bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Organoarsenical tolerance in Sphingobacterium wenxiniae, a bacterium isolated from activated sludge
Authors: Chen Jian , Zhang Jun , Rosen Barry P.
Published: May 2021

Organoarsenicals enter the environment from biogenic and anthropogenic sources. Trivalent inorganic arsenite (As(III)) is microbially methylated to more toxic methylarsenite (MAs(III)) and dimethylarsenite (DMAs(III)) that oxidize in air to MAs(V) and DMAs(V). Sources include the herbicide monosodium methylarsenate (MSMA or MAs(V)), which is microbially reduced to MAs(III), and the aromatic arsenical roxarsone (3‐nitro‐4‐hydroxybenzenearsonic acid or Rox), an antimicrobial growth promoter for poultry and swine. Here we show that Sphingobacterium wenxiniae LQY‐18T, isolated from activated sludge, is resistant to trivalent MAs(III) and Rox(III). Sphingobacterium wenxiniae detoxifies MAs(III) and Rox(III) by oxidation to MAs(V) and Rox(V). Sphingobacterium wenxiniae has a novel chromosomal gene, termed arsU1. Expressed in Escherichia coli arsU1 confers resistance to MAs(III) and Rox(III) but not As(III) or pentavalent organoarsenicals. Purified ArsU1 catalyses oxidation of trivalent methylarsenite and roxarsone. ArsU1 has six conserved cysteine residues. The DNA sequence for the three C‐terminal cysteines was deleted, and the other three were mutated to serines. Only C45S and C122S lost activity, suggesting that Cys45 and Cys122 play a role in ArsU1 function. ArsU1 requires neither FMN nor FAD for activity. These results demonstrate that ArsU1 is a novel MAs(III) oxidase that contributes to S. wenxiniae tolerance to organoarsenicals.
Collective activation of enacted resilience in managing unthought‐of situations: An examination of the reconstruction of a critical situation on the polar traverse
Authors: Villemain Aude , Lémonie Yannick
Published: May 2021

The purpose of this article is to give a detailed description of how resilience is activated in the case of an unthought‐of event through the study of a critical situation encountered on a polar traverse. The situation studied is that of diesel freezing during the return of the 56th polar traverse. Seven raiders participated in the study. Activity traces, such as traverse diary reports, and self‐confrontation interviews were used to reconstruct the event. The results show the need to (a) study repeated failed attempts at solving problems and the need to discuss solutions based on (b) shared or (c) personal experience in finding creative solutions to problems. In this sense, the activation of resilience is a process enabling the transition from habitual adaptive actions to a transformative collective activity. The management of unthought‐of situations is discussed in relation with the expansive learning and transformative actions. Implications are developed in a final section.
Regional Trade Agreements and Excluded Countries
Authors: He Xi
Published: May 2021

This article investigates the impact of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on excluded countries' protection for agricultural producers. Specifically, this article quantifies the causal impact of an average trading partner's import share from its RTA members, that is preferential import share, on excluded countries' nominal rate of assistance (NRA) to agricultural producers. The empirical analysis is based on a panel dataset that covers fifty‐four agricultural commodities across eighty‐eight countries from 1986 to 2018. Based on an instrumental variables approach that instruments average trading partners' preferential import share with predicted average trading partners' preferential import share constructed from gravity models that assume time‐varying impacts of air and sea distances on trade, I find that a one‐percentage‐point increase in an average trading partner's preferential import share decreases excluded countries' NRA by 0.298 percentage points. The impacts are larger and more significant for net‐importing countries than for net‐exporting countries. Heterogeneity analysis shows that developed countries reduce protection for more protected and subsidized producers, and developing countries reduce protection for less protected and taxed producers. These findings suggest that it's important to provide farmers in developing countries with complementary mitigation strategies to counteract the reduced protection resulted from their partners' RTA formation.
Catholicism and Taki Onqoy in the Early Colonial Period: Colonial Entanglements of Church Interments at Iglesiachayoq (Chicha‐Soras Valley, Ayacucho, Peru)
Authors: Norman Scotti M.
Published: May 2021

Archaeologists of colonial encounters utilize the concept of entanglement to explore shifting cultural relationships between European and Native populations during colonial encounters. In the chaotic decades after Spanish conquest of Peru (1532), Andeans of the south‐central highlands practiced a revitalization cult known as Taki Onqoy (Quechua: “dancing/singing sickness”). Taki Onqoy preachers advocated for a rejection of Spanish food, culture, and religion in favor of a return to veneration of the local deities practiced prior to Spanish invasion. Based on results from excavation of the Catholic church at the site of Iglesiachayoq (Chicha‐Soras Valley, Ayacucho, Peru), this article explores the burial practices of individuals interred beneath the church floor. Contrary to primary documents, which portray Andeans as idolatrous rebels or pious converts, interments displayed an array of entangled practices. Within the milieu of contrasting religious mandates (Catholic and Taki Onqoy), individuals interred their deceased kin in ways that intertwined both traditions.
The future direction of imaging in prostate cancer: MRI with or without contrast injection
Authors: Pecoraro Martina , Messina Emanuele , Bicchetti Marco , Carnicelli Giorgia , Del Monte Maurizio , Iorio Beniamino , La Torre Giuseppe , Catalano Carlo , Panebianco Valeria
Published: May 2021

Background

Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is the “state of the art” management tool for patients with suspicion of prostate cancer (PCa). The role of non‐contrast MRI is investigated to move toward a more personalized, less invasive, and highly cost‐effective PCa diagnostic workup.

Objective

To perform a non‐systematic review of the existing literature to highlight strength and flaws of performing non‐contrast MRI, and to provide a critical overview of the international scientific production on the topic.

Materials and Methods

Online databases (Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science) were searched for original articles, systematic review and meta‐analysis, and expert opinion papers.

Results

Several investigations have shown comparable diagnostic accuracy of biparametric (bpMRI) and mpMRI for the detection of PCa. The advantage of abandoning contrast‐enhanced sequences improves operational logistics, lowering costs, acquisition time, and side effects. The main limitations of bpMRI are that most studies comparing non‐contrast with contrast MRI come from centers with high expertise that might not be reproducible in the general community setting; besides, reduced protocols might be insufficient for estimation of the intra‐ and extra‐prostatic extension and regional disease. The mentioned observations suggest that low‐quality mpMRI for the general population might represent the main shortage to overcome.

Discussion

Non‐contrast MRI future trends are likely represented by PCa screening and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. PCa screening is still a controversial topic; bpMRI has become one of the most promising diagnostic applications, as it is a more sensitive test for PCa early detection, compared to serum PSA level test. Also, AI applications and radiomic have been the object of several studies investigating PCa detection using bpMRI, showing encouraging results.

Conclusion

Today, the accessibility to MRI for early detection of PCa is a priority. Results from prospective, multicenter, multireader, and paired validation studies are needed to provide evidence supporting its role in the clinical practice.
Subretinal fluid morphology in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy and its relationship to treatment: a retrospective analysis on PLACE trial data
Authors: Subhi Yousif , Bjerager Jakob , Boon Camiel J.F. , van Dijk Elon H.C.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To explore subretinal fluid (SRF) morphology in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (cCSC) after one session of either high‐density subthreshold micropulse laser (HSML) treatment or half‐dose photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Methods

We retrospectively obtained optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans from a subset of patients from a randomized controlled trial on treatment‐naïve eyes with cCSC allocated to either HSML treatment or half‐dose PDT. OCT scans were evaluated prior to treatment and 6–8 weeks post‐treatment, where we measured maximum SRF height and width, calculated the maximum height‐to‐maximum width‐ratio (maxHWR) and calculated the total SRF volume.

Results

Forty‐one eyes of 39 cCSC patients were included. SRF morphology ranged from flat to dome‐shaped, quantified as maxHWR ranging between 0.02 and 0.12. SRF volume was median 0.373 μl (range: 0.010–4.425 μl) and did not correlate to maxHWR (rho = −0.004, p = 0.982). Half‐dose PDT was superior to HSML treatment in complete SRF resolution (RR = 3.28, p = 0.003) and in morphological changes of SRF (Δmaximum height, p = 0.001; Δmaximum width, p < 0.001; Δvolume, p = 0.025). SRF resolved completely in 19/22 PDT‐treated eyes (86%) and 5/19 HSML‐treated eyes (26%). SRF volume increased in five eyes (26%) after HSML treatment, and in none of the eyes after half‐dose PDT. SRF morphology at baseline did not predict treatment outcomes.

Conclusion

SRF morphology changed after both HSML treatment and half‐dose PDT in cCSC, with SRF disappearing in most PDT‐treated patients, whereas SRF volume increased in a sizeable proportion of HSML‐treated patients. Baseline SRF characteristics measured in this study were unable to predict outcomes after either HSML treatment or half‐dose PDT.
Stigma is associated with illness self‐concept in individuals with concealable chronic illnesses
Authors: O’Donnell Aisling T. , Habenicht Andrea E.
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Previous research suggests that chronic illnesses can elicit stigma, even when those illnesses are concealable. Such stigmatization is assumed to lead to a stigmatized identity. Additionally, chronic illness affects one’s self‐concept, as one reconstructs a sense of self with illness incorporated. However, no research has examined the interplay between stigma and self‐concept in those with concealable chronic illnesses. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which experienced, anticipated, and internalized stigma are associated with illness self‐concept in individuals living with concealable chronic illnesses. Furthermore, we explored if the aforementioned aspects of stigma are associated with enrichment in the self‐concept in the same cohort.

Design

An online correlational survey of people with concealable chronic illness (N = 446).

Methods

Participants completed self‐report measures of chronic illness‐specific measures of stigma and illness self‐concept, both negative and positive.

Results

Results indicated that there is a positive relationship between experienced, anticipated, and internalized stigma and illness self‐concept, indicating that stigma is associated with increased preoccupation and perceived impact of one’s illness on the self. Although there is also a negative relationship between anticipated and internalized stigma and enrichment, only internalized stigma is associated with enrichment over and above the effects of control variables such as personal control.

Conclusions

Our findings bridge the existing literature on illness self‐concept and stigma for chronic illness groups, with a specific focus on those with concealable chronic illnesses. More varied approaches to coping with illness should be encouraged, including encouraging enrichment aspects to potentially act as a buffer between the effects of stigma and illness self‐concept.
Spontaneous pneumothorax—When do we need to intervene?
Authors: Ashkenazi Moshe , Bak Alon , Sarouk Ifat , Bar Aluma Bat El , Dagan Adi , Bezalel Yael , Vilozni Daphna , Efrati Ori
Published: May 2021

Background

Pneumothorax can be classified as traumatic, iatrogenic or spontaneous (SP), which can be subdivided into primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP), a condition without preexisting lung disease, or secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) a complication of a preexisting lung disease. Recurrence rate of PSP is 30% whereas for SSP rate is unknown. This article explores the experience of a tertiary center over 20 years.

Methods

A retrospective case review of patients hospitalized with pneumothorax to investigate the natural history and treatment of SP in a young population in a single tertiary center was conducted. A search of the digital archive (going back to 01/01/1995) of Sheba Medical Center identified hospitalized patients below the age of 40.

Results

The database was composed of the records of 750 patients (612 males, 138 females) who were hospitalized. The recurrence risk for SP after nonoperative treatment was significantly higher. Women were found to have an increased risk of SSP when having SP (OR 2.78). Asthma was the most prevalent disease causing SSP in young people.

Conclusions

In this large cohort, we found that operative procedure has clear protective effect from recurrence in SP, so surgery should be positively considered when treating SP in hospitalized patients. Among young people and particularly in pediatric patients, when females have a SP, we strongly recommend looking for primary lung disease. More studies are needed to determine the risk factors and produce clear guidelines regarding surgery as first treatment.
Conservation practice insights from a comparative case study of two shoreline stabilization projects in Boston Harbor, MA
Authors: Castagno Katherine A. , Bowden Alison A. , Roberts Eric J. , Burns Sara E. , Harlan Sharon L. , Senier Laura , Scyphers Steven B.
Published: May 2021

As sea levels rise and the frequency of flooding events increases, so do efforts to stabilize coastal shorelines. Nature‐based solutions to shoreline stabilization (“green” solutions, as opposed to traditional “grey” shoreline hardening) have been increasingly adopted in the Gulf of Mexico and mid‐Atlantic regions of the United States, but they are only beginning to be implemented, documented, and understood in the northeastern United States. This case study contrasts two shoreline stabilization projects directly across from each other on the banks of the Mystic River, Boston Harbor, MA. These two projects, one private and one public, employ a spectrum of green‐grey shoreline stabilization techniques. Originally planned as traditional grey shoreline stabilizations, both projects shifted toward greener solutions due to local environmental group advocacy, highlighting the influence of outside groups as advocates for nature‐based solutions. This study documents the evolution of both projects, highlighting common challenges in permitting and vegetation maintenance, as well as critical differences in project goals, funding sources, and biodiversity impacts.
Decreasing prevalence of retinopathy in childhood‐onset type 1 diabetes over the last decade: A comparison of two cohorts diagnosed 10 years apart
Authors: Salardi Silvana , Porta Massimo , Maltoni Giulio , Bassi Marta , Minuto Nicola , D'Annunzio Giuseppe , Baltatescu Tamara , Ariaudo Maria , Zucchini Stefano , Levantini Gabriella , Tumini Stefano , Franceschi Roberto , Cauvin Vittoria , Toni Sonia , de Nitto Elena , Salvatoni Alessandro , Schiaffini Riccardo
Published: May 2021

Aim

To ascertain whether the prevalence of retinopathy has declined over the last 2 decades in individuals with childhood‐onset type 1 diabetes and whether this might be explained by changes in lifetime HbA1c.

Materials and Methods

A multicentre, retrospective, observational study, comparing 128 subjects with diabetes onset in 2000‐2003 assessed for retinopathy in 2016‐2019, with a previous cohort of 115 individuals diagnosed in 1990‐1993 and assessed for retinopathy in 2007‐2009, was conducted. The two cohorts had both a similar diabetes duration and age at diagnosis. Retinal photographs were centrally graded. Lifetime HbA1c and its variability, estimated as the ratio between intrapersonal mean and standard deviation of HbA1c, were evaluated.

Results

The prevalence of any retinopathy in the new and old cohort was 24.2% and 43.5% (P < .003), respectively, and that of severe retinopathy was 1.7% and 9.6% (P = .018). Lifetime HbA1c was lower in the new cohort (7.8% ± 0.8% vs. 8.1% ± 0.8%; P = .002) during all periods following the first 5 years after diagnosis. Patients without retinopathy in the two cohorts had similar levels of HbA1c. Compared with patients without retinopathy, those with retinopathy had higher lifetime HbA1c and long‐term HbA1c variability. However, on multiple regression analysis, only lifetime HbA1c was independently associated with retinopathy (P = .0018).

Conclusions

The risk of developing retinopathy was nearly halved in children who developed type 1 diabetes in the new millennium compared with previous cohorts. These results confirm that maintaining the lowest possible levels of HbA1c throughout lifetime protects from diabetic retinopathy.
Relationships between early age at onset of psychotic symptoms and treatment resistant schizophrenia
Authors: Iasevoli Felice , Razzino Eugenio , Altavilla Benedetta , Avagliano Camilla , Barone Annarita , Ciccarelli Mariateresa , D'Ambrosio Luigi , Matrone Marta , Milandri Federica , Notar Francesco Danilo , Fornaro Michele , de Bartolomeis Andrea
Published: May 2021

Aim

Early age at schizophrenia onset (EOS) has been associated with a worse clinical course, although previous studies reported substantial heterogeneity. Despite the relevance of the subject, the relationship between the age of onset and treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is less clear.

Methods

We screened 197 non‐affective psychotic patients. Of these, 99 suffered from schizophrenia and were putative TRS and were included in a prospective 4‐to‐8‐week trial to assess their response to antipsychotics. According to status (TRS/nonTRS) and age‐at‐onset (early: ≤18 years, EOS; adult: >18 years, adult onset schizophrenia [AOS]) patients were subdivided in EOS‐TRS, EOS‐nonTRS, AOS‐TRS, AOS‐nonTRS. Multiple clinical variables were measured and compared by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), using age as a covariate. Two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess whether significant differences were attributable to TRS status or age‐at‐onset.

Results

The rate of TRS patients was significantly higher in EOS compared to AOS. At the ANCOVA, EOS‐TRS had significantly worse clinical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes compared to the other groups. Overall, EOS‐TRS were more impaired than EOS‐nonTRS, while significant differences with AOS‐TRS were less consistent, albeit appreciable. Two‐way ANOVA demonstrated that, in the majority of the investigated variables, the significant differences among groups were attributable to the TRS status effect rather than to age‐at‐onset or combined effects.

Conclusions

These results suggest that refractoriness to antipsychotics may be strongly linked to the early onset of psychotic symptoms, possibly as a result of common neurobiology.
Montane species track rising temperatures better in the tropics than in the temperate zone
Authors: Freeman Benjamin G. , Song Yiluan , Feeley Kenneth J. , Zhu Kai
Published: May 2021

Many species are responding to global warming by shifting their distributions upslope to higher elevations, but the observed rates of shifts vary considerably among studies. Here, we test the hypothesis that this variation is in part explained by latitude, with tropical species being particularly responsive to warming temperatures. We analyze two independent empirical datasets—shifts in species’ elevational ranges, and changes in composition of forest inventory tree plots. Tropical species are tracking rising temperatures 2.1–2.4 times (range shift dataset) and 10 times (tree plot dataset) better than their temperate counterparts. Models predict that for a 100 m upslope shift in temperature isotherm, species at the equator have shifted their elevational ranges 93–96 m upslope, while species at 45° latitude have shifted only 37–42 m upslope. For tree plots, models predict that a 1°C increase in temperature leads to an increase in community temperature index (CTI), a metric of the average temperature optima of tree species within a plot, of 0.56°C at the equator but no change in CTI at 45° latitude (–0.033°C). This latitudinal gradient in temperature tracking suggests that tropical montane communities may be on an “escalator to extinction” as global temperatures continue to rise.
From abyssal plains to stratospheric clouds: a geological flight
Authors: Chandra Avinash
Published: May 2021

Geology is many things, but agile is not one of them. It takes its own course of time, sometimes a lot of it. Geologists are not too different either. Afterall, the phrase ‘you are what you eat’ is not just hearsay. Times, however, have changed, and this is even more pronounced in an industrial set up. Disruptive technology, rate of return, net present value, non‐productive time, incremental gain, upside potential, Infrastructure Led Exploration, easy barrels, ensemble modeling, scrum, agility, digital and now artificial intelligence (AI) are no longer just buzz words imported from some Silicon Valley—they are the rules of the game. And who better than geology and its disciples to know that you either play by the rules or prepare to fossilize.
Tuberculosis infection in HIV vs. non‐HIV patients
Authors: Rego de Figueiredo I , Branco Ferrão J , Dias S , Vieira Alves R , Drummond Borges D , Torres M , Guerreiro Castro S , Lourenço F , Antunes AM , Gruner H , Panarra A
Published: May 2021

Objectives

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common opportunistic infection and cause of mortality among people living with HIV, and it is possible that it may also influence the evolution of the HIV infection. We assessed the differences between HIV‐positive and ‐negative people infected with TB.

Methods

The present study is a cross‐sectional retrospective study by electronic record revision. We included patients admitted to a tertiary hospital with a diagnosis of TB between 2011 and 2016, comparing those with HIV coinfection with non‐HIV patients, according to demographic and clinical characteristics.

Results

This study included 591 patients, of whom 32% were HIV‐coinfected. HIV‐TB patients were younger, with a predominance of male gender. Considering TB risk factors, there was a higher prevalence of homelessness and intravenous drug use in the HIV group. In the non‐HIV group, direct contact with other patients with TB and immunosuppression were more prevalent. Relative to TB characteristics, the HIV‐coinfected group presents with a higher prevalence of disseminated disease and a higher occurrence of previous TB infection. Cancer was the most frequent cause of immunosuppression in the HIV group and the number testing positive for TB via microbiological culture was lower. Assessment of microbiological resistance and in‐hospital mortality showed similar numbers in both groups.

Conclusions

There are few papers comparing clinical course of TB between HIV‐infected and non‐infected patients. Our study differs from others in the literature as we focused on a country with middling incidence of TB and further characterized the differences between HIV‐infected and non‐infected patients which can contribute to the management of these patients.
Description of two new Cisticola species endemic to the marshes of the Kilombero floodplain of southwestern Tanzania
Authors: FjeldsÅ Jon , Dinesen Lars , Davies Owen R. , Irestedt Martin , Krabbe Niels K. , Hansen Louis A. , Bowie Rauri C. K.
Published: May 2021

The presence of two undescribed cisticola warblers in the marshes of the Kilombero floodplain in central Tanzania has been known since the 1980s and these putative new species have been illustrated in field guides on African birds, although with no formal name. Here we name both species, based on two museum specimens collected in 1961 and recently detected in a museum collection. We use these specimens to provide formal descriptions of each form and, using DNA sequence data extracted from these specimens, we place them in a broad phylogenetic framework for the genus Cisticola. The phylogenetic placement indicates that one of the new species is nested within a group of plain‐backed duetting cisticolas and the other within the streak‐backed marsh cisticolas. We use our own and public recordings to characterize the vocal repertoire of each of these new species and compare song characteristics with other members of their respective clades. Dating of nodes in the molecular phylogeny suggests that both cisticolas endemic to the Kilombero became isolated and diverged from their sister‐species between 2.5 and 3.5 million years ago, long after the formation of the Eastern Arc Mountains and the Malawi Rift. We propose that both species should be classified as globally endangered, owing to immense anthropogenic pressures on the floodplain, as documented in several publications and by a recent Ramsar Advisory Mission.
Industry specialist auditors and affiliated business groups: An examination of fee lowballing and audit quality
Authors: Kung Fan‐Hua , Chang Yu‐Shan , Forgione Dana A.
Published: May 2021

We examine the lowballing fee strategy of industry specialist auditors and their related audit quality, for engagements with affiliated business groups (ABGs) in Taiwan. Taiwanese auditors must sign their audit reports. This enables us to identify specialist audit engagement partners and examine their association with fee strategies and audit quality for specific clients. ABGs are generally large and complex and have extensive related‐party transactions. This elevates the levels of audit risk and audit effort and suggests a need for higher fees. Industry specialist auditors generally do not need to lower their fees to compete for clients. Yet, for new ABG clients, we find they are associated with lowballing, especially for ABGs with high business‐relatedness. We do not find evidence of lower audit quality for these new ABG clients. We thus conclude that industry specialist auditors evidently anticipate higher future value from increasing their market share among certain ABG clients.
The peptides in oat and malt extracts that are preferentially absorbed by Lactobacillus plantarum and stimulates its proliferation in milk
Authors: Jiang Yuanzhi , Shi Yangyang , Li Rui , Hang Feng , Zhao Jianxin , Zhang Hao , Chen Wei
Published: May 2021

Lactobacillus plantarum proliferates inefficiently in milk, mainly because of its lack of cell envelope proteases and its inability to hydrolyse proteins in milk. Our previous study showed that this strain could grow well in milk with the addition of oat and malt extracts. To investigate the usage and preference for polypeptides and oligopeptides for this strain, sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE), o‐phthaldialdehyde (OPA), high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), plate counting and other methods were used in this study. The results showed that proteins in fermented milk cannot be absorbed and utilised by L. plantarum, whereas polypeptides and oligopeptides provide available nitrogen sources for their growth. Short‐chain peptides were more conducive to absorption and utilisation than long‐chain peptides. In particular, peptides with molecular weights in the range of 200–1400 Da in the oat extract and 100–700 Da in the malt extract were preferentially absorbed and utilised.
Comparing periodontitis biomarkers in saliva, oral rinse and gingival crevicular fluid: A pilot study
Authors: Katsiki Panagiota , Nazmi Kamran , Loos Bruno G. , Laine Marja L. , Schaap Kim , Hepdenizli Esen , Bikker Floris J. , Brand Henk S. , Veerman Enno C.I. , Nicu Elena A.
Published: May 2021

Aim

To explore the feasibility of screening for periodontitis by measuring biomarkers, namely total proteolytic activity (TPA), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐8, chitinase, lysozyme or their combination, in saliva, oral rinse and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF).

Material and methods

Subjects were recruited among healthy/gingivitis individuals and untreated periodontitis patients in Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). All participants donated samples of unstimulated whole saliva, oral rinse and GCF. The protein concentrations and MMP‐8 levels were determined by ELISA. Enzymatic activities were measured using appropriate fluorogenic substrates.

Results

In oral rinse samples, periodontitis patients (n = 19) exhibited significantly higher concentrations of MMP‐8 and TPA than controls (n = 20). MMP‐8 in combination with chitinase explained 88% of the variance and assigned a subject to control or periodontitis group, with best accuracy (87.2%) in oral rinse.

Conclusions

The combination of MMP‐8 and chitinase in the current oral rinse procedure has the potential to discriminate periodontitis from periodontal health/gingivitis.
Diagnostic accuracy of a point‐of‐care aMMP‐8 test in the discrimination of periodontal health and disease
Authors: Deng Ke , Pelekos George , Jin Lijian , Tonetti Maurizio S.
Published: May 2021

Aim

To assess the diagnostic utility of an oral rinse active matrix metalloproteinase‐8 (aMMP‐8) point‐of‐care test (POCT) for differentiating periodontal health, gingivitis, as well as different stages and grades of periodontitis.

Materials & Methods

The aMMP‐8 index test was undertaken in 408 consecutive adults, followed by a full‐mouth periodontal examination. The reference standard was the 2017 World Workshop classification of periodontal diseases. Sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were assessed.

Results

68.6% of the participants were diagnosed with periodontitis, including Stages I (15.9%), II (15.9%), III (29.7%) and IV (7.1%). A positive aMMP‐8 POCT was associated with periodontitis after adjusting for age, gender, tobacco smoking and systemic diseases, while it was unable to differentiate among the stages/grades of periodontitis and between gingivitis/periodontal health. This test showed a sensitivity of 33.2% and a specificity of 93.0% for detecting periodontitis (threshold level >10 ng/ml). The levels of aMMP‐8 adjusted by the number of teeth present (aMMP‐8/NTP) performed better for periodontitis (sensitivity: 67.1%; specificity: 68.8%). Notably, aMMP‐8/NTP were strongly predictive for Stage IV periodontitis (threshold level =0.4312 ng/ml) (sensitivity: 89.7%; specificity: 73.6%; and AUROC: 0.856). The test performance greatly improved in combination with age and smoking, with a sensitivity of 82.5%, a specificity of 84.4%, and an AUROC of 0.883.

Conclusion

This aMMP‐8 POCT is able to detect periodontitis with better specificity than sensitivity across the spectrum of its severity. This test may be useful for periodontal screening in conjunction with subject characteristics and/or other sensitive screening tools. Further validation studies are needed.
Maintenance visit regularity has a different impact on periodontitis‐related tooth loss depending on patient staging and grading
Authors: Ravidà Andrea , Galli Matthew , Saleh Muhammad H. A. , Rodriguez Maria Vera , Qazi Musa , Troiano Giuseppe , Chan Hsun‐Liang , Wang Hom‐Lay
Published: May 2021

Aim

To assess whether maintenance variables have a differential effect on tooth loss due to periodontitis (TLP) based on staging and grading.

Materials and Methods

Patients treated for periodontitis for a minimum of ≥10 years follow‐up were included and categorized according to their stage and grade at baseline. Impact of number, regularity, and pattern of supportive periodontal therapy visits (SPT) on TLP was explored by dividing teeth into test (5 year time periods prior to TLP events) and control groups (random 5 year periods without tooth loss).

Results

The regularity of maintenance visits, but not the overall quantity, had a significant impact on risk of TLP and showed higher importance as staging and grading increased (larger impact for stages III/IV and grade C). The minimum threshold of visits below which the risk of TLP was equivalent to that of the control group was one visit every 7.4 months for stages I‐II, 6.7 months for stage III‐IV, 7.2 months for grade B and 6.7 months for grade C. This frequency should be increased for former and current smokers, diabetics and elderly patients. Stage III and IV patients who skip more than 1 year of maintenance in a 5 year period have an increased risk of TLP (OR = 2.55) compared to those only miss 1 year. A similar trend was noted for grade C patients, but not for stages I/II or grades A/B.

Conclusions

Lack of SPT regularity and missing multiple years of maintenance had a larger influence on risk of TLP for higher‐level staging and grading.
On the precision of information
Authors: Pereira Samuel C. A.
Published: May 2021

This paper explores a model in which the agent's effort affects (solely) the precision (variance) of a performance measure (signal) of the outcome. Both the principal and the agent are risk averse. The contract the principal offers is composed of a fixed payment plus variable compensation, depending on the outcome and based on a (linear) risk‐sharing rule between the principal and the agent. Moral hazard alone leads to an upward distortion (above the first‐best) of the risk‐sharing rule. This serves to induce more effort to increase information precision. Adverse selection alone introduces two new features. First, to reduce informational rents, the risk‐sharing rule is distorted downward below the first‐best. Second, to induce truthful information revelation, the risk‐sharing rule becomes increasing with the expected outcome—the agent's private information. When moral hazard and adverse selection are considered together, and there is enough uncertainty related to adverse selection, the risk‐sharing rule is above the first‐best for more efficient types, but below the first‐best for less efficient types. Further, the precision of the signal increases with the expected outcome.
Comparative study between fractional carbon dioxide laser versus retinoic acid chemical peel in the treatment of acanthosis nigricans
Authors: Abu Oun Ayat A , Ahmed Naglaa A. , Hafiz Hala S.A.
Published: May 2021

Background

Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a common dermatological issue with several therapeutic modalities to treat. Despite retinoid is the first drug of choice in the treatment, the fractional‐ablative carbon dioxide (CO2) laser has revealed as a promising procedure for the management of neck‐AN, outstanding to its ability for superficial ablation of the skin surface, with trans‐epidermal melanin elimination.

Objectives

To decide whether fractional‐ablative CO2 laser or retinoic acid (5%) peel is the more effective and safe choice for AN treatment.

Methods

In this study, twenty Egyptian cases with neck‐AN were enrolled, where each case was exposed to four sessions with 2 weeks apart of both fractional CO2 laser on the right half of the neck and retinoic acid peel on the left half of the neck. Cases were assessed by a scoring system: Acanthosis Nigricans Area and Severity Index (ANASI) score, two blinded dermatologists, and dermoscopically before and one month after treatment.

Results

We found a highly statistically significant improvement among both treated groups regarding (ANASI) score and dermatologist's assessments. Bedside, the degree of sulci cutis, cristae cutis, brown‐to‐dark brown dots, and milia‐like cysts, dermoscopic sign improvement was evident in both treated groups. However, fractional CO2 laser shows the superior result to retinoic acid peel in the treatment.

Conclusion

Fractional CO2 laser and retinoic acid peel are considered effective modalities for neck‐AN treatment. However, fractional CO2 laser was more effective.
Relationship between illness perception, fear of progression and quality of life in interstitial lung disease patients: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Liu Qing‐wei , Qin Tong , Hu Bo , Zhao Ya‐ling , Zhu Xiu‐li
Published: May 2021

Aims and objectives

This study aimed to investigate whether fear of progression mediates the association between illness perception and quality of life among interstitial lung disease patients.

Background

So far, the physiological treatment of interstitial lung disease is limited. In addition to immunosuppressants such as glucocorticoids, two anti‐fibrosis drugs (pirfenidone and nintedanib) have shown moderately beneficial effects on slowing the progression of interstitial lung disease fibrosis. However, none of these drugs has shown reliable or strong beneficial effects on improving quality of life. Psychological care and mental health support strategies focusing on improving patients' quality of life are particularly important.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Methods

A convenience sample of patients suffering from interstitial lung disease were enrolled from August to December 2019. Data including sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, illness perception, fear of progression and quality of life were collected. The descriptive analysis and Pearson correlations were analysed by SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corp.). PROCESS v3.4 (by Andrew F. Hayes) macro was applied to analyse the mediating effects. We used the STROBE checklist to report the results.

Results

Both illness perception and fear of progression were correlated with quality of life. Fear of progression mediated the association between illness perception and quality of life. The indirect effect was 0.121, and the proportion of intermediary effect in the main effect was 26.36%.

Conclusion

Interstitial lung disease patients experience relatively poor quality of life and fear of progression exerts a mediating role between illness perception and quality of life.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study alerts medical staff to pay attention to negative illness perception and excessive fear, which is helpful to formulate effective interventions to manage interstitial lung disease patients' quality of life.
Asymmetric Cost Pass‐Through in Multi‐Unit Procurement Auctions: An Experimental Approach*
Authors: Myers Erica , Bostian AJ , Fell Harrison
Published: May 2021

We explore input cost pass‐through in multi‐unit procurement auctions. Whether cost shocks are private versus common across firms has important implications for discriminatory, but not uniform price auctions. We provide evidence of asymmetric pass‐through of private cost shocks in discriminatory auctions. Unlike uniform price auctions, revenue‐maximizing bidders in discriminatory auctions ‘pad’ bids close to the expected clearing price for units with costs below that price, but they do not bid below cost on higher cost units. Therefore, if costs are higher than expected, the clearing price rises and if costs are lower than expected, the clearing price remains high.
Personality traits relate to chronotype at both the phenotypic and genetic level
Authors: Lenneis Anita , Vainik Uku , Teder‐Laving Maris , Ausmees Liisi , Lemola Sakari , Allik Jüri , Realo Anu
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Diurnal preferences have been linked to personality but often with mixed results. The present study examines the relationships between sleep timing (chronotype), diurnal preferences, and the Five‐Factor Model of personality traits at the phenotypic and genetic level.

Methods

Self‐ and informant‐reports of the NEO Personality Inventory‐3, self‐reports of the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire, and DNA samples were available for 2,515 Estonian adults (Mage = 45.76 years; 59% females). Genetic correlations were obtained through summary statistics of genome‐wide association studies.

Results

Results showed that higher Conscientiousness and lower Openness to Experience were significant predictors of earlier chronotype. At the level of facets, we found that more straightforward (A2) and excitement‐seeking (E5), yet less self‐disciplined (C5) people were more likely to have later chronotypes. The nuance‐level Polypersonality score was correlated with chronotype at r = .28 (p < .001). Conscientiousness and Openness were genetically related with diurnal preferences. The polygenic score for morningness–eveningness significantly predicted the Polypersonality score.

Conclusion

Phenotypic measures of chronotype and personality showed significant associations at all three of levels of the personality hierarchy. Our findings indicate that the relationship between personality and morningness–eveningness is partly due to genetic factors. Future studies are necessary to further refine the relationship.
Evidence for the additive effects of dispositional negative mood regulation expectancies and placebo‐induced expectancies on mood recovery
Authors: Bailey Veronika S. , Brown Christina M.
Published: May 2021

Objective

Low negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) are associated with greater anticipated and experienced negative mood states, as well as with coping strategies that prolong these states. Individuals with low NMRE may be especially responsive to placebos because confidence in an external source of mood improvement can provide the positive mood expectancies and motivation for active coping that they typically lack. This study investigated how NMRE and placebo‐induced expectancies contribute to mood recovery.

Method

Participants (N = 125) completed personality scales, including NMRE, online. During a subsequent in‐person session, participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) placebo treatment—participants learned of a mood‐enhancing treatment and received it; (2) treatment deprivation—participants learned of the same treatment, but did not receive it; (3) control—treatment was never mentioned. Participants also completed measures of mood, active coping, and expectations.

Results

NMRE was a stronger predictor of mood recovery than placebo‐induced expectancies regardless of group assignment. Additionally, pessimistic expectations arose when participants believed treatment was being deprived, and these participants exhibited the least active coping.

Conclusion

Our results confirm the reliability of NMRE in predicting affective outcomes and suggest that personality and placebo‐induced expectations have additive effects on mood recovery.
Between Promise and Ecstasy: Hope as a Subject of an Engaged Theology
Authors: von Sass Hartmut
Published: May 2021

This article outlines a socially‐engaged theology that retrieves hope as an essential theological concept. The argument focuses not so much on the specific orientation that a socially engaged theology might take, but more on its motives. Here two notions of hope need to be distinguished: the hope that is future‐oriented (hoping that . . .) and the act of hoping as a mode of being in the world (to live in hope or hopefully). The first type of hope is derivative of the second, which means that the act of hoping acquires a hermeneutical privilege over the hope directed to the future. Furthermore, the distinction between ‘hoping that . . .’ and ‘living in hope’ highlights the difference between—with St. Paul—the old person and the new person who understands everything in a new light. This difference is articulated in terms of a productive dissatisfaction rooted in a life lived by faith by hope. Hope thereby turns faith into an ecstatic stance. It is this ecstasy endowed by hope that joins faith—and theology as faith’s companion—to dedicated engagement with the world.
Effect of resistance training with and without caloric restriction on visceral fat: A systemic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Khalafi Mousa , Malandish Abbas , Rosenkranz Sara K. , Ravasi Ali A.
Published: May 2021

We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to investigate the effect of resistance training (RT) with and without caloric restriction (CR) on visceral fat (VF). PubMed and Scopus were searched to identify original articles published through December 2020. Standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were determined, and separate analyses were conducted for RT versus control, and RT plus CR versus CR only. Thirty‐four studies including 38 intervention arms and involving 2285 were included in the meta‐analysis. RT effectively reduced VF [−24 (95% CI −0.34 to −0.13), p < 0.001; I2 = 4.17%, p = 0.40; 24 intervention arms] when compared with control. Based on subgroup analyses, reduction in VF was significant for individual with (p = 0.04) and without (p < 0.001) obesity as well as across medium‐term (p = 0.001) and long‐term (p = 0.002) interventions. Reduction in VF was significant for both middle‐age (p = 0.03) and elderly (p = 0.001) adults but was not significant for pediatric (p = 0.08) participants. However, RT plus CR did not indicate superiority effect on VF [0.23 95% CI −0.04 to 0.51, p = 0.09; I2 = 58.76%, p = 0.003; 14 intervention arms] when compared with CR only. Our results confirm that RT may be effective for reducing VF, but adding RT with CR was not associated with a greater effect for reducing VF.
Competition Between Cα‐S and Cα‐Cβ Bond Cleavage in β‐Hydroxysulfoxides Cation Radicals Generated by Photoinduced Electron Transfer†
Authors: Lapi Andrea , D'Alfonso Claudio , Del Giacco Tiziana , Lanzalunga Osvaldo
Published: May 2021

A kinetic and product study of the 3‐cyano‐N‐methyl‐quinolinium photoinduced monoelectronic oxidation of a series of β‐hydroxysulfoxides has been carried out to investigate the competition between Cα‐S and Cα‐Cβ bond cleavage within the corresponding cation radicals. Laser flash photolysis experiments unequivocally established the formation of sulfoxide cation radicals showing their absorption band (λ
max ≈ 520 nm) and that of 3‐CN‐NMQ• (λ
max ≈ 390 nm). Steady‐state photolysis experiments suggest that, in contrast to what previously observed for alkyl phenyl sulfoxide cation radicals that exclusively undergo Cα‐S bond cleavage, the presence of a β‐hydroxy group makes, in some cases, the Cα‐Cβ scission competitive. The factors governing this competition seem to depend on the relative stability of the fragments formed from the two bond scissions. Substitution of the β‐OH group with ‐OMe did not dramatically change the reactivity pattern of the cation radicals thus suggesting that the observed favorable effect of the hydroxy group on the Cα‐Cβ bond cleavage mainly resides on its capability to stabilize the carbocation formed upon this scission.
Risk Science in Higher Education: The Current and Future Role of Risk Science in the University Curriculum
Authors: Thekdi Shital A. , Aven Terje
Published: May 2021

Risk and uncertainty are critical elements for decision making across fields, such as business, policy, engineering, and healthcare. As universities maintain and adapt curriculums to ensure their graduates are prepared for risk‐related roles, there is momentum for risk science to be included in the curriculum. The study of risk science can be observed in programs devoted to risk fundamentals (for example on basic concepts like risk and probability) and risk assessment, risk perception and communication, and risk management and governance. Additionally, selected concepts related to risk science, such as safety and resilience analysis and management, are increasingly being embedded into a broader range of university curriculums. The present article presents a structure for classifying these programs, by distinguishing between generic (fundamental) risk science and applied risk science, with subcategories reflecting both subject (topic) and domain (application area). An overall evaluation of the broad offerings in risk science through devoted curriculums and selected topics within other specialized fields is conducted on the basis of the study programs currently offered. Perspectives are also provided on how to further enhance risk science studies at our universities and colleges.