bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of edema formation on functional outcome in pediatric stroke patients
Authors: Sporns Peter B. , Rusche Thilo , Lee Sarah , Hanning Uta , Meyer Lukas , Faizy Tobias , Fiehler Jens , Psychogios Marios , Kemmling Andre , Broocks Gabriel
Published: September 2022

Background

Quantitative lesion net water uptake (NWU) has been described as an imaging biomarker reflecting vasogenic edema as an early indicator of infarct progression. We hypothesized that edema formation measured by NWU is higher in children compared to adults but despite this functional outcome may be better in children.

Methods

This study analyzed children enrolled in the Save ChildS Study who had baseline and follow‐up computed tomography available and the data were compared to adult patients.

Results

Some 207 patients, of whom 13 were children and 194 were adults, were analyzed. Median NWU at baseline was 7.8% (IQR: 4.3–11.3), and there were no significant differences between children and adults (7.5% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.87). The early edema progression rate was 3.0%/h in children and 2.3%/h in adults. Median ΔNWU was 15.1% in children and 10.5% in adults. Children had significantly more often excellent (mRS 0–1; children 10/13 = 77% vs. adults 28/196 = 14%; p < 0.0001) and favorable clinical outcomes (mRS 0–2, 12/13 = 92% vs. 39/196 = 20%; p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

In this study, clinical outcomes in children with large vessel occlusion strokes were better than in adults despite similar clinical and imaging characteristics and similar edema formation. This may be impacted by the generally better outcomes of children after strokes but may demonstrate that the degree of early ischemic changes using Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) and edema progression rate may not be a reason for exclusion from endovascular thrombectomy.
Public views on the Covid‐19 immunity certificate: A scoping review
Authors: Barello Serena , Acampora Marta , Paleologo Michele , Schiavone Lavinia , Anderson Gloria , Graffigna Guendalina
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Already in its first implementation, the introduction of the Covid‐19 immunity certificate has generated some debate among the public. This debate might be a hindrance to the effective realization of this policy. This study aimed to systematically review published research evaluating public feeling of the Covid‐19 immunity certificate policy measure and to find which factors might influence its acceptance.

Methods

We followed the scoping review methods manual by the Joanna Briggs Institute. We included studies with no time limits that presented novel data, and no exclusions have been made based on study design. We excluded articles that presented just expert opinions.

Results

We found and reviewed 17 articles. The included studies were conducted in two main countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland), with the rest from Israel, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, Taiwan and China. Both qualitative and quantitative studies were included, and nonrepresentative samples were mostly used to explore the public feeling about the Covid‐19 immunity certification. The included studies showed that public views on immunity certification are quite contradictory and influenced by age, gender, ethnicity, political orientation and attitudes towards Covid‐19 vaccination. The topic more often addressed by the included studies was the public's views on the positive and negative implications of the Covid‐19 immunity certificate in terms of ethical, legal and behavioural consequences of this measure.

Conclusion

The varying acceptance rates are notable and may partly be linked to differences in demographics, Covid‐19 concerns and ideological beliefs, as seen in other health‐related tracking policies. Moreover, dominant factors behind the (un)success of this policy are complex and entangled with the cultural and political dimensions rather than being just technical. For this reason, it is important to expand psychosocial research to better understand the concerns behind health certifications and allow planning of culturally based and ethically sound suitable strategies. This would be very relevant to increasing public approval and compliance with this public health measure.

Patient or Public Contribution

This does not apply to our work as it was a review paper.
Synthesis and characterization of precursor derived TiN@Si–Al–C–N ceramic nanocomposites for oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Awin Eranezhuth Wasan , Günther Timon E. , Loukrakpam Rameshwori , Schafföner Stefan , Roth Christina , Motz Günter
Published: September 2022

The development of efficient and durable catalysts is critical for the commercialization of fuel cells, as the catalysts’ durability and reactivity dictate their ultimate lifetime and activity. In this work, amorphous silicon‐based ceramics (Si–C–N and Si–Al–C–N) and TiN@Si–Al–C–N nanocomposites were developed using a precursor derived ceramics approach. In TiN@Si–Al–C–N nanocomposites, TiN nanocrystals (with sizes in the range of 5–12 nm) were effectively anchored on an amorphous Si–Al–C–N support. The nanocomposites were found to be mesoporous in nature and exhibited a surface area as high as 132 m2/g. The average pore size of the nanocomposites was found to increase with an increase in the pyrolysis temperature, and a subsequent graphitization of free carbon was observed as revealed from the Raman spectra. The ceramics were investigated for electrocatalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction using the rotating disk electrode method. The TiN@Si–Al–C–N nanocomposites showed an onset potential of 0.7 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode for oxygen reduction, which seems to indicate a 4‐electron pathway at the pyrolysis temperature of 1000°C in contrast to a 2‐electron pathway exhibited by the nanocomposites pyrolyzed at 750°C via the Koutecky–Levich plot.
Microbial gut evaluation in an angolan paediatric population with sickle cell disease
Authors: Delgadinho Mariana , Ginete Catarina , Santos Brígida , Mendes Joana , Miranda Armandina , Vasconcelos Jocelyne , Brito Miguel
Published: September 2022

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic conditions worldwide. It can contribute up to 90% of under‐5 mortality in sub‐Saharan Africa. Clinical manifestations are very heterogeneous, and the intestinal microbiome appears to be crucial in the modulation of inflammation, cell adhesion and induction of aged neutrophils, the main interveners of recurrent vaso‐occlusive crisis. Enterocyte injury, increased permeability, altered microbial composition and bacterial overgrowth have all been documented as microbial and pathophysiologic changes in the gut microbiome of SCD patients in recent studies. Our aim was to sequence the bacterial 16S rRNA gene in order to characterize the gut microbiome of Angolan children with SCA and healthy siblings as a control. A total of 72 stool samples were obtained from children between 3 and 14 years old. Our data showed that the two groups exhibit some notable differences in microbiota relative abundance at different classification levels. Children with SCA have a higher number of the phylum Actinobacteria. As for the genus level, Clostridium cluster XI bacteria was more prevalent in the SCA children, whereas the siblings had a higher abundance of Blautia, Aestuariispira, Campylobacter, Helicobacter, Polaribacter and Anaerorhabdus. In this study, we have presented the first microbiota analysis in an Angolan paediatric population with SCD and provided a detailed view of the microbial differences between patients and healthy controls. There is still much to learn before fully relying on the therapeutic approaches for gut modulation, which is why more research in this field is crucial to making this a reality.
Establishment of a five‐enzalutamide‐resistance‐related‐gene‐based classifier for recurrence‐free survival predicting of prostate cancer
Authors: Chen Jing , Meng Jialin , Liu Yi , Bian Zichen , Niu Qingsong , Chen Junyi , Zhou Jun , Zhang Li , Zhang Meng , Liang Chaozhao
Published: September 2022

To identify prostate cancer (PCa) patients with a high risk of recurrence is critical before delivering adjuvant treatment. We developed a classifier based on the Enzalutamide treatment resistance‐related genes to assist the currently available staging system in predicting the recurrence‐free survival (RFS) prognosis of PCa patients. We overlapped the DEGs from two datasets to obtain a more convincing Enzalutamide‐resistance‐related‐gene (ERRG) cluster. The five‐ERRG‐based classifier obtained good predictive values in both the training and validation cohorts. The classifier precisely predicted RFS of patients in four cohorts, independent of patient age, pathological tumour stage, Gleason score and PSA levels. The classifier and the clinicopathological factors were combined to construct a nomogram, which had an increased predictive accuracy than that of each variable alone. Besides, we also compared the differences between high‐ and low‐risk subgroups and found their differences were enriched in cancer progression‐related pathways. The five‐ERRG‐based classifier is a practical and reliable predictor, which adds value to the existing staging system for predicting the RFS prognosis of PCa after radical prostatectomy, enabling physicians to make more informed treatment decisions concerning adjuvant therapy.
Arms race and fluctuating selection dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria coevolving with phage OMKO1
Authors: Kortright Kaitlyn E. , Chan Benjamin K. , Evans Benjamin R. , Turner Paul E.
Published: September 2022

Experimental evolution studies have examined coevolutionary dynamics between bacteria and lytic phages, where two models for antagonistic coevolution dominate: arms‐race dynamics (ARD) and fluctuating‐selection dynamics (FSD). Here, we tested the ability for Pseudomonas aeruginosa to coevolve with phage OMKO1 during 10 passages in the laboratory, whether ARD versus FSD coevolution occurred, and how coevolution affected a predicted phenotypic trade‐off between phage resistance and antibiotic sensitivity. We used a unique “deep” sampling design, where 96 bacterial clones per passage were obtained from the three replicate coevolving communities. Next, we examined phenotypic changes in growth ability, susceptibility to phage infection and resistance to antibiotics. Results confirmed that the bacteria and phages coexisted throughout the study with one community undergoing ARD, whereas the other two showed evidence for FSD. Surprisingly, only the ARD bacteria demonstrated the anticipated trade‐off. Whole genome sequencing revealed that treatment populations of bacteria accrued more de novo mutations, relative to a control bacterial population. Additionally, coevolved bacteria presented mutations in genes for biosynthesis of flagella, type‐IV pilus and lipopolysaccharide, with three mutations fixing contemporaneously with the occurrence of the phenotypic trade‐off in the ARD‐coevolved bacteria. Our study demonstrates that both ARD and FSD coevolution outcomes are possible in a single interacting bacteria‐phage system and that occurrence of predicted phage‐driven evolutionary trade‐offs may depend on the genetics underlying evolution of phage resistance in bacteria. These results are relevant for the ongoing development of lytic phages, such as OMKO1, in personalized treatment of human patients, as an alternative to antibiotics.
Property rights and market behavior in thelow‐incomehousing sector: Evidence from Chile
Authors: Gil Diego , Celhay Pablo A.
Published: September 2022

Recent decades have seen a strong commitment in development theory and practice toward the idea of promoting homeownership among low‐income families, partly based on the idea that property formalization constitutes an important vehicle for social mobility and economic development. However, the empirical evidence on this theory is not conclusive. This paper aims to explore this idea using evidence from Chile, a country that has shown high success in moving low‐income families from the informal to the formal housing sector. The data for the analysis comes from a comprehensive survey conducted in 2008 with a representative sample of two groups of low‐income households in Santiago: The first group living in an irregular settlement and the second living in subsidized formal housing. Through the use of statistical methods that allow comparison of these samples (matching strategies), we find that market behavior among both groups are not considerably different. The analysis shows that there are no statistically significant differences between the two groups with respect to savings and investments in their homes. The only relevant difference we find is that individuals living in formal housing have more access to loans from commercial stores relative to informal dwellers. We argue that the type of geographical relocation to formal housing may affect the market behavior of low‐income owners more than tenure security, in a direction that does not necessary benefit their socioeconomic situation.
Hematodinium perezi naturally infects Asian brush‐clawed crab (Hemigrapsus takanoi)
Authors: Gong Miao , Xie Guosi , Wang Hailiang , Li Xinshu , Li Ang , Wan Xiaoyuan , Huang Jingxian , Shi Chengyin , Zhang Qingli , Huang Jie
Published: September 2022

The parasitic dinoflagellates of the genus Hematodinium have been considered one of the most important emerging pathogens for a broad range of marine crustaceans around the world. In China, frequent outbreaks of Hematodinium infections have caused serious economic losses for local farmers since 2004. Wild crabs were recently indicated to play a vital role in the transmission and spreading of the Hematodinium disease in polyculture pond systems. Based on PCR amplification and histopathological examination, we demonstrated that H. perezi can naturally infect a wild crab species, Hemigrapsus takanoi, which were collected from the waterways located on the coast of Rizhao or Weifang, Shandong Peninsula, China. According to the sequence similarity analysis and phylogenetic analysis, the Hematodinium isolates were identified as H. perezi and belonged to genotype II. The prevalence of H. perezi ranged from 3.3% to 5.7% in H. takanoi originating from Rizhao (n = 165 wild crabs) and from 0.9% to 20.0% in that originating from Weifang (n = 1386 wild crabs), respectively. To our knowledge, H. takanoi is, for the first time, reported as a new host for Hematodinium. Given the wide distribution of H. takanoi on the coasts along the Shandong Peninsula and the relative high prevalence of infection we monitored in our study, we speculate that H. takanoi contributes to the introducing and spreading parasitic Hematodinium between ponds via waterways in a poly‐culturing system. Findings in this study broaden the host range of this parasite and expand the scope of our surveillance for Hematodinium disease in China.
Re‐description of the early Triassic diapsidPalacrodonfrom the lower Fremouw formation of Antarctica
Authors: Jenkins Kelsey M. , Meyer Dalton L. , Lewis Patrick J. , Choiniere Jonah N. , Bhullar Bhart‐Anjan S.
Published: September 2022

The rapid radiation and dispersal of crown reptiles following the end‐Permian mass extinction characterizes the earliest phase of the Mesozoic. Phylogenetically, this early radiation is difficult to interpret, with polytomies near the crown node, long ghost lineages, and enigmatic origins for crown group clades. Better understanding of poorly known taxa from this time can aid in our understanding of this radiation and Permo‐Triassic ecology. Here, we describe an Early Triassic specimen of the diapsidPalacrodonfrom the Fremouw Formation of Antarctica. WhilePalacrodonis known throughout the Triassic and exhibits a cosmopolitan geographic range, little is known of its evolutionary relationships. We recoverPalacrodonoutside of crown reptiles (Sauria) but more crownward thanYoungina capensisand other late Permian diapsids. Furthermore,Palacrodonpossesses anatomical features that add clarity to the evolution of the stapes within the reptilian lineage, as well as incipient adaptations for arboreality and herbivory during the earliest phases of the Permo–Triassic recovery.
Observation of the clinical efficacy of isotope phosphorus‐32 dressing combined with diprospan and mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream in the treatment of keloids
Authors: Zhuang Bin‐yu , Hu Fang‐chi , You Yan , Zhang Liang
Published: September 2022

Objective

The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness, recurrence, and adverse reaction rates of isotope phosphorus‐32 dressings combined with diprospan and mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream in the treatment of keloids.

Methods

A total of 80 patients with keloids admitted to the Dermatology Clinic of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between June 2019 and June 2021 were included in the present study and randomly divided into three groups: Control Group 1 (n = 27), Control Group 2 (n = 25), and the treatment group (n = 28). Patients in Control Group 1 were treated with diprospan combined with mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream, patients in Control Group 2 were treated with an isotopic phosphorus‐32 dressing combined with mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream, and patients in the treatment group were treated with an isotopic phosphorus‐32 dressing combined with diprospan and mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream. The effectiveness, recurrence, and adverse reaction rates were observed in all three groups.

Results

The treatment group had the most significant decrease in the itching scores. The respective effectiveness, recurrence, and adverse reaction rates were 81.4%, 43.6%, and 74.1% in Control Group 1; 56%, 38.7%, and 64% in Control Group 2; and 96.7%, 11.2%, and 41% in the treatment group. The differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

An isotope phosphorus‐32 dressing combined with diprospan and mucopolysaccharide polysulphate cream keloid treatment delivers a fast onset, good effectiveness, and low recurrence and adverse effect rates.
Quantitative susceptibility mapping improves cerebral microbleed detection relative to susceptibility‐weighted images
Authors: Lee Kyuwon , Ellison Brian , Selim Magdy , Long Ngo H. , Filippidis Aristotelis , Thomas Ajith J. , Spincemaille Pascal , Wang Yi , Soman Salil
Published: September 2022

Background and Purpose

Cerebral microbleed (CMB) detection impacts disease diagnosis and management. Susceptibility‐weighted imaging (SWI) MRI depictions of CMBs are used with phase images (SWIP) to distinguish blood from calcification, via qualitative intensity evaluation (bright/dark). However, the intensities depicted for a single lesion can vary within and across consecutive SWIP image planes, impairing the classification of findings as a CMB. We hypothesize that quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) MRI, which maps tissue susceptibility, demonstrates less in‐ and through‐plane intensity variation, improving the clinician's ability to categorize a finding as a CMB.

Methods

Forty‐eight patients with acute intracranial hemorrhage who received multi‐echo gradient echo MRI used to generate both SWI/SWIP and morphology‐enabled dipole inversion QSM images were enrolled. Five hundred and sixty lesions were visually classified as having homogeneous or heterogeneous in‐plane and through‐plane intensity by a neuroradiologist and two diagnostic radiology residents using published rating criteria. When available, brain CT scans were analyzed for calcification or acute hemorrhage. Relative risk (RR) ratios and confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a generalized linear model with log link and binary error.

Results

QSM showed unambiguous lesion signal intensity three times more frequently than SWIP (RR = 0.3235, 95% CI 0.2386‐0.4386, p<.0001). The probability of QSM depicting homogeneous lesion intensity was three times greater than SWIP for small (RR = 0.3172, 95% CI 0.2382‐0.4225, p<.0001), large (RR = 0.3431, 95% CI 0.2045‐0.5758, p<.0001), lobar (RR = 0.3215, 95% CI 0.2151‐0.4805, p<.0001), cerebellar (RR = 0.3215, 95% CI 0.2151‐0.4805, p<.0001), brainstem (RR = 0.3100, 95% CI 0.1192‐0.8061, p = .0163), and basal ganglia (RR = 0.3380, 95% CI 0.1980‐0.5769, p<.0001) lesions.

Conclusions

QSM more consistently demonstrates interpretable lesion intensity compared to SWIP as used for distinguishing CMBs from calcification.
Emotional Reactivity to Daily Family Conflicts: Testing the Within‐Person Sensitization
Authors: Chiang Shou‐Chun , Chen Wan‐Chen , Liu Tsung‐Hsing
Published: September 2022

Although the sensitization hypothesis posits that heightened reactivity to interparental conflict is linked to adolescent psychopathology, limited studies tested whether sensitization would emerge in parent‐adolescent conflict and across ethnicity or culture. This study revisits the sensitization hypothesis by examining adolescent emotional reactivity to interparental and parent‐adolescent conflicts on a daily timescale. The sample included 163 adolescents (55% girls; Mage = 12.79) and their parents (78% females; Mage = 45.46) who completed a 10‐day reports in Taiwan. Multilevel modeling results showed that, instead of interparental conflict, adolescents with greater histories of parent‐adolescent conflict exhibited higher emotional reactivity when parent‐adolescent conflict was higher. The findings underscore the importance of parent‐adolescent conflict in evaluating adolescent developmental risk.
Right ventricular size and function evaluated by various echocardiographic indices in dogs with pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Feldhütter Elisabeth K. , Domenech Oriol , Vezzosi Tommaso , Tognetti Rosalba , Eberhard Jenny , Friederich Jana , Wess Gerhard
Published: September 2022

Background

Three‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography and 2‐dimensional (2D) strain measurements of the right ventricle (RV) are important indices in humans with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and need further evaluation in dogs with PH.

Objectives

To evaluate various RV size and function indices in dogs with PH and to examine differences between pre‐ and postcapillary PH.

Animals

A total of 311 client‐owned dogs: 100 dogs with PH, 31 with postcapillary and 69 with precapillary PH, and 211 healthy control dogs.

Methods

Retro‐ and prospective, multicenter study. Size and function of the RV was determined using several indices, derived using dedicated RV software, including 3D RV end‐diastolic volume (EDVn), end‐systolic volume (ESVn), ejection fraction, 2D global and free wall RV longitudinal strain (RVLS), end‐diastolic area, end‐systolic area, fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and tissue Doppler imaging‐derived systolic myocardial velocity of the lateral tricuspid annulus (S′n).

Results

The EDVn (1.8 vs 2.5 mL/kg0.942, P < .01) and ESVn (0.8 vs 1.2 mL/kg0.962, P < .001) were significantly larger in the PH group compared to healthy controls. Free wall RVLS was decreased in dogs with severe PH compared to controls (−24% vs −29.6%, P < .001). Dogs with precapillary PH had worse RV systolic function than dogs with postcapillary PH.

Conclusion

Three‐dimensional echocardiography of the RV is a promising tool to detect RV changes in dogs with PH. Also, 2D strain measurements are able to detect decreased RV function and offer several advantages compared to conventional indices.
Impact of Goreisan components on rat mesenteric collecting lymphatic vessel pumping
Authors: Jo Michiko , Trujillo Andrea N. , Shibahara Naotoshi , Breslin Jerome W.
Published: September 2022

Background

Goreisan is a traditional herbal formulation with diuretic properties tested as a clinical therapeutic to alleviate lymphedema in Japan. The present study aimed to determine how Goreisan and its five different components affect lymphatic pump function.

Methods

Mesenteric collecting lymphatics were isolated from anesthetized Sprague–Dawley rats and mounted on resistance‐matched glass micropipettes in a 37°C physiological salt solution bath for studies. Diameter was continuously measured to obtain the following lymphatic pump parameters: contraction frequency (CF), end diastolic diameter (EDD), and end systolic diameter (ESD), contraction amplitude (AMP), ejection fraction (EF), and fractional pump flow (FPF). Goreisan and each of its components (Cinnamomi Cortex, Atractylodis Rhizoma, Alismatis Rhizoma, Polyporus, and Poria) were applied to the bath at concentrations of 1–30 μg/mL.

Results

The results show that while Goreisan causes no significant changes to lymphatic pumping, Alismatis Rhizoma and Polyporus each significantly reduce CF and FPF. In addition, rats that received oral administration of Goreisan and Alismatis Rhizoma for 1 week had elevated expression of VEGFR‐3 in their mesenteric collecting lymphatics.

Conclusions

Collectively, the results suggest that some components of Goreisan have a direct, rapid impact on lymphatic pumping. These findings provide new insights but also raise new questions about the therapeutic potential of Goreisan in patients with secondary lymphedema.
Redeeming Poetics
Authors: Toussaint Steven
Published: September 2022

In this essay, I argue that ‘poetics’—defined as ‘poet‐criticism’, a practitioner’s firsthand reflection on poetic composition (poiēsis) and verse technique (technē)—makes possible for philosophical theology something that has heretofore been overlooked. I contend that Martin Heidegger’s rendition of the poetic ‘afflatus’, which travesties technē variously as an eidetic, violent, and inauthentic aspect of poiēsis, has exerted an outsized influence on contemporary theology’s engagements with poetry. The upshot is a tendentious dualism between poiēsis and creatio, through which the interdisciplinary movement known as ‘theopoetics’ currently deconstructs the doctrine of creation ex nihilo. I show that the quietism of theopoetics is merely the reverse face of Heidegger’s residual voluntarism. The neglected late essays of the poet‐critic Geoffrey Hill demonstrate that mastery in verse technique, far from conforming to Heidegger’s caricature, entails an erotically motivated co‐operation between the poet and their medium. Hill’s poetics is shown to be consonant with the metaphysics of creation and theological anthropology expressed in the writings of Nicholas of Cusa. I ultimately defend the continued relevance of the analogy between human poiēsis and creatio ex nihilo by appealing to Cusanus’s exposition of technē as partaking in the triune co‐inherence of God.
Primary degeneration of oculomotor, motor, and somatosensory systems and auditory and visual pathways in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7: A clinicopathological study in a Japanese autopsy case
Authors: Ouchi Haruka , Ishiguro Hideaki , Shibano Ken , Hara Kenju , Sugawara Masashiro , Enomoto Katsuhiko , Miyata Hajime
Published: September 2022

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia associated with retinal degeneration. The disease is rare in Japan, and this is the first full description of clinicopathological findings in a Japanese autopsy case of genetically confirmed SCA7 having 49 cytosine‐adenine‐guanine (CAG) trinucleotide repeats in the ataxin 7 gene. A 34‐year‐old Japanese man with no family history of clinically apparent neurodegenerative diseases presented with gait disturbance, gradually followed by truncal instability with progressive visual loss by the age of 42 years. He became wheelchair‐dependent by 51 years old, neurologically exhibiting cerebellar ataxia, slow eye movement, slurred and scanning speech, lower limb spasticity, hyperreflexia, action‐related slowly torsional dystonic movements in the trunk and limbs, diminished vibratory sensation in the lower limbs, auditory impairment, and macular degeneration. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed atrophy of the brainstem and cerebellum. He died of pneumonia at age 60 with a 26‐year clinical duration of disease. Postmortem neuropathological examination revealed pronounced atrophy of the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, external globus pallidus (GP), and subthalamic nucleus, microscopically showing neuronal cell loss and fibrillary astrogliosis with polyglutamine‐immunoreactive neuronal nuclei and/or neuronal nuclear inclusions (NNIs). Degeneration was also accentuated in the oculomotor system, auditory and visual pathways, upper and lower motor neurons, and somatosensory system, including the spinal dorsal root ganglia. There was a weak negative correlation between the frequency of nuclear polyglutamine‐positive neurons and the extent of neuronal cell loss. Clinicopathological features in the present case suggest that neurological symptoms, such as oculomotor, auditory, visual, and sensory impairments, are attributable to degeneration in their respective projection systems affected by SCA7 pathomechanisms and that dystonic movement is related to more significant degeneration in the external than internal GP.
Soft toric contact lens wear improves digital performance and vision—A randomised clinical trial
Authors: Chao Cecilia , Skidmore Kelsea , Tomiyama Erin S. , Wolffsohn James S. , Richdale Kathryn
Published: September 2022

Purpose

To compare objective and subjective digital near visual performance and comfort in low to moderate astigmatic participants fitted with toric versus spherical equivalent silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lenses.

Methods

This was a double‐masked, randomised, crossover study. Participants aged 18 to 39 years with astigmatism of −0.75 to −1.50 D were recruited and fitted with toric and spherical contact lenses, in random order. Outcomes were measured at baseline and after 1 week of wear with each contact lens type after the follow‐up visits. High‐ and low‐contrast near logMAR visual acuity, automated visual acuity, zoom (%), contrast (%), reading distance (cm), critical print size (logMAR) and reading speed were assessed. Participants also completed the validated Near Activity Visual Questionnaire (NAVQ) and Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire 8 (CLDEQ‐8) for each correction type.

Results

Twenty‐three participants completed the study (74% female, average age 24.4 ± 4.2 years). When participants wore toric contact lenses, near high‐ and low‐contrast visual acuity and automated visual acuity improved by 3–4 letters (all p < 0.03) and participants were able to read faster on an iPad (p = 0.02). Participants were also able to read with 8% less contrast on the iPad with toric lenses (p = 0.01). Participants reported better subjective vision on the overall NAVQ (p = 0.001) and better comfort on the CLDEQ‐8 (p = 0.02) with toric lenses. Fewer participants reported difficulty with maintaining focus at near, reading small print, reading labels/instructions, reading the computer display/keyboard and reading post/mail with toric correction.

Conclusions

Toric contact lenses improve comfort, subjective and objective visual performance with digital devices and other near tasks compared with the spherical equivalent correction in participants with low to moderate astigmatism.
Lateral‐Opening Injection Tool Used in Percutaneous Vertebroplasty to Treat Asymptomatic Osteoporotic Vertebral Burst Fractures: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Sun Xin , Wang Jia , Liu Xingzhen , Tao Hairong , Zhu Tong , Wang Xiang , Shen Kangping , Jin Wenjie
Published: September 2022

Objective

The adequate management of asymptomatic osteoporotic vertebral burst fractures (OVBFs) was still controversial. Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) could achieve quick recovery with minor trauma, but there were certain safety problems by traditional bone cement injection method. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of lateral‐opening injection tool used in PVP treating patients with asymptomatic OVBFs.

Methods

This was a retrospective study of OVBFs treated in our institute from March 2016 to March 2020. A total of 66 patients (mean age 72.10 ± 7.98 years, with 21 men and 45 women) who were diagnosed with acute asymptomatic OVBFs with mild spinal canal compromise were treated with PVP by using a lateral‐opening injection tool. Two puncture needles were simultaneously placed transpedicularly in the fractured vertebra, and the inner core was removed, and the lateral‐opening injection tool was inserted. The adjustment of lateral hole was to improve the distribution height of bone cement and avoid the entry of bone cement into the posterior wall of vertebral body. Related clinical outcomes and images were assessed, including back pain (visual analog scale [VAS]), vertebral height ratio (fractured vertebral height/average adjacent nonfractured vertebral height), kyphosis Cobb angle, union of the fractured vertebral posterior wall, distribution of bone cement, surgical data, and complications.

Results

The average follow‐up time of all cases was 21.23 ± 9.35 months. The mean amount of bone cement was 3.28 ± 0.35 ml in the vertebrae and the mean operative time was 34.02 ± 5.23 min. There were 60 cases of bone cement that contacted the upper and lower endplates on at least one side. There was no cement leakage into the spinal canal or fracture displacement of the posterior wall of the vertebral body in all cases. The VAS scores were 3.78 ± 0.42 at 1 day postoperatively and 0.53 ± 0.40 at the last follow‐up, significantly lower than 8.40 ± 0.48 preoperatively (p < 0.05). The average height ratio of anterior, middle, and posterior vertebral body after operation increased compared with that pre‐operation (p < 0.05), and the postoperative kyphosis angle decreased (p < 0.05). At 6 months follow‐up, there was no significant height loss of the vertebral body. Computed tomography examination 3 months postoperatively showed that the fracture of posterior vertebral wall healed well in all cases. There were seven cases of bone cement leakage without clinical symptoms and two adjacent vertebral fractures caused by falling. There were no cases of deep vein embolism, lower limb muscle atrophy, pneumonia, decubitus.

Conclusion

The lateral opening tool can be safely and effectively used in the PVP treatment on asymptomatic OVBFs with mild spinal canal compromise.
Study on Risk Factors of Primary Non‐traumatic OVCF in Chinese Elderly and a Novel Prediction Model
Authors: Wen Zhenxing , Mo Xiaoyi , Zhao Shengli , Qi Zhichao , Fu Dan , Wen Shifeng , Cheung Wing Hoi , Chen Bailing
Published: September 2022

Objective

Prevention of fragility fractures is one of the public health priorities worldwide, whilst the incidence of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) continues to rise and lacks the corresponding accurate prediction model. This study aimed to screen potential causes and risk factors for primary non‐traumatic osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (NTOVCF) in the elderly by characterizing a patient population with NTOVCF and comparing it with a population of osteoporotic patients.

Methods

Between January 2013 and January 2022, 208 elderly patients with unequivocal evidence of bone fragility manifested as painful NTOVCF were enrolled, and compared with 220 patients with osteoporosis and no fractures. The demographic data, bone turnover markers, blood routine, serum biochemical values, and radiological findings were investigated. Differences between the fracture and non‐fracture groups were analyzed, and variables significant in univariate analysis and correlation analysis were included in the logistic analysis to build the risk prediction model for osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Univariate analysis using student's t‐tests for continuous variables or a chi‐squared test for categorical variables was conducted to identify risk factors.

Results

No significant differences were revealed regarding age, gender, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, blood glucose, propeptide of type I procollagen (P1NP), and N‐terminal middle segment osteocalcin (N‐MID) (P > 0.05). Parathyroid Hormone (PTH), 25(OH)D, serum albumin (ALB), hemoglobin (HB), bone mineral density (BMD), and cross‐sectional area (CSA) of the paraspinal muscle in the fracture group were significantly lower than those in the control group; however, b‐C‐terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (β‐CTX), total cholesterol (TC), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), non‐prostatic acid phosphatase (NACP), and fatty degeneration ratio (FDR) were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that ALB, HB, CSA, and BMD were negatively correlated with NTOVCF, while β‐CTX, HDL‐C, NACP, and FDR were positively correlated with NTOVCF.

Conclusion

Decreased physical activity, anemia, hypoproteinemia, imbalances in bone metabolism, abnormal lipid metabolism, and degenerative and decreased muscle mass, were all risk factors for OVCF in the elderly, spontaneous fractures may be the consequence of cumulative declines in multiple physiological systems over the lifespan. Based on this risk model, timely detection of patients with high OVCF risk and implementation of targeted preventive measures is expected to improve the effect of fracture prevention.
Individual rights and the environmental public interest: A comparison of German and Chinese approaches to environmental litigation
Authors: Campbell Nicholas
Published: September 2022

This article compares the framework of environmental public interest litigation in China to the individualized system of judicial review in Germany. It shows that environmental reform requires modern States such as Germany and China to consider certain objective criteria related to the public interest. These criteria are objective insofar as they relate to certain empirically measurable conditions that have arisen in the context of industrialization, and they relate to the public interest insofar as their treatment requires substantial intervention from the State to ensure that economic practices do not endanger the basic natural preconditions of human life. Between the law's instrumentality to the ‘normal’ functioning of modern industrial society and reforms enacted in the public interest, environmental public interest litigation in Germany and China stands out as it implies a possibility for various stakeholders outside of the administrative structure to promote environmental interests. This returns a degree of agency to environmental stakeholders in helping to practically determine the transition towards sustainability. The substantiveness of environmental litigation is assessed, first, in relation to its openness, examining which social actors possess standing to litigate in the public interest, and, second, in relation to its scope, referring to which acts become contestable through the framework of public interest litigation. The court cases, academic debates and legislative reforms surrounding environmental public interest litigation in Germany and China reflect the decisive features of their respective legal ideologies, but they are also an area within which the limits of the dominant legal ideology are tested.
Reliability but not bias: Developing a scale to measure preferred channels for risk information during the COVID pandemic
Authors: Lachlan Kenneth A. , Gilbert Christine
Published: September 2022

To develop a new measure of preferred sources for risk information, two studies asked respondents to indicate what channels they were reliant on for information about COVID‐19, from 25 news channels ranging across the political spectrum. Unexpectedly, dependencies clustered around level of reliability rather than the political orientation of the news channel. In other words, each cluster included media channels from both the left and right side of the political spectrum, while dependencies clustered into sources that varied by the degree to which their content is reliable. Participants who turned to lower reliability channels indicated lower risk perceptions, less accurate probability estimations, reduced vaccination intentions, and lower protective behavioral intentions. Those inclined to use higher reliability channels indicated higher risk perceptions, more accurate probability estimations, increased vaccination intentions, and higher protective behavioral intentions. These relationships are discussed in terms of implications for our understanding of source reliance and risk perception, information sufficiency, and implications for both future research and public health interventions.
The Farming Question: Intergenerational Linkages, Gender and Youth Aspirations in Rural Zambia☆
Authors: Ogunjimi Oluwafemi , Daum Thomas , Kariuki Juliet
Published: September 2022

With agriculture considered key to generating jobs for Africa's growing population, several studies have explored youth aspirations toward farming. While many factors explaining aspirations have been well studied, little is known about the actors' shaping aspirations. We developed a novel framework that focuses on the factors and actors shaping the formation and actual aspirations of rural youth and applied a unique “whole‐family” approach based on mixed‐methods data collection from adolescents (boys and girls) and corresponding adults. We applied this approach in rural Zambia, collecting data from 348 adolescents and adults in 87 households. The study finds that parents strongly shape youth aspirations—they are much more influential than siblings, peers, church, and media. Male youth are more likely to envision farming (full or part‐time) than female youth. The male preference for farming reflects their parent's aspirations and is reinforced by the patriarchal system of land inheritance. Parents' farm characteristics, such as degree of mechanization, are also associated with aspirations. We recommend a “whole‐family” approach, which acknowledges the influential role of parents, for policies and programs for rural youth and a stronger focus on gender aspects.
Identification and characterization of murine glycoprotein 2‐expressing intestinal dendritic cells
Authors: Luda Katarzyna M. , Da Silva Clement , Ahmadi Fatemeh , Mowat Allan Mcl. , Ohno Hiroshi , Kotarsky Knut , Agace William W.
Published: September 2022

The intestinal lamina propria (LP) contains distinct subsets of classical dendritic cells (cDC), each playing key non‐redundant roles in intestinal immune homeostasis. Here, we show that glycoprotein 2 (GP2), a GPI‐anchored protein and receptor for bacterial type‐I fimbriae, is selectively expressed by CD103+CD11b+ cDC in the murine small intestine (SI). GP2 expression was induced on CD103+CD11b+ cDC within the SI‐LP and was regulated by IRF4, TGFβR1‐ and retinoic acid signalling. Mice selectively lacking Gp2 on CD103+CD11b+ cDC (huLang‐Cre.gp2fl/fl mice) had normal numbers and proportions of innate and adaptive immune cells in the SI‐LP suggesting that GP2 expression by CD103+CD11b+ cDC is not required for intestinal immune homoeostasis.
IL‐6 signaling in acute exercise and chronic training: Potential consequences for health and athletic performance
Authors: Nash Dan , Hughes Michael G. , Butcher Lee , Aicheler Rebecca , Smith Paul , Cullen Tom , Webb Richard
Published: September 2022

The cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is involved in a diverse set of physiological processes. Traditionally, IL‐6 has been thought of in terms of its inflammatory actions during the acute phase response and in chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and obesity. However, IL‐6 is also an important signaling molecule during exercise, being acutely released from working muscle fibers with increased exercise duration, intensity, and muscle glycogen depletion. In this context, IL‐6 enables muscle‐organ crosstalk, facilitating a coordinated response to help maintain muscle energy homeostasis, while also having anti‐inflammatory actions. The range of actions of IL‐6 can be explained by its dichotomous signaling pathways. Classical signaling involves IL‐6 binding to a cell‐surface receptor (mbIL‐6R; present on only a small number of cell types) and is the predominant signaling mechanism during exercise. Trans‐signaling involves IL‐6 binding to a soluble version of its receptor (sIL‐6R), with the resulting complex having a much greater half‐life and the ability to signal in all cell types. Trans‐signaling drives the inflammatory actions of IL‐6 and is the predominant pathway in disease. A single nucleotide polymorphism (rs2228145) on the IL‐6R gene can modify the classical/trans‐signaling balance through increasing the levels of sIL‐6R. This SNP has clinical significance, having been linked to inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, as well as to the severity of symptoms experienced with COVID‐19. This review will describe how acute exercise, chronic training and the rs2228145 SNP can modify the IL‐6 signaling pathway and the consequent implications for health and athletic performance.
Worldless futures: On the allure of ‘worlds to come’
Authors: Dekeyser Thomas
Published: September 2022

This paper is concerned with the conceptual, discursive, and political inclination within spatial and social thought towards enacting ‘new worlds’, ‘worlds to come’, and ‘possible worlds’. Against the backdrop of this diffuse habit, which I refer to as ‘worldly futuring’, the paper calls attention to the ongoing challenge posed by worldlessness. It asks: what is lost, existentially or politically, in prioritising world‐building over world‐ending? Articulating a response to this question, the paper examines how the investment in future worlds functions, what it secures, and what it indemnifies against. Definitionally, ‘world’ lacks the ethical designation required to explain its signalling function as a positive horizon of futurity. Worldly futuring instead relies on three connected affirmations: world presents the promise of (meta)stability, of commonality, and of meaning. In prioritising these affirmations, worldly futuring immunises itself against the possibility of their radical absence or violent undoing, thereby working around, against, or sublating the threat of worldlessness. However, building on the scholarship of Derrida on worldless alterity and theorists of black negativity's political calls for the ‘end of the world’, the central argument of the paper is that working‐away worldlessness is neither inherently possible nor necessarily desirable. Despite any attempt at immunisation, worldlessness haunts any project of worldly futuring, showing us that the assumed connection between world and futurity may well be an obstacle to radical futures.