bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Association of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Availability With Outcomes of Mitral Valve Surgery
Authors: Alkhouli Mohamad , Alqahtani Fahad , Kawsara Akram , Guerrero Mayra , Eleid Mackram F. , Nkomo Vuyisile T. , Rihal Charanjit S. , Crestanello Juan A.
Published: March 2021

Background

Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) is currently offered at selected centers that meet certain operator and institutional requirements. We sought to explore the hypothesis that the availability of TMVr is associated with improved outcomes of MV surgery.

Methods and Results

We used the Nationwide Readmissions Database to identify patients who underwent MV surgery at centers with or without TMVr capabilities between January 1 and December 31, 2017. The primary end point was in‐hospital mortality. Secondary end points were postoperative complications, resource use, and 30‐day readmissions. A total of 24 477 patients from 595 centers (446 TMVr, 149 non‐TMVr) were included. There were modest but statistically significant differences in the prevalence of comorbidities between the groups. Patients at non‐TMVr centers had higher unadjusted in‐hospital mortality than those at TMVr centers (5.6% versus 3.6%,
P
<0.001). They also had higher rates of postoperative complications, longer hospitalizations, higher cost, and fewer home discharges but similar 30‐day readmission rates. After propensity matching, mortality remained higher at non‐TMVr centers (5.5% versus 4.0%,
P
<0.001). Rates of postoperative complications, prolonged hospitalizations, and nonhome discharges also remained higher. Postoperative mortality was consistently higher at non‐TMVr centers in multiple risk‐adjustment analyses incrementally accounting for differences in risk factors, surgical volume, availability of surgical repair, and excluding concomitant procedures. In the most comprehensive model, surgery at non‐TMVr centers was associated with higher odds of death (odds ratio, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.14–1.73;
P
=0.002).

Conclusions

Mitral valve surgery at TMVr centers is associated with improved in‐hospital outcomes compared with non‐TMVr centers.
The Bipartisan Origins of White Nationalism
Authors: Massey Douglas S.
Published: March 2021

Dysfunctional immigration and border policies implemented in recent decades have accelerated growth of the Latino population and racialized its members around the trope of illegality. Since the 1960s, Republicans have cultivated White fears and resentments toward African Americans, and over time these efforts broadened to target Hispanics as well. Until 2016, this cultivation relied on a dog whistle politics of racially coded symbolic language, but with the election of Donald Trump as president, White nationalist sentiments became explicit and White nationalism emerged as an ideological pillar of the Republican Party. This volume confirms this political transformation, describing its features and documenting its consequences. In this essay, I describe the unwise U.S. immigration and border policies that were steadily promulgated and expanded over the decades by Democrats as well as Republicans, inevitably leading to the current racist and nativist moment. I close by offering a way forward by granting legal status to those who currently lack it, while simultaneously dismantling the nation's formidable machinery of immigration and border enforcement.
Race, Legal Status & Social Mobility
Authors: Waters Mary C. , Kasinitz Philip
Published: March 2021

In this essay, we review what is known about the role of race and legal status in the incorporation of immigrants in twenty-first-century America. While race and ethnicity matter in the social mobility of immigrants, racialization is not the impassable stumbling block critical race theory predicts. The research paints a remarkably consistent picture of intergenerational socioeconomic progress, one that is very similar to what happened with immigrants from Europe a century ago. This mobility is accelerated for Asians and Blacks, but slower among Latinxs. Legal status is increasingly a block to integration and affects both undocumented immigrants and their citizen children. While race and legal status intersect, we conclude that legal status is now playing a relatively autonomous role in limiting the life chances of many immigrants. We raise the alarm about not only the direct effects of legal status, but its increasing role in racializing and excluding Latinx Americans.
The Surge of Young Americans from Minority-White Mixed Families & Its
Significance for the Future
Authors: Alba Richard
Published: March 2021

The number of youth from mixed majority-minority families, in which one parent is White and the other minority, is surging in the early twenty-first century. This development is challenging both our statistical schemes for measuring ethnicity and race as well as our thinking about their demographic evolution in the near future. This essay summarizes briefly what we know about mixed minority-White Americans and includes data about their growing numbers as well as key social characteristics of children and adults from mixed backgrounds. The essay concludes that this phenomenon highlights weaknesses in our demographic data system as well as in the majority-minority narrative about how American society is changing.
Is Galatians an Ironic Letter?
Authors: Pawlak Matthew
Published: March 2021

This article queries whether Paul wrote Galatians with reference to epistolary conventions for ironic letters. First, the author explores the use of the θαυµάζω + conjunction “epistolary formula” in the non-literary papyri to determine the relationship between this expression, irony, and Gal 1:6. Then, he weighs the evidence for an ironic reading of Gal 1:6 itself before turning to the extant ancient letter writing handbooks to assess the extent to which Gal 1:6 meaningfully parallels the ironic letters in the handbooks. The author argues that while an ironic reading of Gal 1:6 is plausible, there is no evidence that Paul has crafted Galatians with reference to epistolary conventions for ironic letters.
Extraction and Emission Language in Luke 8:45
Authors: Pope Michael
Published: March 2021

This brief philological study focuses on Luke’s alteration of Mark’s συνθλίβειν, “compress,” to ἀποθλίβειν, “to squeeze out,” in the famous tableau of the woman with chronic uterine blood flow (Mark 5:25–34; Luke 8:42–48). The author first points to the general lack of critical attention this change receives and then traces out why the two terms, συνθλίβειν and ἀποθλίβειν, should not be understood as interchangeable. Finally, he suggests that Luke’s shift to ἀποθλίβειν offered him a term with more expansive semantic range for depicting the exit of δύναµις, “power,” from Jesus and the woman’s subsequent healing.
Splitting Definitives: The Separation of the Definite Article in Medieval and Pre-Modern Written Judeo-Arabic
Authors: Connolly Magdalen M.
Published: March 2021

This article explores the reasons behind the orthographic practice of representing the definite article in written Judeo-Arabic as an independent entity, a phenomenon which became widespread in Jewish Arabic-speaking communities in the pre-modern era. Commencing with its representation in fifteenth to nineteenth-century Egyptian Judeo-Arabic manuscripts, the orthographic feature is traced back to Judeo-Arabic texts produced in medieval al-Andalus, Sicily, and the Maġrib, and from there, to post-1492 CE Sephardī Jewish refugees, who settled in North Africa and Egypt. The phenomenon is revealed to be the result of a two-stage process: (i) direct language contact between Romance and Judeo-Arabic; and (ii) the influence of Judeo-Spanish writing on Judeo-Arabic spelling practices in diaspora communities after their expulsion from the Spanish Kingdoms.
Kasoma Rock Art Shelters: A Reflection on Local Awareness and Conservation Challenges
Authors: Said Mwitondi Musa
Published: March 2021

This paper stems from an archaeological excavation of two rock art shelters, namely, Nyamang’ora and Nyankingi in Kasoma Village, Musoma Rural District in Mara Region in 2012. Apart from revealing the shelters to be home for Later Stone Age hunter-foragers, the study also noted challenges in relation to how locals perceive cultural heritage assets in their area as well as conservation obstacles, resulting from both natural causes and anthropogenic factors. Through field observations and local interviews, it became clear that the majority of people do not understand the significance of the rock paintings in their area, and many are unaware of the paintings’ existence. This alarming lack of knowledge about their own cultural heritage among people living in Kasoma Village poses serious threats to the conservation and sustainability of the priceless rock paintings at Nyamang’ora and Nyankingi rock shelters. Among other mitigation measures to curb further deterioration of the sites, this study recommends the joint effort of stakeholders such as local community leaders and elders, the central government’s Antiquities Department, volunteer groups, donors both local and international, collaborating in the dissemination of knowledge about the significance and conservation of rock art shelters in the area. Key to the success of multi-sector collaboration is the critical involvement of local leaders at every stage of decision making and planning of cultural heritage preservation and archaeological site conservation.
Impact of Land Conservation Technologies on Agricultural Productivity in Tanzania
Authors: Selijio Onesmo
Published: March 2021

Land management and conservation have been considered the most important aspects of sustainable productivity in economically developing countries where land degradation is a major challenge. In Tanzania, both the government and international organizations have been promoting adoption of land management and conservation technologies (LMCTs) for a long time. This paper establishes the impact of three LMCTs – soil water conservation technologies and erosion control (SWCEC), organic and inorganic fertilizers – on maize crop yields in different rainfall zones, using national panel survey data. The study employs static panel models to analyse the two-period data sets for 2008-2009 and 2010-2011. The results indicate that adoption of LMCTs do contribute significantly to maize yield. The greatest effects of organic and SWCEC methods on crop yield were realized in low rainfall zones, while that of inorganic fertilizers was observed in high rainfall zones. These findings support previous cross-sectional data analyses, suggesting for policy makers that a blanket land management and conservation programme applied uniformly to all agro-ecological zones is not strategically beneficial. The advisability of a technology employed in a given zone should be supported by local knowledge and research findings culled from that particular area.
Who Writes and Reads African History and Why? Locating African Voices in the Twenty-First Century, From 1960 to the Present
Authors: Chuhila Maxmillian Julius
Published: March 2021

This paper provides an analysis of recent past and current trends in the production and use of African historiography, viewing the changing dynamics and progress of this discipline as products of the politics of knowledge production in the wider domain of African studies throughout the late post-colonial era. On the one hand, we should not encourage radical separatist manifestos preventing non-African historians from writing about the continent. However, there is an urgent need to review the stark imbalances that have resulted in a steadily decreasing participation of African based scholars in the current production and use of historical knowledge. Despite the growing number of institutions of higher learning, and the increasing percentages of African-born and bred scholars that are employed on the continent, the dependency still remains upon foreign powerhouses to deliver definitive African historical narratives and paradigms from outside Africa: in America, the Caribbean, Europe, and more recently in Asia. Because of this, we continue to consume more knowledge from outside than we can export; thereby we fail to be influencing the world with knowledge about Africa produced from within the continent. It remains difficult for participants from within the African continent to control any of the politicised processes of knowledge production; and unfortunately, there appears little that can be done to reverse this situation at the present time.
Symbolic Arts and Rituals in the African Middle Stone-Age
Authors: Collins E. John
Published: March 2021

Since the 1950s the huge amount of archaeological research done in Africa has shown that Homo sapiens originally came from Africa rather than Western Eurasia as was previously thought. Nevertheless, some Western scholars retain a Eurocentric bias by suggesting that humans only became fully intelligent after they migrated out of Africa and settled in Europe where, during the ‘Upper Palaeolithic Transition’ around 45,000 years ago, there was an abrupt advance in human neural wiring. Their evidence is the relatively sudden change from Middle Palaeolithic to more advanced Upper Palaeolithic tools and the appearance of the spectacular figurative cave art of Europe. This mental revolution was initially believed to have occurred in ‘Cro-Magnon Man’ who lived in Europe and Western Eurasia 45,000-40,000 years ago and was considered to be the first human to have the cross-domain cognition and enhanced memory necessary for a sophisticated language and symbolic behaviour. In short, although after the 1950s archaeologists generally have acknowledged that prehistoric Africa was the cradle of mankind, some still insist that prehistoric Europe was the cradle of human intelligence. New research on the African Middle Stone Age (MSA), that itself goes back 300,000 years, is challenging this view. This paper provides some examples of symbolic, ritual and artistic behaviour, and indeed advanced tool making that took place during this period and up to around 60,000 years ago, long before the appearance of Cro-Magnon Man.
Decolonizing African Christian Spirituality
Authors: Cornelli Evaristi Magoti
Published: March 2021

Africa is mired in problems and has been so for a very long time. In their attempts to rescue the situation, our forefathers took upon themselves the task of decolonization. Although this process began in earnest in the early 1960s, it has since stalled. Today there are few Africans, either in the secular realm or in religious orders, who dare to speak about decolonization. It is as if the continent is in a coma, its attendants paralyzed. We all seem to have reached the conclusion that the current worldview, provided by the neo-conservatives in Washington and London, is an unassailable universal, a definitive and final creed. This paper is an attempt to break the deadlock of the world’s current commitment to a monoculture. Focusing on the religious domain, in particular prayer, and using historical and critical methods, I argue that African Christians are alienated from their cultural beliefs, and as such their quest for meaning in life is eschewed. I maintain that the spirituality of individualism characterising Christianity is detrimental to Africa and as such it has to be replaced by the ‘spirituality of community’, which is grounded in African traditions and cultures. I conclude by suggesting that if African people want to find meaning in their life and existence here on earth, then they must do so by looking very carefully into their own cultures and traditions, and not disappear into alien cultures, or into some mono-cultural hybrid we witness today.
Lectotypification and notes on the distribution of the giant herb Phenakospermum guyannense (Rich.) Miq. (Strelitziaceae)

Authors: ALMEIDA ROBERTO BAPTISTA PEREIRA , ANTAR GUILHERME MEDEIROS , FERREIRA ALESSANDRO WAGNER COELHO , SILVA JUNIOR WAGNER RIBEIRO DA , DE OLIVEIRA MIGUEL SENA , SARAIVA RAYSA VALÉRIA CARVALHO
Published: March 2021

Phenakospermum guyannense is the only native species of Strelitziaceae in South America and occurs in the Amazon domain in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. The species presents a negative sampling bias, probably due to the great effort necessary to collect it, as it presents long leaves and coriaceous bracts. In the course of the studies for the monograph of Strelitziaceae for Flora do Brasil 2020 project and with an increase in plant collecting in Maranhão state, Brazil, we have detected two necessary adjustments to the knowledge of the species: 1) lectotypification of the basionym Urania guyannensis described by L.C.M. Richard and 2) reevaluation of the geographic distribution of the species, highlighting new records for the Brazilian Northeast region. Both issues are addressed here. Additionally, we present a description, a preliminary conservation status, a distribution map and notes on the ecology of the species.
A new species of Minooa Yamanaka, 1996 (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae) from Xizang, China
Authors: QI MUJIE , ZUO XINGHAI
Published: March 2021

A new species of the genus Minooa Yamanaka, 1996 is described from Xizang Autonomous Region, China. Minooa longisacca sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from its congeners in the male genitalia by the sclerotized, short, bifurcated process at the base of the sacculus and the medial ridge connecting the apex of sacculus and base of costa of valva dentate and with a short thorn-like process at apex of ridge. DNA barcodes of all the Chinese species are provided along with illustrations of adult and genitalia and an updated key to all the species of Minooa worldwide.
Four new species of parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) described through a citizen science partnership with schools in regional South Australia
Authors: FAGAN-JEFFRIES ERINN P. , AUSTIN ANDREW D.
Published: March 2021

Involving the community in taxonomic research has the potential to increase the awareness, appreciation and value of taxonomy in the public sphere. We report here on a trial citizen science project, Insect Investigators, which partners taxonomists with school students to monitor Malaise traps and prioritise the description of new species collected. In this initial trial, four schools in regional South Australia participated in the program and all collected new species of the braconid subfamily Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). These four species are here described as new, with the names being chosen in collaboration with the participating school students: Choeras ramcomarmorata Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov., Glyptapanteles drioplanetus Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov., Dolichogenidea franklinharbourensis Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov. and Miropotes waikerieyeties Fagan-Jeffries & Austin sp. nov. All four species are diagnosed against the known members of the genera from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, and images and COI DNA barcodes are provided of the holotypes. Students had positive feedback about their experiences of the program, and there is significant potential for it to be expanded and used as a means to connect communities with taxonomic science.
A new species of Lepidophyma (Squamata: Xantusiidae) from San Luis Potosí, México, with notes on its physiological ecology
Authors: ARENAS-MORENO DIEGO M. , MUÑOZ-NOLASCO FRANCISCO J. , MORAL ADÁN BAUTISTA-DEL , RODRÍGUEZ-MIRANDA LUIS A. , DOMÍNGUEZ-GUERRERO SAÚL F. , LA CRUZ FAUSTO R. MÉNDEZ-DE
Published: March 2021

In recent years, there has been an increase in the descriptions of members of the lizard genus Lepidophyma. Herein, we describe a new species of Lepidophyma from the Huasteca Potosina region of Mexico, previously confused with L. gaigeae, from which it differs in lacking parietal spot, among other characteristics. We inferred its phylogenetic position and provide information on its thermal and hydric physiology, as well as on some other aspects of natural history. Molecular and morphological data supported the independent taxonomic status of the new species, indicating its placement as the sister taxon of L. gaigeae and a wide morphological separation between these species. Lepidophyma lusca sp. nov. has a diurnal-crepuscular activity period and occurs at lower elevations than L. gaigeae. Also, the new species differ from its sister taxon in its physiology, as reflected by its tendency toward higher thermal parameters and water loss rates. With the description of L. lusca sp. nov., the number of species in the genus Lepidophyma rises to 21.
Quality Improvement in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery: Age‐Related Hearing Loss Measures
Authors: Gurgel Richard K. , Briggs Selena E. , Dhepyasuwan Nui , Rosenfeld Richard M.
Published: March 2021

Background and Significance

There is a high and growing prevalence of age‐related hearing loss (ARHL), defined as presbycusis or bilateral, symmetric sensorineural hearing loss in older adults. Due to the increasing prevalence of ARHL, the potential delays in its diagnosis and treatment, and the significant disability associated with ARHL, the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO‐HNSF) convened a Measures Development Group (MDG) to develop quality measures (QMs) of clinical practice that could be incorporated into the AAO‐HNSF’s data registry Reg‐ent. Although the AAO‐HNSF has been engaged in robust clinical practice guideline development since 2006, the development of quality and performance measures is more recent.

Methods

We report the process, experience, and outcomes in developing a de novo QM set for ARHL in the absence of a preexisting clinical practice guideline on this topic. Steps include the MDG review of evidentiary literature on ARHL, followed by stakeholder discussions to develop measure specifications. Key considerations included discussion on the relative importance, usability, and feasibility of each measure within the Reg‐ent or similar databases.

Results

The MDG created 4 QMs for the diagnosis and treatment of AHRL. These measures represent the AAO‐HNSF’s quality initiatives to develop evidence‐based QMs and improve patient care and outcomes, and they are intended to assist providers in enhancing quality of care.

Conclusion

Development of the ARHL measures is intended for clinicians to evaluate the patient perception, structure, process, and outcomes of care. This process represents a new stage in the AAO‐HNSF’s measure development efforts to facilitate future efforts in evidence‐based QM.
Outcomes of HPV‐Negative Oropharyngeal Cancer Treated With Transoral Robotic Surgery
Authors: Jackson Ryan S. , Stepan Katelyn , Bollig Craig , Sharma Rahul K. , Patel Mihir , Massa Sean , Puram Sidharth V. , Zevallos Jose P. , Pipkorn Patrik , Zenga Joseph
Published: March 2021

Objective

The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing secondary to human papillomavirus (HPV)–related disease. Despite this, outcomes of patients with HPV‐negative OPSCC undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) are largely unknown.

Study Design

Analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB).

Setting

Not applicable.

Methods

The 2015 participant user file from the NCDB was analyzed between 2010 and 2015 for patients with OPSCC who underwent TORS and neck dissection. Kaplan‐Meier survival analysis was used to estimate overall survival of the study population. Univariable Cox survival analyses was used to determine significant associations between demographic, tumor, and treatment characteristics and overall survival (OS).

Results

There were 164 patients (124 male and 40 female) with a mean age of 58 years (30‐89 years). Median follow‐up was 34 months. Five‐year OS was 78% (95% CI, 70%‐86%). Patients with early stage disease (pT1‐2, N0‐1) had significantly improved OS compared to patients with advanced T‐ or N‐stage disease (log‐rank 0.011; 5‐year OS: 88% [95% CI, 78%‐98%] vs 66% [95% CI, 50%‐82%]).

Conclusion

Very few patients in the NCDB underwent TORS for HPV‐negative OPSCC, but those who did had favorable outcomes, especially in early stage disease. Based on these findings, TORS may be considered in the treatment algorithm for patients with HPV‐negative OPSCC.

Level of Evidence

Level IV.
Disease History and Life History Predict Behavioral Control of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lu Hui Jing , Liu Yuan Yuan , O Jiaqing , Guo Shaolingyun , Zhu Nan , Chen Bin Bin , Lansford Jennifer E. , Chang Lei
Published: March 2021

It is puzzling why countries do not all implement stringent behavioral control measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 even though preventive behaviors have been proven to be the only effective means to stop the pandemic. We provide a novel evolutionary life history explanation whereby pathogenic and parasitic prevalence represents intrinsic rather than extrinsic mortality risk that drives slower life history strategies and the related disease control motivation in all animals but especially humans. Our theory was tested and supported based on publicly available data involving over 150 countries. Countries having a higher historical prevalence of infectious diseases are found to adopt slower life history strategies that are related to prompter COVID-19 containment actions by the government and greater compliance by the population. Findings could afford governments novel insight into the design of more effective COVID-19 strategies that are based on enhancing a sense of control, vigilance, and compliance in the general population.
Mixed Study on the Impact of a Technology-Based Retirement Preparation Program: Tech-Retired. Protocol Study
Authors: Miranda-Duro María del Carmen , Nieto-Riveiro Laura , Concheiro-Moscoso Patricia , Groba Betania , Carracedo-Vázquez Marta , Pousada Thais , Pereira Javier
Published: March 2021

Background:

Despite the increase in the older-adults’ population and recognizing retirement as one of the most changeable life stages, most Spanish people do not perform a retirement preparation program. The adaptation and preparation for retirement are needed to ensure adequate active and healthy aging.

Objectives:

The study aims to know about the experience with the retirement process of a retired people’s group and understand the impact on their quality-of-life and behavior change of a Personalized Retirement Preparation Program using technological devices.

Participants:

People retired who have enjoyed paid employment and have never done a preparation program for retirement.

Methods:

The present study is a mixed design consisting of a Participatory-Action-Research and a quasi-experimental study. The qualitative tools used were semi-structured individual, group interviews, and field diary, and the quantitative tools were the sociodemographic variables sheet and the EuroQol-5D-5 L scale.

Action plan development:

It was developed with 26 participants divided into three groups, during five presential sessions, and using technological resources.

Data analysis:

It consists of the comparison pre-post action plan along with analysis of the interview transcriptions with a parallel convergent analysis between qualitative and quantitative data.

Ethics:

The Research Ethics Committee of Galicia has approved the protocol.
Beyond avatars and arrows: Testing the mentalising and submentalising hypotheses with a novel entity paradigm
Authors: Westra Evan , Terrizzi Brandon F , van Baal Simon T , Beier Jonathan S , Michael John
Published: March 2021

In recent years, there has been a heated debate about how to interpret findings that seem to show that humans rapidly and automatically calculate the visual perspectives of others. In this study, we investigated the question of whether automatic interference effects found in the dot-perspective task are the product of domain-specific perspective-taking processes or of domain-general “submentalising” processes. Previous attempts to address this question have done so by implementing inanimate controls, such as arrows, as stimuli. The rationale for this is that submentalising processes that respond to directionality should be engaged by such stimuli, whereas domain-specific perspective-taking mechanisms, if they exist, should not. These previous attempts have been limited, however, by the implied intentionality of the stimuli they have used (e.g., arrows), which may have invited participants to imbue them with perspectival agency. Drawing inspiration from “novel entity” paradigms from infant gaze–following research, we designed a version of the dot-perspective task that allowed us to precisely control whether a central stimulus was viewed as animate or inanimate. Across four experiments, we found no evidence that automatic “perspective-taking” effects in the dot-perspective task are modulated by beliefs about the animacy of the central stimulus. Our results also suggest that these effects may be due to the task-switching elements of the dot-perspective paradigm, rather than automatic directional orienting. Together, these results indicate that neither the perspective-taking nor the standard submentalising interpretations of the dot-perspective task are fully correct.
Comparison of pregnenolone sulfate, pregnanolone and estradiol levels between patients with menstrually-related migraine and controls: an exploratory study
Authors: Rustichelli Cecilia , Bellei Elisa , Bergamini Stefania , Monari Emanuela , Lo Castro Flavia , Baraldi Carlo , Tomasi Aldo , Ferrari Anna
Published: March 2021

Background

Neurosteroids affect the balance between neuroexcitation and neuroinhibition but have been little studied in migraine. We compared the serum levels of pregnenolone sulfate, pregnanolone and estradiol in women with menstrually-related migraine and controls and analysed if a correlation existed between the levels of the three hormones and history of migraine and age.

Methods

Thirty women (mean age ± SD: 33.5 ± 7.1) with menstrually-related migraine (MM group) and 30 aged- matched controls (mean age ± SD: 30.9 ± 7.9) participated in the exploratory study. Pregnenolone sulfate and pregnanolone serum levels were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, while estradiol levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results

Serum levels of pregnenolone sulfate and pregnanolone were significantly lower in the MM group than in controls (pregnenolone sulfate: P = 0.0328; pregnanolone: P = 0.0271, Student’s t-test), while estradiol levels were similar. In MM group, pregnenolone sulfate serum levels were negatively correlated with history of migraine (R2 = 0.1369; P = 0.0482) and age (R2 = 0.2826, P = 0.0025) while pregnenolone sulfate levels were not age-related in the control group (R2 = 0.04436, P = 0.4337, linear regression analysis).

Conclusion

Low levels of both pregnanolone, a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor, and pregnenolone sulfate, a positive allosteric modulator of the NMDA receptor, involved in memory and learning, could contribute either to headache pain or the cognitive dysfunctions reported in migraine patients. Overall, our results agree with the hypothesis that migraine is a disorder associated with a loss of neurohormonal integrity, thus supporting the therapeutic potential of restoring low neurosteroid levels in migraine treatment.
Improving Cyclability of Lithium Metal Anode via Constructing Atomic Interlamellar Ion Channel for Lithium Sulfur Battery
Authors: Yang Mao , Jue Nan , Chen Yuanfu , Wang Yong
Published: March 2021

Uniform migration of lithium (Li) ions between the separator and the lithium anode is critical for achieving good quality Li deposition, which is of much significance for lithium metal battery operation, especially for Li–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. Commercial separators such as polypropylene or polyethylene can be prepared by wet or dry processes, but they can indeed cause plentiful porosities, resulting in the uneven Li ion stripping/plating and finally the formation of Li dendrites. Thence, we constructed an atomic interlamellar ion channel by introducing the layered montmorillonite on the surface of the separator to guide Li ion flux and achieved stable Li deposition. The atomic interlamellar ion channel with a spacing of 1.4 nm showed strong absorption capacity for electrolytes and reserved capacity for Li ions, thus promoting rapid transfer of Li ions and resulting in even Li ion deposition at the anode. When assembled with the proposed separator, the Coulombic efficiency of Li||Cu batteries was 98.2% after 200 cycles and stable plating/stripping even after 800 h was achieved for the Li||Li symmetric batteries. Importantly, the proposed separator allows 140% specific capacity increase after 190 cycles as employing the Li–S batteries.
Human cell-dependent, directional, time-dependent changes in the mono- and oligonucleotide compositions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes
Authors: Iwasaki Yuki , Abe Takashi , Ikemura Toshimichi
Published: March 2021

Background

When a virus that has grown in a nonhuman host starts an epidemic in the human population, human cells may not provide growth conditions ideal for the virus. Therefore, the invasion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is usually prevalent in the bat population, into the human population is thought to have necessitated changes in the viral genome for efficient growth in the new environment. In the present study, to understand host-dependent changes in coronavirus genomes, we focused on the mono- and oligonucleotide compositions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes and investigated how these compositions changed time-dependently in the human cellular environment. We also compared the oligonucleotide compositions of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses prevalent in humans or bats to investigate the causes of changes in the host environment.

Results

Time-series analyses of changes in the nucleotide compositions of SARS-CoV-2 genomes revealed a group of mono- and oligonucleotides whose compositions changed in a common direction for all clades, even though viruses belonging to different clades should evolve independently. Interestingly, the compositions of these oligonucleotides changed towards those of coronaviruses that have been prevalent in humans for a long period and away from those of bat coronaviruses.

Conclusions

Clade-independent, time-dependent changes are thought to have biological significance and should relate to viral adaptation to a new host environment, providing important clues for understanding viral host adaptation mechanisms.
Incidence of antidepressant use among community dwellers with and without Parkinson’s disease – a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Hentilä Eerik , Tiihonen Miia , Taipale Heidi , Hartikainen Sirpa , Tolppanen Anna-Maija
Published: March 2021

Background

Antidepressant use is more common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but it is unknown when this difference emerges.

Methods

We studied the incidence of antidepressant use in six-month periods from 10 years before to 15 years after PD diagnosis in the nationwide register-based Finnish Study on Parkinson’s disease (FINPARK). This study included 20,456 community dwellers with clinically verified PD diagnosed during 1996–2015 and 140,291 matched comparison persons.

Results

Altogether 44.3% of people with PD initiated antidepressants, compared to 25.0% of people without PD. The difference was largest 6 months before PD diagnosis (incidence rate ratio 5.28, 95% CI 4.80–5.80; 9.02 and 1.68 initiations/100 person-years in people with and without PD, respectively). The difference emerged already 7 years before the diagnosis and remained above the comparison group for most of the study period.

Conclusions

Persons with PD may have symptoms that require antidepressant treatment years before and after diagnosis. The symptoms needing antidepressant treatment may be clinical signs of possible PD and they should be considered as a need to assess clinical status in person diagnosed with PD.
Stereotactic radiotherapy for oligoprogressive ER-positive breast cancer (AVATAR)
Authors: Alomran Reem , White Michelle , Bruce Melissa , Bressel Mathias , Roache Susan , Karroum Lama , Hanna Gerard G. , Siva Shankar , Goel Shom , David Steven
Published: March 2021

Background

The enhanced knowledge of cancer biology has led to considerable advancement in systemic therapy for advanced breast cancer. Recently, studies showed that cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor, when added to endocrine therapy, had improved the outcomes of patients with advanced ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. However, the disease often progresses following a period of treatment response. In a subset of patients, disease progression may occur at limited sites, i.e., oligoprogressive disease (OPD). In the past few years, stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment for advanced cancer when delivered to limited metastatic sites. Hence, it is worth investigating the role of SRT in the setting of oligoprogressive breast cancer.

Method

AVATAR is a multicentre phase II registry trial of SRT with endocrine therapy and CDK 4/6 inhibitor for the management of advanced ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. The study aims to enrol 32 patients with OPD limited to 5 lesions. The primary endpoint of the study is time to change systemic therapy measured from the commencement of SRT to change in systemic therapy. Secondary objectives include overall survival, progression free survival and treatment related toxicity. The exploratory objective is to describe the time to change in systemic therapy by the site (bone only vs. non-bone lesions) and number (1 vs. > 1) of OPD.

Discussion

This study aims to explore the effect of SRT in maximising the benefit of systemic therapy in patients with oligoprogressive ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. This approach might help reduce the burden of disease and improve the life quality in these patients.

Trial registration

ACTRN, ACTRN12620001212943. Date of registration 16 November 2020- Retrospectively registered.
High expression of TMEM180, a novel tumour marker, is associated with poor survival in stage III colorectal cancer
Authors: Shiraishi Takuya , Ikeda Koji , Tsukada Yuichiro , Nishizawa Yuji , Sasaki Takeshi , Ito Masaaki , Kojima Motohiro , Ishii Genichiro , Tsumura Ryo , Saijou Sinji , Koga Yoshikatsu , Yasunaga Masahiro , Matsumura Yasuhiro
Published: March 2021

Background

Transmembrane protein 180 (TMEM180) is a newly identified colorectal cancer (CRC)-specific molecule that is expressed very rarely in normal tissue and up-regulated under hypoxic conditions. We developed a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against TMEM180 and decided to examine the medical significance using the mAb.

Methods

A total of 157 patients (86 men and 71 women; median age 63.0 years) with stage III CRC who underwent curative surgery were analyzed for TMEM180 expression as a retrospective cohort design. Immunohistochemistry with anti-TMEM180 mAb was conducted on frozen sections, and the data were evaluated for any correlation with clinicopathological indices or prognosis. SW480 CRC cells were examined to investigate the relationship between the expression of TMEM180 and tumourigenesis of xenografts.

Results

In total, 92 cases had low TMEM expression and 65 had high TMEM180 expression. For disease-free survival, hazard ratio in high-TMEM180 cases was 1.449 (95% confidential interval = 0.802–2.619) higher than in low-TMEM180 cases, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.219). For cancer specific survival, hazard ratio in high-TMEM180 cases was 3.302 (95% confidential interval = 1.088–10.020), significantly higher than in low-TMEM180 cases (p = 0.035). In an assay examining in vitro colony-forming activity in soft agar, SW480-WT cells clearly formed colonies, but neither KD1 nor KD2 cells did. The in vivo tumour-initiating activity of SW480 cell lines was positively correlated with the level of TMEM180 expression.

Conclusion

These results indicate that TMEM180 is a useful marker for clinical prognosis in patients with CRC. We believe that these fundamental data warrant further basic and translational studies of TMEM180, and its mAb, for development of therapeutics against CRC.
Plasma fatty acids and primary open-angle glaucoma in the elderly: the Montrachet population-based study
Authors: Chemaly Alicia , Arnould Louis , Seydou Alassane , Gabrielle Pierre-Henry , Baudin Florian , Acar Niyazi , Creuzot-Garcher Catherine
Published: March 2021

Background

To compare plasma fatty acids (FAs) between participants with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and participants without neuropathy in an elderly population and to investigate specific FAs pattern in POAG.

Methods

We conducted a population-based study in participants older than 75 years. Participants underwent a comprehensive eye examination with optic nerve photographs, visual field test and optic nerve OCT with RNFL thickness measurement. Glaucomatous status was defined according to the International Society for Epidemiologic and Geographical Ophthalmology classification. Lipids were extracted from plasma and FAs methylesters prepared and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Results

Among the 1153 participants of the Montrachet study 810 were retained for analysis and 68 had POAG. The mean age was 82.11 ± 3.67. In multivariable analysis FAs levels were not different between POAG participants and controls (P = 0.078). A FAs pattern characterized by high negative weight of gamma-linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs), Cis-7 hexadecenoic acid monounsaturated FAs (MUFAs) and high positive weight of eicosadienoic acid, docosatetraenoic acid, docosapentaenoic n-6, alpha linoleic acid PUFAs, eicosenoic acid MUFAs, margaric acid and behenic acid saturated FAs was positively associated with POAG. After adjustment for major confounders, individuals in the upper tertile of FAs pattern scores compared with those in the lower tertile were more likely to present POAG (OR = 3.09 [95% CI 1.29–7.40] P = 0.013).

Conclusions

We found no significant difference regarding isolated plasma FAs between participants with POAG and participants without neuropathy in elderly but specific FAs pattern might be associated with POAG.
Factors associated with the timely uptake of initial HIV virologic test among HIV-exposed infants attending clinics within a faith-based HIV program in Kenya; a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gaitho Douglas , Kinoti Freda , Mwaniki Lawrence , Kemunto Diana , Ogoti Victor , Njigua Catherine , Kubo Elizabeth , Langat Agnes , Mecha Jared
Published: March 2021

Background

Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV, followed by effective care including antiretroviral therapy (ART), reduces infant mortality by 76% and HIV progression by 75%. In 2015, 50% of 1.2 million HIV-exposed infants (HEI) in 21 priority countries received a virologic test within the recommended 2 months of birth. We sought to identify factors associated with timely uptake of virologic EID among HEI and gain insight into missed opportunities.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study that used de-identified data from electronic medical records of 54 health facilities within the Christian Health Association of Kenya (CHAK) HIV Project database. All HEI who had their first HIV virologic test done between January 2015 and December 2017 were included in the study and categorized as either having the test within or after 8 weeks of birth. Multivariate linear mixed effects regression model was used to determine factors associated with uptake of the first HIV EID polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Predictor variables studied include sex, birth weight, the entry point into care, provision of ART prophylaxis for the infant, maternal ART at time of EID, mode of delivery, and place of delivery.

Results

We included 2020 HEI of whom 1018 (50.4%) were female. A majority, 1596 (79.0%) had their first HIV PCR within 2 months of birth at a median age of 6.4 weeks (interquartile range 6–7.4). Overall, HIV positivity rate at initial test among this cohort was 1.2%. Delayed HIV PCR testing for EID was more likely to yield a positive result [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.29 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.52)p = 0.003]. Infants of mothers not on ART at the time of HIV PCR test and infants who had not received prophylaxis to prevent vertical HIV transmission had significant increased odds of a delayed initial test [aOR = 1.27 (95% CI = 1.18–1.37)p = < 0.0001] and [aOR = 1.43 (95% CI 1.27–1.61)p = < 0.001] respectively.

Conclusion

An initial HIV PCR test done after 8 weeks of birth is likely to yield a positive result. Barriers to accessing ART for treatment among HIV-infected pregnant and breastfeeding women, and prophylaxis for the HEI were associated with delayed EID. In order to ensure timely EID, programs need to incorporate both facility and community strategy interventions to ensure all pregnant women seek antenatal care and deliver within health facilities.
The role of accommodation environments in student mental health and wellbeing
Authors: Worsley Joanne D. , Harrison Paula , Corcoran Rhiannon
Published: March 2021

Background

Due to the increasing concern over student mental health and wellbeing, attention has turned to the matter of creating environments, communities, and institutions which enable students to flourish.

Methods

To explore the role of accommodation environments in first year student mental health and wellbeing, eight focus groups were conducted in two universities in North West England and analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Three overarching themes were identified: ‘The betwixt space’; ‘Accommodations as vessels to cultivate friendships and communities’; and ‘The importance of accommodation-based pastoral staff’. As attachment to place and relationships with significant others are disrupted by the transition, this leaves young people vulnerable whilst they go through a process to re-attach to new people and a new environment, and loneliness and social isolation were keenly felt during this period. Physical attributes of place that prevent social cohesion further exacerbated feelings of loneliness.

Conclusions

As it is common for students to withdraw physically and psychologically when they do not form friendships within their flat, accommodation-based pastoral staff have an important role to fulfil. Although these findings demonstrate the importance of the human element within accommodation, designing places that facilitate community, a sense of we-ness, and belonging is crucial.