easy interpolation within the proposed characteristic maps or conceiving simple models for calculating and extrapolating full performance parameters of dual-volute turbines. Two innovative 0D mean-line models are described that require a minimum quantity of experimental data for calibrating both: the mass flow parameter model and the isentropic efficiency model. Both models are predictive either in partial or unequal flow conditions using as inputs: the mass flow ratio and the total temperature ratio between branches; the blade speed ratio and the pressure ratio in each branch. These six inputs are generally instantaneously provided by 1D gas-dynamics codes. Therefore, the novelty of the model is its ability to be used in a quasi-steady way for dual volute turbines performance prediction. This can be done instantaneously when turbines are calculated operating at turbocharged engines under pulsating and unequal flow conditions.