bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation promotes motor function recovery in mice after spinal cord injury via regulation of the Cx43-autophagy loop
Authors: Zhang Lechi , Xiao Zhihang , Su Zelin , Wang Xinlong , Tian Huifang , Su Min
Published: July 2024

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe condition with an extremely high disability rate. It is mainly manifested as the loss of motor, sensory and autonomic nerve functions below the injury site. High-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation, a recently developed neuromodulation method, can increase motor function in mice with spinal cord injury. This study aimed to explore the possible mechanism by which transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) restores motor function after SCI. A complete T8 transection model of the spinal cord was established in mice, and the mice were treated daily with 15 Hz high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation. The BMS was used to evaluate the motor function of the mice after SCI. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of Connexin43 (CX43) and autophagy-related proteins in vivo and in vitro, and correlation analysis was performed to study the relationships among autophagy, CX43 and motor function recovery after SCI in mice. Western blotting was used to observe the effect of magnetic stimulation on the expression of mTOR pathway members. In the control group, the expression of CX43 was significantly decreased, and the expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 A/1b light chain 3 (LC3II) and P62 was significantly increased after 4 weeks of spinal cord transection. After high-frequency magnetic stimulation, the level of CX43 decreased, and the levels of LC3II and P62 increased in primary astrocytes. The BMS of the magnetic stimulation group was greater than that of the control group. High-frequency magnetic stimulation can inhibit the expression of CX43, which negatively regulates autophagic flux. HF-rTMS increased the expression levels of mTOR, p-mTOR and p-S6. Our experiments showed that rTMS can restore hindlimb motor function in mice after spinal cord injury via regulation of the Cx43-autophagy loop and activation of the mTOR signalling pathway.
Emergence of Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi in oral cavities of newborn puppies, a pilot study
Authors: Suominen Kristiina , Åvall-Jääskeläinen Silja , Sallinen Inka , Virtala Anna-Maija , Koort Joanna
Published: July 2024

Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi are commensal bacteria in the oral cavities of dogs. Both are zoonotic pathogens that could infect humans via dog bites. C. canimorsus may cause life-threatening infections in humans, whereas C. cynodegmi infections tend to be milder and more localized. Capsular serovars A–C of C. canimorsus seem to be virulence-associated. Some of the C. canimorsus serovars described to date can also be detected in other Capnocytophaga species, including C. cynodegmi. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate the emergence of C. canimorsus and C. cynodegmi after birth in oral cavities of puppies and to evaluate the impact of the dam’s Capnocytophaga spp. carrier status on the emergence. Ten litters, altogether 59 puppies, were included in the study. The puppies and their dams were sampled at five time points over seven weeks after whelping. Oral swab samples taken were investigated for the presence of C. canimorsus and C. cynodegmi by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the specificity of which was verified by sequencing a selection of the PCR products. Samples that were positive in Capnocytophaga PCR reactions were also capsular-typed by PCR to gain more knowledge about the Capnocytophaga spp. present in the samples. Altogether 10.2% and 11.9% of puppies, or 20.0% and 30.0% of litters tested PCR-positive for C. canimorsus and C. cynodegmi, respectively. Capnocytophaga PCR-positive puppy samples were always positive for only C. cynodegmi or C. canimorsus, not both. Most Capnocytophaga PCR-positive puppies became positive at the age of 5 to 7 weeks. Only a minority (5/16) of the C. cynodegmi PCR-positive dog samples were positive in capsular typing PCR, whereas all C. canimorsus PCR-positive dog samples were negative in capsular typing PCR. For all Capnocytophaga PCR-positive puppies, their dam was positive for the same Capnocytophaga species. These results suggest that puppies become colonized by C. cynodegmi or C. canimorsus from their dams at the time of deciduous teeth eruption.
A prospective study of HER3 expression pre and post neoadjuvant therapy of different breast cancer subtypes: implications for HER3 imaging therapy guidance
Authors: Sinevici Nicoleta , Edmonds Christine E. , Dontchos Brian N. , Wang Gary , Lehman Constance D. , Isakoff Steven , Mahmood Umar
Published: July 2024

Purpose

HER3, a member of the EGFR receptor family, plays a central role in driving oncogenic cell proliferation in breast cancer. Novel HER3 therapeutics are showing promising results while recently developed HER3 PET imaging modalities aid in predicting and assessing early treatment response. However, baseline HER3 expression, as well as changes in expression while on neoadjuvant therapy, have not been well-characterized. We conducted a prospective clinical study, pre- and post-neoadjuvant/systemic therapy, in patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer to determine HER3 expression, and to identify possible resistance mechanisms maintained through the HER3 receptor.

Experimental design

The study was conducted between May 25, 2018 and October 12, 2019. Thirty-four patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer of any subtype (ER ± , PR ± , HER2 ±) were enrolled in the study. Two core biopsy specimens were obtained from each patient at the time of diagnosis. Four patients underwent a second research biopsy following initiation of neoadjuvant/systemic therapy or systemic therapy which we define as neoadjuvant therapy. Molecular characterization of HER3 and downstream signaling nodes of the PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways pre- and post-initiation of therapy was performed. Transcriptional validation of finings was performed in an external dataset (GSE122630).

Results

Variable baseline HER3 expression was found in newly diagnosed breast cancer and correlated positively with pAKT across subtypes (r = 0.45). In patients receiving neoadjuvant/systemic therapy, changes in HER3 expression were variable. In a hormone receptor-positive (ER +/PR +/HER2-) patient, there was a statistically significant increase in HER3 expression post neoadjuvant therapy, while there was no significant change in HER3 expression in a ER +/PR +/HER2+ patient. However, both of these patients showed increased downstream signaling in the PI3K/AKT pathway. One subject with ER +/PR −/HER2− breast cancer and another subject with ER +/PR +/HER2 + breast cancer showed decreased HER3 expression. Transcriptomic findings, revealed an immune suppressive environment in patients with decreased HER3 expression post therapy.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates variable HER3 expression across breast cancer subtypes. HER3 expression can be assessed early, post-neoadjuvant therapy, providing valuable insight into cancer biology and potentially serving as a prognostic biomarker. Clinical translation of neoadjuvant therapy assessment can be achieved using HER3 PET imaging, offering real-time information on tumor biology and guiding personalized treatment for breast cancer patients.
Effect of testosterone therapy on breast tissue composition and mammographic breast density in trans masculine individuals
Authors: Heng Yujing J. , Baker Gabrielle M. , Fein-Zachary Valerie J. , Guzman-Arocho Yaileen D. , Bret-Mounet Vanessa C. , Massicott Erica S. , Torous Vanda F. , Schnitt Stuart J. , Gitin Sy , Russo Paul , Tobias Adam M. , Bartlett Richard A. , Varma Gopal , Kontos Despina , Yaghjyan Lusine , Irwig Michael S. , Potter Jennifer E. , Wulf Gerburg M.
Published: July 2024

Background

The effect of gender-affirming testosterone therapy (TT) on breast cancer risk is unclear. This study investigated the association between TT and breast tissue composition and breast tissue density in trans masculine individuals (TMIs).

Methods

Of the 444 TMIs who underwent chest-contouring surgeries between 2013 and 2019, breast tissue composition was assessed in 425 TMIs by the pathologists (categories of lobular atrophy and stromal composition) and using our automated deep-learning algorithm (% epithelium, % fibrous stroma, and % fat). Forty-two out of 444 TMIs had mammography prior to surgery and their breast tissue density was read by a radiologist. Mammography digital files, available for 25/42 TMIs, were analyzed using the LIBRA software to obtain percent density, absolute dense area, and absolute non-dense area. Linear regression was used to describe the associations between duration of TT use and breast tissue composition or breast tissue density measures, while adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses stratified by body mass index were also conducted.

Results

Longer duration of TT use was associated with increasing degrees of lobular atrophy (p < 0.001) but not fibrous content (p = 0.82). Every 6 months of TT was associated with decreasing amounts of epithelium (exp(β) = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95,0.98, adj p = 0.005) and fibrous stroma (exp(β) = 0.99, 95% CI 0.98,1.00, adj p = 0.05), but not fat (exp(β) = 1.01, 95%CI 0.98,1.05, adj p = 0.39). The effect of TT on breast epithelium was attenuated in overweight/obese TMIs (exp(β) = 0.98, 95% CI 0.95,1.01, adj p = 0.14). When comparing TT users versus non-users, TT users had 28% less epithelium (exp(β) = 0.72, 95% CI 0.58,0.90, adj p = 0.003). There was no association between TT and radiologist’s breast density assessment (p = 0.58) or LIBRA measurements (p > 0.05).

Conclusions

TT decreases breast epithelium, but this effect is attenuated in overweight/obese TMIs. TT has the potential to affect the breast cancer risk of TMIs. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the effect of TT on breast density and breast cancer risk.
Heterogeneous pseudobulk simulation enables realistic benchmarking of cell-type deconvolution methods
Authors: Hu Mengying , Chikina Maria
Published: July 2024

Background

Computational cell type deconvolution enables the estimation of cell type abundance from bulk tissues and is important for understanding tissue microenviroment, especially in tumor tissues. With rapid development of deconvolution methods, many benchmarking studies have been published aiming for a comprehensive evaluation for these methods. Benchmarking studies rely on cell-type resolved single-cell RNA-seq data to create simulated pseudobulk datasets by adding individual cells-types in controlled proportions.

Results

In our work, we show that the standard application of this approach, which uses randomly selected single cells, regardless of the intrinsic difference between them, generates synthetic bulk expression values that lack appropriate biological variance. We demonstrate why and how the current bulk simulation pipeline with random cells is unrealistic and propose a heterogeneous simulation strategy as a solution. The heterogeneously simulated bulk samples match up with the variance observed in real bulk datasets and therefore provide concrete benefits for benchmarking in several ways. We demonstrate that conceptual classes of deconvolution methods differ dramatically in their robustness to heterogeneity with reference-free methods performing particularly poorly. For regression-based methods, the heterogeneous simulation provides an explicit framework to disentangle the contributions of reference construction and regression methods to performance. Finally, we perform an extensive benchmark of diverse methods across eight different datasets and find BayesPrism and a hybrid MuSiC/CIBERSORTx approach to be the top performers.

Conclusions

Our heterogeneous bulk simulation method and the entire benchmarking framework is implemented in a user friendly package https://github.com/humengying0907/deconvBenchmarking and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8206516, enabling further developments in deconvolution methods.
Detecting haplotype-specific transcript variation in long reads with FLAIR2
Authors: Tang Alison D. , Felton Colette , Hrabeta-Robinson Eva , Volden Roger , Vollmers Christopher , Brooks Angela N.
Published: July 2024

Background

RNA-seq has brought forth significant discoveries regarding aberrations in RNA processing, implicating these RNA variants in a variety of diseases. Aberrant splicing and single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in RNA have been demonstrated to alter transcript stability, localization, and function. In particular, the upregulation of ADAR, an enzyme that mediates adenosine-to-inosine editing, has been previously linked to an increase in the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma cells and associated with splicing regulation. Despite the functional importance of studying splicing and SNVs, the use of short-read RNA-seq has limited the community’s ability to interrogate both forms of RNA variation simultaneously.

Results

We employ long-read sequencing technology to obtain full-length transcript sequences, elucidating cis-effects of variants on splicing changes at a single molecule level. We develop a computational workflow that augments FLAIR, a tool that calls isoform models expressed in long-read data, to integrate RNA variant calls with the associated isoforms that bear them. We generate nanopore data with high sequence accuracy from H1975 lung adenocarcinoma cells with and without knockdown of ADAR. We apply our workflow to identify key inosine isoform associations to help clarify the prominence of ADAR in tumorigenesis.

Conclusions

Ultimately, we find that a long-read approach provides valuable insight toward characterizing the relationship between RNA variants and splicing patterns.
Effect of norepinephrine and phenylephrine on prothrombotic response in patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia: protocol for a randomized, double-blind, controlled study
Authors: Tao Wenhui , Xie Yufang , Ding Wei , Bao Jinfeng , Zhang Ye , Hu Xianwen
Published: July 2024

Background

Norepinephrine and phenylephrine are commonly used vasoactive drugs to treat hypotension during the perioperative period. The increased release of endogenous norepinephrine elicits prothrombotic changes, while parturients are generally in a hypercoagulable state. Therefore, this trial aims to investigate whether there is a disparity between equivalent doses of prophylactic norepinephrine infusion and phenylephrine infusion on prothrombotic response in patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia.

Methods

Sixty-six eligible parturients will be recruited for this trial and randomly assigned to the norepinephrine or phenylephrine group. The “study drug” will be administered at a rate of 15 ml/h starting from the intrathecal injection. The primary outcome are plasma coagulation factor VIII activity (FVIII: C), fibrinogen, and D-dimer levels. The secondary outcomes include hemodynamic variables and umbilical artery blood pH value.

Discussion

Our study is the first trial comparing the effect of norepinephrine and phenylephrine on prothrombotic response in patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Positive or negative results will all help us better understand the impact of vasoactive drugs on patients. If there are any differences, this trial will provide new evidence for maternal choice of vasoactive medications in the perioperative period.

Trial registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2300077164. Registered on 1 November 2023. https://www.chictr.org.cn/.
Effect of esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine on delirium in sedation for mechanically ventilated ICU patients: protocol for a nested substudy within a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhang Wenhui , You Jinjin , Hu Jing , Chen Xiangding , Wang Han , Li Nan , Wei Chen , Tang Wanchun , Zuo Xiangrong
Published: July 2024

Background

Use of sedatives and analgesics is associated with the occurrence of delirium in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Dexmedetomidine reduces the occurrence of delirium but may cause hypotension, bradycardia, and insufficient sedation. This substudy aims to determine whether the combination of esketamine with dexmedetomidine can reduce the side effects and risk of delirium than dexmedetomidine alone in mechanically ventilated patients.

Methods

This single-center, randomized, active-controlled, superiority trial will be conducted at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. A total of 134 mechanically ventilated patients will be recruited and randomized to receive either dexmedetomidine alone or esketamine combined with dexmedetomidine, until extubation or for a maximum of 14 days. The primary outcome is the occurrence of delirium, while the second outcomes include the number of delirium-free days; subtype, severity, and duration of delirium; time to first onset of delirium; total dose of vasopressors and antipsychotics; duration of mechanical ventilation; ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS); accidental extubation, re-intubation, re-admission; and mortality in the ICU at 14 and 28 days.

Discussion

There is an urgent need for a new combination regimen of dexmedetomidine due to its evident side effects. The combination of esketamine and dexmedetomidine has been applied throughout the perioperative period. However, there is still a lack of evidence on the effects of this regimen on delirium in mechanically ventilated ICU patients. This substudy will evaluate the effects of the combination of esketamine and dexmedetomidine in reducing the risk of delirium for mechanically ventilated patients in ICU, thus providing evidence of this combination to improve the short-term prognosis. The study protocol has obtained approval from the Medical Ethics Committee (ID: 2022-SR-450).

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05466708, registered on 20 July 2022.
Biofeedback combined with percutaneous electrical pudendal nerve stimulation for the treatment of low anterior rectal resection syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Cao Gaoyang , Zhang Xinjie , Wang Fei , Man Da , Wu Lijie , Pan Xuchu , Chen Shan
Published: July 2024

Background

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) is a distressing condition that affects approximately 25–80% of patients following surgery for rectal cancer. LARS is characterized by debilitating bowel dysfunction symptoms, including fecal incontinence, urgent bowel movements, and increased frequency of bowel movements. Although biofeedback therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in improving postoperative rectal control, the research results have not fulfilled expectations. Recent research has highlighted that stimulating the pudendal perineal nerves has a superior impact on enhancing pelvic floor muscle function than biofeedback alone. Hence, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a combined approach integrating biofeedback with percutaneous electrical pudendal nerve stimulation (B-PEPNS) in patients with LARS through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Methods and analysis

In this two-armed multicenter RCT, 242 participants with LARS after rectal surgery will be randomly assigned to undergo B-PEPNS (intervention group) or biofeedback (control group). Over 4 weeks, each participant will undergo 20 treatment sessions. The primary outcome will be the LARS score. The secondary outcomes will be anorectal manometry and pelvic floor muscle electromyography findings and the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Colorectal 29 (EORTC QLQ-CR29) scores. Data will be collected at baseline, post-intervention (1 month), and follow-up (6 months).

Discussion

We anticipate that this study will contribute further evidence regarding the efficacy of B-PEPNS in alleviating LARS symptoms and enhancing the quality of life for patients following rectal cancer surgery.

Trial registration

Chinese Clincal Trials Register ChiCTR2300078101. Registered 28 November 2023.
Predicting functional movement capacity in adults: the effect of range of motion and isometric strength
Authors: Özkan Mazhar , Canli Umut , Alwhaibi Reem , Ustaömer Kübra , Karaçam Aydın , Orhan Bekir Erhan , Bohn Lucimere , Sivrikaya Kenan , Sönmeyenmakas Aytekin , Gonzalez Pablo Prieto
Published: July 2024

The aim of the study was to determine the role of isometric strength and range of motion in predicting Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores of adults. A total of 120 participants (age = 34.62 ± 11.82 years; height = 170.56 ± 9.63 cm; weight = 73.62 ± 15.39 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. Anthropometric measurements were performed, including height, body weight, muscle mass, and body fat. Following this, the ranges of motion of the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints were measured sequentially. Isometric strength and FMS tests were then performed. Hip extension isometric strength explained 23% of the variation in FMStotal. The common effect of knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion joint range of motion explained 34% of the change in FMStotal (F (3−116) = 20.375, p < 0.001). A significant relationship (R = 0.658, R2 = 0.413) was found between hip extension isometric strength, knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion range of motion and FMStotal (F (4−115) = 21.952, p < 0.001). The common effect of all these variables explains 43% of the change in FMStotal. The results indicate that the FMS test scores, which are utilized to evaluate the risk of injury in sedentary adults, can be significantly predicted by the effect of hip extension isometric strength and parameters related to knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion joint range of motion. At this time, it is advised that range of motion and isometric strength be taken into account when determining a person’s functional movement capacity.
Evaluation of frailty in geriatric patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation after cardiac procedure: results of a prospective, cross-sectional study
Authors: Steinmetz Carolin , Krause Laura , Sulejmanovic Samra , Kaumkötter Sabrina , Hartog Johanneke , Scheenstra Bart , Stefan Flohr , Mengden Thomas , Grefe Clemens , Knoglinger Ernst , Reiss Nils , Bjarnason-Wehrens Birna , Schmidt Thomas , Sadlonova Monika , von Arnim Christine A. F. , Heinemann Stephanie
Published: July 2024

Background

Frailty is an indicator of a decline in quality of life and functional capacity in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients. Currently, there is no standardized assessment tool for frailty used in CR. The aim of this study was to determine if the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) is feasible for assessing frailty in CR.

Methods

Prospective, cross-sectional study within the framework of the ongoing multicenter prehabilitation study "PRECOVERY". Patients ≥75 years undergoing CR after cardiac procedure (n=122) were recruited in four German inpatient CR facilities. Assessments included: CFS, Katz-Index, hand grip strength (HGS), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and six-minute-walk test (6MWT). Outcomes were frailty (CFS≥4) and the correlation of frailty with assessments of functional capacity, activities of daily living and clinical parameters. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and correlations, using the spearman correlation coefficient and chi-square test to test for significance.

Results

Data from 101 patients (79.9±4.0 years; 63% male) were analyzed. The mean CFS score was 3.2±1.4; 41.6% were defined as frail (CFS≥4). The mean time required to assess the CFS was 0.20 minutes. The findings show that CFS correlates significantly (p<0.001) with the following factors: Katz-Index, HGS, SPPB-Score and 6MWT (r≤-0.575). In addition, CFS correlated with small to moderate effects with co-morbidities (r=0.250), as-needed medications and need for nursing assistance (r≤0.248).

Conclusions

The CFS assessment can be performed in under one minute and it correlates significantly with assessments of functional capacity, activities of daily living and clinical parameters in the CR setting.

Trial registration

German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS; http:// www. drks. de; DRKS00032256). Retrospectively registered on 13 July 2023.
Vitamin D levels and bone mineral density of middle-aged premenopausal female football and volleyball players in Japan: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sakamoto Kimiko , Miyamori Takayuki , Someya Yuki , Nagao Masashi , Ishihara Yoshihiko , Kobayashi Yohei , Shimasaki Yu , Imai Junko , Ono Takeshi , Ikeda Hiroshi , Tashima Kohzo , Yoshimura Masafumi
Published: July 2024

Background

The number of football teams in senior categories has increased. As outdoor sports entail players being exposed to sunlight, playing football may contribute to maintaining vitamin D stores and body mineral density while preventing osteoporosis. This study aimed to determine the bone mineral density and vitamin D levels in middle-aged premenopausal female football players.

Methods

Participants were premenopausal females in their 40s. We evaluated bone mineral density of the second to the fourth lumbar vertebrae and femoral neck, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD) levels, which is an indicator of vitamin D stores, and body composition. In addition, we administered a questionnaire survey on exercise habits and lifestyle. Ninety-two participants were categorised into three groups: the football group (n = 27), volleyball group (n = 40), and non-exercise group (n = 25).

Results

Bone mineral density was higher in the football and volleyball groups than in the non-exercise group (P < 0.01). The volleyball group had a significantly higher bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck than the non-exercise group (P < 0.01). The football group had a significantly higher bone mineral density of the femoral neck than the non-exercise group (P < 0.01). Although the football group had played fewer years than the volleyball group (P < 0.01), serum 25-OHD levels were the highest in the football group and were significantly higher than those in the volleyball and non-exercise groups (P < 0.01).

Conclusions

Middle-aged premenopausal football players had higher body vitamin D levels and bone mineral densities than non-active females. These results suggest that playing football may contribute to the prevention of osteoporosis.

Trial registration

UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000054235. 2024/04/23. Retrospectively registered.
Using clotted, pelleted blood samples for direct molecular detection of Bartonella spp. in small mammal wildlife surveillance studies
Authors: Jeeves Simon P. , Fernando Champika , Kotwa Jonathon D. , Mubareka Samira , Hill Janet E. , Jardine Claire M.
Published: July 2024

Objective

Bartonella are emerging bacterial zoonotic pathogens. Utilization of clotted blood samples for surveillance of these bacteria in wildlife has begun to supersede the use of tissues; however, the efficacy of these samples has not been fully investigated. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of spleen and blood samples for DNA extraction and direct detection of Bartonella spp. via qPCR. In addition, we present a protocol for improved DNA extraction from clotted, pelleted (i.e., centrifuged) blood samples obtained from wild small mammals.

Results

DNA concentrations from kit-extracted blood clot samples were low and A260/A280 absorbance ratios indicated high impurity. Kit-based DNA extraction of spleen samples was efficient and produced ample DNA concentrations of good quality. We developed an in-house extraction method for the blood clots which resulted in apposite DNA quality when compared to spleen samples extracted via MagMAX DNA Ultra 2.0 kit. We detected Bartonella in 9/30 (30.0%) kit-extracted spleen DNA samples and 11/30 (36.7%) in-house-extracted blood clot samples using PCR. Our results suggest that kit-based methods may be less suitable for DNA extraction from blood clots, and that blood clot samples may be superior to tissues for Bartonella detection.
Inappropriate treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus flavus in susceptible pediatric patients: a case series
Authors: Hosseinikargar Neginsadat , Zarrinfar Hossein , Seyedi Seyed Javad , Mojtahedi Seyedeh Sabereh
Published: July 2024

Background

Pulmonary aspergillosis is a prevalent opportunistic fungal infection that can lead to mortality in pediatric patients with underlying immunosuppression. Appropriate and timely treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis can play a crucial role in reducing mortality among children admitted with suspected infections.

Case presentation

The present study reports three cases of inappropriate treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus flavus in two Iranian pediatric patients under investigation and one Afghan patient. Unfortunately, two of them died. The cases involved patients aged 9, 1.5, and 3 years. They had been diagnosed with pulmonary disorders, presenting nonspecific clinical signs and radiographic images suggestive of pneumonia. The identification of A. flavus was confirmed through DNA sequencing of the calmodulin (CaM) region.

Conclusion

A. flavus was the most prevalent cause of pulmonary aspergillosis in pediatric patients. Early diagnosis and accurate antifungal treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis could be crucial in reducing the mortality rate and also have significant potential for preventing other complications among children. Moreover, antifungal prophylaxis seems to be essential for enhancing survival in these patients.
Maximum likelihood inference for a class of discrete-time Markov switching time series models with multiple delays
Authors: Martínez-Ordoñez José. A. , López-Santiago Javier , Miguez Joaquín
Published: July 2024

Autoregressive Markov switching (ARMS) time series models are used to represent real-world signals whose dynamics may change over time. They have found application in many areas of the natural and social sciences, as well as in engineering. In general, inference in this kind of systems involves two problems: (a) detecting the number of distinct dynamical models that the signal may adopt and (b) estimating any unknown parameters in these models. In this paper, we introduce a new class of nonlinear ARMS time series models with delays that includes, among others, many systems resulting from the discretisation of stochastic delay differential equations (DDEs). Remarkably, this class includes cases in which the discretisation time grid is not necessarily aligned with the delays of the DDE, resulting in discrete-time ARMS models with real (non-integer) delays. The incorporation of real, possibly long, delays is a key departure compared to typical ARMS models in the literature. We describe methods for the maximum likelihood detection of the number of dynamical modes and the estimation of unknown parameters (including the possibly non-integer delays) and illustrate their application with a nonlinear ARMS model of El Niño–southern oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon.
Effectiveness of exercise training on arterial stiffness and blood pressure among postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yang Deshuang , Tao Shiyi , Shao Mingjing , Huang Li , Xiao Xiang , Zhang Jin , Yao Ruiqi , Sun Ziyi
Published: July 2024

Background

The acute and long-term benefits of exercise training on cardiovascular health have been well established. The systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to systematically assess the effectiveness of exercise training on arterial stiffness and blood pressure among postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov website from inception to September 30, 2023, to identify the randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which evaluated the effectiveness of exercise training on arterial stiffness and blood pressure in postmenopausal women. Standardized mean differences (SMD), weighted mean differences (WMD), and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random/fixed effects models. Quality assessment was performed using the modified Jadad scale and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were conducted based on drug dosage, treatment duration, and age of administration to further explore potential heterogeneity. Funnel plots were performed to assess publication bias and Begg’s regression test was carried out for funnel plot asymmetry.

Results

Twenty-two RCTs involving 1978 participants were included in the quantitative analysis. The mean quality of eligible studies was 4.2 out of 7 based on the modified Jadad scale. The results indicated that exercise training had a significant effect on reducing brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity [MD = − 0.69, 95%CI (− 1.11, − 0.27), P = 0.001], decreasing augmentation index (AIx) [MD = − 6.00, 95%CI (− 6.39, − 5.61), P < 0.00001] and AIx normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute (AIx@75%) [MD = − 7.01, 95%CI − 7.91 to − 6.12, P < 0.00001], lowering systolic blood pressure [MD = − 6.19, 95%CI − 9.24 to − 3.15, P < 0.0001], diastolic blood pressure [MD = − 3.57, 95%CI (− 6.10, − 1.03), P = 0.006) and pulse pressure [MD = − 8.52, 95%CI (− 16.27, − 0.76), P = 0.03]. Subgroup analysis revealed that baseline blood pressure levels had a large impact on the effect of exercise training.

Conclusions

The systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that exercise training may ameliorate arterial stiffness and reduce blood pressure in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure. However, the optimal mode of exercise training that improves arterial stiffness and blood pressure in this population requires further investigation.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42021211268
Global dynamics of a diffusive competitive Lotka–Volterra model with advection term and more general nonlinear boundary condition
Authors: Zhou Genjiao , Ma Li
Published: July 2024

We investigate a competitive diffusion–advection Lotka–Volterra model with more general nonlinear boundary condition. Based on some new ideas, techniques, and the theory of the principal spectral and monotone dynamical systems, we establish the influence of the following parameters on the dynamical behavior of system (1.2): advection rates $\alpha _{u}$

α
u

and $\alpha _{v}$

α
v

, interspecific competition intensities $c_{u}$

c
u

and $c_{v}$

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v

, the resources functions $r_{u}$

r
u

and $r_{v}$

r
v

of the two competitive species, and nonlinear boundary functions $g_{1}$

g
1

and $g_{2}$

g
2

. The models of (Tang and Chen in J. Differ. Equ. 269(2):1465–1483, 2020; Zhou and Zhao in J. Differ. Equ. 264:4176–4198, 2018) are particular cases of our results when $g_{i}\equiv const$

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i

≡
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o
n
s
t
for $i=1,2$
i
=
1
,
2
, and hence this paper extends some of the conclusions from (Tang and Chen in J. Differ. Equ. 269(2):1465–1483, 2020; Zhou and Zhao in J. Differ. Equ. 264:4176–4198, 2018).
Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG improves insulin sensitivity and offspring survival via modulation of gut microbiota and serum metabolite in a sow model
Authors: Gao Tianle , Li Ran , Hu Liang , Hu Quanfang , Wen Hongmei , Zhou Rui , Yuan Peiqiang , Zhang Xiaoling , Huang Lingjie , Zhuo Yong , Xu Shengyu , Lin Yan , Feng Bin , Che Lianqiang , Wu De , Fang Zhengfeng
Published: July 2024

Background

Sows commonly experience insulin resistance in late gestation and lactation, causing lower feed intake and milk production, which can lead to higher mortality rates in newborn piglets. The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) is known to improve insulin resistance. However, whether supplementing LGG can improve insulin sensitivity in sows and enhance lactation performance, particularly the early survival of offspring remains unclear. Hence, we explored the effects and mechanisms of supplementing LGG during late gestation and lactation on sow insulin sensitivity, lactation performance, and offspring survival. In total, 20 sows were randomly allocated to an LGG (n = 10) and control group (n = 10).

Results

In sows, LGG supplementation significantly improved insulin sensitivity during late gestation and lactation, increased feed intake, milk production and colostrum lactose levels in early lactation, and enhanced newborn piglet survival. Moreover, LGG treatment significantly reshaped the gut microbiota in sows, notably increasing microbiota diversity and enriching the relative abundance of insulin sensitivity-associated probiotics such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Bacteroides. Serum metabolite and amino acid profiling in late-gestation sows also revealed decreased branched-chain amino acid and kynurenine serum levels following LGG supplementation. Further analyses highlighted a correlation between mitigated insulin resistance in late pregnancy and lactation by LGG and gut microbiota reshaping and changes in serum amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, maternal LGG enhanced immunity in newborn piglets, reduced inflammation, and facilitated the establishment of a gut microbiota.

Conclusions

We provide the first evidence that LGG mitigates insulin resistance in sows and enhances offspring survival by modulating the gut microbiota and amino acid metabolism.
A naturalistic study of plasma lipid alterations in female patients with anorexia nervosa before and after weight restoration treatment
Authors: Hussain Alia Arif , Carlsson Jessica , Mortensen Erik Lykke , Hemmingsen Simone Daugaard , Bulik Cynthia M. , Støving René Klinkby , Sjögren Jan Magnus
Published: July 2024

Background

Plasma lipid concentrations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) seem to be altered.

Methods

We conducted a naturalistic study with 75 adult female patients with AN and 26 healthy female controls (HC). We measured plasma lipid profile, sex hormones and used self-report questionnaires at admission and discharge.

Results

Total cholesterol (median (IQR): 4.9 (1.2)) and triglycerides (TG) (1.2 (0.8)) were elevated in AN at admission (BMI 15.3 (3.4)) compared with HC (4.3 (0.7), p = 0.003 and 0.9 (0.3), p = 0.006) and remained elevated at discharge (BMI 18.9 (2.9)) after weight restoration treatment. Estradiol (0.05 (0.1)) and testosterone (0.5 (0.7)) were lower in AN compared with HC (0.3 (0.3), p =  < 0.001 and 0.8 (0.5), p = 0.03) and remained low at discharge. There was no change in eating disorder symptoms. Depression symptoms decreased (33 (17) to 30.5 (19), (p = 0.007)). Regression analyses showed that illness duration was a predictor of TG, age was a predictor of total cholesterol and LDL, while educational attainment predicted LDL and TG.

Conclusion

Lipid concentrations remained elevated following weight restoration treatment, suggesting an underlying, premorbid dysregulation in the lipid metabolism in AN that persists following weight restoration. Elevated lipid concentrations may be present prior to illness onset in AN.

Level of evidence: III

Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case–control analytic studies.
Pets at work: integrating pet-friendly initiatives into human resources for enhanced workplace harmony
Authors: Junça-Silva Ana , Galrito Marisa
Published: July 2024

Aims

The representation of companion animals, or pets, has been changing recently. Research concerning how pets influence employees’ work-related well-being has also started to take its first steps. This research aimed to analyze (1) how managers perceive pet-friendly practices and their main effects at work, and (2) the impact of such practices on employees’ well-being and work engagement. Relying on the social exchange perspective and the self-determination theory it was hypothesized that pet-friendly practices would positively influence employees’ well-being and work engagement by satisfying their three basic needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness).

Methodology

Two studies with mixed methods were conducted. The first and exploratory study resorted to semi-structured interviews with six managers. The second was a two-wave study conducted with a large sample of workers (N = 379).

Results

The first study highlighted the primary advantages and disadvantages of pet-friendly practices, along with the various obstacles and limitations, and proposed managerial strategies to overcome them. Managers generally expressed interest and enthusiasm about the topic but also pointed out challenges in implementing a pet-friendly strategy due to the limited number of empirical studies demonstrating its benefits. The second study’s findings indicated that pet-friendly practices positively impacted employees' work engagement and well-being by fulfilling their needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.

Originality

Overall, Portugal is seen as having a conservative culture, which slows the dissemination and implementation of these measures. To overcome these challenges, several managerial recommendations have been proposed. Raising awareness and fostering discussion on the topic are crucial steps toward integrating pet-friendly policies into human resources management.
Influences of internet access on civic knowledge measurement in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Chi-Chen , Tang Chia-Wei , Jin Kuan-Yu
Published: July 2024

Internet-related issues have influenced how civic knowledge is educated and measured. The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is a well-known large-scale assessment concerning how civic knowledge is educated and measured globally. Regardless of the emerging roles of internet access and usage, the influences of internet access on civic knowledge have yet to be investigated in ICCS research. Hence, this study aims to study whether the multiple-choice items in the civic knowledge test of ICCS 2016 are affected by internet access, what causes the effect, and to what degree Internet access influences the measurement. Results indicated that the ICCS civic knowledge test included six differential item functioning (DIF) items on internet access, of which five favored families with internet access, and one favored families without internet access. In addition, the primary source of DIF items was highly related to socioeconomic status. Overall, the students in families where the internet was available possessed higher civic knowledge than the students who were not. In conclusion, this study provides evidence of item inequivalence and identifies suspicious sources. These results can be used as a basis to investigate related research on digital learning, online teaching, and social media engagement in civic literacy.
New custom rating for improving recommendation system performance
Authors: Fahrudin Tora , Wijaya Dedy Rahman
Published: July 2024

Recommendation system is currently attracting the interest of many explorers. Various new businesses have surfaced with the rise of online marketing (E-Commerce) in response to Covid-19 pandemic. This phenomenon allows recommendation items through a system called Collaborative Filtering (CF), aiming to improve shopping experience of users. Typically, the effectiveness of CF relies on the precise identification of similar profile users by similarity algorithms. Traditional similarity measures are based on the user-item rating matrix. Approximately, four custom ratings (CR) were used along with a new rating formula, termed New Custom Rating (NCR), derived from the popularity of users and items in addition to the original rating. Specifically, NCR optimized recommendation system performance by using the popularity of users and items to determine new ratings value, rather than solely relying on the original rating. Additionally, the formulas improved the representativeness of the new rating values and the accuracy of similarity algorithm calculations. Consequently, the increased accuracy of recommendation system was achieved. The implementation of NCR across four CR algorithms and recommendation system using five public datasets was examined. Consequently, the experimental results showed that NCR significantly increased recommendation system accuracy, as evidenced by reductions in RMSE, MSE, and MAE as well as increasing FCP and Hit Rate. Moreover, by combining the popularity of users and items into rating calculations, NCR improved the accuracy of various recommendation system algorithms reducing RMSE, MSE, and MAE up to 62.10%, 53.62%, 65.97%, respectively, while also increasing FCP and Hit Rate up to 11.89% and 31.42%, respectively.
Chasing parts in quadrillion: applications of dynamical downscaling in atmospheric pollutant transport modelling during field campaigns
Authors: Poulidis Alexandros Panagiotis , Seemann Sarah-Lena , Schlager Hans , Vrekoussis Mihalis
Published: July 2024

Atmospheric transport and dispersion models (ATDMs) are widely used to study and forecast pollution events. In the frame of the “Effect of Megacities on the transport and transformation of pollutants on the regional to global scales” (EMeRGe) project, ATDM forecasts were carried out to identify potential airborne sampling areas of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emanating from controlled PFC releases. The forecasts involved short-distance transport over small-scale topographic maxima (Manilla; Philippines), short-distance transport over large-scale topographic maxima (Taipei, Taiwan) and long-distance transport over mixed topography (Nanjing, China, sampled over Taiwan). In situ aircraft measurements of PFC mixing ratios down to a few parts per quadrillion (ppqv) provide us with a unique dataset to explore the added benefits of dynamical downscaling. Transport simulations were repeated using FLEXPART driven by ERA5 and IFS meteorological data and FLEXPART-WRF with dynamically downscaled IFS data down to 1.1 km and four PBL parametrisations. Of the three cases studied, dynamical downscaling led to significant differences for the Manilla and Taipei releases that can be interpreted through changes in the modelled orographic flow regimes. The choice of PBL scheme also significantly impacted accuracy, but there was no systematically better-performing option, highlighting the benefits of ensemble forecasting. Results show how convergence and divergence between ensemble members can be utilised to help decision-making during field campaigns. This study highlights the role that dynamical downscaling can play as an important component in campaign planning when dealing with observations over orographically complex areas.
A practical method for measuring planar spatial resolution with scatter on a CZT gamma camera
Authors: Barrau Corinne , Tylski Perrine
Published: July 2024

Purpose

This study proposes a practical method for evaluating 2D spatial resolution with scatter on a CZT planar detector gamma camera, which is simpler and faster than the NEMA method. It is used to characterize the influence of distance on spatial resolution FWHM on a CZT camera equipped with a WEHR collimator.

Methods

The practical method uses linear sources tilted with respect to the detector axes. The spatial resolution full width at half maximum (FWHM) with four tilt angles was compared to the FWHM evaluated using the NEMA NU1-2018 method. Spatial resolution FWHM was also assessed with tilted sources acquired at distances of 0 to 20 cm using a single angle, with and without the post-processing image enhancement proposed by the manufacturer.

Results

Estimated spatial resolution FWHM with tilted sources was close to the spatial resolution FWHM estimated at 7.63 mm by the NEMA method, with deviations ranging from − 5.62 to 4.59% at 10 cm depending on the angle considered. The study of spatial resolution FWHM dependence on distance indicates that, for distances less than 3 cm, the FWHM no longer decreases with distance. The manufacturer’s post-processing reduces the FWHM by an average of 15%.

Conclusion

The practical method is quicker to implement and gives comparable results to the NEMA reference method for spatial resolution FWHM. Evaluation of spatial resolution with linear sources at short distances from the collimator is limited by the collimator effect and signal digitization. The tilted source method can be used to measure spatial resolution quickly and easily under clinical conditions for CZT planar cameras.