bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Voices of women in homelessness during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: a co-created qualitative study
Authors: Mattsson Elisabet , Lindblad Marléne , Kneck Åsa , Salzmann-Eriksson Martin , Klarare Anna ,   Women Advisory Board for Inclusion Health
Published: January 2023

Background

Women in homelessness face extreme health- and social inequities. It could be postulated that during societal crises, they become even more vulnerable. Thus, the aim was to explore experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic among women in homelessness.

Methods

Ten interviews were conducted with women in homelessness, in Stockholm, Sweden, using researcher-driven photo elicitation. The data analysis was guided by the DEPICT model for collaborative data analysis and a qualitative content analysis was performed. A collaborative reference group of women with lived experience of homelessness contributed to the research process through designing the data collection, performing the data analysis, and providing feedback during report writing.

Results

For women in homelessness, the COVID-19 pandemic was adding insult to injury, as it significantly affected everyday life and permeated most aspects of existence, leading to diminished interactions with others and reduced societal support. Thus, in an already dire situation, the virus amplified health- and social issues to another level. The women strived to find their balance on the shifting sands of guidelines and restrictions due to the pandemic. Adhering to the new social distancing rules and guidelines in line with the rest of society, was simply impossible when experiencing homelessness. However, for some women the pandemic was nothing but a storm in a teacup. The harsh reality continued irrespectively, living one day at a time and prioritizing provision for basic human needs.

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic and homelessness can be viewed as two intersecting crises. However, the women’s aggregated experiences were greater than the sum of experiencing homelessness and meeting the threat of the virus. Gender, exposure to violence, poverty, social isolation, and substance use were additional factors that further marginalized the women during the pandemic. To rebuild a better and more sustainable post-pandemic future for all, global commitment to ending homelessness is crucial. In addition, addressing social determinants of health must be the number one health intervention.
Impact of dyadic practice on the clinical self-efficacy and empathy of nursing students
Authors: Kamali Maryam , Hasanvand Shirin , Kordestani-Moghadam Parastou , Ebrahimzadeh Farzad , Amini Mitra
Published: January 2023

Background

Dyadic practice of learners creates supportive learning. So far, few studies have investigated the impact of this approach on students’ empathy and self-efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dyadic practice on nursing students’ clinical self-efficacy and empathy.

Methods

This study was based on a pretest-posttest randomized group from September to December 2018. All the junior nursing students (n = 44) were divided into intervention (n = 22) and control groups (n = 22) using stratified random sampling. The intervention group was trained for 6 days as student dyads, while the control group was under the supervision of an instructor and worked individually. The students’ levels of empathy and self-efficacy were evaluated on the first day (pretest) and the last day (post-test) by The Self-Efficacy in Clinical Performance Scale and Mehrabian and Epstein empathy scale. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software by Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney test, independent t-test paired t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Analysis of covariance.

Results

Dyadic practice increased empathy in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.001). The adjusted mean of total empathy in the intervention group was 21.1 degrees higher than the adjusted mean of total empathy in the control group. However, no significant differences were found between the two groups in clinical self-efficacy (P = 0.762).

Conclusions

The employment of this approach seems helpful in creating an empathic atmosphere. However, further studies are required to prove the effectiveness of this method on self-efficacy.
Outlier identification and monitoring of institutional or clinician performance: an overview of statistical methods and application to national audit data
Authors: Pavlou Menelaos , Ambler Gareth , Omar Rumana Z. , Goodwin Andrew T. , Trivedi Uday , Ludman Peter , de Belder Mark
Published: January 2023

Background

Institutions or clinicians (units) are often compared according to a performance indicator such as in-hospital mortality. Several approaches have been proposed for the detection of outlying units, whose performance deviates from the overall performance.

Methods

We provide an overview of three approaches commonly used to monitor institutional performances for outlier detection. These are the common-mean model, the ‘Normal-Poisson’ random effects model and the ‘Logistic’ random effects model. For the latter we also propose a visualisation technique. The common-mean model assumes that the underlying true performance of all units is equal and that any observed variation between units is due to chance. Even after applying case-mix adjustment, this assumption is often violated due to overdispersion and a post-hoc correction may need to be applied. The random effects models relax this assumption and explicitly allow the true performance to differ between units, thus offering a more flexible approach. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and illustrate their application using audit data from England and Wales on Adult Cardiac Surgery (ACS) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI).

Results

In general, the overdispersion-corrected common-mean model and the random effects approaches produced similarp-values for the detection of outliers. For the ACS dataset (41 hospitals) three outliers were identified in total but only one was identified by all methods above. For the PCI dataset (88 hospitals), seven outliers were identified in total but only two were identified by all methods. The common-mean model uncorrected for overdispersion produced several more outliers. The reason for observing similarp-values for all three approaches could be attributed to the fact that the between-hospital variance was relatively small in both datasets, resulting only in a mild violation of the common-mean assumption; in this situation, the overdispersion correction worked well.

Conclusion

If the common-mean assumption is likely to hold, all three methods are appropriate to use for outlier detection and their results should be similar. Random effect methods may be the preferred approach when the common-mean assumption is likely to be violated.
The main e-cigarette component vegetable glycerin enhances neutrophil migration and fibrosis in endotoxin-induced lung injury via p38 MAPK activation
Authors: Su Vincent Yi-Fong , Chen Wei-Chih , Yu Wen-Kuang , Wu Huai-Hsuan , Chen Hao , Yang Kuang-Yao
Published: January 2023

We investigated the effects of vegetable glycerin (VG), a main e-cigarette constituent, on endotoxin-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Mice received intratracheal administration of 30% VG in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) vehicle or only PBS (control) for 4 days. On Day 5, mice received an intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (LPS group and VG + LPS group) or PBS (VG group and control group). Lung histopathology, expression of chemokine receptors, and regulatory signaling were analyzed 24 h after the Day 5 treatment. VG significantly increased ALI-associated histopathological and fibrotic changes in both the VG group and LPS-induced ALI mice (VG + LPS group). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot analyses revealed that VG administration resulted in upregulation of neutrophil markers [lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus G6D (Ly6G) and myeloperoxidase (MPO)] as well as upregulation of the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), a central mediator of fibrogenesis, in the lungs of both VG and VG + LPS groups. VG enhanced the expression of adhesion molecules [very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1)] and increased activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) to prompt neutrophil recruitment in the lungs of mice with ALI. Intraperitoneal administration of a p38 inhibitor attenuated these histopathological changes significantly as well as VG-induced upregulation in expression of Ly6G, MPO, VLA-4, VCAM-1, TGF-β, and collagen-1 in mice with ALI. In conclusion, VG enhances neutrophil chemotaxis and fibrosis and it amplifies the inflammatory response associated with LPS-induced ALI in the lungs via enhancement of p38 MAPK activity.
Crosstalk between 5-methylcytosine and N6-methyladenosine machinery defines disease progression, therapeutic response and pharmacogenomic landscape in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Tian Yu , Xiao Haijuan , Yang Yanhui , Zhang Pingping , Yuan Jiahui , Zhang Wei , Chen Lijie , Fan Yibao , Zhang Jinze , Cheng Huan , Deng Tingwei , Yang Lin , Wang Weiwei , Chen Guoyong , Wang Peiqin , Gong Peng , Niu Xing , Zhang Xianbin
Published: January 2023

Background

Accumulated evidence highlights the significance of the crosstalk between epigenetic and epitranscriptomic mechanisms, notably 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and N6-methyladenosine (m6A). Herein, we conducted a widespread analysis regarding the crosstalk between 5mC and m6A regulators in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Pan-cancer genomic analysis of the crosstalk between 5mC and m6A regulators was presented at transcriptomic, genomic, epigenetic, and other multi-omics levels. Hub 5mC and m6A regulators were summarized to define an epigenetic and epitranscriptomic module eigengene (EME), which reflected both the pre- and post-transcriptional modifications.

Results

5mC and m6A regulators interacted with one another at the multi-omic levels across pan-cancer, including HCC. The EME scoring system enabled to greatly optimize risk stratification and accurately predict HCC patients’ clinical outcomes and progression. Additionally, the EME accurately predicted the responses to mainstream therapies (TACE and sorafenib) and immunotherapy as well as hyper-progression. In vitro, 5mC and m6A regulators cooperatively weakened apoptosis and facilitated proliferation, DNA damage repair, G2/M arrest, migration, invasion and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC cells. The EME scoring system was remarkably linked to potential extrinsic and intrinsic immune escape mechanisms, and the high EME might contribute to a reduced copy number gain/loss frequency. Finally, we determined potential therapeutic compounds and druggable targets (TUBB1 and P2RY4) for HCC patients with high EME.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that HCC may result from a unique synergistic combination of 5mC-epigenetic mechanism mixed with m6A-epitranscriptomic mechanism, and their crosstalk defines therapeutic response and pharmacogenomic landscape.
Quantities of CD3+, CD8+ and CD56+ lymphocytes decline in breast cancer recurrences while CD4+ remain similar
Authors: Mutka Minna , Joensuu Kristiina , Eray Mine , Heikkilä Päivi
Published: January 2023

Background

Much is known about tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (Tils) in primary breast cancer, as this has been the focus of much research in recent years, but regarding recurrent breast cancer, only few studies have been done. Our aim was to compare the quantities of Tils in primary breast carcinomas and their corresponding recurrences and to analyze the differences in the tumor Tils compositions in correlations with recurrence-free times and the clinicopathology of the tumor.

Methods

One hundred thirty-seven breast cancer patients self-paired for primary- tumor-recurrence were divided into three groups based on the length of the recurrence-free interval. H&E-staining and immunohistochemical staining with antiCD3, antiCD4, antiCD8 and antiCD56 were performed. Differences in Tils between primaries and recurrences, between the recurrence-free interval groups, and between different clinicopathologic parameters were statistically analyzed.

Results

Fewer stromal CD3+, CD8+ and CD56+ lymphocytes were found at recurrences compared to the primaries. No significant change in the percentage of CD4+ stromal lymphocytes. ER-negative primaries, PR-negative or HER2-positive tumors had more Tils in some subgroups. Ductal primaries had more Tils than lobular primaries and G3 tumors had more Tils than lower-grade tumors. The corresponding differences at recurrences could either not be detected or they were reversed. The fastest recurring group had generally more Tils than the slower groups.

Conclusions

CD4+ cell numbers did not decline from primary to recurrence in contrast to all other subclasses of lymphocytes. The proportion of CD4+ cells was higher in recurrences than in primaries. Tumors with a higher grade and proliferation rate had higher percentages of Tils. HER2+ and hormone receptor negative tumors tended to have higher Tils scores. In recurrences these differences were not seen or they were reversed.
Diagnostic accuracy of fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography for suspected primary and postoperative pyogenic spondylitis
Authors: Zhang Qingyu , Feng Haotian , Li Jianmin , Feng Rongjie
Published: January 2023

Objective

Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) and PET/CT have been suggested for confirming or excluding musculoskeletal infection but the diagnostic value of this tool for pyogenic spondylitis remains to be confirmed. This meta-analysis was performed to verify the accuracy of 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in diagnosing suspected pyogenic spondylitis by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library to retrieve diagnostic accuracy studies in which suspected pyogenic spondylitis was assessed with 18F-FDG PET or PET/CT. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), summarized receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) and the area under the sROC (AUC) were calculated by using Stata software.

Results

A total of 18 eligible studies (660 patients) with suspected pyogenic spondylitis were included in the quantitative analysis. 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT illustrated relatively high sensitivity (0.91, 95% CI: 0.84–0.95) and specificity (0.90, 95% CI: 0.79–0.95) for the diagnosis of pyogenic spondylitis. The pooled DOR and AUC were 86.00 (95% CI, 31.00–240.00) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.94–0.97), respectively. For diagnosing pyogenic spondylitis without previous spine surgery, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.85–0.97), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.77–0.97), 136 (95% CI, 35–530) and 0.97 (95% CI, 0.95–0.98), respectively. For diagnosing postoperative pyogenic spondylitis, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC were 0.85 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.93), 0.87 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.96), 38 (95% CI, 9 to 167) and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89 to 0.94), respectively.

Conclusion

18F-FDG PET and PET/CT presented satisfactory accuracy for diagnosing pyogenic spondylitis. The diagnostic effect of this nuclear imaging method for pyogenic spondylitis without previous spine surgery seems to be better than that for the postoperative ones. However, whether 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT could become a routine in patients with suspected pyogenic spondylitis remains to be confirmed.

Level of evidence

Level I evidence, a summary of meta-analysis.
High risk of elevated metal concentrations with 9/10-mm stem trunnions and highly cross-linked polyethylene grafted with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) in total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Kobayashi Kyosuke , Kidera Kenichi , Shiraishi Kazuteru , Okazaki Narihiro , Chiba Ko , Yonekura Akihiko , Osaki Makoto
Published: January 2023

Background

The risks of metal release due to fretting and corrosion at the head–neck junction and consequent adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) have concerns in metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) total hip arthroplasty (THA). Although trunnions have become thinner in diameter to increase the range of motion, it has remained unclear whether this change affects metal release and ALTR in vivo. This study aimed to investigate serum metal concentrations and the prevalence of ALTR in MoP THA with a 9/10-mm stem trunnion.

Patients and methods

A consecutive series of 37 hips that underwent THA using MoP grafted with poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) with a 9/10-mm trunnion stem were retrospectively reviewed. Serum metal levels were assessed and compared with those in MoP THA with a 10/12-mm trunnion stem. ALTR was diagnosed with serum metal levels and cross-sectional images. The factors associated with serum metal levels were also assessed.

Results

The median serum cobalt and chromium levels were 1.5 μg/L and 1.0 μg/L in the 9/10-mm group and 0.2 μg/L and 0.4 μg/L in the 10/12-mm group, respectively. ALTR was found in 5 hips of 3 patients. Revision surgery was performed in 4 hips, and all stem trunnions and femoral heads showed severe corrosion. Postoperative walking ability was associated with serum metal levels.

Conclusion

It was found that a 9/10-mm stem trunnion with MoP grafted with PMPC had high risks of metal release in primary THA. Careful follow-up and cross-sectional imaging are needed to detect ALTR for early revision.
The effect of polyglycolic acid sheet in preventing postoperative recurrent pneumothorax: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Kabuto Takafumi , Omasa Mitsugu , Nagata Shunichi , Tokushige Kosuke , Adachi Taishi , Nakanishi Takao , Motoyama Hideki
Published: January 2023

Background

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax occasionally relapses, even after bullectomy; therefore, coverage of the bullectomy staple line for pleural reinforcement is common in Japan. However, the appropriate covering materials have not yet been determined.

Methods

This was a longitudinal prospective cohort study. Data were available for patients aged < 40 years with primary spontaneous pneumothorax who underwent their first thoracoscopic bullectomy between July 2015 and June 2021. We used oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) sheets from July 2015 to June 2018, and polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheets from July 2018 to June 2021. The postoperative recurrence-free survival rate was evaluated. The characteristics of the recurrent cases (radiographic, intraoperative, and pathological findings) were also evaluated. The extent of pleural adhesions was classified into the following three groups: none, medium, or extensive.

Results

A total of 187 patients were included in the study. There were 92 and 95 participants in the ORC and PGA sheet groups, respectively. The postoperative recurrence-free survival rates were significantly higher in the PGA sheet group than in the ORC sheet group (ORC group vs. PGA group, 82.9% vs. 95.4%, p = 0.031). In recurrent cases, there was a significant difference in terms of pleural adhesion (0.0% [12 of 12, none] vs. 100.0% [four of four, extensive], p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Compared with ORC sheets, PGA sheets are an effective material for preventing early recurrence of primary spontaneous pneumothorax. Strong local pleural adhesions potentially contribute to decreasing recurrence.
Investigation of two metabolic engineering approaches for (R,R)-2,3-butanediol production from glycerol in Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Vikromvarasiri Nunthaphan , Noda Shuhei , Shirai Tomokazu , Kondo Akihiko
Published: January 2023

Background

Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) is a well-known bioinformatics tool for metabolic engineering design. Previously, we have successfully used single-level FBA to design metabolic fluxes in Bacillus subtilis to enhance (R,R)-2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) production from glycerol. OptKnock is another powerful technique for devising gene deletion strategies to maximize microbial growth coupling with improved biochemical production. It has never been used in B. subtilis. In this study, we aimed to compare the use of single-level FBA and OptKnock for designing enhanced 2,3-BD production from glycerol in B. subtilis.

Results

Single-level FBA and OptKnock were used to design metabolic engineering approaches for B. subtilis to enhance 2,3-BD production from glycerol. Single-level FBA indicated that deletion of ackA, pta, lctE, and mmgA would improve the production of 2,3-BD from glycerol, while OptKnock simulation suggested the deletion of ackA, pta, mmgA, and zwf. Consequently, strains LM01 (single-level FBA-based) and MZ02 (OptKnock-based) were constructed, and their capacity to produce 2,3-BD from glycerol was investigated. The deletion of multiple genes did not negatively affect strain growth and glycerol utilization. The highest 2,3-BD production was detected in strain LM01. Strain MZ02 produced 2,3-BD at a similar level as the wild type, indicating that the OptKnock prediction was erroneous. Two-step FBA was performed to examine the reason for the erroneous OptKnock prediction. Interestingly, we newly found that zwf gene deletion in strain MZ02 improved lactate production, which has never been reported to date. The predictions of single-level FBA for strain MZ02 were in line with experimental findings.

Conclusions

We showed that single-level FBA is an effective approach for metabolic design and manipulation to enhance 2,3-BD production from glycerol in B. subtilis. Further, while this approach predicted the phenotypes of generated strains with high precision, OptKnock prediction was not accurate. We suggest that OptKnock modelling predictions be evaluated by using single-level FBA to ensure the accuracy of metabolic pathway design. Furthermore, the zwf gene knockout resulted in the change of metabolic fluxes to enhance the lactate productivity.
Downregulation of Linc00173 increases BCL2 mRNA stability via the miR-1275/PROCA1/ZFP36L2 axis and induces acquired cisplatin resistance of lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Tao Xingyu , Li Yang , Fan Songqing , Wu Liyang , Xin Jianyang , Su Yun , Xian Xiaoyang , Huang Yingying , Huang Rongquan , Fang Weiyi , Liu Zhen
Published: January 2023

Background

LINC00173 had been reported as a cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, DDP) chemotherapy-resistant inducer in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). This study aimed to display reverse data for LINC00173 as a DDP chemosensitivity-inducing factor in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

LINC00173 was screened from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE43493). The expression level of LINC00173 in LUAD tissues and cell lines was detected using in situ hybridization and quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Colony formation, cell viability, half-maximal inhibitory concentration, flow cytometry, and xenograft mouse model were used to evaluate the role of LINC00173 in the chemosensitivity of LUAD to DDP. The mechanism of LINC00173 in DDP resistance by mediating miR-1275/PROCA1/ZFP36L2 axis to impair BCL2 mRNA stability was applied, and co-immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA antisense purification, RNA immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays were performed.

Results

LINC00173 downregulation in patients with DDP-resistant LUAD was correlated with poor prognosis. Further, LINC00173 expression was significantly reduced in DDP-resistant LUAD cells and DDP-treated human LUAD tissues. Suppressed LINC00173 expression in LUAD cells enhanced DDP chemoresistance in vivo and in vitro, while restored LINC00173 expression in DDP-resistant LUAD cells markedly regained chemosensitivity to DDP. Mechanistically, DDP-resistant LUAD cells activated PI3K/AKT signal and further elevated the c-Myc expression. The c-Myc, as an oncogenic transcriptional factor, bound to the promoter of LINC00173 and suppressed its expression. The reduced LINC00173 expression attenuated the adsorption of oncogenic miR-1275, downregulating the expression of miR-1275 target gene PROCA1. PROCA1 played a potential tumor-suppressive role inducing cell apoptosis and DDP chemosensitivity via recruiting ZFP36L2 to bind to the 3′ untranslated region of BCL2, reducing the stability of BCL2 mRNA and thus activating the apoptotic signal.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated a novel and critical role of LINC00173. It was transcriptionally repressed by DDP-activated PI3K/AKT/c-Myc signal in LUAD, promoting DDP-acquired chemotherapeutic resistance by regulating miR-1275 to suppress PROCA1/ZFP36L2-induced BCL2 degradation, which led to apoptotic signal reduction. These data were not consistent with the previously described role of LINC00173 in SCLC or LUSC, which suggested that LINC00173 could play fine-tuned DDP resistance roles in different pathological subtypes of lung cancer. This study demonstrated that the diminished expression of LINC00173 might serve as an indicator of DDP-acquired resistance in LUAD.
Co-occurrence probabilities between mosquito vectors of West Nile and Eastern equine encephalitis viruses using Markov Random Fields (MRFcov)
Authors: Sallam Mohamed F. , Whitehead Shelley , Barve Narayani , Bauer Amely , Guralnick Robert , Allen Julie , Tavares Yasmin , Gibson Seth , Linthicum Kenneth J. , Giordano Bryan V. , Campbell Lindsay P.
Published: January 2023

Mosquito vectors of eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and West Nile virus (WNV) in the USA reside within broad multi-species assemblages that vary in spatial and temporal composition, relative abundances and vector competence. These variations impact the risk of pathogen transmission and the operational management of these species by local public health vector control districts. However, most models of mosquito vector dynamics focus on single species and do not account for co-occurrence probabilities between mosquito species pairs across environmental gradients. In this investigation, we use for the first time conditional Markov Random Fields (CRF) to evaluate spatial co-occurrence patterns between host-seeking mosquito vectors of EEEV and WNV around sampling sites in Manatee County, Florida. Specifically, we aimed to: (i) quantify correlations between mosquito vector species and other mosquito species; (ii) quantify correlations between mosquito vectors and landscape and climate variables; and (iii) investigate whether the strength of correlations between species pairs are conditional on landscape or climate variables. We hypothesized that either mosquito species pairs co-occur in patterns driven by the landscape and/or climate variables, or these vector species pairs are unconditionally dependent on each other regardless of the environmental variables. Our results indicated that landscape and bioclimatic covariates did not substantially improve the overall model performance and that the log abundances of the majority of WNV and EEEV vector species were positively dependent on other vector and non-vector mosquito species, unconditionally. Only five individual mosquito vectors were weakly dependent on environmental variables with one exception, Culiseta melanura, the primary vector for EEEV, which showed a strong correlation with woody wetland, precipitation seasonality and average temperature of driest quarter. Our analyses showed that majority of the studied mosquito species’ abundance and distribution are insignificantly better predicted by the biotic correlations than by environmental variables. Additionally, these mosquito vector species may be habitat generalists, as indicated by the unconditional correlation matrices between species pairs, which could have confounded our analysis, but also indicated that the approach could be operationalized to leverage species co-occurrences as indicators of vector abundances in unsampled areas, or under scenarios where environmental variables are not informative.

Graphical Abstract
Single-cell transcriptomics reveals a mechanosensitive injury signaling pathway in early diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Liu Shuya , Zhao Yu , Lu Shun , Zhang Tianran , Lindenmeyer Maja T. , Nair Viji , Gies Sydney E. , Wu Guochao , Nelson Robert G. , Czogalla Jan , Aypek Hande , Zielinski Stephanie , Liao Zhouning , Schaper Melanie , Fermin Damian , Cohen Clemens D. , Delic Denis , Krebs Christian F. , Grahammer Florian , Wiech Thorsten , Kretzler Matthias , Meyer-Schwesinger Catherine , Bonn Stefan , Huber Tobias B.
Published: January 2023

Background

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, and histopathologic glomerular lesions are among the earliest structural alterations of DN. However, the signaling pathways that initiate these glomerular alterations are incompletely understood.

Methods

To delineate the cellular and molecular basis for DN initiation, we performed single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing of renal cells from type 2 diabetes mice (BTBR ob/ob) at the early stage of DN.

Results

Analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed glucose-independent responses in glomerular cell types. The gene regulatory network upstream of glomerular cell programs suggested the activation of mechanosensitive transcriptional pathway MRTF-SRF predominantly taking place in mesangial cells. Importantly, activation of MRTF-SRF transcriptional pathway was also identified in DN glomeruli in independent patient cohort datasets. Furthermore, ex vivo kidney perfusion suggested that the regulation of MRTF-SRF is a common mechanism in response to glomerular hyperfiltration.

Conclusions

Overall, our study presents a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic landscape of early DN, highlighting mechanosensitive signaling pathways as novel targets of diabetic glomerulopathy.
Fasciola hepatica primoinfections and reinfections in sheep drive distinct Th1/Th2/Treg immune responses in liver and hepatic lymph node at early and late stages
Authors: Ruiz-Campillo María Teresa , Barrero-Torres Diana María , Abril Nieves , Pérez José , Zafra Rafael , Buffoni Leandro , Martínez-Moreno Álvaro , Martínez-Moreno Francisco Javier , Molina-Hernández Verónica
Published: January 2023

The expression of proinflammatory (IL-1β, IFN-γ, TNF-α) and regulatory (IL-10, TGF-β, IL-4) cytokines, as well as the transcription factor FoxP3, was quantified in the liver and hepatic lymph node (HLN) of sheep primoinfected and reinfected with Fasciola hepatica at early (4, 8 and 16 days post-infection [dpi]) and late (100 dpi) stages. The liver exerted a Th2 immune response at very early stages after the primoinfection with F. hepatica that induced the downregulation of IFN-γ, followed by a Th1/Th2/Treg response although the late stages were characterised by the expression of Th1/Th2 immune mediators. Contrarily, in reinfected sheep a robust mixed Th1/Th2/Treg immune response was found at very early stages meanwhile at late stages we observed a Th2/Treg immune response overcoming the expression of Th1 immune mediators. However, the HLN displayed a completely different Th1/Th2/Treg expression profile compared to the liver. Primoinfections with F. hepatica in HLN induced a mixed Th1/Th2/Treg environment from early stages, establishing a Th2 immune response at a late stage. However, the reinfected sheep exerted a Th2 immune response at early stages led by the IL-4 expression in opposition to the Th1/Th2/Treg found in the liver, meanwhile at late stages the HLN of reinfected sheep exerted a mixed Th1/Th2/Treg immune response. This is the first work publishing the expression of immune mediators in the liver and HLN from reinfected sheep with F. hepatica. The study of the immune responses exerted by the natural host in the target organs directly implied in the development of F. hepatica are crucial to better understand the immunopathogenesis of the fasciolosis being a key factor to develop effective vaccines.
Nonlinear dynamics in Divisia monetary aggregates: an application of recurrence quantification analysis
Authors: Andreadis Ioannis , Fragkou Athanasios D. , Karakasidis Theodoros E. , Serletis Apostolos
Published: January 2023

We construct recurrence plots (RPs) and conduct recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) to investigate the dynamic properties of the new Center for Financial Stability (CFS) Divisia monetary aggregates for the United States. In this study, we use the latest vintage of Divisia aggregates, maintained within CFS. We use monthly data, from January 1967 to December 2020, which is a sample period that includes the extreme economic events of the 2007–2009 global financial crisis. We then make comparisons between narrow and broad Divisia money measures and find evidence of a nonlinear but reserved possible chaotic explanation of their origin. The application of RPs to broad Divisia monetary aggregates encompasses an additional drift structure around the global financial crisis in 2008. Applying the moving window RQA to the growth rates of narrow and broad Divisia monetary aggregates, we identify periods of changes in data-generating processes and associate such changes to monetary policy regimes and financial innovations that occurred during those times.
An early warning system to identify and intervene online dropout learners
Authors: Bañeres David , Rodríguez-González M. Elena , Guerrero-Roldán Ana-Elena , Cortadas Pau
Published: January 2023

Dropout is one of the major problems online higher education faces. Early identification of the dropout risk level and an intervention mechanism to revert the potential risk have been proved as the key answers to solving the challenge. Predictive modeling has been extensively studied on course dropout. However, intervention practices are scarce, sometimes mixed with mechanisms focused on course failure, and commonly focused on limited interventions driven mainly by teachers' experience. This work contributes with a novel approach for identifying course dropout based on a dynamic time interval and intervening, focusing on avoiding dropout at the assessable activity level. Moreover, the system can recommend the best interval for a course and assessable activity based on artificial intelligence techniques to help teachers in this challenging task. The system has been tested on a fully online first-year course with 581 participants from 957 enrolled learners of different degrees from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Results confirm that interventions aimed at goal setting on the ongoing assessable activity significantly reduce dropout issues and increase engagement within the course. Additionally, the work explores the differences between identification mechanisms for course dropout and failure aiming to distinguish them as different problems that learners may face.
Age influences the temporal dynamics of microbiome and antimicrobial resistance genes among fecal bacteria in a cohort of production pigs
Authors: Gaire Tara N. , Scott H. Morgan , Noyes Noelle R. , Ericsson Aaron C. , Tokach Michael D. , Menegat Mariana B. , Vinasco Javier , Roenne Boyd , Ray Tui , Nagaraja T. G. , Volkova Victoriya V.
Published: January 2023

Background

The pig gastrointestinal tract hosts a diverse microbiome, which can serve to select and maintain a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG). Studies suggest that the types and quantities of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in fecal bacteria change as the animal host ages, yet the temporal dynamics of AMR within communities of bacteria in pigs during a full production cycle remains largely unstudied.

Results

A longitudinal study was performed to evaluate the dynamics of fecal microbiome and AMR in a cohort of pigs during a production cycle; from birth to market age. Our data showed that piglet fecal microbial communities assemble rapidly after birth and become more diverse with age. Individual piglet fecal microbiomes progressed along similar trajectories with age-specific community types/enterotypes and showed a clear shift from E. coli/Shigella-, Fusobacteria-, Bacteroides-dominant enterotypes to Prevotella-, Megaspheara-, and Lactobacillus-dominated enterotypes with aging. Even when the fecal microbiome was the least diverse, the richness of ARGs, quantities of AMR gene copies, and counts of AMR fecal bacteria were highest in piglets at 2 days of age; subsequently, these declined over time, likely due to age-related competitive changes in the underlying microbiome. ARGs conferring resistance to metals and multi-compound/biocides were detected predominately at the earliest sampled ages.

Conclusions

The fecal microbiome and resistome—along with evaluated descriptors of phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility of fecal bacteria—among a cohort of pigs, demonstrated opposing trajectories in diversity primarily driven by the aging of pigs.
Acceptable clinical outcomes despite high reoperation rate at minimum 12-month follow-up after concomitant arthroscopically assisted anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and medial meniscal allograft transplantation
Authors: Shankar Dhruv S. , Vasavada Kinjal D. , Avila Amanda , DeClouette Brittany , Aziz Hadi , Strauss Eric J. , Alaia Michael J. , Jazrawi Laith M. , Gonzalez-Lomas Guillem , Campbell Kirk A.
Published: January 2023

Background

Single-stage medial meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) with concomitant anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is a technically challenging procedure for management of knee pain and instability in younger patients, but clinical and functional outcomes data are sparse. The purpose of this study was to assess surgical and patient-reported outcomes following concomitant ACLR and medial MAT.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case series of patients who underwent medial MAT with concomitant primary or revision ACLR at our institution from 2010 to 2021 and had minimum 12-month follow-up. Complications, reoperations, visual analog scale (VAS) pain, satisfaction, Lysholm score, return to sport, and return to work outcomes were assessed. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference, Pain Intensity, and Physical Function Scores were used to measure patients’ functional status relative to the US population. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

The cohort consisted of 17 knees of 16 individual patients. The cohort was majority male (82.4%) with mean age of 31.9 years (range 19–49 years) and mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.9 kg/m2 (range 22.5–53.3 kg/m2). Mean follow-up time was 56.8 months (range 13–106 months). Most patients underwent revision ACLR (64.7%). The 1-year reoperation rate was high (23.5%), with two patients (11.8%) tearing their meniscus graft. Patient-reported outcomes indicated low VAS pain (mean 2.2), high satisfaction (mean 77.9%), and fair Lysholm score (mean 81.1). Return to work rate was high (92.9%), while return to sport rate was low (42.9%). Postoperative PROMIS scores were comparable or superior to the national average and correlated significantly with patient satisfaction (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The concomitant ACLR and MAT procedure is associated with excellent knee pain and functional outcomes and high rate of return to work after surgery, though the 1-year reoperation rate is high and rate of return to sport is low.

Level of evidence: IV.
Circulating expression patterns of TL1A and FFAR2 in patients with stable and unstable angina
Authors: Kamel Amira A. , Taha Salma , Mosa Aliaa A.
Published: January 2023

Background and aim

The primary factor in sudden cardiac death is coronary artery disease. We intended to discover the diagnostic worth of circulating tumor necrosis factor like cytokine 1A (TL1A) and free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2) as early, noninvasive indicators for individuals with stable angina (SA) and unstable angina (UA).

Methods

In all, 90 people were enrolled in the current case–control study: 30 patients with SA, 30 patients with UA, and 30 healthy volunteers. Circulating TL1A and FFAR2 gene expression levels were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). FBG, TC, TG, and HDL-C were assessed by spectrophotometry, while hs-CRP and troponin T were measured by ELISA.

Results

Circulating TL1A expression was significantly elevated in SA (P < 0.001) and UA patients (P < 0.001) as compared to controls and also was significantly higher in UA patients (P < 0.001) as compared to SA patients. Circulating FFAR2 expression was significantly decreased in SA (P < 0.001) and UA patients (P < 0.001) in comparison with controls and was significantly lowered in UA patients (P = 0.001) in comparison with SA patients. Our results show that TL1A and FFAR2 were sensitive and specific biomarkers for discriminating SA patients from controls. Moreover, TL1A and FFAR2 displayed a remarkable ability to distinguish UA from SA. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that TL1A, FFAR2, FBG, TC, TG, LDL-C, and Troponin T were independent risk factors for SA, while TL1A, TG, and hs-CRP were independent risk factors for UA. TL1A has a significant positive correlation with LDL-C (r = 0.406,P = 0.001), hs-CRP (r = 0.673,P < 0.001), and troponin T (r = 0.653,P < 0.001). There was a significant inverse relationship between FFAR2 and each of TL1A (r = − 0.858,P < 0.001), FBG (r = − 0.325,P = 0.011), TC(r = − 0.306,P = 0.017), TG (r = − 0.368,P = 0.004), LDL-C (r = − 0.413,P = 0.001), hs-CRP (r = − 0.737,P < 0.001), and troponin T (r = − 0.715,P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Gene expression of TL1A and FFAR2 is a good new blood-based molecular indicator for early detection of SA and UA. Early detection of a possible UA is crucial for initiating appropriate treatment that results in better patient health.
Ocular motor impairment in early-stage multiple sclerosis: a video-oculography assessment
Authors: Ouattassi Naouar , El Ghoul Salma El Alaoui , Bouchal Siham , Belahssen Mohammed Faouzi , Ridal Mohammed , El Alami Mohammed Nouredine El Amine
Published: January 2023

Background

Eye movement disorders in multiple sclerosis (MS) are frequently misdiagnosed and frequently overlooked during clinical examinations. Even at a preclinical state, these defects frequently cause impairment and weariness.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional observational study including 20 individuals with a confirmed MS diagnosis. The inclusion criteria were an EDSS score of 4 or less and a 6-month interval between the last relapse and enrolment. As part of the MS assessment, a routine ORL, neurology exam, eye exam, assessment of eye movement using Ulmer’s videonystagmography battery tests, and routine brain MRI were performed on the patient.

Results

A total of 75% of the patients in our series are female, with a mean age of 39 years and a range of 24 to 59 years. The average age of MS onset is 32 years. The relapsing-remitting type of multiple sclerosis (RRMS) accounts for 95% of all cases. There is only a single case of secondary progressive disease course (SPMS). Principal VNG manifestations are related to subclinical eye movements abnormalities. Rotatory vertigo caused by vestibular dysfunction was less prevalent than other balance disorders. There were found to be two types of nystagmus: pendular and central positional nystagmus.

Discussion and conclusion

VNG is sensitive for detecting vestibular system dysfunction in MS patients. It is also beneficial for diagnosing subtle eye movement abnormalities that are usually overlooked.
Predicting total organic carbon from well logs based on deep spatial-sequential graph convolutional network
Authors: Shan Xiaocai , Chen Zhangxin , Fu Boye , Zhang Wang , Li Jing , Wu Keliu
Published: January 2023

The total organic carbon (TOC) is a key geologic parameter for unconventional reservoirs. Conventional empirical [Formula: see text] methods cannot handle the nonlinear relationships between the characteristics of TOC and its well-log responses. Increased data availability has the potential to speed up deep learning applications, which can reasonably propagate the integrated information from well logs to indirectly observable geologic properties, such as TOC. Although the existing convolutional neural network (CNN) has found superior performance to [Formula: see text] for predicting TOC, CNNs feature-learning capability is still constrained by the fact that it can only extract log-specific sequential features of the input logs. However, the cross-log topological association features are potentially essential for the nonlinear mapping between well logs and TOC. Thus, we introduce a novel deep spatial-sequential graph convolutional network (SSGCN) for predicting the TOC by jointly leveraging the cross-log topological association features and log-specific sequential features. Through further use of the previously unaccounted topological interactions, our SSGCN dramatically outperforms the sequence-based CNN. In the southeast Sichuan Basin, SSGCN exhibits beneficial mapping not demonstrated previously: its models achieve a better cross-validation performance within the same gas field wells and a greater generalizability in another gas field well. Our SSGCN method can predict TOC of shale gas field well with the best [Formula: see text] being 0.87 within 1 s on the CPU of a desktop computer, which increases the efficiency of obtaining the TOC parameter. From this study, we recommend graph and sequential convolutions for designing deep learning architectures in the well-log analysis.
A multiple-point stochastic-based turbidite lobe architecture geomodeling: A case study from L Oilfield, Lower Congo Basin, West Africa
Authors: Xu Rui , Zhang Wenbiao , Li Meng , Lu Wenming
Published: January 2023

As a prominent component of turbidite deposition systems, turbidite lobe internal architecture characterization has proven essential due to its complicated sedimentary hierarchy and evident heterogeneity. This paper demonstrates an integrated methodology for doing a multiple-point stochastic (MPS) simulation of deepwater turbidite single-lobe architecture. Based on the logging data, high-frequency seismic data, thorough architectural feature analysis, and 3D training image, MPS-based geologic modeling of the Miocene turbidite lobe reservoir in the Lower Congo Basin is carried out. This effort has two objectives: (1) to expand the geologic knowledge base of deepwater turbidite lobes with morphology parameters and (2) to develop a process of turbidite geomodeling that could characterize the architectural hierarchy of a single lobe with limited difficult data. As a first step, we analyze and characterize properties of the single-lobe element characteristics and the manner of sedimentary dispersion using 145 m long cores, well logging, and seismic analysis. Second, shallow seismic-based turbidite lobes pick-up and morphology parameter measurements have been conducted to collect quantitative characteristics of turbidite lobe and will be used as geomodeling guidance. Third, a 3D lobe complex training image with single-lobe architecture elements superposition is derived by a seismic geobody caving (using threshold truncation) and enhanced based on the sedimentary distribution mode. An MPS simulation incorporating well data, morphological parameters, training image, and seismic inversion constraint is then performed, which results in obtaining an architecture model that could describe a single lobe. The simulation results generally followed the lobe architecture elements morphology and superposition. The coincidence between the MPS simulated turbidites lobe complex architecture model and the posterior well could reach up to 86%. The paper gives the methodology for a case study that proved the implementation of single turbidite lobe architectural characterization using an MPS, and the recommended process could be applied to other fields.