bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Standardization of regulatory nodes for engineering heterologous gene expression: a feasibility study
Authors: Nikel Pablo I. , Benedetti Ilaria , Wirth Nicolas T. , de Lorenzo Víctor , Calles Belén
Published: April 2022

The potential of LacI/Ptrc, XylS/Pm, AlkS/PalkB, CprK/PDB3 and ChnR/PchnB regulatory nodes, recruited from both Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria, as the source of parts for formatting expression cargoes following the Standard European Vector Architecture (SEVA) has been examined. The five expression devices, which cover most known regulatory configurations in bacteria were assembled within exactly the same plasmid backbone and bearing the different functional segments arrayed in an invariable DNA scaffold. Their performance was then analysed in an Escherichia coli strain of reference through the readout of a fluorescence reporter gene that contained strictly identical translation signal elements. This approach allowed us to describe and compare the cognate expression systems with quantitative detail. The constructs under scrutiny diverged considerably in their capacity, expression noise, inducibility and ON/OFF ratios. Inspection of such a variance exposed the different constraints that rule the optimal arrangement of functional DNA segments in each case. The data highlighted also the ease of standardizing inducer‐responsive devices subject to transcriptional activation as compared to counterparts based on repressors. The study resulted in a defined collection of formatted expression cargoes lacking any cross talk while offering a panoply of choices to potential users and help interoperability of the specific constructs.
Economic Critical Resources for the Industrial Exploitation of Natural Gas Hydrate
Authors: CHEN Xuejun , LU Hailong , ZHANG Jiecheng , YE Jianliang , XIE Wenwei
Published: April 2022

Since the implementation of several pilot production tests were in natural gas hydrate (NGH) reservoirs in terrestrial and marine settings, the study of NGH has entered a new stage of technological development for industrial exploitation. Prior to the industrial exploitation of any given NGH reservoir, the economic feasibility should be examined. The first step of economic evaluation of a NGH reservoir is to know whether its resource amount meets the requirement for industrial exploitation. Unfortunately, few relevant studies have been conducted in this regard. In this study, the net present value (NPV) method is employed to estimate the economic critical resources required for the industrial exploitation of NGHs under different production scenarios. Sensitivity analysis is also performed in order to specify the effects of key factors, such as the number of production wells, gas price, technological improvement and tax incentive, on the economic critical resources. The results indicate that China requires the lowest economic critical resource for a NGH reservoir to be industrially exploited, ranging from 3.62 to 24.02 billion m3 methane. Changes in gas price and tax incentives also play significant roles in affecting the threshold and timeline for the industrial exploitation of NGH.
Geochemical Characteristics and Gas‐to‐Gas Correlation of Two Leakage‐type Gas Hydrate Accumulations in the Western Qiongdongnan Basin, South China Sea
Authors: LAI Hongfei , QIU Haijun , LIANG Jinqiang , KUANG Zenggui , FANG Yunxin , REN Jinfeng , LU Jing'an
Published: April 2022

In recent years, a series of highly saturated leakage‐type gas hydrates have been discovered in the western Qiongdongnan Basin (QDNB), South China Sea. Based on the molecular compositional and isotopic characteristics of the gas samples relevant to the gas hydrates collected from the two leakage‐type gas hydrate accumulations in the GMGS5 and GMGS6 drilling zones, a detailed geochemical gas‐to‐gas correlation was conducted in this study, in order to further understand the geochemical characteristics and possible hydrocarbon sources of these gas hydrates. The natural gas relevant to the gas hydrates in the GMGS5 block is characterized by wet gas (67.96% < %C1 < 98.58%, C1/C1+ < 0.9) and significant molecular and carbon isotope fractionation within the depth profile, whereas the gas samples from the GMGS6 block exhibit the characteristics of dry gas (99.25% < %C1 < 99.81%, C1/C1+ > 0.9) and lack molecular and carbon isotope fractionation. Approximately 40%–60% of the methane within the gas hydrate is of microbial origin, while the C2+ gas components are typical coal‐type gas that are derived from thermogenic source rocks or deeply‐buried natural gas fields. In addition, typical in situ primary microbial methane (–80.6‰ < δ13C‐C1 < −67.7‰) was discovered in well Wb, which was applied to estimate the contribution of the microbial gas to the gas hydrates. The gas‐to‐gas correlation results show that the hydrate gases within the two leakage‐type gas hydrate accumulations in the GMGS5 and GMGS6 blocks are geochemically different, suggesting that they may have been derived from different source kitchens. Our results further indicate that the deeply‐buried thermogenic gas significantly contributed to the shallowly‐buried gas hydrates in the western QDNB and multiple effective thermogenic source kitchens provided the hydrocarbon gas in the gas hydrate accumulations.
New problems of environmental ecology: ticks and tick‐borne pathogens in city parks of Ukraine
Authors: Kolomiiets Valentyna , Rakowska Patrycja , Rymaszewska Anna
Published: April 2022

City parks of Vinnytsia, Ukraine, were examined for the occurrence of host‐seeking ticks and collected specimens were examined for presence of rickettsial pathogens. In the summer season, the only collected individuals were Dermacentor reticulatus adults (n = 203). DNA identification of pathogens was conducted with the use of 16S rRNA gene amplification. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of Rickettsia raoultii in ticks from all parks, with infection prevalence ranging from 5% to 68% across parks. These results indicate that city parks in Vinnytsia have become a new habitat for ticks of high medical and veterinary importance. Due to the risk of acquiring tick‐borne pathogens, the urban environment such as parks and home gardens, should be monitored for the presence of ticks and their infection with human pathogens. Screening of these areas is an important preventive element of environmental epidemiology.
Identification of imprinted genes in the skeletal muscle of newborn piglets by high‐throughput sequencing
Authors: Hou Xinhua , Wang Zishuai , Shi Liangyu , Wang Ligang , Zhao Fuping , Liu Xin , Gao Hongmei , Shi Lijun , Yan Hua , Wang Lixian , Zhang Longchao
Published: April 2022

Imprinted genes – exhibiting parent‐specific transcription – play essential roles in the process of mammalian development and growth. Skeletal muscle growth is crucial for meat production. To further understand the role of imprinted genes during the porcine skeletal muscle growth, DNA‐seq and RNA‐seq were used to explore the characteristics of imprinted genes from porcine reciprocal crosses. A total of 584 545 single‐nucleotide variations were discovered in the DNA‐seq data of F0 parents, heterozygous in two pig breeds (Yorkshire and Min pigs) but homozygous in each breed. These single‐nucleotide variations were used to determine the allelic‐specific expression in F1 individuals. Finally, eight paternal expression sites and three maternal expression sites were detected, whereas two paternally expressed imprinted genes (NDN and IGF2) and one maternally expressed imprinted gene (H1‐3) were validated by Sanger sequencing. DNA methylation regulates the expression of imprinted genes, and all of the identified imprinted genes in this study were predicted to possess CpG islands. PBX1 and YY1 binding motifs were discovered in the promoter regions of all three imprinted genes, which were candidate elements regulating the transcription of imprinted genes. For these identified imprinted genes, IGF2 and NDN promoted muscle growth whereas H1‐3 inhibited cell proliferation, corroborating the ‘parental conflict’ theory that paternally expressed imprinted genes assisted descendants’ growth whereas maternally expressed imprinted genes inhibited it. This study discovered porcine imprinted genes in skeletal muscle and was the first to reveal that H1‐3 was expressed by the maternal allele to our knowledge. Our findings provided valuable resources for the potential utilization of imprinted genes in pig breeding.
Phase 1 safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics results of a long‐acting C‐type natriuretic peptide prodrug, TransCon CNP
Authors: Breinholt Vibeke Miller , Mygind Per Holse , Christoffersen Eva Dam , Zhang Ying , Ota Sho , Will Charlton R. , Viuff Dorthe
Published: April 2022

Aim

TransCon CNP is a novel prodrug designed to provide sustained release of C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) for once‐weekly therapy, addressing the pathology leading to aberrant skeletal development in achondroplasia. This phase 1 trial was initiated to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) of TransCon CNP.

Methods

This randomized, placebo‐controlled, single‐ascending dose phase 1 trial was performed at two sites in Australia and enrolled 45 healthy adult males. Subjects received placebo or TransCon CNP (single‐ascending dose cohorts [3, 10, 25, 75 or 150 μg CNP/kg]). The primary endpoint was frequency of adverse events and other safety outcomes. Other endpoints included PK and PD measured by cyclic guanosine‐monophosphate (cGMP) and amino‐terminal propeptide of CNP (NTproCNP).

Results

TransCon CNP provided continuous systemic exposure to CNP over at least 7 days post‐dose. Plasma and urine levels of cGMP were significantly increased in subjects administered TransCon CNP at 75‐150 μg CNP/kg, indicating target engagement of active CNP at the natriuretic peptide receptor‐B (NPR‐B) for at least 1 week post‐dose. TransCon CNP was well‐tolerated, with no serious treatment‐emergent adverse events or discontinuations. Extensive cardiac safety assessments did not reveal any clinically relevant effects on electrocardiogram parameters, including heart rate, PR, QRS and QTcF intervals.

Conclusions

Safety and PD data from this phase 1 trial support that TransCon CNP is well tolerated, with a PK profile compatible with a once‐weekly dosing regimen. Further studies are ongoing to evaluate the potential of TransCon CNP to positively impact abnormal endochondral ossification in children with achondroplasia.
Data privacy on the African continent: Opportunities, challenges and implications for learning analytics
Authors: Prinsloo Paul , Kaliisa Rogers
Published: April 2022

Whilst learning analytics is still nascent in most African higher education institutions, many African higher education institutions use learning platforms and analytic services from providers outside of the African continent. A critical consideration of the protection of data privacy on the African continent and its implications for learning analytics in African higher education is therefore needed. In this paper, we map the current state of legal and regulatory environments and frameworks on privacy to establish their implications for learning analytics. This scoping review of privacy regulations in 32 African countries, complemented by 15 scholarly papers, revealed that there are numerous national and regional legislation and regulatory frameworks, providing clear pointers pertaining to (student) data privacy to governments, higher education institutions and researchers. As such, the findings of this research have implications for African higher education to ensure not only legal compliance but also to oversee and safeguard student data privacy as part of their fiduciary duty. This research provides crucial insights regarding the importance of context for thinking about the expansion and institutional adoption of learning analytics.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

Personal data have become commodified and are regarded as a valuable commercial asset.

The commercial value of data relies on the collection and analysis of increasing volumes, granularity, variety and velocity of personal data (both identifiable and aggregated).

Africa and African higher education are regarded as new data frontiers to be exploited.

What this paper adds

This paper, for the first time, makes an attempt to map privacy legislation and academic research on (student) data privacy in the African continent.

Maps key implications for African higher educations to consider in collecting, analysing, using and sharing student data.

It provides pointers for a research agenda pertaining to student data privacy on the African continent.

Implications for practice and/or policy

African higher education institutions should consider student data privacy when entering into service level agreements with educational technology and platform providers.

African governments should develop common data sharing frameworks to facilitate cross‐border data transfer.

Current African data privacy legislation provides important implications for the adoption and institutionalisation of learning analytics.

African higher education also has to consider the ethical aspects of learning analytics.
Serotonin transporter in the temporal lobe, hippocampus and amygdala in SUDEP
Authors: Patodia Smriti , Somani Alyma , Liu Joan , Cattaneo Alice , Paradiso Beatrice , Garcia Maria , Othman Muhammad , Diehl Beate , Devinsky Orrin , Mills James D. , Foong Jackie , Thom Maria
Published: April 2022

Several lines of evidence link deficient serotonin function and SUDEP. Chronic treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) reduces ictal central apnoea, a risk factor for SUDEP. Reduced medullary serotonergic neurones, modulators of respiration in response to hypercapnia, were reported in a SUDEP post‐mortem series. The amygdala and hippocampus have high serotonergic innervation and are functionally implicated in seizure‐related respiratory dysregulation. We explored serotonergic networks in mesial temporal lobe structures in a surgical and post‐mortem epilepsy series in relation to SUDEP risk. We stratified 75 temporal lobe epilepsy patients with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE/HS) into high (N = 16), medium (N = 11) and low risk (N = 48) groups for SUDEP based on generalised seizure frequency. We also included the amygdala in 35 post‐mortem cases, including SUDEP (N = 17), epilepsy controls (N = 10) and non‐epilepsy controls (N = 8). The immunohistochemistry labelling index (LI) and axonal length (AL) of serotonin transporter (SERT)‐positive axons were quantified in 13 regions of interest with image analysis. SERT LI was highest in amygdala and subiculum regions. In the surgical series, higher SERT LI was observed in high risk than low risk cases in the dentate gyrus, CA1 and subiculum (p < 0.05). In the post‐mortem cases higher SERT LI and AL was observed in the basal and accessory basal nuclei of the amygdala and peri‐amygdala cortex in SUDEP compared to epilepsy controls (p < 0.05). Patients on SRI showed higher SERT in the dentate gyrus (p < 0.005) and CA4 (p < 0.05) but there was no difference in patients with or without a psychiatric history. Higher SERT in hippocampal subfields in TLE/HS cases with SUDEP risk factors and higher amygdala SERT in post‐mortem SUDEP cases than epilepsy controls supports a role for altered serotonergic networks involving limbic regions in SUDEP. This may be of functional relevance through reduced 5‐HT availability.
Epiphytic ant‐plant obtains nitrogen from both native and invasive ant inhabitants
Authors: Volp Trevor M. , Cernusak Lucas A. , Lach Lori
Published: April 2022

Ant‐plants have been extensively used as model systems in the study of the evolution and ecology of mutualisms. Using a 15N isotope labeling experiment, we found that both a native ant mutualist (Philidris cordata) and an invasive ant (Pheidole megacephala) provide nitrogen to the Australian ant‐plant Myrmecodia beccarii.
Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large‐scale randomized controlled trial in China
Authors: Jiang Qi , Dill Sarah‐Eve , Sylvia Sean , Singh Manpreet K. , She Xinshu , Wang Eric , Medina Alexis , Rozelle Scott
Published: April 2022

This study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center‐based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster‐randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (Mage = 36.87 years old) of 6‐ to 24‐month‐old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver‐reported mental health symptoms after 1 year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogeneous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother vs. grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health.
An equity lens on behavioral science for conservation
Authors: Crosman Katherine M. , Jurcevic Ines , Van Holmes Carlin , Hall Crystal C. , Allison Edward H.
Published: April 2022

In recent decades, interest in and application of behavioral insights to conservation theory and practice have expanded significantly. Yet the growth of integrated strategies to adapt and guide human behavior in service of conservation outcomes has included limited engagement with questions of equity and power. Here we examine the use of behavioral approaches in conservation efforts, emphasizing potential misapplications that may result from omitting equity and power considerations. Such omission may lead to an overemphasis on the role of individual behaviors relative to system‐level drivers of biodiversity loss, result in misalignment between behavioral interventions and the actual drivers of behavior in situ, and incur unanticipated negative social welfare and distributional costs, all of which may undermine conservation success. We offer recommendations for centering equity when applying behavioral insights to conservation, including strategies for high‐level agenda setters (scholars, advocates, funders and programmatic leaders) as well as conservation practitioners. The urgent need for biodiversity conservation is insufficient reason to side‐step equity and power considerations; we contend that centering equity is consistent with this urgency and key for developing sustainable conservation theory and practice.
Effects of dapagliflozin on volume status and systemic haemodynamics in patients with chronic kidney disease without diabetes: Results from DAPASALT and DIAMOND
Authors: Sen Taha , Scholtes Rosalie , Greasley Peter J. , Cherney David Z. I. , Dekkers Claire C. J. , Vervloet Marc , Danser Alexander H. J. , Barbour Sean J. , Karlsson Cecilia , Hammarstedt Ann , Li Qiang , Laverman Gozewijn D. , Bjornstad Petter , van Raalte Daniel H. , Heerspink Hiddo J. L.
Published: April 2022

Aims

To assess the effect of sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on natriuresis, blood pressure (BP) and volume status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) without diabetes.

Materials and methods

We performed a mechanistic open‐label study (DAPASALT) to evaluate the effects of dapagliflozin on 24‐hour sodium excretion, 24‐hour BP, extracellular volume, and markers of volume status during a standardized sodium diet (150 mmol/d) in six patients with CKD. In parallel, in a placebo‐controlled double‐blind crossover trial (DIAMOND), we determined the effects of 6 weeks of dapagliflozin on markers of volume status in 53 patients with CKD.

Results

In DAPASALT (mean age 65 years, mean estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 39.4 mL/min/1.73 m2, median urine albumin:creatinine ratio [UACR] 111 mg/g), dapagliflozin did not change 24‐hour sodium and volume excretion during 2 weeks of treatment. Dapagliflozin was associated with a modest increase in 24‐hour glucose excretion on Day 4, which persisted at Day 14 and reversed to baseline after discontinuation. Mean 24‐hour systolic BP decreased by −9.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] −19.1, 0.4) mmHg after 4 days and was sustained at Day 14 and at wash‐out. Renin, angiotensin II, urinary aldosterone and copeptin levels increased from baseline. In DIAMOND (mean age 51 years, mean eGFR 59.0 mL/min/1.73 m2, median UACR 608 mg/g), compared to placebo, dapagliflozin increased plasma renin (38.5 [95% CI 7.4, 78.8]%), aldosterone (19.1 [95% CI −5.9, 50.8]%), and copeptin levels (7.3 [95% CI 0.1, 14.5] pmol/L).

Conclusions

During a standardized sodium diet, dapagliflozin decreased BP but did not increase 24‐hour sodium and volume excretion. The lack of increased natriuresis and diuresis may be attributed to activation of intra‐renal compensatory mechanisms to prevent excessive water loss.
Trends in functional composition of small mammal communities across millennial time scales
Authors: VanBuren Collin S. , Jarzyna Marta A.
Published: April 2022

Rich fossil deposits of the late Quaternary help us understand responses of biodiversity to global change and thus predict the future of ecosystems. Studies from the late Quaternary, however, are often limited taxonomically, geographically (often one site), and by their use of largely taxon‐based metrics that do not inform about ecosystem‐level consequences of biodiversity change. Here, we compare change in functional composition of small mammal communities at El Mirón Cave (Spain) and Samwell Cave (California, USA) across the last 22 000 years, and examine their relationships with climate and vegetation. We find opposing temporal trends between the two locations. European small mammal communities occupied increasingly greater trait space, driven by increases in arboreal granivory and frugivory as ground‐dwelling herbivory declined toward the late Holocene. North American communities occupied smaller trait space as ground‐level foraging and insectivory increased and arboreal herbivory and mean body mass declined. Our results point to the importance of the interaction between climate change and vegetation shifts for explaining changes in small mammal functional diversity, through their synergistic impacts on individual traits. Specifically, increasing temperature across both continents likely led to increases in nocturnal activity and declines in assemblage mean body mass, while transition to mixed forest (El Mirón) or open woodland (Samwell) resulted in increasing structural complexity of vegetation that potentially supported more diverse community‐level dietary characteristics. These results demonstrate the ability of a trait‐based approach to identify how environmental variables correlate with changes in community functional composition through time and gain insight into the potential consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning.
Current perspectives on mitochondrial dysfunction in migraine
Authors: Bohra Shraman Kumar , Achar Raghu Ram , Chidambaram Saravana Babu , Pellegrino Christophe , Laurin Jerome , Masoodi Mojgan , Srinivasan Asha
Published: April 2022

Mitochondria are an autonomous organelle that plays a crucial role in the metabolic aspects of a cell. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) and fluctuations in the cerebral blood flow have for long been mechanisms underlying migraine. It is a neurovascular disorder with a unilateral manifestation of disturbing, throbbing and pulsating head pain. Migraine affects 2.6% and 21.7% of the general population and is the major cause of partial disability in the age group 15–49. Higher mutation rates, imbalance in concentration of physiologically relevant molecules and oxidative stress biomarkers have been the main themes of discussion in determining the role of mitochondrial disability in migraine. The correlation of migraine with other disorders like hemiplegic migraine; mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke‐like episodes [MELAS]; tension‐type headache (TTH); cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), ischaemic stroke; and hypertension has helped in the assessment of the physiological and morphogenetic basis of migraine. Here, we have reviewed the different nuances of mitochondrial dysfunction and migraine. The different mtDNA polymorphisms that can affect the generation and transmission of nerve impulse has been highlighted and supported with research findings. In addition to this, the genetic basis of migraine pathogenesis as a consequence of mutations in nuclear DNA that can, in turn, affect the synthesis of defective mitochondrial proteins is discussed along with a brief overview of epigenetic profile. This review gives an overview of the pathophysiology of migraine and explores mitochondrial dysfunction as a potential underlying mechanism. Also, therapeutic supplements for managing migraine have been discussed at different junctures in this paper.
Of home‐comings and home‐scales: Reframing return migration through a multiscalar understanding of home
Authors: Pérez Murcia Luis Eduardo , Boccagni Paolo
Published: April 2022

Is return migration a form of ‘homecoming’, as common sense would have it? While increasing research has addressed both its determinants and the underlying lived experience, still lacking is a systematic revisit of return through the prism of home studies. Based on a multiscalar approach to home and on our fieldwork into Ecuadorian migration, we explore return as a life transition between separate geographic spaces and biographical times; in essence, as an ongoing interplay between different views, forms and scales of home. What potential returnees construct as home, how different this is from the past, and on what spatial and temporal scales they (re)locate their sense of home, are all critical influences on their return orientations and practices. Overall, little generalization can be made about the shifting temporalities and spatialities of return migration. Nonetheless, reconstructing the attendant (re)locations of home affords a more nuanced and sensitive understanding of it.
Outcomes and risk factors of death among hospitalized children and adolescents with obesity and COVID‐19 in Brazil: An analysis of a nationwide database
Authors: Simões e Silva Ana Cristina , Vasconcelos Mariana A. , Colosimo Enrico A. , Mendonça Ana Carmen Q. , Martelli‐Júnior Hercílio , Silva Ludmila R. , Oliveira Maria Christina L. , Pinhati Clara C. , Mak Robert H. , Oliveira Eduardo A.
Published: April 2022

Background

Obesity is a well‐recognized risk factor for critical illness and death among adult patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Objective

This study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes and risk factors of death related to obesity in a cohort of hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID‐19.

Methods

We performed an analysis of all paediatric patients with obesity and COVID‐19 registered in SIVEP‐Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 2020 and May 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated by using cumulative incidence function.

Results

Among 21 591 hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID‐19, 477 cases (2.2%) had obesity. Of them, 71 (14.9%) had a fatal outcome as compared with 7.5% for patients without obesity (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59–2.53, p < 0.001). After adjustment, the factors associated with death among patients with obesity were female gender (HR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.70–4.61), oxygen saturation < 95% (HR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.38–4.79), presence of one (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.11–3.26), and two or more comorbidities (HR = 4.0, 95% CI 2.21–7.56).

Conclusions

Children and adolescents with obesity had higher risk of death compared with those without obesity. The higher risk of death was associated with female gender, low oxygen saturation at admission, and presence of other comorbidities.
Associations between maternal obesity and offspring gut microbiome in the first year of life
Authors: Gilley Stephanie P. , Ruebel Meghan L. , Sims Clark , Zhong Ying , Turner Donald , Lan Renny S. , Pack Lindsay M. , Piccolo Brian D. , Chintapalli Sree V. , Abraham Ann , Bode Lars , Andres Aline , Shankar Kartik
Published: April 2022

Background

Maternal obesity is an important determinant of offspring obesity risk, which may be mediated via changes in the infant microbiome.

Objectives

We examined infant faecal microbiome, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA), and maternal human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) in mothers with overweight/obese body mass index (BMI) (OW) compared with normal weight (NW) (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01131117).

Methods

Infant stool samples at 1, 6, and 12 months were analysed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Maternal (BODPOD) and infant (quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance [QMR]) adiposity were measured. HMOs at 2 months postpartum and faecal SCFAs at 1 month were also assessed. Statistical analyses included multivariable and mixed linear models for assessment of microbiome diversity, composition, and associations of taxonomic abundance with metabolic and anthropometric variables.

Results

At 1 month, offspring of women with obesity had lower abundance of SCFA‐producing bacteria (including Ruminococcus and Turicibacter) and lower faecal butyric acid levels. Lachnospiraceae abundance was lower in OW group at 6 months, and infant fat mass was negatively associated with the levels of Sutterella. Gradient boosting machine models indicated that higher α‐diversity and specific microbial taxa at 1 month predicted elevated adiposity at 12 months with overall accuracy of 76.5%. Associations between maternal HMO concentrations and infant bacterial taxa differed between NW and OW groups.

Conclusions

Elevated maternal BMI is associated with relative depletion of butyrate‐producing microbes and faecal butyrate in the early infant faecal microbiome. Overall microbial richness may aid in prediction of elevated adiposity in later infancy.
Danger, risk and anti‐predator behavior in the life history of long‐distance migratory sandpipers
Authors: Ydenberg Ronald C. , Tavera Eveling A. , Lank David B.
Published: April 2022

Two recent and independent studies both estimate substantially lower survival rates of semipalmated Calidris pusilla than of western C. mauri sandpipers, consistent with the pronounced multi‐decade population decline of the former. Migratory danger has climbed steadily for both these long‐distance migrants since the mid‐1970s as the number of peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus increased. These predators are present on the Pacific flyway as co‐migrants and are a natural (though now more abundant) feature of western sandpiper southbound migrations. Adjustments to migratory speed, timing and routing enable them to mitigate the danger. On the Atlantic flyway peregrines were introduced and breeding populations established in the 1980s at key staging areas, creating a novel hazard for southbound semipalmated sandpipers. Adjustments to migratory timing and speed do not aid in eluding such resident predators, and alternative routes are not available. Semipalmated sandpipers as a consequence have few effective defenses to counter this heightened danger, and we hypothesize that migratory mortality has increased, making over‐summering (i.e. skipping a breeding season) more advantageous. The risk effects (i.e. the consequent reduction in population growth rate) so generated are substantial, and may be able to account for a large portion of the population decline.
The development of the extravascular defibrillator with substernal lead placement: A new Frontier for device‐based treatment of sudden cardiac arrest
Authors: Thompson Amy E. , Atwater Brett , Boersma Lucas , Crozier Ian , Engel Gregory , Friedman Paul , Rod Gimbel J. , Knight Bradley P. , Manlucu Jaimie , Murgatroyd Francis , O'Donnell David , Kuschyk Juergen , DeGroot Paul
Published: April 2022

Introduction

The extravascular implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (EV ICD) system with substernal lead placement is a novel nontransvenous alternative to current commercially available ICD systems. The EV ICD provides defibrillation and pacing therapies without the potential long‐term complications of endovascular lead placement but requires a new procedure for implantation with a safety profile under evaluation.

Methods

This paper summarizes the development of the EV ICD, including the preclinical and clinical evaluations that have contributed to the system and procedural refinements to date.

Results

Extensive preclinical research evaluations and four human clinical studies with >140 combined acute and chronic implants have enabled the development and refinement of the EV ICD system, currently in worldwide pivotal study.

Conclusion

The EV ICD may represent a clinically valuable solution in protecting patients from sudden cardiac death while avoiding the long‐term consequences of transvenous hardware. The EV ICD offers advantages over transvenous and subcutaneous systems by avoiding placement in the heart and vasculature; relative to subcutaneous systems, EV ICD requires less energy for defibrillation, enabling a smaller device, and provides pacing features such as antitachycardia and asystole pacing in a single system.
Prognostic significance of gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase to albumin ratio in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after hepatectomy
Authors: Li Hui , Liu Rongqiang , Li Jiawang , Li Jiaxin , Wu Hong , Wang Genshu , Li Zhenhua , Li Dewei
Published: April 2022

Inflammation has been reported to play an important role in tumour progression and prognosis. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic significance of γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) to albumin ratio (GAR) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) after hepatectomy. We retrospectively analysed 650 ICC patients underwent hepatectomy at three Chinese medical centres between January 2009 and September 2017. Patients were classified into derivation cohort (n = 509) and validation cohort (n = 141). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut‐off value for GAR. Survival curve and cox regression analysis were applied to assess the prognostic power of GAR. The prognostic accuracy of GAR was compared with other variables by ROC curve. The optimal cut‐off value for GAR was 1.3655. Preoperative high GAR was closely related to tumour number, lymph node invasion and GGT. The survival curve of derivation and validation cohorts showed that patients in the high GAR group had significantly shorter overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) than patients in the low GAR group. Multivariate analysis in the derivation cohort confirmed that GAR was an independent prognostic factor for survival outcomes. Moreover, the ROC curve revealed that GAR had better predictive accuracy than other variables. High GAR predicted poor OS and DFS in ICC patients after hepatectomy. GAR may be a novel, simple and effective prognostic marker for ICC patients.
Score Comparability between Online Proctored and In‐Person Credentialing Exams
Authors: Jones Paul , Tong Ye , Liu Jinghua , Borglum Joshua , Primoli Vince
Published: April 2022

This article studied two methods to detect mode effects in two credentialing exams. In Study 1, we used a “modal scale comparison approach,” where the same pool of items was calibrated separately, without transformation, within two TC cohorts (TC1 and TC2) and one OP cohort (OP1) matched on their pool‐based scale score distributions. The calibrations from all three groups were used to score the TC2 cohort, designated the validation sample. The TC1 item parameters and TC1‐based thetas and pass rates were more like the native TC2 values than the OP1‐based values, indicating mode effects, but the score and pass/fail decision differences were small. In Study 2, we used a “cross‐modal repeater approach” in which test takers who failed their first attempt in one modality took the test again in either the same or different modality. The two pairs of repeater groups (TC → TC: TC → OP, and OP → OP: OP → TC) were matched exactly on their first attempt scores. Results showed increased pass rate and greater score variability in all conditions involving OP, with mode effects noticeable in both the TC → OP condition and less‐strongly in the OP → TC condition. Limitations of the study and implications for exam developers were discussed.
Large and expensive brain comes with a short lifespan: The relationship between brain size and longevity among fish taxa
Authors: Stark Gavin
Published: April 2022

Vertebrates show substantial interspecific variation in brain size in relation to body mass. It has long been recognized that the evolution of large brains is associated with both costs and benefits, and it is their net benefit which should be favoured by natural selection. On one hand, the substantial energetic cost imposed by the maintenance of neural tissue is expected to compromise the energetic budget of organisms with large brains and their investment in other critical organs (expensive brain framework, EBF) or important physiological process, such as somatic maintenance and repair, thus accelerating ageing that shortens lifespan, as predicted by the disposable soma theory (DST). However, selection towards larger brain size can provide cognitive benefits (e.g., high behavioural flexibility) that may mitigate extrinsic mortality pressures, and thus may indirectly select for slower ageing that prolongs lifespan, as predicted by the cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH). The relationship between longevity and brain size has been investigated to date only among terrestrial vertebrates, although the same selective forces acting on those species may also affect vertebrates living in aquatic habitats, such as fish. Thus, whether this evolutionary trade‐off for brain size and longevity exists on a large scale among fish clades remains to be addressed. In this study, using a global dataset of 407 fish species, I undertook the first phylogenetic test of the brain size/longevity relationship in aquatic vertebrate species. The study revealed a negative relationship between brain size and longevity among cartilaginous fish confirming EBF and DST. However, no pattern emerged among bony fish species. Among sharks and rays, the high metabolic cost of producing neural tissue transcends the cognitive benefits of evolving a larger brain. Consequently, my findings suggest that the cost of maintaining brain tissue is relatively higher in ectothermic species than in endothermic ones.
Feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection for cecal tumors involving the ileocecal valve or appendiceal orifice
Authors: Hotta Kinichi , Osera Shozo , Shinoki Kei , Imai Kenichiro , Ito Sayo , Yamaguchi Yuichiro , Kishida Yoshihiro , Takada Kazunori , Ono Hiroyuki
Published: April 2022

Background and Aim

Endoscopic resection of the ileocecal valve lesions (ICVL) and peri‐appendiceal orifice lesions (PAOL), is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for ICVLs and PAOLs compared with other cecal lesions (OCEL).

Methods

This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study conducted at a cancer center hospital and two community hospitals. Non‐pedunculated cecal lesions that were intended to be treated by ESD followed by at least one surveillance colonoscopy were included. The main outcome was curative resection defined as en‐bloc resection and R0 resection without risk factors of metastases. The secondary outcome was co lon preservation.

Results

A total of 206 patients with 206 cecal lesions, including 37 ICVL, 27 PAOL, and 142 OCEL, who were to be treated with ESD were included in this study. Curative resection rates were 75.7% for ICVL, 70.4% for PAOL, and 77.5% for OCEL (P = 0.67). In the multivariate analysis of predictors of curative resection, tumor size (<40 mm) (odds ratio [OR] 2.40; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.14–5.04; P = 0.02) and a negative non‐lifting sign (OR 6.12; 95% CI, 2.55–14.60; P < 0.01) were significant. Colon preservation was achieved for 91.9% of the ICVL, 92.6% of the PAOL, and 90.8% of the OCEL (P = 0.947).

Conclusions

Based on curative resection and colon preservation rates, ESD was found to be feasible for ICVL and PAOL. Large tumor size (≥ 40 mm) and positive non‐lifting signs were significant factors for non‐curative resection.
Development, characterization, and clinical investigation of Spinacia oleracea‐based ultra‐high pressure homogenized emulsion system for facial physiological parameters
Authors: Saleem Ayesha , Jamil Qazi Adnan , Khan Haji Muhammad Shoaib , Ijaz Shakeel
Published: April 2022

Background

Spinacia oleracea (SO) exhibits radical scavenging and tyrosinase inhibition activity indicating potential as a depigmenting agent.

Aims

To develop and characterize a stable emulsified system containing SO extract through ultra‐high pressure homogenization, evaluate skin permeability, and enumerate in vivo performance in terms of melanin index, skin spots analysis, and related skin physiological parameters.

Method

Free radical scavenging and tyrosinase inhibition potential of SO extract was quantified through DPPH radical scavenging and mushroom tyrosinase inhibition assay, respectively. Six SO extract loaded ultra‐high pressure emulsified systems (UHSO) were developed using ultra‐high pressure homogenizer and assessed for size and polydispersity index (PDI). Among the prepared formulations, the optimized formulation (UHSO6) was subjected to 90 days stability studies performed at 8°C, 25°C, 40°C, and 40°C+75% RH (relative humidity) for organoleptic features, pH, and rheology. Ex vivo skin permeability studies were performed on abdominal skin from male albino rat. Changes in skin physiological parameters were evaluated in healthy female volunteers (n = 13) for 12 weeks utilizing mexameter®, corneometer®, and sebumeter®. Skin spots were analyzed through computerized analysis of high‐resolution images by visioFace®.

Results

SO extract exhibited promising antioxidant (88±0.0096%) and tyrosinase inhibition potential (90.6 ± 0.0015 mg of Kojic Acid Eq/g of extract). Optimized UHSO was found to be stable with respect to stability evaluation, globule size (1110 nm), zeta potential (−27.6), and PDI (0.34). Ex vivo skin permeation of UHSO was significantly higher than SO loaded coarse emulsion. Moreover, the formulation showed a significant decrease in skin melanin, spot count, and spot % area, whereas skin hydration index was improved significantly.

Conclusion

Stable SO extract loaded emulsion system was successfully developed by a novel, cost‐effective technique of ultra‐high pressure homogenization which showed improved performance in terms of skin permeation and other skin physiological parameters.
Advanced practice and clinical supervision: An exploration of perceived facilitators and barriers in practice
Authors: Lee Geraldine A. , Baker Edward E. , Stewart Carolyne , Raleigh Mary
Published: April 2022

Aim and Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate current advanced practice Masters students’ experience of clinical supervision, to explore how clinical supervision works in practice and to identify students’ perceptions of the facilitators and barriers to clinical supervision in their workplace.

Background

Advanced practitioners, and in particular nurses, play a pivotal role in delivering health care across acute and primary care settings. These non‐medical professionals fulfil a rapidly expanding proportion of roles traditionally undertaken by medically qualified staff within the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and often lead specialist clinics and services. To prepare for the advanced practice role, individuals are required to undertake a Master's in advanced practice to develop the required skills and knowledge and work in clinical practice with a clinical assessor/supervisor to demonstrate competence and performance.

Design

A mixed method study using an online descriptive cross‐sectional survey and qualitative data were collected via focus groups and has been reported using the Good Reporting of a Mixed Methods Study checklist.

Results

A total of 79 students completed the online survey (from 145 AP students), a response rate of 55%. Most respondents were nurses (n = 73) with 49 (62%) in a formal advanced practice trainee role, and the majority believed their clinical supervisor had a good understanding of advanced practice and the advanced practice role. Two focus groups were held with 16 participants in total. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: (a) perceived level and amount of support from clinical supervisors, (b) skill level of clinical supervisors, (c) physicians and their perceptions on supervising, Advanced practitioners (d) clinical supervisors’ preparation for the role and (e) transition from trainee to qualified advanced practitioner.

Conclusion

The survey revealed that advanced practitioner students perceived that clinical supervisors and workplace colleagues had a good understanding of the advanced practice role with good levels of support in practice. A more coherent approach is required for clinical supervision and an implementation framework that can be formally evaluated.

Relevance to clinical practice

Several significant barriers to clinical supervision for advanced practitioner students were identified, and there are currently more barriers (including COVID‐19) than facilitators.
Labour market institutions and immigration policy attitudes: The moderated impact of economic vulnerability
Authors: Kayran Elif Naz
Published: April 2022

Political debates about immigration provoke strong nationalistic pushback from citizens, constraining the policymaking capacity of states. This paper investigates to what extent labour market policies shape economically motivated preferential divides among European citizens. On the one hand, I concentrate on prospective job loss threats indicative of economic grievances and assess the impact of unemployment risk exposure on immigration policy attitudes. On the other hand, as the original contribution of the paper, I contend that, if such an economically motivated explanation holds, this relationship should vary based on the labour market institutions in each country. Multi‐level analyses of 16 European countries over a decade since 2002 reveal a remarkably robust relationship between unemployment risks and more restrictive immigration policy attitudes. Importantly, more protective employment regulations seem to have a dampening effect on the impact of job loss threats on immigration policy attitudes. Conversely, there are larger attitudinal divides between the risk‐exposed and the more secure workers in countries with generous and expansive unemployment compensation policies. Overall, the paper helps explain the cross‐national variation in economically motivated cleavages about immigration policy attitudes in Europe.