bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of Low-dose Chest CT Screening on the Association Between Rurality and Lung Cancer Outcomes
Authors: Hinojos Madeleine , Li Xuan , Mikesell Sarah , Studden Scott , Odean Marilyn , Boylan Mary J. , Arvold David S. , Bachelder Vance D. , Gowda Naveen , Arvold Nils D.
Published: November 2022

Introduction:

Lung cancer mortality is higher among rural United States populations compared with nonrural ones. Little is known about screening low-dose chest computed tomography (LDCT) outcomes in rural settings.

Materials and Methods:

This retrospective cohort study examined all patients (n=1805) who underwent screening LDCT in a prospective registry from March 1, 2015, through December 31, 2019, in a majority-rural health care system. We assessed the proportion of early-stage lung cancers (American Joint Committee on Cancer stage I-II) diagnosed among LDCT-screened patients, and analyzed overall survival after early-stage lung cancer diagnosis according to residency location.

Results:

The screening cohort had a median age of 63 and median 40-pack-year smoking history; 62.4% had a rural residence, 51.2% were female, and 62.7% completed only 1 LDCT scan. Thirty-eight patients were diagnosed with lung cancer (2.1% of the cohort), of which 65.8% were early-stage. On multivariable analysis, rural (vs nonrural) residency was not associated with a lung cancer diagnosis (adjusted hazard ratio 1.59; 95% CI, 0.74-3.40; P=0.24). At a median follow-up of 37.1 months (range, 3.3 to 67.2 months), 88.2% of rural versus 87.5% of nonrural patients with screen-diagnosed early-stage lung cancer were alive (P=0.93).

Conclusions:

In a majority-rural United States population undergoing LDCT, most screen-detected lung cancers were early-stage. There were no significant differences observed between rural and nonrural patients in lung cancer diagnosis rate or early-stage lung cancer survival. Increased implementation of LDCT might blunt the historical association between rural United States populations and worse lung cancer outcomes.
Medical management of male infertility: now and future
Authors: Chen Grace , Kathrins Martin , Ohlander Samuel , Niederberger Craig
Published: November 2022

Purpose of review

Medical therapy for idiopathic male infertility has historically been empiric and based on small observational studies rather than larger well designed clinical trials. This review is timely and relevant because of the recent publication of several studies that are less susceptible to bias because of being placebo-controlled and more highly powered.

Recent findings

The largest proportion of recent publications covered antioxidants, with eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in this review. The Males, Antioxidants, and Infertility (MOXI) trial is of particular interest, being a large multicenter RCT, which demonstrated no improvement in semen parameters or live-birth rates with antioxidant use. In addition, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5i) have been shown to improve semen parameters, while duloxetine use was not associated with any adverse effects on sperm. Progress was also made in the realm of regenerative medicine, with the realization of the first successful primate model of sperm production from pluripotent stem cells.

It may be time to stop recommending antioxidants for idiopathic male infertility given recent studies suggesting lack of efficacy, but given their relative safety, it is reasonable to continue their use until the evidence is overwhelming. Otherwise, stem cell therapy is another anticipated area of research interest.
The budding yeast GSK-3 homologue Mck1 is an essential component of the spindle position checkpoint
Authors: Rathi Siddhi , Polat Irem , Pereira Gislene
Published: November 2022

The spindle position checkpoint (SPOC) is a mitotic surveillance mechanism inSaccharomyces cerevisiaethat prevents cells from completing mitosis in response to spindle misalignment, thereby contributing to genomic integrity. The kinase Kin4, one of the most downstream SPOC components, is essential to stop the mitotic exit network (MEN), a signalling pathway that promotes the exit from mitosis and cell division. Previous work, however, suggested that a Kin4-independent pathway contributes to SPOC, yet the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we established the glycogen-synthase-kinase-3 (GSK-3) homologue Mck1, as a novel component that works independently of Kin4 to engage SPOC. Our data indicate that both Kin4 and Mck1 work in parallel to counteract MEN activation by the Cdc14 early anaphase release (FEAR) network. We show that Mck1's function in SPOC is mediated by the pre-replication complex protein and mitotic cyclin-dependent kinase (M-Cdk) inhibitor, Cdc6, which is degraded in a Mck1-dependent manner prior to mitosis. Moderate overproduction of Cdc6 phenocopiesMCK1deletion and causes SPOC deficiency via its N-terminal, M-Cdk inhibitory domain. Our data uncover an unprecedented role of GSK-3 kinases in coordinating spindle orientation with cell cycle progression.
Dynamic cluster structure and predictive modelling of music creation style distributions
Authors: Singh Rajsuryan , Nakamura Eita
Published: November 2022

We investigate the dynamics of music creation style distributions to understand cultural evolution involving intelligence to create complex artefacts. Previous work suggested that a music creation style can be quantified as statistics describing a generative process of music data, and that the distribution of music creation styles in a society has cluster structure related to the presence of different musical genres. To find patterns in the dynamics of the cluster structure, we analysed statistics of melodies in Japanese popular music data and statistics of audio features in American popular music data. Using statistical modelling methods, we found that intra-cluster dynamics, such as the contraction and the shift of a cluster, as well as inter-cluster dynamics represented by clusters’ relative frequencies, often exhibit notable dynamical modes. Additionally, to compare the individual contributions of these different dynamical aspects for predicting future creation style distributions, we constructed a fitness-based evolutionary model and found that the predictions of cluster frequencies and cluster variances often have comparable contributions. Our results highlight the relevance of intra-cluster dynamics in music style evolution, which have often been overlooked in previous studies. The present methodology can be applied to cultural artefacts whose generative process can be characterized by a discrete probability distribution.
Molecular duplexes featuring NH···N, CH···O and CH···π interactions in solid-state self-assembly of triazine-based compounds
Authors: Asghar Shazia , Hameed Shahid , Tahir Muhammad Nawaz , Naseer Muhammad Moazzam
Published: November 2022

Synthetic supramolecular structures constructed through the cooperative action of numerous non-covalent forces are highly desirable as models to unravel and understand the complexity of systems created in nature via self-assembly. Taking advantage of the low cost of 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (cyanuric chloride) and the sequential nucleophilic substitution reactions with almost all types of nucleophiles, a series of six structurally related novel s-triazine derivatives
1–6
were synthesized and structurally characterized based on their physical, spectral and crystallographic data. The solid-state structures of all the six compounds showed intriguing and unique molecular duplexes featuring NH···N, CH···O and CH···π interactions. Careful analysis of different geometric parameters of the involved H-bonds indicates that they are linear, significant and are therefore responsible for guiding the three-dimensional structure of these compounds in the solid state. The prevalence of sextuple hydrogen bond array-driven molecular duplexes and the possibility of structural modifications on the s-triazine ring render these novel triazine derivatives
1–6
attractive as a platform to create heteroduplex constructs and their subsequent utility in the field of supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering.
Demography of an ice-obligate mysticete in a region of rapid environmental change
Authors: Pallin L. , Bierlich K. C. , Durban J. , Fearnbach H. , Savenko O. , Baker C. S. , Bell E. , Double M. C. , de la Mare W. , Goldbogen J. , Johnston D. , Kellar N. , Nichols R. , Nowacek D. , Read A. J. , Steel D. , Friedlaender A.
Published: November 2022

Antarctic minke whales (
Balaenoptera bonaerensis
, AMW) are an abundant, ice-dependent species susceptible to rapid climatic changes occurring in parts of the Antarctic. Here, we used remote biopsy samples and estimates of length derived from unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) to characterize for the first time the sex ratio, maturity, and pregnancy rates of AMWs around the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). DNA profiling of 82 biopsy samples (2013–2020) identified 29 individual males and 40 individual females. Blubber progesterone levels indicated 59% of all sampled females were pregnant, irrespective of maturity. When corrected for sexual maturity, the median pregnancy rate was 92.3%, indicating that most mature females become pregnant each year. We measured 68 individuals by UAS (mean = 8.04 m) and estimated that 66.5% of females were mature. This study provides the first data on the demography of AMWs along the WAP and represents the first use of non-lethal approaches to studying this species. Furthermore, these results provide baselines against which future changes in population status can be assessed in this rapidly changing marine ecosystem.
Comparison of the genetic basis of biofilm formation between Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli
Authors: Holden Emma R. , Yasir Muhammad , Turner A. Keith , Charles Ian G. , Webber Mark A.
Published: November 2022

Most bacteria can form biofilms, which typically have a life cycle from cells initially attaching to a surface before aggregation and growth produces biomass and an extracellular matrix before finally cells disperse. To maximize fitness at each stage of this life cycle and given the different events taking place within a biofilm, temporal regulation of gene expression is essential. We recently described the genes required for optimal fitness over time during biofilm formation in

Escherichia coli

using a massively parallel transposon mutagenesis approach called TraDIS-Xpress. We have now repeated this study in

Salmonella enterica

serovar Typhimurium to determine the similarities and differences in biofilm formation through time between these species. A core set of pathways involved in biofilm formation in both species included matrix production, nucleotide biosynthesis, flagella assembly and LPS biosynthesis. We also identified several differences between the species, including a divergent impact of the antitoxin TomB on biofilm formation in each species. We observed deletion of tomB to be detrimental throughout the development of the

E. coli

biofilms but increased biofilm biomass in S. Typhimurium. We also found a more pronounced role for genes involved in respiration, specifically the electron transport chain, on the fitness of mature biofilms in S. Typhimurium than in

E. coli

and this was linked to matrix production. This work deepens understanding of the core requirements for biofilm formation in the Enterobacteriaceae whilst also identifying some genes with specialised roles in biofilm formation in each species.
Evaluation ofin silicopathogenicity prediction tools for the classification of small in-frame indels
Authors: Cannon S. , Williams M. , Gunning A. C. , Wright C. F.
Published: November 2022

Background

The use ofin silicopathogenicity predictions as evidence when interpreting genetic variants is widely accepted as part of standard variant classification guidelines. Although numerous algorithms have been developed and evaluated for classifying missense variants, in-frame insertions/deletions (indels) have been much less well studied.

Methods

We created a dataset of 3964 small (<100bp) indels predicted to result in in-frame amino acid insertions or deletions using data from gnomAD v3.1 (minor allele frequency of 1-5%), ClinVar and the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) study. We used this dataset to evaluate the performance of nine pathogenicity predictor tools: CADD, CAPICE, FATHMM-indel, MutPred-Indel, MutationTaster2 PROVEAN, SIFT-indel, VEST-indel and VVP.

Results

Our dataset consisted of 2224 benign/likely benign and 1740 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants from gnomAD (n=809), ClinVar (n=2882) and, DDD (n=273). We were able to generate scores across all tools for 91% of the variants, with areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.81-0.96 based on the published recommended thresholds. To avoid biases caused by inclusion of our dataset in the tools’ training data, we also evaluated just DDD variants not present in either gnomAD or ClinVar (70 pathogenic and 81 benign). Using this subset, the AUC of all tools decreased substantially to 0.64-0.87. Overall, VEST-indel performed best, with AUCs of 0.93 (full dataset) and 0.87 (DDD subset).

Conclusions

Algorithms designed for predicting the pathogenicity of in-frame indels perform well enough to aid clinical variant classification in a similar manner to missense prediction tools.
Aortic Strain in Patients with Marfan Syndrome Long-Term After Proximal Graft Replacement Surgery – Novel Insights Enabled by Cine-CMR Biomechanical Characterization
Authors: Park Robert Y. , Latvis Cole , Roman Mary J. , Kim Jiwon , Agoglia Hannah K. , Liberman Nicole , Villar-Calle Pablo , Jain Raina , Liu Sheldon , Rong Lisa , Palumbo Maria Chiara , Redaelli Alberto , Wang Yadong , Humphrey Jay D. , Devereux Richard B. , Soletti Giovanni , Gaudino Mario F.L. , Girardi Leonard N. , Weinsaft Jonathan W.
Published: November 2022

Background

Prosthetic graft replacement of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) yields benefits but risks persist in the native aorta, especially in Marfan syndrome (MFS). Differential biomechanics between chronically grafted and native aortic regions are unknown.

Methods

Functional cardiac magnetic resonance (cine-CMR) imaging was performed in non-surgical MFS patients (root or ascending diameter≤4.5cm) and patients after (>1 year) proximal grafting. Analyses included mid-ascending and -descending aortic size (diameter, area) and compliance indices, including global circumferential strain (GCS), fractional area change (FAC), stiffness index, and distensibility.

Results

46 MFS patients underwent cine-CMR, including 21 with chronic proximal grafts (10.5±7.3 years post-operatively). Patients with and without grafts had similar clinical and hemodynamic characteristics. Grafted and non-grafted ascending aortic size was similar between groups (p=NS), but functional parameters differed as evidenced by decrements in GCS, FAC, stiffness index, and distensibility (all p<0.001), consistent with prosthesis-associated reductions in compliance: Proximal grafts associated with decreased ascending aortic strain (B= −7.09, p<0.001) independent of age and aortic root size. Notably, native descending aortic size was larger in post-operative patients (p<0.01), paralleled by increased GCS (p<0.001) and decreased stiffness (p=0.04). In multivariate analysis, proximal grafts associated with increased descending aortic strain when controlling for ascending aortic area (B=4.19, p<0.001) or root size (B=3.14, p=0.045).

Conclusions

Marfan syndrome patients with chronic proximal aortic grafts manifest distinct vessel wall biomechanics in grafted and native regions that differ from non-surgical comparators, including decreased strain (a marker of reduced compliance) within grafted territories and increased strain in native aortic regions distal to grafts.
Induced Degradation of Lineage-specific Oncoproteins Drives the Selective PARP1 Inhibitor Toxicity in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Kim Chiho , Wang Xu-Dong , Wang Shuai , Li Peng , Zi Zhenzhen , Ding Qing , Jang Seoyeon , Kim Jiwoong , Luo Yikai , Huffman Kenneth E. , Cai Ling , Liang Han , Minna John D. , Yu Yonghao
Published: November 2022

A subset of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) shows clinically relevant response to PARP1 inhibitors (PARPi). However,BRCA1/2mutations are not commonly found in SCLC, and the underlying mechanism(s) of PARPi sensitivity in SCLC is poorly understood. We performed quantitative proteomic analyses and identified proteomic changes that signify PARPi responses in a large panel of molecularly annotated patient-derived SCLC lines. We found that the toxicity of PARPi in SCLC could be explained, at least in part, by the PARPi-induced degradation of key lineage-specific oncoproteins including ASCL1, NEUROD1, POU2F3, KDM4A, and KDM5B. Importantly, the degradation of these SCLC lineage-specific oncoproteins could also be induced by commonly used chemotherapeutic agents. Biochemical experiments showed that PARPi-induced activation of E3 ligases (e.g., HUWE1 and RNF8) mediated the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS)-dependent degradation of these oncoproteins. Interestingly, although PARPi resulted in a general DNA damage response in SCLC cells, this signal is sensed by different SCLC cell lines to generate a cell-specific response. The dissection of the cell-specific oncoprotein degradation response led to the identification of potentially predictive biomarkers for PARPi in SCLC. The combination of PARPi and agents targeting these pathways led to dramatically improved cytotoxicity in SCLC. PARPi-induced degradation of lineage-specific oncoproteins therefore represents a novel mechanism to explain the efficacy of PARPi in tumors withoutBRCA1/2mutations.

Highlights

Quantitative mass spectrometric analysis identifies proteomic changes associated with PARPi treatment in a large panel of SCLC cell lines.

PARPi leads to the degradation of lineage-specific oncoproteins (e.g., ASCL1 and KDM4A) via the DNA damage responsive E3 ubiquitin ligases (e.g., HUWE1 and RNF8).

A combination of PARPi and agents targeting the lineage-specific oncoproteins offers a more complete and durable therapeutic response in SCLC, compared to PARPi alone.

Expression of lineage-specific oncoproteins and the associated ubiquitination machinery are predictive biomarkers for PARPi-induced cytotoxicity in SCLC.
Contract Types, Institutional Distance and Operational Performance: Evidence from Global Trade Flows in the LNG Industry
Authors: Batsakis Georgios , Robotis Andreas , Koulamas Christos , Zeritis Fotios
Published: November 2022

In this study, we examine the relationship between contract types, institutional distance and operational performance in the context of cross‐border trade in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry. Drawing on the buyer–supplier long‐term relationships literature, we argue for a negative link between short‐term contractual agreements and operational performance. Further, drawing insights from institutional theory, we contend that a high level of formal and informal institutional distance between the origin (i.e. supplier) and destination (i.e. buyer) countries reduces operational performance. We also argue that formal and informal institutional distance mitigates the negative effect of short‐term contracts on operational performance. Finally, we draw on the role of ‘asymmetry in distance’ by examining the direct and moderating effect of both the relevance and direction of formal institutional distance. We test our assumptions using LNG global trade flows from 39 source countries to 44 destination countries over the 2008–2017 period (a total of 17,447 shipments). Our study extends our knowledge on the operational performance implications of buyer–supplier relationships and stresses the important role formal and informal institutional distance plays as a direct and moderating effect on this relationship.
Rights, Common Good, and the Separation of Powers
Authors: Foran Michael
Published: November 2022

Common good constitutionalism seeks to ground and legitimate choices of constitutional design and interpretation in a manner committed to pursuing the flourishing of all members of the community. This raises important questions relating to the separation of powers and fundamental rights protection. This paper seeks to advance and defend an account of rights‐based judicial review from within a common good constitutional framework. It will argue that rights and the common good are co‐constitutive: a genuinely common good will ensure the protection of fundamental rights and genuinely fundamental rights will help constitute and further the common good. With this in mind, a conception of the separation of powers will be advanced wherein different organs of state act collaboratively to ensure both that fundamental rights are protected and that the state can pursue goals which help to further the common good.
Comparison of outcomes and costs of extracorporeal blood purification therapies in critically ill COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Dianaty Soroush , Khodadadi Sanaz , Alimoghaddam Rojina , Mirzaei Abasat
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion are used against cytokine release syndrome in COVID‐19. This study aims to compare their outcomes, costs, and side‐effects.

Methods

Survival, costs and side‐effects were compared in intensive care unit (ICU) patients receiving plasmapheresis (n = 49), hemoperfusion (n = 20), or none (n = 107), followed until death or discharge.

Results

Plasmapheresis survival time was higher than hemoperfusion or controls (HR = 0.764, p = 0.397 and HR = 0.483, p = 0.002, respectively), although the latter diminished after controlling for age and disease severity (p = 0.979). There was no significant difference in ICU costs for plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion (p = 0.738) while both costed more than controls (both p < 0.001). Hypocalcemia and thrombocytopenia incidence did not differ between two groups (p = 0.124 and p = 0.389, respectively) while being higher than controls in plasmapheresis (both p < 0.001) and hemoperfusion (p < 0.001 and p = 0.056, respectively).

Conclusion

Plasmapheresis and hemoperfusion do not differ significantly in patient survival, ICU costs and side‐effects with a higher incidence of hypocalcemia and thrombocytopenia compared witcontrols.
Reduced complexity models for regional aquatic habitat suitability assessment
Authors: Goodrum Gregory C. , Null Sarah E.
Published: November 2022

Generalizable methods that identify suitable aquatic habitat across large river basins and regions are needed to inform resource management. Habitat suitability models intersect environmental variables to predict species occurrence, but are often data intensive and thus are typically developed at small spatial scales. This study estimated mean monthly aquatic habitat suitability throughout Utah (USA) for Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and Bluehead Sucker (Catostomus discobolus) with publicly available, geospatial datasets. We evaluated 15 habitat suitability models using unique combinations of percent of mean annual discharge, velocity, gradient, and stream temperature. Environmental variables were validated with observed conditions and species presence observations to verify habitat suitability estimates. Stream temperature, gradient, and discharge best predicted Bonneville Cutthroat Trout presence, and gradient and discharge best predicted Bluehead Sucker presence. Simple aquatic habitat suitability models outperformed models that used only streamflow to estimate habitat for both species, and are useful for conservation planning and water resources decision‐making. This modeling approach could enable resource managers to prioritize stream restoration across vast regions within their management domain, and is potentially compatible with water management modeling to improve ecological objectives in management models.
Systematic review: microbial manipulation as therapy for primary sclerosing cholangitis
Authors: Bogatic Damjana , Bryant Robert V. , Lynch Kate D. , Costello Samuel P.
Published: November 2022

Background

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive liver disease with poor prognosis and no effective therapies to prevent progression. An aetiopathological link between PSC and gastrointestinal microbial dysbiosis has been suggested.

Aim

To evaluate all potential medical therapies which may exert their effect in PSC by modulation of the gut‐liver axis.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive scoping review of PubMed and Cochrane Library, including all articles evaluating an intervention aimed at manipulating the gastrointestinal microbiome in PSC.

Results

A wide range of therapies proposed altering the gastrointestinal microbiome for the treatment of PSC. In particular, these considered antibiotics including vancomycin, metronidazole, rifaximin, minocycline and azithromycin. However, few therapies have been investigated in randomised, placebo‐controlled trials. Vancomycin has been the most widely studied antibiotic, with improvement in alkaline phosphatase reported in two randomised controlled trials, but with no data on disease progression. Unlike antibiotics, strategies such as faecal microbiota transplantation and dietary therapy can improve microbial diversity. However, since these have only been tested in small numbers of patients, robust efficacy data are currently lacking.

Conclusions

The gut‐liver axis is increasingly considered a potential target for the treatment of PSC. However, no therapies have been demonstrated to improve transplant‐free survival. Innovative and well‐designed clinical trials of microbiome‐targeted therapies with long‐term follow‐up are required for this orphan disease.
Colour‐emotion association and colour preference for elder care robot appearance
Authors: Liao Ching‐Chih , Hsu Ya‐Han
Published: November 2022

With the population ageing in Taiwan, it is projected that elder care robots incorporating smart technologies will play an essential role in ambient assisted living. This research has two purposes: (1) to investigate whether older adults' colour‐emotion associations and colour preferences for robot appearance affect their perceptual judgements; and (2) to explore gender differences in their judgements. Phase I of this research uses a questionnaire to investigate 91 participants' preferences for robot style and their emotional trigger words for the role of robots. Phase II experiments were performed on another 60 older adults to identify whether their colour‐emotion associations and colour preferences affect their perceptual judgements. The research results show that, regardless of gender difference, participating older adults prefer a robot with non‐human–like features. The results also show that there is no significant difference between males and females in terms of the effect of colour‐emotion association on a robot's appearance. Older adults tend to associate warm colours with emotional semantics, such as friendly, comfortable, reassuring, gentle and lively. Preferred colours include red, white and yellow. Black and grey are almost never preferred by older adults. There are significant differences by gender in the preferences for the colours white and purple. Older females prefer purple more, while white is preferred by older males. For the other colours, there were no significant differences between males and females. Colour attributes do not have any effect on colour‐emotion association, whereas colour preference is highly positively correlated with b*.
Using storytelling in undergraduate dental education: Students' experiences of emotional competence training
Authors: Johnsen Jan‐Are K. , Borit Melania , Stangvaltaite‐Mouhat Lina
Published: November 2022

Aim

The aim of the study was to explore the use of storytelling as a teaching method for emotional competence interventions within undergraduate dental curriculum (dental and dental hygiene students).

Materials and Methods

Students participated in five sessions related to emotional competence: one theoretical and four practical. During the latter, divided in small groups, students told individually two stories: a story about a clinical situation in which they had an emotional experience and a story concerning a patient's experience of the same emotion. Each session focused on a single emotion: happiness, fear, anger and shame. A questionnaire was used to collect perceptions about enjoyment, how stories were chosen, what was learned and if the sessions were stimulating in any way. A focus group was organised to collect reflections about the learning environment, process of learning and specific skill set developed during these sessions.

Results

The majority of the students enjoyed listening, telling and preparing the stories. They reported to experience social support and feeling a sense of community during the sessions. The students believed that stories helped them to reflect on their clinical work and to regulate their emotional experiences more efficiently in clinical situations. Regarding the learning environment, the dental students pointed out the distinctiveness and dissimilarities between the dental and dental hygiene students, but also expressed that they had a desire to learn more about the other student group.

Conclusion

Storytelling used as part of an emotional competence course appears to have benefits for students' reflection about their role as dental health professionals. This teaching method was well‐perceived by the students included in this study.
Etiologic and prognostic value of external carotid artery thrombus detection during endovascular therapy for anterior circulation proximal occlusions
Authors: Courret Thomas , Tourdias Thomas , Papaxanthos Jean , Labreuche Julien , Gariel Florent , Liegey Jean‐Sebastien , Olindo Stephane , Renou Pauline , Berge Jerome , Barreau Xavier , Sagnier Sharmila , Menegon Patrice , Lucas Ludovic , Briau Pierre , Poli Mathilde , Debruxelles Sabrina , Rouanet François , Dousset Vincent , Sibon Igor , Marnat Gaultier
Published: November 2022

Background and purpose

An early understanding of stroke mechanism may improve treatment and outcome in patients presenting with large vessel occlusion stroke (LVOS) treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT). We aimed to investigate whether spontaneous external carotid artery (ECA) embolism detection during MT is associated with stroke etiology and clinical outcome.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained institutional database including consecutive patients with anterior circulation LVOS treated with MT between January 2015 and August 2020.

Results

An ECA embolus was detected in 68 of 1298 patients (5.2%). The kappa coefficient for interobserver agreement was 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.82–0.95). ECA embolism was significantly associated with intracranial internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion (p < 0.001), cardioembolic etiology (p < 0.001) and a lower clot burden score (p < 0.001). Day‐1 variation of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (adjusted odds ratio [OR] −2.7, 95% CI −4.9 to 0.3; p = 0.021) and delta Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (adjusted OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.2 to 1.5; p = 0.004) were worse among patients with ECA emboli. There was no significant difference in 90‐day functional outcome between groups (adjusted OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.52; p = 0.50).

Conclusion

In patients with anterior circulation LVOS treated with MT, ECA embolism was significantly associated with cardioembolic etiology, high thrombus burden and proximal intracranial ICA occlusions. This underexplored angiographic pattern might provide a valuable etiologic clue to the underlying cause of anterior circulation LVOS and may also help determine the appropriate revascularization strategy.
Photoperiod influences the development and the expression of personality traits and social behaviour in wild cavies (Cavia aperea)
Authors: Guenther Anja , Trillmich Fritz
Published: November 2022

Seasonality influences behaviour, physiology and life history of organisms, and photoperiod is a reliable and influential cue gearing individual adaptation to seasonal changes in the environment. Plastic phenotypic adjustments according to the prevailing season are a widespread, well‐studied phenomenon. Less well known are effects on developmental trajectories of animals born into different seasons. By manipulating the photoperiod during pregnancy and lactation independent of food availability and temperature, we studied if maternal behaviour in the precocial wild cavy (Cavia aperea) responds to this seasonal cue and if maternal behaviour and photoperiod shape offspring development and behaviour. We repeatedly observed mothers before and after birth. We investigated if pups differ in risk‐taking behaviours directly after birth (indicating direct prenatal effects) or only after gaining independence of the mother (indicating delayed prenatal or postnatal effects due to own cue sampling). Furthermore, we tested if different simulated seasons of birth affect social and aggressive behaviour of adult animals. While theoretical predictions according to risk‐taking are quite clear, they are contradictory for social behaviours that are much less well studied. We predicted that animals born into spring photoperiods would be aggressive because of a need to gather enough resources for early reproduction and successfully establishing a territory at least in males. Spring‐born males were more aggressive than autumn‐borns, while females did not differ with respect to season. Spring‐born females, however, lost more body mass when they had to integrate into an established group and autumn‐born females initiated more aggressive interactions. Our data demonstrate flexible and long‐term stable seasonal effects on behaviours that likely affect fitness outcomes under natural conditions.
A novel YOLOv4‐modified approach for efficient object detection in satellite imagery
Authors: Tiwari Rishabh , Dubey Ashwani Kumar , Rocha Alvaro
Published: November 2022

Interpreting high‐resolution satellite imagery could be an expensive and time‐consuming task for human eyes. Computer Vision and Deep Learning techniques can help to solve this major problem by applying detection algorithms, which can ease the task of analysing such images for the benefit of humans. It can help in changing the way we comprehend and anticipate the economic activity around the world. Such techniques help us to observe the urban development in high security areas such as national and international borders. Constant progressions in improving and making satellites deployment, a cost‐effective process to strengthen the networks of satellite orbiting the earth is one of the reasons such tasks can be easily solved with the help of high‐resolution images. Current computer vision research works have achieved significant milestones in accuracy and speed but, there are still room for improvements. In this paper, we addressed some of these methods to bring them to a combined pipeline and proposed a set of improvements to further improve the speed and the accuracy of the detections. We proposed a unified framework, which combines several object detection algorithms and the state‐of‐art architecture of YoloV4 along with the TensorFlow object detection API. This framework can detect small and well as large objects with improved speed and accuracy by using two detectors for different scales. Evaluation ran on these high‐resolution images yield mAP of 85.6% F1‐score of 0.84.
Genetic polymorphisms of IL6 gene –174G > C and –597G > A are associated with the risk of COVID‐19 severity
Authors: Verma Shrikant , Verma Sushma , Khan Faizan Haider , Siddiqi Zeba , Raza Syed Tasleem , Abbas Mohammad , Mahdi Farzana
Published: November 2022

Coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) is pro‐inflammatory disorder characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome. Interleukin‐6, a cytokine secreted by macrophages, which mediates an inflammatory response, is frequently increased and associated with the severity in COVID‐19 patients. The differential expression of IL6 cytokine in COVID‐19 patients may be associated with the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in regulatory region of cytokine genes. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of two promoter polymorphisms of the IL6 gene (–597G > A and –174G > C) with the severity of COVID‐19. The study included 242 patients, out of which 97 patients with severe symptoms and 145 patients with mild symptoms of COVID‐19. Genotyping of two selected SNPs, rs1800795 (–174G > C) and rs1800797 (–597G > A) of promoter region of IL6 gene, was performed by polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP). In our study, individuals with GC genotypes of IL6 (–174G > C) polymorphism showed significantly higher risk of severity [adjusted odds (OR) 3.86, p <.001] but we did not observe any association of COVID‐19 severity with rs1800797 (–597G > A) polymorphism. The COVID‐19 severity was significantly higher in individuals having ‘C’ allele of IL6 (–174G > C) polymorphism (p = .014). Linkage disequilibrium between rs1800795 (–174G > C) and rs1800797 (–597G > A) showed that individuals having AC* haplotype significantly association with COVID‐19 severity (p = .034). Our results suggest that ‘C’ allele of rs1800795 (–174G > C) polymorphism of IL6 may be the risk allele for severity of COVID‐19 in North Indian population.
The emerging role for metabolism in fueling neutrophilic inflammation
Authors: Morrison Tyler , Watts Emily R. , Sadiku Pranvera , Walmsley Sarah R.
Published: November 2022

Neutrophils are a critical element of host defense and are rapidly recruited to inflammatory sites. Such sites are frequently limited in oxygen and/or nutrient availability, presenting a metabolic challenge for infiltrating cells. Long believed to be uniquely dependent on glycolysis, it is now clear that neutrophils possess far greater metabolic plasticity than previously thought, with the capacity to generate energy stores and utilize extracellular proteins to fuel central carbon metabolism and biosynthetic activity. Out‐with cellular energetics, metabolic programs have also been implicated in the production of neutrophils and their progenitors in the bone marrow compartment, activation of neutrophil antimicrobial responses, inflammatory and cell survival signaling cascades, and training of the innate immune response. Thus, understanding the mechanisms by which metabolic processes sustain changes in neutrophil effector functions and how these are subverted in disease states provides exciting new avenues for the treatment of dysfunctional neutrophilic inflammation which are lacking in clinical practice to date.
Do large‐scale associations in birds imply biotic interactions or environmental filtering?
Authors: Elo Merja , Kajanus Mira H. , Tolvanen Jere , Devictor Vincent , Forsman Jukka T. , Lehikoinen Aleksi , Mönkkönen Mikko , Thorson James T. , Vollstädt Maximilian G. R. , Kivelä Sami M.
Published: November 2022

Aim

There has been a wide interest in the effect of biotic interactions on species' occurrences and abundances at large spatial scales, coupled with a vast development of the statistical methods to study them. Still, evidence for whether the effects of within‐trophic‐level biotic interactions (e.g. competition and heterospecific attraction) are discernible beyond local scales remains inconsistent. Here, we present a novel hypothesis‐testing framework based on joint dynamic species distribution models and functional trait similarity to dissect between environmental filtering and biotic interactions.

Location

France and Finland.

Taxon

Birds.

Methods

We estimated species‐to‐species associations within a trophic level, independent of the main environmental variables (mean temperature and total precipitation) for common species at large spatial scale with joint dynamic species distribution (a multivariate spatiotemporal delta model) models. We created hypotheses based on species' functionality (morphological and/or diet dissimilarity) and habitat preferences about the sign and strength of the pairwise spatiotemporal associations to estimate the extent to which they result from biotic interactions (competition, heterospecific attraction) and/or environmental filtering.

Results

Spatiotemporal associations were mostly positive (80%), followed by random (15%), and only 5% were negative. Where detected, negative spatiotemporal associations in different communities were due to a few species. The relationship between spatiotemporal association and functional dissimilarity among species was negative, which fulfils the predictions of both environmental filtering and heterospecific attraction.

Main conclusions

We showed that processes leading to species aggregation (mixture between environmental filtering and heterospecific attraction) seem to dominate assembly rules, and we did not find evidence for competition. Altogether, our hypothesis‐testing framework based on joint dynamic species distribution models and functional trait similarity is beneficial in ecological interpretation of species‐to‐species associations from data covering several decades and biogeographical regions.
Commentary: Why treatment is the best choice for childhood mental disorders – a commentary on Roest et al. (2022)
Authors: Dekkers Tycho J. , Groenman Annabeth P. , Cuijpers Pim , Hoekstra Pieter J. , Luman Marjolein , Orobio de Castro Bram , Overbeek Geertjan , Popma Arne , Rommelse Nanda , Salemink Elske , Stikkelbroek Yvonne A.J. , van den Hoofdakker Barbara J. , van der Oord Saskia , Leijten Patty
Published: November 2022

An important question in mental healthcare for children is whether treatments are effective and safe in the long run. Here, we comment on a recent editorial perspective by Roest et al. (2022), who argue, based on an overview of systematic reviews, ‘that there is no convincing evidence that interventions for the most common childhood disorders are beneficial in the long term’. We believe that the available evidence does not justify this conclusion and express our concern regarding the harmful effects of their message. We show that there is evidence to suggest beneficial longer term treatment effects for each of the disorders and explain why evidence‐based treatment should be offered to children with mental disorders.
Should patients use online reviews to pick their doctors and hospitals?
Authors: Hyman David A. , Liu Jing , Black Bernard S.
Published: November 2022

We compare the online reviews of 221 “Questionable” Illinois and Indiana physicians with multiple paid medical malpractice claims and disciplinary sanctions with matched control physicians with clean records. Across five prominent online rating services, we find small, mostly insignificant differences in star ratings and written reviews for Questionable versus control physicians. Only one rating service (Healthgrades) reports on paid medical malpractice claims and disciplinary actions and it misses more than 90% of these actions. We also evaluate the online ratings of 171 Illinois hospitals and find that their ratings are largely uncorrelated with the share of hospital‐affiliated physicians with paid medical malpractice claims and disciplinary sanctions. Online ratings have limited utility in helping patients avoid physicians with troubled medical malpractice and disciplinary records, and steering patients away from hospitals at which more physicians have paid medical malpractice claims and disciplinary sanctions.
To feed or let eat! A scale of independence, exploration, and family to measure baby‐led weaning as a complementary feeding approach
Authors: Studer‐Perez Emma , Musher‐Eizenman Dara
Published: November 2022

Background

This article reports the development and validation of a measure of parents' use of baby‐led weaning (BLW). BLW is a child‐centred approach to complementary feeding where the infant is allowed to eat whole foods (rather than purees) and explore a variety of foods and textures. To date, parents' use of BLW has been assessed using either single items or a wide variety of measures.

Method

In this study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on independent samples supported three BLW subscales: independence, exploration, and family.

Results

The final 13‐item scale showed adequate fit statistics and good reliability (χ2(62) = 115.02, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.06; exploration a = 0.738; family a = 0.715; independence a = 0.809). In addition, the scale demonstrated good external validity and related in theoretically expected ways to an infant feeding‐style measure and parent report of complementary feeding approach. This study was limited as it was mostly white parents, and the scale should be validated on a more diverse sample.

Conclusions

Future research can use this scale to examine if BLW relates to infant taste preferences, parenting styles, and child eating behaviours to improve child nutrition and health outcomes.
Pathway‐based integration of multi‐omics data reveals lipidomics alterations validated in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model and risk loci carriers
Authors: Garcia‐Segura Monica Emili , Durainayagam Brenan R. , Liggi Sonia , Graça Gonçalo , Jimenez Beatriz , Dehghan Abbas , Tzoulaki Ioanna , Karaman Ibrahim , Elliott Paul , Griffin Julian L.
Published: November 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Despite increasing evidence of the importance of metabolic dysregulation in AD, the underlying metabolic changes that may impact amyloid plaque formation are not understood, particularly for late‐onset AD. This study analyzed genome‐wide association studies (GWAS), transcriptomics, and proteomics data obtained from several data repositories to obtain differentially expressed (DE) multi‐omics elements in mouse models of AD. We characterized the metabolic modulation in these data sets using gene ontology, transcription factor, pathway, and cell‐type enrichment analyses. A predicted lipid signature was extracted from genome‐scale metabolic networks (GSMN) and subsequently validated in a lipidomic data set derived from cortical tissue of ABCA‐7 null mice, a mouse model of one of the genes associated with late‐onset AD. Moreover, a metabolome‐wide association study (MWAS) was performed to further characterize the association between dysregulated lipid metabolism in human blood serum and genes associated with AD risk. We found 203 DE transcripts, 164 DE proteins, and 58 DE GWAS‐derived mouse orthologs associated with significantly enriched metabolic biological processes. Lipid and bioenergetic metabolic pathways were significantly over‐represented across the AD multi‐omics data sets. Microglia and astrocytes were significantly enriched in the lipid‐predominant AD‐metabolic transcriptome. We also extracted a predicted lipid signature that was validated and robustly modeled class separation in the ABCA7 mice cortical lipidome, with 11 of these lipid species exhibiting statistically significant modulations. MWAS revealed 298 AD single nucleotide polymorphisms‐metabolite associations, of which 70% corresponded to lipid classes. These results support the importance of lipid metabolism dysregulation in AD and highlight the suitability of mapping AD multi‐omics data into GSMNs to identify metabolic alterations.

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