bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recent life events and adverse childhood experiences in predicting antenatal depression and anxiety: cross-sectional study
Authors: Zilmer Benedicte M , Overbeck Gritt , Siersma Volkert , Wilson Philip
Published: January 2025

Background

Antenatal depression and anxiety are associated with preterm labour, low birth weight, and postpartum depression, and can impact the emotional and mental development of the child. Both adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful events are linked to negative health outcomes. However, certain events may be more impactful than others.

Objective

This study aims to investigate the most important types of adverse childhood events and recent stressors that may help in identifying pregnant women in most need of psychological support.

Methods

This observational study examines data from the FamilieTrivsel trial, in which women between 6 and 10 weeks gestation were recruited by general practitioners. All participants were asked to complete questionnaires. Mental health was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS). Potential contributory risk factors were identified using the Recent Life Events Questionnaire and the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire. The relative importance of the various types of events was analysed in a dominance analysis, and the direction of their association was determined by a multivariable linear regression analysis.

Results

Of specific recent life events, serious problems with a friend, divorce, racial harassment, unemployment, financial difficulties, and moving house had the strongest associations with poor mental health, along with childhood experience of mental illness in the household. Growing up with an experience of physical neglect and parental divorce were, paradoxically, associated with lower HADS scores.

Conclusions

Recent stressful life events have a stronger association with postnatal mental health than adverse childhood events, implying that it might be useful for clinicians providing routine antenatal care to gather information on recent stressors.
Association of Dementia Severity at Diagnosis with Health Care Utilization and Costs around the Time of Incident Diagnosis
Authors: Xu Shengjia , Fouladi-Nashta Niloofar , Chen Yi , Zissimopoulos Julie
Published: January 2025

Background and Objectives

This study provides the first analysis of heterogeneity in health care use and costs by level of dementia symptom severity around the time of incident dementia diagnosis for a population representative sample of older Americans.

Research Design and Methods

We used the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study (ADAMS), the Health Retirement Study (HRS), and traditional Medicare (TM) claims. We modeled dementia severity measured by the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale for ADAMS respondents and applied parameter estimates to HRS respondents older than 70 years who had a claims-based incident dementia diagnosis in 2000-2016. We used claims-based measures of health care costs and use and quantified levels in the quarters before, at, and after a dementia diagnosis. We reported separate results for groups of persons diagnosed at mild, moderate, and severe stages of dementia.

Results

Health care use and costs increased a quarter before dementia diagnosis and increased most significantly in the quarter of diagnosis. Both use and costs declined thereafter but remained elevated relative to pre-diagnosis. This general pattern was consistent for persons diagnosed at different stages of dementia. Acute care costs were similar across dementia severity categories throughout the period while outpatient use and costs were consistently higher among persons diagnosed at mild stage disease.

Discussion and Implications

Findings from this study provide new insights on how heterogeneity of dementia severity at diagnosis is associated with health care use and costs. Under the current system of care in TM, early dementia diagnosis may not substantially reduce health care use and spending around the time of dementia diagnosis.
How has the concept of health system software been used in health policy and systems research? A scoping review
Authors: Burger Nicola , Gilson Lucy
Published: January 2025

Understanding health systems as comprising interacting elements of hardware and software acknowledges health systems as complex adaptive systems (CASs). Hardware represents the concrete components of systems, whereas software represents the elements that influence actions and underpin relationships, such as processes, values, and norms. As a specific call for research on health system software was made in 2011, we conducted a qualitative scoping review considering how and for what purpose the concept has been used since then. Our overall purpose was to synthesize current knowledge and generate lessons about how to deepen research on, and understanding of, health system software. The review consisted of two phases: first, for the period 2011–23, all papers that explicitly used the concept of health system software were identified and mapped; second, drawing on a subset of papers from Phase 1, we explored how the concept was purposively used within research. The databases PubMed, Scopus, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were systematically searched using a strategy developed by a skilled librarian. In Phase 1, data were extracted from 98 papers. Our analysis revealed that a third of the papers used the software concept rather superficially; a third used it to conceptualize the importance of selected software elements; and a third used it in examining a specific health system experience, such as preparedness or resilience. In Phase 2, our analysis confirmed that researchers have found value in proactively using the software concept within studies, demonstrating two patterns of use. However, a limited understanding of how to investigate interactions among hardware and software elements was also revealed. Future health policy and systems research should purposively investigate hardware–software interactions in order to gain a greater understanding of the complex, adaptive nature of health systems, understand their operations, and institutionalize thinking that considers health systems as CASs.
Evaluating the type 2 fuzzy logic controller with multilayer perceptrons for optimal tracking of solar photovoltaic systems
Authors: Rinesh S , Arun M , Kumar S N , Prajitha C , Kumar A P Senthil
Published: January 2025

This study proposes the type 2 fuzzy logic controller with genetic algorithm (T2FLC-GA) for optimal tracking of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The suggested technique improves the high-power transmission to loads under long-term weather conditions. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are search algorithms that use natural selection and genetic mechanisms to simultaneously find the near-optimal design for control rules and membership functions. The research proposes a control system that uses GA to increase a PV system’s output energy. This system adjusts the spatial angles of the solar panels along the vertical and horizontal axes. The numerical findings illustrate that the suggested T2FLC-GA model increases the accuracy rate of 98.5%, solar tracking rate of 96.5%, overall performance rate of 97.6%, computation cost rate of 10.5%, and power generation rate of 94.5% compared to other existing models.
Self-orbit Equivalences on a Class of Anosov Flows
Authors: Yu Bin
Published: January 2025

Let $M_{k}$ ($k\in{{\mathbb{Z}}}$ and $|k|>4$) be the $3$-manifold obtained by doing $k$ Dehn surgery on the figure-eight knot, and $X_{t}$ be the canonical Anosov flow on $M_{k}$ that is constructed by Goodman. The main result of this article is that if $|k|\gg 0$, then $\mbox{Mod} (M_{k}) \cong{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}\oplus{{\mathbb{Z}}}_{2}$ and every element of the mapping class group of $M_{k}$ can be represented by a self orbit equivalence of $X_{t}$.
Mpox: What Have We Learned and How Do We Better Prepare for the Future?
Authors: Judson Seth D , Orkin Chloe M , Gebo Kelly
Published: January 2025

The global outbreak of clade IIb mpox in 2022–2023 changed our understanding of the epidemiology and prevention of mpox, simultaneously highlighting inequities in access to vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. With the recent multinational spread of clade Ib mpox, it is important to revisit these lessons to improve future response. In September 2024, an international mpox symposium was held at Johns Hopkins University to discuss what we have learned and how to better prepare for the future. Here we highlight perspectives from that meeting and priorities for future mpox research.
Global trends and projections of high BMI burden and its independent impact on atrial fibrillation and flutter
Authors: He YuBin , Ren YaPing , Zhang YaYun , Zhu Zixiong , Li Xuewen
Published: January 2025

Background

This study evaluates changes in the burden of high body mass index (BMI) and its impact on atrial fibrillation and flutter (AF/AFL) using the 2021 Global Burden of Disease database.

Methods

Mortality and disability-adjusted life years rates were analysed globally, considering age, sex, geography and the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Decomposition and frontier analyses assessed the impact of epidemiological drivers and SDI on the burden. The nordpred model validated the predictions.

Results

The burden of high BMI is now 2.5 times greater than 30 y ago and will continue to increase over the next 20 y, heavily impacting cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. High BMI–related AF/AFL also poses a significant burden, especially in developed regions. Men's burden grows faster than women's. Decomposition analysis shows epidemiological changes mainly drive burden increases, while in women, population growth is more significant. Frontier analysis indicates that the gap between actual burden and theoretical optimal value has widened with increasing SDI, except in countries such as Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.

Conclusions

Over the past 30 y, the overall burden of high BMI and its impact on AF/AFL have increased significantly, highlighting the need for targeted public health strategies.
Walnut PR10/Bet v1-like proteins interact with chitinase in response to anthracnose stress
Authors: Wang Tianyu , Xie Muhong , Hou Siyu , Ma Jiyan , Lin Yeli , Chen Sisi , Li Dapei , Yang Guiyan
Published: January 2025

Walnut is a significant woody oil tree species that has been increasingly affected by anthracnose in recent years. Effective anthracnose control is crucial for walnut yield and quality, which requires a comprehensive understanding of the response mechanisms to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. The PR10/Bet v1-like proteins are involved in defense against various diseases, therefore, in this study, seven JrBet v1s were identified from the walnut transcriptome (named JrBet v1-1~1-7), whose open reading frame was 414~483 bp in length with isoelectric point ranging from 4.96 to 6.11. These JrBet v1s were classified into three groups, with the MLP/RRP and Dicot PR-10 subfamilies each comprising three members (the largest ones), indicating that the proteins within these two subfamilies may have evolved from a shared ancestral gene within the broader PR10/Bet v1 protein family. The cis-elements in the promoters of JrBet v1s were involved in response to hormones, coercive, and plant growth metabolism. Most JrBet v1s could be significantly upregulated by walnut anthracnose, JrBet v1-1, JrBet v1-2, JrBet v1-4, and JrBet v1-6 peaked at 12 days of anthracnose stress, showing a 2.85- to 63.12-fold increase compared to the control, while JrBet v1-3, JrBet v1-5 and JrBet v1-7 peaked at 9 days, with a 3.23- to 27.67-fold increase. Furthermore, the significant correlation of the upregulation under anthracnose stress of JrBet v1s and JrChit02-1 as well as JrChit02-2, the genes encoding chitinase, suggesting that during the long process of microevolution in walnut-C. gloeosporioides interactions, walnut has developed a Bet v1-chitinase defense mechanism to counteract pathogen invasion.
Parental loss at age 0-21 and daughters' breast cancer and tumor characteristics
Authors: Keeler Corinna , Krigbaum Nickilou Y , Cohn Barbara , Cirillo Piera
Published: January 2025

Background

Adverse events in childhood are linked to cancer risk across the life course, but evidence is lacking regarding parental death during childhood and breast cancer (BrCa) characteristics. We investigated whether parental loss in childhood defines women at higher risk of BrCa incidence and aggressive disease.

Methods

The Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS) comprises over 15,000 families who enrolled during mothers’ pregnancies between 1959-1967; family members were followed for cancer incidence and cause-specific mortality. We constructed an analytical cohort of all live-born CHDS daughters (N = 9,169), linked to their parents’ cause and date of death. We estimated adjusted hazard ratios of incident BrCa, stage at diagnosis, and tumor hormone receptor expression for parental loss in Cox models adjusted for race, maternal BrCa, and paternal age. Generalized linear models estimated associations between breast density and parental loss among a subsample CHDS daughters (N = 610) with available mammography.

Results

137 CHDS daughters were diagnosed with BrCa by age 52, and 654 daughters lost one or both parents at age ≤21. Loss of both parents was associated with BrCa incidence [aHR(95%CI)=4.69(1.68,13.04)], late-stage at diagnosis [aHR(95%CI)=9.47(1.38,64.84)], and HER2-positive, PR-negative, and ER-negative tumors. Loss of mother or father was associated with HER2-positive tumors. Breast density in the premenopause window was associated with loss of mother or both parents.

Conclusion

Death of one or both parents during childhood was strongly associated with BrCa and aggressive disease. Parental death during childhood could be added to medical histories to indicate counseling regarding prevention and early detection of BrCa.
A design-based view of species richness estimation in environmental surveys
Authors: Di Biase Rosa M , Fattorini Lorenzo , Marcelli Agnese
Published: January 2025

In this work, the estimation of species richness is approached from a design-based perspective, considering the probabilistic sampling of species and checking the performance of the estimators automated in the SPADE software. As shown theoretically and by a simulation study, these estimators are affected by a massive negative bias. To reduce the underestimation of species richness, data integration is attempted, by exploiting the list of rare species compiled by purposive surveys. Richness estimation is then performed on the residual community of species not in the list, and a bootstrap mean squared error estimator is applied. A simulation study and the application to four case studies produce encouraging results.
Rare Case of Immediate Postoperative Acute Gout Flare Associated With Surgical Management of Facial Abscess of Odontogenic Origin—Case Report
Authors: Vargas Nikoletta , Saraghi Mana
Published: January 2025

Gout is caused by monosodium urate crystal deposition within joints and periarticular structures. It is characterized by the typical arthritis symptoms such as pain, swelling, and redness usually involving the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Recurrent attacks of gout are common, especially after major surgical procedures during which intense cell turnover takes place and can lead to hyperuricemia and accumulation of monosodium urate crystals. However, there is insufficient evidence about the re-occurrence of gout in patients after surgical interventions in the head and neck area. This case report is the first to describe an immediate acute gout episode after surgical management of a facial abscess involving multiple spaces, associated with severely decayed, nonrestorable lower left molars, in a 58-year-old male patient with a history of gout. It furthermore describes prophylactic measures to prevent the occurrence of gout flares in similar cases.
Thermal stresses as a possible mechanism for initiating the destruction of comet Shoemaker–Levy 9
Authors: Shestakova Lyubov I , Spassyuk Ruslan , Omarov Chingis
Published: January 2025

It is now widely accepted that the breakup of comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 (SL9) was caused by tidal forces. This explanation applies to bodies that enter a planet’s Roche zone and have a loose ‘rubble pile’ structure with no internal strength. Observations from the Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko initially supported this hypothesis, as the comet’s surface strength was exceptionally low. However, beneath this loosely bound surface layer, a dense mixture of ice and rock was detected, as evidenced by deep cracks. Similar fractures on Mars yielded strength estimates of around 2 MPa. In this paper, we hypothesize the observed fragmentation pattern of comet SL9 caused by preliminary fracturing due to internal stresses. We calculate the internal thermal stresses using the analytical solution of the heat diffusion equation for bodies approaching the Sun along parabolic trajectories. The results indicate that upon reaching Jupiter’s orbit, thermal stresses develop within bodies composed of crystalline ice with radii ranging from 60 m to 5 km, exceeding the material’s tensile strength. When the tidal forces subsequently separated the fragments, they formed a chain of large bodies, with the central body corresponding to the inner core of the comet. The fragments closest to the surface were observed before and behind the central core. Therefore, the preliminary fracturing of the comet by thermal stresses, followed by the separation of resulting fragments due to tidal forces, appears quite plausible.
Characteristics of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica based on glucocorticoid dose in Japan: A cohort study using routinely collected health data
Authors: Tanaka Yoshiya , Takahashi Toshiya , Inokuchi Shoichiro , Uenaka Hidetoshi , Fujita Akiko , Sakamoto Kazuhito
Published: January 2025

Objectives

This study aimed to describe the characteristics, inflammatory markers as surrogates for disease activity, and treatment of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) in Japan.

Methods

This cohort study analysed the data of 373 patients with PMR retrieved from an electronic medical records database in Japan. Patients were classified into quartiles, based on the daily glucocorticoid dose over the initial 90 days of treatment (Q1–Q4).

Results

The low glucocorticoid dose group (Q1) had more patients aged ≥90 years (11.7%), and a higher prevalence of comorbidities. At 52 weeks, glucocorticoid-free remission was achieved in 10% of patients, and higher C-reactive protein levels were observed during the follow-up period. In contrast, the high glucocorticoid dose group (Q4) exhibited a slower decline in C-reactive protein levels and more events of increased glucocorticoid dose compared to Q1–Q3. The introduction of methotrexate was low, with 4.3% to 7.3% of patients. The incidence of osteoporosis and diabetes was higher in patients <75 years, whereas the incidence of hypertension was higher in patients ≥75 years.

Conclusions

Patients refractory to high glucocorticoid doses were identified. Patients receiving inadequately low doses of glucocorticoids were older with more comorbidities. This study highlights the unmet medical needs for PMR.
“What is this brain’s story?” Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on managing brain tumor-related personality and behavior changes
Authors: McDougall Emma , Nowak Anna K , Dhillon Haryana M , Breen Lauren J , Piil Karin , Halkett Georgia K B
Published: January 2025

Background

Managing brain tumor-related personality and behavior changes (BTrPBc) is complex with contributors including tumor location, type, and grade; treatment side effects; and psychological adjustment to a primary brain tumor diagnosis. Although carers of people with high-grade glioma consistently report BTrPBc as an area where they require support, there is a lack of guidelines for healthcare professionals to address BTrPBc. We aimed to explore how neuro-oncology healthcare professionals manage personality and behavior changes in adults with a primary brain tumor.

Methods

This study used an interpretive description approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals practicing in neuro-oncology across Australia via face-to-face, telephone, and video conference. Codebook thematic analysis methods were used.

Results

Healthcare professionals (N = 22) from a range of medical and allied health disciplines participated in interviews with an average duration of 34 minutes. Four themes described how healthcare professionals seek to manage patients’ personality and behavior changes: (i) Building trusting relationships, (ii) What is this brain’s story?, (iii) Brief intervention; and (iv) Targeted intervention. Sub-themes were developed within each theme.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the diverse support healthcare professionals provide for the management of BTrPBc. There is a need for interventions to be formulation-driven, involve individualized care, provide education, and focus on the patient-carer dyad. A stepped-care approach to managing BTrPBc is recommended; however, further evaluation in clinical practice is necessary.
PROCERA interacts with JACKDAW in gibberellin-enhanced source–sink sucrose partitioning in tomato
Authors: Liang Yufei , Zhao Jingyi , Yang Rui , Bai Jiayu , Hu Wanxing , Gu Lixia , Lian Zhaoyuan , Huo Heqiang , Guo Jia , Gong Haijun
Published: January 2025

Proper regulation of the source–sink relationship is an effective way to increase crop yield. Gibberellin (GA) is an important regulator of plant growth and development, and physiological evidence has demonstrated that GA can promote source–sink sucrose partitioning. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used a combination of physiological and molecular approaches to identify the components involved in GA-enhanced source–sink sucrose partitioning in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). GA treatment increased the sucrose export rate from source leaves and the sucrose level in young leaves (sink organ). GA-mediated enhancement of source–sink sucrose partitioning depended on SlPROCERA (SlPRO), the DELLA protein in tomato. Sucrose transporter 1 (SlSUT1) was involved in phloem sucrose loading. SlJACKDAW (SlJKD) was identified as an interaction partner of SlPRO. SlJKD negatively regulated the sucrose export rate from source leaves and could directly bind to the promoter of SlSUT1 and repress its expression, while SlPRO enhanced the transcription repression function of SlJKD. This study reveals the molecular mechanism by which GA promotes source–sink sucrose partitioning in tomato and provides potential targets for source–sink relationship optimization.
Doctor Donne’s Magical Sermon
Authors: Schrock Chad
Published: January 2025

John Donne fantasized about a single affective experience, infinitely dense and rich, that opened directly onto transcendence. In his 1622/3 Lenten sermon on John 11:35, ‘Jesus wept’, he finally described one that worked perfectly. Jesus’s sorrow over Lazarus’s death opened a stream of tears that ran into a river that ran into an infinite sea of sorrow at how sin has ravaged all created existence. Unlike Jesus, the rest of us either burn hot and dry with immoderate passions or, more disastrously, are dead to passion entirely. To get us to feel properly, Donne must use ‘contrary musique to charme … contrary physick to cure’ (327) the hot, cold, salamandrine, serpentine dead. He offers the affective power of his sermon as the sacramental means appropriate to this necessarily enchanted grace. Through exposition of the holy text, through the incantatory power of his homiletic performance, and through the mysterious application of the Holy Spirit, Donne invites his audience to cry Christ’s tears through their eyes so that they may experience how Christ feels perfectly: a contrary music, a dissonant melody in which holy sorrow and holy joy are not only indistinguishable but the same.
Amniotic fluid stem cell extracellular vesicles as a novel fetal therapy for pulmonary hypoplasia: a review on mechanisms and translational potential
Authors: Doktor Fabian , Antounians Lina , Figueira Rebeca Lopes , Khalaj Kasra , Duci Miriam , Zani Augusto
Published: January 2025

Disruption of developmental processes affecting the fetal lung leads to pulmonary hypoplasia. Pulmonary hypoplasia results from several conditions including congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and oligohydramnios. Both entities have high morbidity and mortality, and no effective therapy that fully restores normal lung development. Hypoplastic lungs have impaired growth (arrested branching morphogenesis), maturation (decreased epithelial/mesenchymal differentiation), and vascularization (endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling leading to postnatal pulmonary hypertension). Herein, we discuss the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypoplasia and the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) during normal and pathological lung development. Since multiple cells and pathways are altered, the ideal strategy for hypoplastic lungs is to deliver a therapy that addresses all aspects of abnormal lung development. In this review, we report on a novel regenerative approach based on the administration of extracellular vesicles derived from amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSC-EVs). Specifically, we describe the effects of AFSC-EVs in rodent and human models of pulmonary hypoplasia, their mechanism of action via release of their cargo, including miRNAs, and their anti-inflammatory properties. We also compare cargo contents and regenerative effects of EVs from AFSCs and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Overall, there is compelling evidence that antenatal administration of AFSC-EVs rescues multiple features of fetal lung development in experimental models of pulmonary hypoplasia. Lastly, we discuss the steps that need to be taken to translate this promising EV-based therapy from the bench to the bedside. These include strategies to overcome barriers commonly associated with EV therapeutics and specific challenges related to stem cell-based therapies in fetal medicine.
The Role of Reflection for Continuing Professional Development of In-Service Health Care Professionals: A Narrative Inquiry in Four Health Professions
Authors: Fernandez Nicolas , Aloisio Alves Camila , Tremblay Frédéric , Belisle Marilou , Vachon Brigitte , Kathleen Lechasseur , Caty Marie-Ève
Published: January 2025

Introduction:

Health care providers (HCPs) use reflection to intervene in complex, ambiguous clinical situations. Yet, there is scant evidence about the circumstances when HCPs use reflection and how they perceive reflection within their continuing professional development. We selected a narrative inquiry approach to study how HCPs perceive reflection's role in learning in four health professions.

Methods:

We invited 26 health professionals to a narrative interview conducted by a student in one of the four selected professions: medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. The narrative events that make up the stories were analyzed and interpreted using structural analysis based on the narratives' historic-empirical and psycho-semantic dimensions.

Results:

Physicians told us that reflection bolsters their clinical performance and confidence. Nurses told us that reflection allowed them to develop resilience as they sought to integrate their work setting and gain autonomy. Occupational therapists spoke of how reflection spurred them to innovate and extend the scope of their practice to advocate for their patients' health better. Speech-language pathologists described how they reflect on “educating” other HCPs about their profession and enhancing their communication skills with patients.

Discussion:

The communicative power of storytelling allowed us to fathom what is hard to describe in words: how reflection builds clinical and psychosocial skills and introspective capacity. Hence, findings provide empirical evidence of reflection's perceived role in maintaining professional skills that make HCPs effective in complex, ambiguous situations.
Are We Playing It Fast and Loose With the Serofast?
Authors: Nelson Brent D. , Lawrence Shelley M. , Simek Kelsey , Stowers Kimberly B. , Morales Moreno Jose E. , Prince Jeffrey S. , Mehra Sonia
Published: January 2025

Four infants (one singleton and a set of triplets) born to mothers with serofast reactive plasma reagin at 1:4 to 1:8 were found to have congenital syphilis. Each mother had a history of receiving appropriate treatment for their syphilis stage at the time of diagnosis with benzathine penicillin G 2.4 million units intramuscularly weekly 3 times. Both exhibited a 4-fold decrease in their reactive plasma reagin titer. The singleton was asymptomatic but found to have long bone radiographic evidence for congenital syphilis. Of the triplets, one had laboratory abnormalities and a rash, while all 3 triplets had radiographic findings of congenital syphilis. All were treated with 10–14 days of intravenous penicillin G according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention treatment guidelines. These cases highlight that infants may be at risk for congenital syphilis, despite being classified as “congenital syphilis unlikely” according to current syphilis practice guidelines. A thorough maternal history and complete infant physical evaluation at birth is recommended for all neonates born to mothers diagnosed with and treated for syphilis. Close follow-up with repeat nontreponemal titers, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, is recommended.
COVID-19 Symptoms Only Minutely Influenced by Genes Among Children in a Nationwide Twin Cohort
Authors: Hedman Anna M. , Palm Camilla , Magnusson Patrik K. E. , Rhedin Samuel A. , Kuja-Halkola Ralf , Almqvist Catarina
Published: January 2025

Background:

The World Health Organization classified coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic by March 11, 2020. Children had a milder disease than adults, and many were asymptomatic. The pandemic could be seen as a natural experiment with several changes, including time spent at home. The relative influence of genes and environment on the variability of a trait can be studied using twin pairs. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of reported COVID-19 symptoms and to separate the relative influence of genes and environment on these traits by variance decomposition.

Methods:

This was a population-based twin study conducted between November 2020 and March 2023. A survey was sent out to all parents of 9-year-old twins containing questions related to suspected COVID-19, symptoms of cough, fever and rhinorrhea, as well as concerns for their own and others’ health. Twin modeling with variance decomposition was used to separate the relative influence of genes and environment.

Results:

In total, 3094 individuals from 1547 complete twin pairs were included (618 monozygotic and 929 dizygotic twin pairs). Suspected COVID-19 increased over time and concerns for own and others’ health decreased. We found variability to be attributed mainly to shared environment in all traits investigated ranging between 63.0% and 86.2%. The rest of the variance of each trait was attributed to genetic factors (11.6%–33.5%) and nonshared environment (2.1%–9.9%).

Conclusions:

We found results of substantial shared environment in all traits analyzed among 9-year-old twins. Age and timing seem crucial when investigating the possible influence of genes and the environment when a new virus is introduced before herd immunity is reached.
Prevalence and Predictors of Thirst in Patients With Heart Failure
Authors: Younes Kamar , Massouh Angela , Deek Hiba , Nasreddine Lara , Waldréus Nana , Noureddine Samar
Published: January 2025

Background

Thirst is among the most unpleasant symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF). Intense thirst can lead to uncontrolled fluid intake, resulting in congestion and frequent readmissions. Many predictors of thirst were identified, but little research addressed its association with salt intake.

Objective

The aims were to describe the prevalence and characteristics of thirst in patients with HF, examine its association with salt intake, and identify its predictors.

Methods

Using a descriptive correlational design, 100 patients with New York Heart Association classes I, II, and III HF were interviewed about thirst, salt-related behaviors, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Demographic and clinical information were extracted from medical records. Descriptive statistics as well as bivariate and multivariable regression analyses were used.

Results

Most participants were male and married, with university education and a mean age of 66.7 ± 13.2 years. The mean thirst intensity score was 3.81 ± 2.17 (out of 10), and its prevalence was 93%. The mean thirst distress score was 23.58 ± 7.66 (out of 40); 68% reported moderate or strong distress. Patients prescribed salt restriction had lower thirst intensity (3.60 vs 5.70, P = .003) than their counterparts and thirst distress (22.78 vs 27.50, P = .062) that approached significance. Salt restriction; use of statins, antidepressants, and any renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) blocker; and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score predicted thirst intensity. Female sex as well as use of any RAAS blocker and antidepressants predicted thirst distress.

Conclusions

Thirst was prevalent, distressing, and predicted by salt restriction, use of any RAAS blocker, and depression. Assessing thirst and relieving it are recommended.
Improved Items for Estimating SF-36 Profile and Summary Component Scores
Authors: Ware John E.
Published: January 2025

Background:

Comprehensive health-related quality of life (QOL) assessment under severe respondent burden constraints requires improved single-item scales for frequently surveyed domains. This article documents how new single-item-per-domain (SIPD) QOL General (QGEN-8) measures were constructed for domains common to SF-36 and results from the first psychometric tests comparing scores for the new measure in relation to those for the SF-36 profile and summary components.

Research Design:

Online NORC surveys of adults, ages 19–93 (mean=52 y) representing the US population in 2020 (N=1648) included QGEN-8 and SF-36 items measuring physical (PF), social (SF), role physical (RP) and role emotional (RE) functioning and feelings of bodily pain (BP), vitality (VT), and mental health (MH). QGEN-8 items were constructed with response categories increasing score ranges for functioning (PF, SF, RP, RE) and directly measuring first-order factors for feelings (BP, VT, and MH). Analyses compared ceiling effects, convergent-discriminant correlations, classic and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) testing for higher-order physical and mental components, and validity in discriminating across groups differing in comorbid condition severity.

Results:

QGEN-8 reduced response times by 75% and lowered ceiling effect percentages (−2.2% to −27.8%, median=−14%) in comparison with SF-36. Their common measurement model was supported by: (1) substantial convergent correlations (r=0.576–0.778, median r=0.721) between methods for all domains; (2) lower discriminant correlations between different domains; (3) patterns of factor loadings equivalent to previous studies and adequate CFA model fit; (4) high correlations between methods for physical (r=0.813) and mental (r=0.761) component scores; and (5) equivalent average declines across groups reporting worse comorbid conditions.

Conclusions:

Overall, results support the use of QGEN-8 to reduce respondent burden and ceiling effects while maintaining convergent and discriminant validity sufficient to estimate group-level SF-36 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summary scores. To facilitate its use, QGEN-8 has been made available in multiple languages from the non-profit Mapi Research Trust at https://eprovide.mapi-trust.org.
Change Over Time in Hospital Care for Medicaid Beneficiaries
Authors: Xu Jacqueline , Hodis Jeffrey D. , Calderon Kary , Chung Paul J. , Nocon Robert S.
Published: January 2025

Background:

Historically, access to high-quality care has been a central challenge for Medicaid programs. Prior single-year analyses demonstrated that Medicaid beneficiaries account for disproportionately high patient volumes at low-quality hospitals. Given major Medicaid shifts including expansion and increased managed care, we examined recent trends in low-quality hospital use for Medicaid beneficiaries.

Methods:

Using Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases, we compiled adult hospital discharges from 15 states in years 2016–2019 (N=32,788,446). Hospital quality was assessed with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Composite Inpatient Quality Indicator, reflecting risk-adjusted mortality for prevalent conditions. We constructed a logistic regression modeling odds of discharge from a low-quality hospital (bottom 20th percentile by year), with payer-year interactions and covariates for patient demographics (sex, age, race/ethnicity, income), comorbidities, state, and hospitalization type.

Results:

Overall, patients with Medicaid [adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=1.11, P<0.01] or Medicare (aOR=1.03, P<0.01) were more likely to be hospitalized in low-quality hospitals, compared with private insurance (reference). The likelihood of admission to low-quality hospitals over time varied by payer. Patients insured by Medicaid were 2% less likely to be admitted to low-quality hospitals each additional year (aOR=0.98, P<0.01). Medicare-insured patients did not show significant changes longitudinally, and privately insured patients were 3% more likely to be admitted to low-quality hospitals each year (aOR=1.03, P<0.01).

Conclusions:

This is one of the first studies examining associations between payer and inpatient care quality over time, critical for our rapidly changing payment environment. Although Medicaid-insured patients remain more likely to be discharged from low-quality hospitals as compared with other payers, we find promising recent trends of improving hospital quality over time for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Analysis of the interactions between physiological substances and endogenous hormones inBombax ceibabud differentiation
Authors: Wang Shuyu , Cai Zeping , Zhao Ying , Cui Deqiao , Wang Meixing , Zhang Yanting , Yu Xudong
Published: January 2025

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Plant bud differentiation is a process of transition from nutrient growth to reproductive growth, which is important for improving crop yield, breeding of good seeds and regulation of flowering time. To elucidate the morpho-physiological changes during bud differentiation inBombax ceiba, this study was conducted in Haikou City, Hainan Province, employing paraffin sectioning, plant physiological assays, and LC-MS. We aimed to determine the dynamic changes occurring during this process. The results showed that 1) firstly, the transformation from growth point to flower bud is called floral primordial development, and secondly, the floral organ is mature.2) The content of soluble sugar and soluble starch of early-flowering and late-floweringBombax ceibafirst increased and then decreased, and the content of sucrose, soluble protein and malondialdehyde first decreased and then increased. The content of chlorophyll a gradually decreased and that of chlorophyll b and carotenoids gradually increased in early-floweringBombax ceiba, while the opposite was true in late-floweringBombax ceiba.3) 5Ds, CK and Auxin mainly acted in stage I and II, and ABA, SA, GA, ETH, and JA mainly acted in stage II and III.4) Soluble sugar and GA, soluble protein and IAA\CK, sucrose\malondialdehyde and IAA\CK\JA, soluble starch and IAA\CK\GA were significantly positively correlated, and chlorophyll and IAA\CK\SA were significantly negatively correlated, with the existence of synergistic and antagonistic effects co-regulating bud differentiation.This study provides a theoretical basis for exploring the mechanism of flower formation inBombax ceibaand production practice.

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Summary statement

To investigate the morphological and physiological characteristics of the bud differentiation process inBombax ceiba, and to reveal the mechanisms of physiological substances and hormone interactions.
Medial entorhinal-hippocampal desynchronization parallels the emergence of memory impairment in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease pathology
Authors: Vetere Lauren M , Galas Angelina M , Vaughan Nick , Feng Yu , Christenson Wick Zoe , Philipsberg Paul A , Liobimova Olga , Frenandez-Ruiz Antonio , Cai Denise J , Shuman Tristan
Published: January 2025

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive impairments in episodic and spatial memory, as well as circuit and network-level dysfunction. While functional impairments in medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) and hippocampus (HPC) have been observed in patients and rodent models of AD, it remains unclear how communication between these regions breaks down in disease, and what specific physiological changes are associated with the onset of memory impairment. We used silicon probes to simultaneously record neural activity in MEC and hippocampus before or after the onset of spatial memory impairment in the 3xTg mouse model of AD pathology. We found that reduced hippocampal theta power, reduced MEC-CA1 theta coherence, and altered phase locking of MEC and hippocampal neurons all coincided with the emergence of spatial memory impairment in 3xTg mice. Together, these findings indicate that disrupted temporal coordination of neural activity in the MEC-hippocampal system parallels the emergence of memory impairment in a model of AD pathology.
A CTC Model Uncovers Metastatic Drivers and Prognostic Markers in Breast Cancer
Authors: Fernandez-Santiago Cristobal , Martinez-Pena Ines , Parames Marta , Rodriguez Mario , Hurtado Pablo , Abuin Carmen , Costa Clotilde , Davila Ibanez Ana Belen , Lopez-Lopez Rafael , Pineiro Roberto
Published: January 2025

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and CTC-clusters are pivotal in the metastatic process of breast cancer (BC). Owing to their low frequency, models replicating their biology should provide a robust platform for investigating the molecular mechanisms driving metastasis and identifying new biomarkers. We established and characterized a CTC-derived cell model from a mouse xenograft to explore its metastatic behavior and molecular profile, which allowed us to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of a set of genes associated with the metastatic potential of CTCs. Methods: The CTC line (mCTC) derived from a MDA-MB-231 mouse xenografts was used in comparative functional analyses including cell cycle evaluation, colony formation, invasion, adhesion, and metastatic competency in zebrafish models. Transcriptomic profiling and functional assays were conducted to identify candidate genes and understand their roles in metastasis. Moreover, publicly available gene expression datasets of CTCs, CTC-clusters, and tumor tissue, from GEO and TCGA, were analyzed for the identification of a gene signature that was correlated with survival data. The signature was validated in an independent cohort. Results: Compared with MDA-MB-231 cells, mCTC cells presented enhanced colony formation, invasion, and adhesion, and increased dissemination and survival in zebrafish. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that SPARC was significantly upregulated. Functional assays showed that SPARC overexpression was correlated with increased invasion and migration. Analysis of public datasets confirmed the high expression of SPARC in BC CTCs and CTC-clusters. Additionally, a 4-gene signature involving SPARC, THBS1, VCL, and HSP90AB1 was identified that demonstrated strong prognostic value, predicting shorter overall and distant metastasis-free survival in the primary tumor setting. Validation cohorts confirmed its ability to distinguish high-risk patients. Elevated expression of the 4-gene signature in CTCs was also indicative of increased mortality risk. Conclusion: mCTC exhibit distinct metastatic traits and molecular characteristics, highlighting a possible role of SPARC in CTC biology and its potential as a prognostic marker in BC metastasis. The identified 4-gene signature provides a robust prognostic tool for assessing patient risk and guiding therapeutic strategies. Further investigations into the mechanistic role of SPARC may reveal new therapeutic targets for managing BC progression.
Indirect production of doubly charmed tetraquark
Tcc
at high energy colliders
Authors: Niu Juan-Juan , Shi Bin-Bin , Tao Zheng-Kui , Ma Hong-Hao
Published: January 2025

The indirect production mechanisms of doubly charmed tetraquark Tcc through three decay channels, Higgs/Z0→⟨cc⟩3¯+c¯+c¯→Tccq¯q′¯+c¯+c¯ and W+→⟨cc⟩3¯+c¯+s¯→Tccq¯q′¯+c¯+s¯, are analyzed within the framework of nonrelativistic QCD. The intermediate ⟨cc⟩3¯ diquark cluster in color antitriplet evolves into tetraquark components via the fragmentation process by trapping two light antiquarks (q¯ and q′¯) from the vacuum. After the considered doubly charmed tetraquark components are summed, including Tccu¯u¯, Tccu¯d¯, Tccd¯d¯, Tccu¯s¯, and Tccd¯s¯, the decay widths, branching ratios, and produced events each year for the production of Tcc can be predicted at LHC and Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC), respectively. The differential distributions and two main sources of theoretical uncertainty are also discussed. The results show that the produced events each year for Tcc via W+ decays is 1.80×105, nearly 2 orders of magnitude larger than that by Higgs decays (1.11×103) and Z0 decays (4.81×103) at LHC. However at CEPC, the largest contribution for the production of Tcc is through Z0 decays, about 1.63×106. There are only 4.79×10−1 and 2.03×102 Tcc events produced each year at CEPC through Higgs and W+ decay, respectively.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025
Solvable entanglement dynamics in quantum circuits with generalized space-time duality
Authors: Liu Chuan , Ho Wen Wei
Published: January 2025

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of kicked Ising models in 1 + 1 dimensions which have interactions alternating between odd and even bonds in time. These models can be understood as quantum circuits tiling space-time with the generalized space-time dual properties of triunitarity (three “arrows of time”) at the global level, and also second-level dual unitarity at the local level, which constrains the behavior of pairs of local gates underlying the circuit under a space-time rotation. We identify a broad class of initial product states wherein the effect of the environment on a small subsystem can be exactly represented by influence matrices with simple Markovian structures, resulting in the subsystem's full dynamics being efficiently computable. We further find additional conditions under which the dynamics of entanglement can be solved for all times, yielding rich phenomenology ranging from linear growth at half the maximal speed allowed by locality, followed by saturation to maximum entropy (i.e., thermalization to infinite temperature), to entanglement growth with saturation to extensive but submaximal entropy. Intriguingly, for certain parameter regimes, we find a nonchaotic class of dynamics which is neither integrable nor Clifford, exemplified by nonzero operator entanglement growth but with a spectral form factor which exhibits large, apparently time-quasiperiodic revivals.

Published by the American Physical Society
2025