bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparative assessment of genes driving cancer and somatic evolution in non-cancer tissues: an update of the Network of Cancer Genes (NCG) resource
Authors: Dressler Lisa , Bortolomeazzi Michele , Keddar Mohamed Reda , Misetic Hrvoje , Sartini Giulia , Acha-Sagredo Amelia , Montorsi Lucia , Wijewardhane Neshika , Repana Dimitra , Nulsen Joel , Goldman Jacki , Pollitt Marc , Davis Patrick , Strange Amy , Ambrose Karen , Ciccarelli Francesca D.
Published: January 2022

Background

Genetic alterations of somatic cells can drive non-malignant clone formation and promote cancer initiation. However, the link between these processes remains unclear and hampers our understanding of tissue homeostasis and cancer development.

Results

Here, we collect a literature-based repertoire of 3355 well-known or predicted drivers of cancer and non-cancer somatic evolution in 122 cancer types and 12 non-cancer tissues. Mapping the alterations of these genes in 7953 pan-cancer samples reveals that, despite the large size, the known compendium of drivers is still incomplete and biased towards frequently occurring coding mutations. High overlap exists between drivers of cancer and non-cancer somatic evolution, although significant differences emerge in their recurrence. We confirm and expand the unique properties of drivers and identify a core of evolutionarily conserved and essential genes whose germline variation is strongly counter-selected. Somatic alteration in even one of these genes is sufficient to drive clonal expansion but not malignant transformation.

Conclusions

Our study offers a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of the genetic events initiating clone expansion and cancer revealing significant gaps and biases that still need to be addressed. The compendium of cancer and non-cancer somatic drivers, their literature support, and properties are accessible in the Network of Cancer Genes and Healthy Drivers resource at http://www.network-cancer-genes.org/.
Vitamin D3 and calcium carbonate supplementation for adolescents with HIV to reduce musculoskeletal morbidity and immunopathology (VITALITY trial): study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Dzavakwa Nyasha Veronica , Chisenga Molly , McHugh Grace , Filteau Suzanne , Gregson Celia Louise , Kasonka Lackson , Kranzer Katharina , Mabuda Hildah Banda , Mujuru Hilda , Redzo Nicol , Rowland-Jones Sarah , Schaible Ulrich E. , Simms Victoria , Ferrand Rashida Abbas ,   the VITALITY team
Published: January 2022

Background

Of the 2 million children living with HIV globally, 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite antiretroviral therapy, longstanding HIV infection is associated with several chronic complications in children including growth failure, particularly stunting and delayed puberty. Vitamin D deficiency, which is highly prevalent among children living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, has a further adverse impact on bone health. This trial aims to establish whether supplementation with vitamin D3 and calcium carbonate improves musculoskeletal health among peripubertal children living with HIV.

Methods/design

We will conduct an individually randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial of weekly high-dose vitamin D3 (20,000 IU) plus daily calcium carbonate (500mg) supplementation for 48 weeks. Eight hundred and forty children living with HIV aged 11–19 years taking ART for ≥6 months will be enrolled and followed up for 96 weeks. The primary outcome is total body less-head bone mineral content for lean mass adjusted for height (TBLH-BMCLBM) Z-score at 48 weeks, measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Secondary outcomes are DEXA-measured lumbar spine bone mineral apparent density Z-score, number of respiratory infections, lean muscle mass and grip strength at 48 and 96 weeks and TBLH-BMCLBMZ-scores at 96 weeks. Sub-studies will investigate the effect of the intervention on vitamin D3 pathway metabolites and markers of bone turnover, intestinal microbiota, and innate and acquired immune function.

Discussion

This is the largest trial to date of vitamin D supplementation in children living with HIV. Intervening to address deficits in bone accrual in childhood is critical for optimising adolescent and early adult bone health and prevention of later adult osteoporotic fractures. Trial results will draw attention to the need to screen for and treat long-term comorbidities in children living with HIV in resource-limited settings.

Trial registration

Pan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR20200989766029. Registered on 3 September 2020
Sexual autonomy and self-reported sexually transmitted infections among women in sexual unions
Authors: Adu Collins , Mohammed Aliu , Budu Eugene , Frimpong James Boadu , Tetteh Justice Kanor , Ahinkorah Bright Opoku , Seidu Abdul-Aziz
Published: January 2022

Background

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are major public health challenges worldwide. Despite the importance of sexual autonomy in the prevention and control of sexual and reproductive health disorders such as STIs, there are limited studies on the possible relationship between women’s sexual autonomy and self-reported STIs, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study, therefore, examined the association between sexual autonomy and self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA.

Methods

Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 31 countries in SSA conducted between 2010 and 2019 were analysed. A total of 234,310 women in sexual unions were included in the study. Data were analysed using binary logistic regression models and the results were presented as crude odds ratios (cORs) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) at 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results

The prevalence of self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA was 5.8%. Approximately 83.0% of the women surveyed had sexual autonomy. Women who had no sexual autonomy were less likely to have self-reported STIs (cOR=0.52, CI: 0.46-0.54), compared to those who had sexual autonomy. Additionally, higher odds of self-reported STIs were found among women aged 25-29, compared to those aged 15-19 (aOR= 1.21, CI: 1.09-1.35); those who reside in urban areas, compared to those who reside in rural areas (aOR= 1.51, CI: 1.37-1.66) and those who were cohabiting, compared to those who were married (aOR= 1.65, CI: 1.52-1.79). On the other hand, lower odds of self-reported STIs were found among women who were exposed to newspapers (aOR= 0.89, CI: 0.82-0.95), those whose partners had primary education (aOR= 0.84, CI: 0.78-0.91), those who were not exposed to radio (aOR= 0.84, CI: 0.79-0.89), and working women (aOR= 0.86, CI: 0.80-0.93).

Conclusions

Findings from this study suggest that sexual autonomy is a significant predictor of self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA. Thus, instituting policies and programs that empower women and improve their levels of sexual autonomy may result in increased self-reporting of symptoms associated with STIs which subsequently help in minimising STI-related complications. Also, policies aimed at enhancing women’s sexual autonomy may reduce the burden of STIs in SSA, especially among women in sexual unions.
Improving lookup and query execution performance in distributed Big Data systems using Cuckoo Filter
Authors: Mosharraf Sharafat Ibn Mollah , Adnan Muhammad Abdullah
Published: January 2022

Performance is a critical concern when reading and writing data from billions of records stored in a Big Data warehouse. We introduce two scopes for query performance improvement. One is to improve the performance of lookup queries after data deletion in Big Data systems that use Eventual Consistency. We propose a scheme to improve lookup performance after data deletion by using Cuckoo Filter. Another scope for improvement is to avoid unnecessary network round-trips for querying in remote nodes in a distributed Big Data cluster when it is known that the nodes do not have requested partition of data. We propose a scheme using probabilistic filters that are looked up before querying remote nodes so that queries resulting in no data can be skipped from passing through the network. We evaluate our schemes with Cassandra using real dataset and show that each scheme can improve performance of lookup queries for up to 2x.
Microbiomes of air dust collected during the ground-based closed bioregenerative life support experiment "Lunar Palace 365"
Authors: Yang Jianlou , Fu Yuming , Liu Hong
Published: January 2022

Background

Understanding the dynamics of airborne microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in space life support systems is important because potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance pose a health risk to crew that can lead to mission failure. There have been few reports on the distribution patterns of microbiomes and ARGs in space life support systems. In particular, there have been no detailed investigations of microbiomes and/or antibiotic resistance based on molecular methods in long-term confined bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs). Therefore, in the present study, we collected air dust samples from two crew shifts, different areas, and different time points in the "Lunar Palace 365" experiment. We evaluated microbial diversity, species composition, functional potential, and antibiotic resistance by combining cultivation-independent analyses (amplicon, shot-gun sequencing, and qPCR).

Results

We found that the bacterial community diversity in the Lunar Palace1 (LP1) system was higher than that in a controlled environment but lower than that in an open environment. Personnel exchange led to significant differences in bacterial community diversity, and source tracking analysis revealed that most bacteria in the air derived from the cabin crew and plants, but no differences in microbial function or antibiotic resistance were observed. Thus, human presence had the strongest effect on the succession of microbial diversity in the BLSSs.

Conclusions

Our results highlight that microbial diversity in BLSSs is heavily influenced by changes in crew and is unique from other open and controlled environments. Our findings can be used to help develop safe, enclosed BLSS that meet the requirements of human survival and habitation in outer space. In addition, our results can further enhance our understanding of the indoor air microbial community and effectively maintain a safe working and living environment, including plant growth.
Retraction Note: Does serum B lymphocyte chemoattractant protein13 (CXCL13) level correlate with parameters of disease activity and severity in rheumatoid arthritis? Clinical and musculoskeletal ultrasonographic assessment
Authors: Baraka Eman A. , Egilla Sami A. , Hamad Gamal A. , Khalil Maiada A. , Ahmed Shereen H. , Elbehisy Mona M.
Published: January 2022

This article has been retracted. Please see the Retraction Notice for more detail: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43166-020-00041-2.
Structure–activity features of purines and their receptors: implications in cell physiopathology
Authors: Díaz-Muñoz Mauricio , Hernández-Muñoz Rolando , Butanda-Ochoa Armando
Published: January 2022

The purine molecular structure consists of fused pyrimidine and imidazole rings. Purines are main pieces that conform the structure of nucleic acids which rule the inheritance processes. Purines also work as metabolic intermediates in different cell functions and as messengers in the signaling pathways throughout cellular communication. Purines, mainly ATP and adenosine (ADO), perform their functional and pharmacological properties because of their structural/chemical characteristics that make them either targets of mutagenesis, mother frameworks for designing molecules with controlled effects (e.g. anti-cancer), or chemical donors (e.g., of methyl groups, which represent a potential chemoprotective action against cancer). Purines functions also come from their effect on specific receptors, channel-linked and G-protein coupled for ATP, and exclusively G-coupled receptors for ADO (also known as ADORAs), which are involved in cell signaling pathways, there, purines work as chemical messengers with autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine actions that regulate cell metabolism and immune response in tumor progression which depends on the receptor types involved in these signals. Purines also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and participate in the cell energy homeostasis. Therefore, purine physiology is important for a variety of functions relevant to cellular health; thus, when these molecules present a homeostatic imbalance, the stability and survival of the cellular systems become compromised.
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of social recovery therapy for the prevention and treatment of long-term social disability among young people with emerging severe mental illness (PRODIGY): randomised controlled trial
Authors: Berry Clio , Hodgekins Joanne , French Paul , Clarke Tim , Shepstone Lee , Barton Garry , Banerjee Robin , Byrne Rory , Fraser Rick , Grant Kelly , Greenwood Kathryn , Notley Caitlin , Parker Sophie , Wilson Jon , Yung Alison R. , Fowler David
Published: January 2022

Background

Young people with social disability and severe and complex mental health problems have poor outcomes, frequently struggling with treatment access and engagement. Outcomes may be improved by enhancing care and providing targeted psychological or psychosocial intervention.

Aims

We aimed to test the hypothesis that adding social recovery therapy (SRT) to enhanced standard care (ESC) would improve social recovery compared with ESC alone.

Method

A pragmatic, assessor-masked, randomised controlled trial (PRODIGY: ISRCTN47998710) was conducted in three UK centres. Participants (n = 270) were aged 16–25 years, with persistent social disability, defined as under 30 hours of structured activity per week, social impairment for at least 6 months and severe and complex mental health problems. Participants were randomised to ESC alone or SRT plus ESC. SRT was an individual psychosocial therapy delivered over 9 months. The primary outcome was time spent in structured activity 15 months post-randomisation.

Results

We randomised 132 participants to SRT plus ESC and 138 to ESC alone. Mean weekly hours in structured activity at 15 months increased by 11.1 h for SRT plus ESC (mean 22.4, s.d. = 21.4) and 16.6 h for ESC alone (mean 27.7, s.d. = 26.5). There was no significant difference between arms; treatment effect was −4.44 (95% CI −10.19 to 1.31, P = 0.13). Missingness was consistently greater in the ESC alone arm.

Conclusions

We found no evidence for the superiority of SRT as an adjunct to ESC. Participants in both arms made large, clinically significant improvements on all outcomes. When providing comprehensive evidence-based standard care, there are no additional gains by providing specialised SRT. Optimising standard care to ensure targeted delivery of existing interventions may further improve outcomes.
Obesity and Chronic Kidney Disease in US Adults With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Wallace Amelia S , Chang Alex R , Shin Jung-Im , Reider Jodie , Echouffo-Tcheugui Justin B , Grams Morgan E , Selvin Elizabeth
Published: January 2022

Objective

Obesity is a global public health challenge and strongly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but its burden and effects are not well understood in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Particularly, the link between obesity and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in T1D is poorly characterized.

Research Design and Methods

We included all T1D and, for comparison, T2D in the Geisinger Health System from 2004 to 2018. We evaluated trends in obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2), low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (≤60 mL/min/1.73m2), and albuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g). We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the independent association of obesity with CKD in 2018.

Results

People with T1D were younger than T2D (median age 39 vs 62 years). Obesity increased in T1D over time (32.6% in 2004 to 36.8% in 2018), while obesity in T2D was stable at ~60%. The crude prevalence of low eGFR was higher in T2D than in T1D in all years (eg, 30.6% vs 16.1% in 2018), but after adjusting for age differences, prevalence was higher in T1D than T2D in all years (eg, 16.2% vs 9.3% in 2018). Obesity was associated with increased odds of low eGFR in T1D [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.52, 95% CI 1.12-2.08] and T2D (AOR = 1.29, 95% CI 1.23-1.35).

Conclusions

Obesity is increasing in people with T1D and is associated with increased risk of CKD. After accounting for age, the burden of CKD in T1D exceeded the burden in T2D, suggesting the need for increased vigilance and assessment of kidney-protective medications in T1D.
Our Advisor
Authors: Zeigler James
Published: January 2022

In recognition of the distinguished scholar J. Hillis Miller's long service to the journal as an advisory editor and author, Genre has reprinted a transcript of a symposium to conclude the conference “Contemporary Genre Theory and the Yale School.” The conference was held at the University of Oklahoma in 1984. Panelists Barbara Johnson, Louis Mackey, and J. Hillis Miller comment on work presented at the conference over the previous two days and respond to questions from the audience. Much of the discussion focuses on an appraisal of the differences between deconstructive and Marxist approaches within the discipline of literary studies.
Prediction of Shunt Responsiveness in Suspected Patients With Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Using the Lumbar Infusion Test: A Machine Learning Approach
Authors: Mládek Arnošt , Gerla Václav , Skalický Petr , Vlasák Aleš , Zazay Awista , Lhotská Lenka , Beneš Vladimír , Beneš Vladimír , Bradáč Ondřej
Published: January 2022

BACKGROUND:

Machine learning (ML) approaches can significantly improve the classical Rout-based evaluation of the lumbar infusion test (LIT) and the clinical management of the normal pressure hydrocephalus.

OBJECTIVE:

To develop a ML model that accurately identifies patients as candidates for permanent cerebral spinal fluid shunt implantation using only intracranial pressure and electrocardiogram signals recorded throughout LIT.

METHODS:

This was a single-center cohort study of prospectively collected data of 96 patients who underwent LIT and 5-day external lumbar cerebral spinal fluid drainage (external lumbar drainage) as a reference diagnostic method. A set of selected 48 intracranial pressure/electrocardiogram complex signal waveform features describing nonlinear behavior, wavelet transform spectral signatures, or recurrent map patterns were calculated for each patient. After applying a leave-one-out cross-validation training–testing split of the data set, we trained and evaluated the performance of various state-of-the-art ML algorithms.

RESULTS:

The highest performing ML algorithm was the eXtreme Gradient Boosting. This model showed a good calibration and discrimination on the testing data, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.891 (accuracy: 82.3%, sensitivity: 86.1%, and specificity: 73.9%) obtained for 8 selected features. Our ML model clearly outperforms the classical Rout-based manual classification commonly used in clinical practice with an accuracy of 62.5%.

CONCLUSION:

This study successfully used the ML approach to predict the outcome of a 5-day external lumbar drainage and hence which patients are likely to benefit from permanent shunt implantation. Our automated ML model thus enhances the diagnostic utility of LIT in management.
Imaging Markers Associated With Radiation-Induced Changes in Brain Arteriovenous Malformations After Radiosurgery
Authors: Hu Yong-Sin , Yang Huai-Che , Lin Chung-Jung , Lee Cheng-Chia , Guo Wan-Yuo , Luo Chao-Bao , Liu Kang-Du , Chung Wen-Yuh , Wu Hsiu-Mei
Published: January 2022

BACKGROUND:

Radiation-induced changes (RICs) in brain tissue, seen as increased perinidal T2-weighted hyperintensity on MRI, are commonly observed in patients with brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) within 2 years after Gamma Knife (Elekta) radiosurgery (GKRS).

OBJECTIVE:

To explore the imaging markers associated with RICs in patients with BAVMs.

METHODS:

We retrospectively included 106 treatment-naïve patients with BAVMs who received GKRS alone between 2011 and 2018 and had ≥24 months of clinical and MRI follow-up. Pre-GKRS angiography and MRIs were analyzed for morphological characteristics and quantitative digital subtraction angiography parameters. RIC severity was categorized as mild (grade I), moderate (grade II), or severe (grade III). Firth logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the associations between the parameters and RICs.

RESULTS:

Among the 106 patients, 83 (78.3%) developed RICs, with 16 categorized as grade I, 62 as grade II, and 5 as grade III. RICs were symptomatic in 19 patients (17.9%). In multivariable models, BAVMs with a volume of >5 cm3 (odds ratio [OR]: 4.322, P = .024) and neoangiogenesis on angiography before treatment (OR: 3.846, P = .029), and thrombus within nidus or drainage vein on follow-up MRI (OR: 3.679, P = .001) were independently associated with grade II or III RICs. Symptomatic RICs were more likely to develop in basal ganglia or brainstem.

CONCLUSION:

Large BAVMs and neoangiogenesis were associated with moderate to severe RICs in treatment-naïve patients with BAVMs. Our findings may assist with the complication risk assessment for these patients.
SUMOylation modulates the function of DDX19 in mRNA export
Authors: Banerjee Poulomi , Markande Shubha , Kalarikkal Misha , Joseph Jomon
Published: January 2022

Nuclear export of mRNAs is a critical regulatory step in eukaryotic gene expression. The mRNA transcript undergoes extensive processing, and is loaded with a set of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) to form export-competent messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) in the nucleus. During the transit of mRNPs through the nuclear pore complex (NPC), the DEAD-box ATPase – DDX19 (herein referring to DDX19A and DDX19B) – remodels mRNPs at the cytoplasmic side of the NPC, by removing a subset of RNA-binding proteins to terminate mRNP export. This requires the RNA-dependent ATPase activity of DDX19 and its dynamic interactions with Gle1 and Nup214. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying these interactions are unclear. We find that DDX19 gets covalently attached with a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) at lysine 26, which enhances its interaction with Gle1. Furthermore, a SUMOylation-defective mutant of human DDX19B, K26R, failed to provide a complete rescue of the mRNA export defect caused by DDX19 depletion. Collectively, our results suggest that SUMOylation fine-tunes the function of DDX19 in mRNA export by regulating its interaction with Gle1. This study identifies SUMOylation of DDX19 as a modulatory mechanism during the mRNA export process.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Increased Mass-Specific Maximal Fat Oxidation Rate with Small versus Large Muscle Mass Exercise
Authors: SKATTEBO ØYVIND , PECI DAFINA , CLAUSS MATTHIEU , JOHANSEN EGIL IVAR , JENSEN JØRGEN
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Skeletal muscle perfusion and oxygen (O2) delivery are restricted during whole-body exercise because of a limited cardiac output (Q˙). This study investigated the role of reducing central limitations to exercise on the maximal fat oxidation rate (MFO) by comparing mass-specific MFO (per kilogram of active lean mass) during one-legged (1L) and two-legged (2L) cycling. We hypothesized that the mass-specific MFO would be higher during 1L than 2L cycling.

Methods

Twelve male subjects (V̇O2peak, 59.3 ± 8.4 mL·kg−1·min−1; mean ± SD) performed step-incremental 2L- (30%–80% of V̇O2peak) and 1L (50% of 2L power output, i.e., equal power output per leg) cycling (counterbalanced) while steady-state pulmonary gas exchanges, Q˙ (pulse-contour analysis), and skeletal muscle (vastus lateralis) oxygenation (near-infrared spectroscopy) were determined. MFO and the associated power output (FatMax) were calculated from pulmonary gas exchanges and stoichiometric equations. A counterweight (10.9 kg) was added to the contralateral pedal arm during 1L cycling. Leg lean mass was determined by DEXA.

Results

The absolute MFO was 24% lower (0.31 ± 0.12 vs 0.44 ± 0.20 g·min−1, P = 0.018), whereas mass-specific MFO was 52% higher (28 ± 11 vs 20 ± 10 mg·min−1·kg−1, P = 0.009) during 1L than 2L cycling. FatMax was similar expressed as power output per leg (60 ± 28 vs 58 ± 22 W, P = 0.649). Q˙ increased more from rest to exercise during 1L than 2L cycling when expressed per active leg (ANOVA main effect: P = 0.003). Tissue oxygenation index and Δ[deoxy(Hb + Mb)] were not different between exercise modes (ANOVA main effects: P ≥ 0.587), indicating similar skeletal muscle fractional O2 extraction.

Conclusions

Mass-specific MFO is increased by exercising a small muscle mass, potentially explained by increased perfusion and more favorable conditions for O2 delivery than during whole-body exercise.
Association between Preseason/Regular Season Head Impact Exposure and Concussion Incidence in NCAA Football
Authors: STEMPER BRIAN D. , HAREZLAK JAROSLAW , SHAH ALOK S. , ROWSON STEVEN , MIHALIK JASON P. , RIGGEN LARRY , DUMA STEFAN , PASQUINA PAUL , BROGLIO STEVEN P. , MCALLISTER THOMAS W. , MCCREA MICHAEL A. ,   CARE Consortium Investigators
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Contact sport athletes are exposed to a unique environment where they sustain repeated head impacts throughout the season and can sustain hundreds of head impacts over a few months. Accordingly, recent studies outlined the role that head impact exposure (HIE) has in concussion biomechanics and in the development of cognitive and brain-based changes. Those studies focused on time-bound effects by quantifying exposure leading up to the concussion, or cognitive changes after a season in which athletes had high HIE. However, HIE may have a more prolonged effect. This study identified associations between HIE and concussion incidence during different periods of the college football fall season.

Methods

This study included 1120 athlete seasons from six National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football programs across 5 yr. Athletes were instrumented with the Head Impact Telemetry System to record daily HIE. The analysis quantified associations of preseason/regular season/total season concussion incidence with HIE during those periods.

Results

Strong associations were identified between HIE and concussion incidence during different periods of the season. Preseason HIE was associated with preseason and total season concussion incidence, and total season HIE was associated with total season concussion incidence.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate a prolonged effect of HIE on concussion risk, wherein elevated preseason HIE was associated with higher concussion risk both during the preseason and throughout the entire fall season. This investigation is the first to provide evidence supporting the hypothesis of a relationship between elevated HIE during the college football preseason and a sustained decreased tolerance for concussion throughout that season.
Shoulder Pain, Function, and Ultrasound-Determined Structure in Elite Wheelchair-Using Para Athletes: An Observational Study
Authors: BLAUWET CHERI A. , CHAKRAVERTY JULIAN , DERMAN WAYNE , IDRISOVA GUZEL , MARTIN PAUL , MILLER STUART C. , MORRISSEY DYLAN , WEBBORN NICK
Published: January 2022

Purpose

This study aimed to determine the relationship between shoulder pain, physical examination, and tissue pathology in manual wheelchair users competing in elite sport.

Methods

Eighty elite para athletes who used a manual wheelchair for daily mobility were recruited from international track (n = 40), field (n = 19), and powerlifting (n = 21) competitions. Athletes were surveyed regarding shoulder pain history and symptoms (Wheelchair User’s Shoulder Pain Index (WUSPI)), whereas independent blind observers measured signs (Physical Examination of the Shoulder Scale (PESS)) and tissue pathology (Ultrasound Shoulder Pathology Rating Scale (USPRS)). Relationships between measures for the total cohort and for subgroups defined by sporting discipline were calculated.

Results

A large proportion of athletes reported a history of upper limb pain (39% dominant and 35% nondominant). For the total cohort, WUSPI score was 22.3 ± 26.9, PESS score was 7.4 ± 6.7, and USPRS score was 5.2 ± 4.0. There were no USPRS score differences between athlete subgroups; however, track athletes had lower WUSPI and PESS scores, especially compared with field athletes. The first principal component explained most of the variance in the WUSPI and PESS, which were strongly correlated (r = 0.71), and the second orthogonal component explained the USPRS, which did not correlate with either the PESS (r = 0.21) or WUSPI (r = 0.20). Subgroup analysis showed that track athletes had lower symptom scores for a given physical examination score.

Conclusions

Elite para athletes who use manual wheelchairs for daily mobility have a high prevalence of shoulder symptoms, positive signs on physical examination, and ultrasound-determined tissue pathology. Ultrasound-determined tissue pathology does not correlate with symptoms or signs. This information can help to guide clinicians in managing shoulder problems in this athlete population at high risk of injury.
Intracranial neuroendocrine tumour simulating meningioma for several years: an overview of diagnosis and treatment
Authors: Badawy Mohamed , Johnson Geoffrey , Jain Manoj , Kendi Ayse Tuba , Johnson Derek R. , Porter Alyx , Yang Ming , Sonbol Mohamad Bassam
Published: January 2022

Metastatic neuroendocrine tumour (NET) to brain has been reported in 1.5–5% of patients with NETs. Differentiation between intracranial NET metastasis and meningiomas can cause a diagnostic dilemma. We present a symptomatic case of a 66-year-old male with a history of left-sided skull base mass. The diagnosis of a meningioma was made based on the MRI findings and clinical presentation. The patient received radiation and the mass remained stable on serial MRI images at follow-up visits. Five years after his initial presentation, the patient’s mass showed further growth. He also complained of worsening of his recent diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and fluctuations in his blood pressure. Surgical resection was performed, and histopathological features were consistent with moderately differentiated neuroendocrine tumour. Further evaluation with 68 Gallium-DOTATATE positron emission-computed tomography (Ga-68 PET/CT) showed metastatic disease involving the bones, lymph nodes, and liver without convincing evidence of the location of primary malignancy within the bowel loops or the pancreas. The patient was started on combination of capecitabine and temozolomide with partial response and significant improvement of his symptoms. This case highlights the clinical and radiological behaviour of intracranial NET that can mimic the diagnosis of meningioma.
Alternative splicing regulation of membrane trafficking genes during myogenesis
Authors: Hinkle Emma R. , Wiedner Hannah J. , Torres Eduardo V. , Jackson Micaela , Black Adam J. , Blue R. Eric , Harris Sarah E. , Guzman Bryan B. , Gentile Gabrielle M. , Lee Eunice Y. , Tsai Yi-Hsuan , Parker Joel , Dominguez Daniel , Giudice Jimena
Published: January 2022

Alternative splicing transitions occur during organ development, and, in numerous diseases, splicing programs revert to fetal isoform expression. We previously found that extensive splicing changes occur during postnatal mouse heart development in genes encoding proteins involved in vesicle-mediated trafficking. However, the regulatory mechanisms of this splicing-trafficking network are unknown. Here, we found that membrane trafficking genes are alternatively spliced in a tissue-specific manner, with striated muscles exhibiting the highest levels of alternative exon inclusion. Treatment of differentiated muscle cells with chromatin-modifying drugs altered exon inclusion in muscle cells. Examination of several RNA-binding proteins revealed that the poly-pyrimidine tract binding protein 1 (PTBP1) and quaking regulate splicing of trafficking genes during myogenesis, and that removal of PTBP1 motifs prevented PTBP1 from binding its RNA target. These findings enhance our understanding of developmental splicing regulation of membrane trafficking proteins which might have implications for muscle disease pathogenesis.
Costs of attributable burden disease to PM2.5 ambient air pollution exposure in Medellín, Colombia, 2010–2016
Authors: Nieto-López Emmanuel , Grisales-Romero Hugo , Montealegre-Hernández Nora , Lopera-Velásquez Verónica , Piñeros-Jiménez Juan Gabriel
Published: January 2022

Introduction: The impact of PM2.5 ambient air pollution exposure on morbimortality has been documented; however, for Latin American cities, there are no calculations of the economic burden. The objective of the study was to estimate the costs of attributable burden disease to PM2.5 ambient air pollution exposure in Medellín, Colombia.

Methods: The costs were assessed using the cost-of-illness approach and the human capital approach, which include direct medical costs and indirect costs due to loss of productivity. To estimate the value of the lost years of production the salaries established in the Great Integrated Household Survey carried out in September 2016 by the National Administrative Department of Statistics of Colombia were used. The PYWL were calculated taking as a reference the 57 years to age of death for female and 62 years for male. For both, an alternative scenario was proposed to account for the cost of working years by changing the reference age to 80 years.

Results: A total of 5540 potential years of working life lost due to premature deaths attributed to exposure to PM2.5 was calculated. The costs of attributable morbimortality to PM2.5 exposure in Medellín totaled 86,0 million dollars in baseline scenario and 281,2 million dollars in alternative scenario. Which represented 0.091% of the gross domestic product of Colombia and 0.627% of that from the Department of Antioquia. The highest percentage of the costs associated with the loss of productivity originated in the premature death of the population over 50 years of age, both due to chronic and acute events.

Discussion: The costs of mortality represented 80% of the total. PM2.5 ambient air pollution exposure generates significant costs associated with the loss of years of working life, due to acute infections and chronic diseases of respiratory tract and ischemic heart diseases
Personality typologies of smokers and excessive drinkers: a cross-sectional survey of respondents in the BBC Lab UK Study
Authors: Perski Olga , Nikiel Astrid , Brown Jamie , Shahab Lion
Published: January 2022

Background: Several personality traits have been linked to addictive behaviours, including smoking and excessive drinking. We hypothesised that the combination of low conscientiousness, high extraversion and high neuroticism would be synergistically associated with smoking, excessive drinking and both behaviours combined.

Methods: Respondents aged 16+ years (N=363,454) were surveyed between 2009-2013 as part of the BBC Lab UK Study, with no restrictions on geographical location. Respondents provided information about sociodemographic characteristics, personality traits, and smoking and alcohol consumption. A series of multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted.

Results: No significant three-way but significant two-way interactive effects were observed. The association of high extraversion with smoking was more pronounced in those with high (vs. low) conscientiousness (ORadj=1.51, 95% CI=1.46, 1.56, p<.001; ORadj=1.38, 95% CI=1.35, 1.42, p<.001). The association of high extraversion with excessive drinking was more pronounced in those with low (vs. high) conscientiousness (ORadj=1.70, 95% CI=1.67, 1.74, p<.001; ORadj=1.60, 95% CI=1.56, 1.63, p<.001). The association of high extraversion with both behaviours combined was more pronounced in those with high (vs. low) conscientiousness (ORadj=1.74, 95% CI=1.65, 1.83, p<.001; ORadj=1.62, 95% CI= 1.56, 1.68, p<.001). Results remained largely robust in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions: In a large international survey, we identified two-way ‘personality typologies’ that are associated with greater odds of smoking, excessive drinking and both behaviours combined. The results may be useful for the tailoring of behaviour change interventions to at-risk individuals.
METHODS FOR MONITORING THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF THE SUSPENSION OF VEHICLE UNDER OPERATING CONDITIONS
Authors: Tikhov-Tinnikov Dmitry A.
Published: January 2022

Suspension faults can reduce wheel traction and therefore reduce vehicle stability. Existing diagnostic methods for the suspension do not take into account the stability of the vehicle. To control stability, it is proposed to use road and bench methods, characterized by suspension vibrations and constant lateral force. Theoretical studies were carried out using mathematical models based on the description of the functioning of sprung and unsprung vehicle masses, as well as elastic tires. Experimental studies include bench tests of tires, shock absorbers and silent blocks of various technical conditions, as well as road studies of the kinematic parameters of the M1 category vehicle. As a result, a road method for monitoring the technical condition of shock absorbers was developed, taking into account their influence on stability indicators.

Purpose – Theoretical substantiation and experimental confirmation of the method for diagnosing suspension systems by parameters related to the stability of the vehicle movement.

Methodology includes experimental methods, mathematical modeling methods and numerical methods for solving differential equations.

Results: experimental methods and mathematical apparatus were developed to study the influence of the parameters of the suspension system on the stability of the movement of vehicles.

Practical implications: the results can be used by organizations and institutions involved in the development of diagnostic methods for vehicles.
Usłyszane dziedzictwo. Szkic z dźwiękowej etnografii
Authors: Sochacki Łukasz
Published: January 2022

The article considers the idea of the soundscape as intangible cultural heritage. Theoretical considerations were supplemented and confronted with empirical materials collected during ethnographic field research. The soundscape surrounding sheep shepherds in the Poprad Valley was selected for the case study. The author argues that ordinary sounds of everyday life are overlooked as an element of intangible cultural heritage. However, based on the fragment of ethnographic material presented in the article, he attempts to show that the soundscape of everyday life is an important element of intangible cultural heritage and may determine its durability.
Glyptic Treasures in Krakow and Old Master Paintings Collection of Constantine Schmidt-Ciążyński
Authors: Gołyźniak Paweł
Published: January 2022

This article is based on two lectures delivered during the symposium “Collecting Antiquities from the Middle Ages to the End of the Nineteenth Century” held at the University of Wrocław, 25–26 March 2021. It discusses two collections related to the glyptic art housed in Krakow: a pictorial archive once owned by Philipp von Stosch including visual reproductions of his own gems as well as those from other contemporary cabinets, now in the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Krakow and the Constantine Schmidt-Ciążyński collection of engraved gems in the National Museum in Krakow. These two different sets enable us to illustrate the history of collecting intaglios and cameos, and explain why engraved gems became such a popular phenomenon among the eighteenth and nineteenth century enthusiasts of antiquity, its art and craftsmanship. In addition, Constantine Schmidt-Ciążyński’s collection of Old Master paintings is briefly discussed as another proof of his extraordinary connoisseurship and taste.
United by Context, Divided by Collection: The Nineteenth Century Collecting of Prehistoric Artifacts from Villafrati (Sicily, Italy)
Authors: D’Amico Serena
Published: January 2022

In the historical framework of the newly unified Italy (1861), in parallel with the collection of the classical age materials, paleoethnological collections came to be defined following different dynamics of formation. Compared to the former, which traditionally occupied the field of the humanities, prehistoric artefacts struggled to be included among the sciences of antiquity, finding their place among the natural sciences instead. Particularly, natural caves proved to be exceptional archaeological contexts offering much more scientific data than the open-air sites about the definition of the most ancient history of Man and, for this reason, privileged places for the recovery of artifacts. The article aims to present the collecting history of the prehistoric materials coming from the caves of Mount Chiarastella, whose collection and formation practices fit into the framework of the Sicilian collecting history of the second half of the 19th century. Many actors were involved as well as purposes for the recovery of the artifacts, a fact that has led to an inevitable consequence, the dispersion of the artifacts in three public museums and the loss of their traces among private collections. Nevertheless, the multidisciplinary approach adopted in the research has made it possible to overcome the problems linked mainly to the lack of documentary sources, allowing the reconstruction of the entire history of research on the site, as well as the first faithful reading of the original archaeological context.
Impact of Information Asymmetry and Limited Production Capacity on Business Interruption Insurance
Authors: Kao Yuan-Mao , Keskin N. Bora , Shang Kevin
Published: January 2022

We consider a firm that faces a potential disruption in its normal operations can purchase business interruption (BI) insurance from an insurer to guard against the disruption risk. The firm makes demand forecasts and can put a recovery effort if a disruption occurs; both are unobservable to the insurer. Accordingly, the insurer offers BI insurance to the firm while facing adverse selection and moral hazard. We first find that, because of the joint effect of limited production capacity and self-impelled recovery effort, the firm with a lower demand forecast benefits more from BI insurance than that with a higher demand forecast. Anticipating a higher premium, the low-demand firm has an incentive to pretend to have the higher demand forecast to obtain more profit. We then derive the optimal insurance contracts to deal with the information asymmetry and show how the firm’s characteristics affect the optimal contracts. Both high- and low-demand contracts are affected by the firm’s operational characteristics in the same direction, and the informational characteristics impact those contracts differently. We also analyze the case in which the firm can choose its initial capacity and find that, from the firm’s perspective, capacity and BI insurance could be either substitutes or complements.

This paper was accepted by Vishal Gaur, operations management.
Tractable Term Structure Models
Authors: Feunou Bruno , Fontaine Jean-Sébastien , Le Anh , Lundblad Christian
Published: January 2022

We introduce a new framework that facilitates term structure modeling with both positive interest rates and flexible time series dynamics but that is also tractable, meaning amenable to quick and robust estimation. Using both simulations and U.S. historical data, we compare our approach with benchmark Gaussian and stochastic volatility models as well as a shadow rate model that enforces positive interest rates. Our approach, which remains arbitrarily close to arbitrage free, offers a more accurate characterization of bond Sharpe ratios because of a better fit of the volatility dynamics and a more efficient estimation of the return dynamics. Further, the shadow rate and stochastic volatility models exhibit important restrictions that are largely absent in our approach.

This paper was accepted by Agostino Capponi, finance.

Supplemental Material: The data files and online appendix are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4214 .
Distributionally Robust Inventory Control When Demand Is a Martingale
Authors: Xin Linwei , Goldberg David Alan
Published: January 2022

Demand forecasting plays an important role in many inventory control problems. To mitigate the potential harms of model misspecification in this context, various forms of distributionally robust optimization have been applied. Although many of these methodologies suffer from the problem of time inconsistency, the work of Klabjan et al. established a general time-consistent framework for such problems by connecting to the literature on robust Markov decision processes. Motivated by the fact that many forecasting models exhibit very special structure as well as a desire to understand the impact of positing different dependency structures in distributionally robust multistage optimization, we formulate and solve a time-consistent distributionally robust multistage newsvendor model, which naturally robustifies some of the simplest inventory models with demand forecasting. In particular, in some of the simplest such models, demand evolves as a martingale (i.e., expected demand tomorrow equals realized demand today). We consider a robust variant of such models in which the sequence of future demands may be any martingale with given mean and support. Under such a model, past realizations of demand are naturally incorporated into the structure of the uncertainty set going forward. We explicitly compute the minimax optimal policy (and worst-case distribution) in closed form by combining ideas from convex analysis, probability, and dynamic programming. We prove that, at optimality, the worst-case demand distribution corresponds to the setting in which inventory may become obsolete at a random time. To gain further insight, we prove weak convergence (as the time horizon grows large) to a simple and intuitive process. We also compare with the analogous setting in which demand is independent across periods (analyzed previously by Shapiro) and identify several differences between these models in the spirit of the price of correlations studied by Agrawal et al. Finally, we complement our results by providing both numerical experiments that illustrate the potential benefits and limitations of our approach as well as additional theoretical analyses exploring what happens when our modeling assumptions do not hold.
A Fluid Model of an Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Authors: Aveklouris Angelos , Vlasiou Maria , Zwart Bert
Published: January 2022

We develop and analyze a measure-valued fluid model keeping track of parking and charging requirements of electric vehicles in a local distribution grid. We show how this model arises as an accumulation point of an appropriately scaled sequence of stochastic network models. Our analysis incorporates load-flow models that describe the laws of electricity. Specifically, we consider the alternating current (AC) and the linearized Distflow power flow models and show a continuity property of the associated power allocation functions.