bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Induction of false beliefs and false memories in laboratory studies—A systematic review
Authors: Muschalla Beate , Schönborn Fabian
Published: February 2021

Psychological interventions often use guided discovery and other techniques for diagnostic exploration and intervention planning. This way, memories may arise in the person, which may be true or false. False memories of earlier events can be harmful and result in real suffering, similar to actual traumatic memories. Based on cognitive psychological and psycho‐traumatological findings, there is pronounced dissent in the academic disciplines regarding the conceptualization, relevance and research of false memories. This review contributes to the basic question of how often false beliefs and false memories may be induced within the frame of different interactional techniques. A systematic review has been conducted of 59 articles from (quasi‐)experimental studies and two qualitative sources from 30 data bases. Three main methods of memory induction provide the basis for reporting: imagination inflation, false feedback, and memory implantation. Due to the conceptual and methodological diversity of the studies, the results appear to be heterogeneous. Free and guided imagery, as well as suggestive statements, could induce false beliefs or false memories in, on average, 20%–50% of the participants who underwent experimental manipulation concerning false past events. A false belief induction may occur after dream interpretation or hypnosis in more than 50% of participants. Personalized suggestion is more effective in inducing memory than the general plausibility of the suggested events. Further research questions are which therapeutic actions seem appropriate in cases of harmful false memories. This depends not only on whether there are veridical elements in the false memory but also on the quality and meaning of the memory for the person's life and ability to cope with burdens.
Internet‐based cognitive behavioural therapy programme with and without videoconference guidance sessions: A randomized controlled trial to treat work‐related symptoms of anxiety and depression
Authors: Calero Elvira Ana , Santacreu Ivars Marta , Marchena Giráldez Carlos , Shih Pei‐Chun
Published: February 2021

This study provides the results from the implementation of a highly structured therapist‐guided iCBT programme for people with work‐related anxiety and depression, in terms of programme efficacy, participants' adherence and satisfaction. Seventy‐seven national police workers were randomly allocated to one of two groups: without additional videoconference sessions (web platform with guidance of therapist) and with additional videoconference sessions (same intervention as the previous group, plus two videoconference guidance sessions with a psychologist). The intervention was composed of 12 sessions and took place for 17–20 weeks. We found an adherence rate of 36.4%, with no differences between groups. All participants endorsed lower depression (BDI‐II F(1) = 36.98, p < .001; ATQ F(1) = 24.22, p < .001), and anxiety (STAI‐State F(1) = 76.62, p < .001) after the programme. As a variable related to anxiety and depression in workplace, participants also showed higher assertiveness levels (RAS F(1) = 8.96, p < .001). A significant reduction of the mean level of anxiety perceived by participants as the intervention programme progressed was observed in both groups (F(2) = 7.44; p = .003). Participants were satisfied with the therapists' intervention and with the programme. No significant group effects were found for any of the measures. Reduction in depression levels was maintained in the 12‐month follow‐up, but levels of anxiety increased. This study is innovative, as it is the first controlled trial to analyse the effect of two added videoconference sessions, and it includes short‐ and long‐term measures, which is not usual. The results are discussed to clarify the role of the contact with the therapist to improve treatment adherence.
Functional contribution of DCLKs in sea urchin development
Authors: Xu Derek , Wavreil Florence D.M. , Waldron Ashley , Yajima Mamiko
Published: February 2021

Background

Doublecortin‐like kinase1 and 2 (DCLKs) are protein Ser/Thr kinases important for neuronal development. More recently, they are also reported to regulate plasticity such as cell proliferation and differentiation of stem cells and cancer cells, but the details of their functions in this biological context are still unclear. With an attempt to reveal the functions of DCLKs in plasticity regulation, we here used the sea urchin embryo that undergoes highly regulative development as an experimental model.

Results

We found that both the transcripts and the proteins of DCLKs are uniformly present during early embryogenesis and with some enrichment in mesenchymal cells after gastrula stage. Knockdown of DCLKs induced general developmental delay and defects at day 2. Further, the damage on the embryo/larva induced ectopic expression of DCLKs in the ectoderm where the damage was most severe. Under a tumor‐prone or ‐suppressive condition, DCLKs expression was upregulated or downregulated, respectively, after damage. In both cases, the embryos showed severe developmental defects.

Conclusions

Taken together, a transient upregulation of DCLKs appears to be involved in a damage response both during normal and abnormal development, and which could result in different phenotypes in a context dependent manner.
Improving the ability of a BACI design to detect impacts within a kelp‐forest community
Authors: Rassweiler Andrew , Okamoto Daniel K. , Reed Daniel C. , Kushner David J. , Schroeder Donna M. , Lafferty Kevin D.
Published: February 2021

Distinguishing between human impacts and natural variation in abundance remains difficult because most species exhibit complex patterns of variation in space and time. When ecological monitoring data are available, a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) analysis can control natural spatial and temporal variation to better identify an impact and estimate its magnitude. However, populations with limited distributions and confounding spatial‐temporal dynamics can violate core assumptions of BACI‐type designs. In this study, we assessed how such properties affect the potential to identify impacts. Specifically, we quantified the conditions under which BACI analyses correctly (or incorrectly) identified simulated anthropogenic impacts in a spatially and temporally replicated data set of fish, macroalgal, and invertebrate species found on nearshore subtidal reefs in southern California, USA. We found BACI failed to assess very localized impacts, and had low power but high precision when assessing region‐wide impacts. Power was highest for severe impacts of moderate spatial scale, and impacts were most easily detected in species with stable, widely distributed populations. Serial autocorrelation in the data greatly inflated false impact detection rates, and could be partly controlled for statistically, while spatial synchrony in dynamics had no consistent effect on power or false detection rates. Unfortunately, species that offer high power to detect real impacts were also more likely to detect impacts where none had occurred. However, considering power and false detection rates together can identify promising indicator species, and collectively analyzing data for similar species improved the net ability to assess impacts. These insights set expectations for the sizes and severities of impacts that BACI analyses can detect in real systems, point to the importance of serial autocorrelation (but not of spatial synchrony), and indicate how to choose the species, and groups of species, that can best identify impacts.
Soil engineering by ants facilitates plant compensation for large herbivore removal of aboveground biomass
Authors: Zhong Zhiwei , Li Xiaofei , Sanders Dirk , Liu Yiming , Wang Ling , Ortega Yvette K. , Pearson Dean E. , Wang Deli
Published: February 2021

The interplay between top‐down and bottom‐up processes determines ecosystem productivity. Yet, the factors that mediate the balance between these opposing forces remain poorly understood. Furthering this challenge, complex and often cryptic factors like ecosystem engineering and trait‐mediated interactions may play major roles in mediating the outcomes of top‐down and bottom‐up interactions. In semiarid grasslands of northeastern China, we conducted a large‐scale, three‐year experiment to evaluate how soil engineering by ants and plasticity in plants independently and jointly influenced the top‐down effects of grazing by a ubiquitous herbivore (cattle) on aboveground standing biomass of the dominant perennial grass,Leymus chinensis. Herbivory had strong top‐down effects, reducingL. chinensisAB by 25% relative to baseline levels without cattle or ants. In contrast, soil engineering by ants facilitated weak bottom‐up effects in the absence of herbivory. However, in the presence of herbivory, soil engineering effects were strong enough to fully offset herbivore removal of aboveground biomass. This outcome was mediated byL. chinensis’s plasticity in reallocating growth from below‐ to aboveground biomass, a result linked to additive effects of engineers and herbivores increasing soil N availability and engineering effects improving soil structure. Soil engineering increased soil N by 12%, promoting aboveground biomass. Herbivores increased soil N by 13% via defecation, but this increase failed to offset their reductions in aboveground biomass in isolation. However, when combined, engineers and herbivores increased soil N by 26% and engineers improved soil bulk density, facilitatingL. chinensisto shift resource allocations from below‐ to aboveground biomass sufficiently to fully offset herbivore suppression of aboveground biomass. Our results demonstrate that soil engineering and trait‐mediated effects of plant plasticity can strongly mediate the outcome of top‐down and bottom‐up interactions. These cryptic but perhaps ubiquitous processes may help to explain the long‐debated phenomenon of plant compensatory responses to large grazers.
Human papillomavirus load and genotype analysis improves the prediction of invasive cervical cancer
Authors: Hortlund Maria , van Mol Tine , Van de Pol Frederik , Bogers Johannes , Dillner Joakim
Published: February 2021

Human papillomavirus (HPV)‐based cervical screening is a globally recommended health policy. Different HPV types have different risk for cervical cancer. For optimal HPV screening, the sensitivity and specificity for each HPV type at different viral loads should be known in a screening setting. HPV test results in about 1 million cervical samples analyzed during 2006 to 2014 were compared for 319 women who had developed invasive cervical cancer up to 8.5 years later and for 1911 matched control women. Detection including low viral loads resulted in markedly increased sensitivity for cervical cancer only for HPV types 16 and 18. Testing for HPV types 31, 33, 45 and 52 also increased the sensitivity for prediction of cervical cancer, but for these viruses, detection of low viral load did not further increase sensitivity. HPV types 35, 39, 51, 56, 58, 59, 66 and 68 only predicted occasional additional cervical cancer cases. Testing for HPV16/18 at low viral load plus testing for HPV31, 33, 45 and 52 at >3000 copies/μL predicted 86.5% of cancers occurring within a year after testing, similar to the 89.4% that were predicted by testing for 14 HPV types. By contrast, the type and viral load‐restricted testing greatly increased specificity: 6.3% of healthy women tested positive as compared to 11.7% of healthy women testing positive for the 14 HPV types commonly screened for today. Adequate HPV screening sensitivity, with considerable increase in specificity, can be obtained by testing only for HPV16/18/31/33/45/52, with detection of low viral load required only for HPV16/18.
Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy with simultaneous resection of the portal vein and hepatic artery for locally advanced cholangiocarcinoma: Short‐ and long‐term outcomes of superextended surgery
Authors: Nagino Masato , Ebata Tomoki , Yokoyama Yukihiro , Igami Tsuyoshi , Mizuno Takashi , Yamaguchi Junpei , Onoe Shunsuke , Watanabe Nobuyuki
Published: February 2021

Background

Only a few authors have reported negative results for hepatopancreatoduodenectomy (HPD) with simultaneous resection of the portal vein and hepatic artery in a limited number of patients. The aim of the current study was to outline our experience with this superextended surgery and to discuss its clinical value.

Methods

Medical records of consecutive patients who underwent resection of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma between 2007 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

During the study interval, 650 patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma underwent resection. The superextended surgery was performed in only nine (1.4%) patients. Left or right trisectionectomy was primarily performed. For portal vein reconstruction, external iliac vein graft was required in seven patients. For hepatic artery reconstruction, rotating left gastric artery was often used. The median operative time was 870 minutes and blood loss was 2,598 mL. Postoperatively, pancreatic fistula and liver failure occurred in all patients, followed by intraabdominal abscess (n = 8), and bacteremia (n = 4). One patient died on day 86 due to multiple organ failure. Two patients survived for more than 7 years.

Conclusions

HPD with simultaneous resection of the portal vein and hepatic artery is demanding but worth performing as the last option, with careful patient selection in experienced centers.
Functional morphology and fiber types of the masseter muscles of two caviomorph rodents with contrasting lifestyles, Ctenomys talarum (Ctenomyidae) and Cavia aperea (Caviidae)
Authors: Longo María Victoria , Díaz Alcira Ofelia , Vassallo Aldo Iván , Cohen Mariana
Published: February 2021

The aim of this work is the analysis of histochemical and morphometric properties of the masseter muscles of Ctenomys talarum and Cavia aperea. The former belongs to a subterranean rodent clade, Ctenomyidae, which has evolved a robust masticatory apparatus adapted to chisel‐tooth digging and processing of abrasive grasses; C. aperea belongs to the family Caviidae, with relatively graceful jaws and mandibular musculatures, consistent with less mechanically challenging diets. Adult males were captured, immediately transported to the laboratory, and euthanized in a CO2 chamber. The musculus masseter superficialis and musculus masseter profundus on the left side of the animals were used to analyze the histochemical composition of the fiber types treated with myosin adenosine triphosphatase, succinate dehydrogenase and periodic acid Schiff. The mean fiber diameters, relative areas, and frequencies of each muscle fiber type were calculated. The mm. masseter superficialis and masseter profundus on the right side were used to measure the physiological cross‐sectional area (PCSA). Based on this measurement, the internal force (F) was estimated. In the m. masseter profundus of both species and in the m. masseter superficialis of C. aperea intermediate fast oxidative‐glycolytic fibers (FOGi) predominated. In the mm. masseter superficialis and masseter profundus of C. talarum the relative area of fast glycolytic (FG) fibers was greater than that of the muscles of C. aperea, whose main muscle fiber component is FOGi fibers. When corrected for body mass differences, PCSA was higher for the mm. masseter superficialis of C. talarum. This and the larger relative area of FG fibers, probably contributes to the exertion of large bite forces in C. talarum, as measured in previous studies.
Association of impedance ratio with corrected Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index in older patients with nondialysis chronic kidney disease stage 5
Authors: Han Byoung‐Geun , Han Jihye , Lee Kwang Hoon
Published: February 2021

Background

The usual calculation of body mass index (BMI) can be misleading in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) because their altered fluid balances may not be reflected. We obtained corrected BMI (cBMI) and corrected Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (cGNRI) values and investigated whether the impedance ratio (IR) of 200/5 kHz, measured using bioimpedance spectroscopy, was associated with cGNRI in older patients with nondialysis CKD stage 5 (CKD5‐ND).

Methods

Patients over 65 years old (n = 118) were divided into groups by cGNRI tertiles. The differences between the correlations were tested using Steiger's z‐test. The IR and cBMI were used as both continuous and categorical variables in the regression analyses to determine the factors that were independently associated with the cGNRI.

Results

Patients in the third cGNRI tertile had a significantly lower mean IR than those in the other 2 tertiles (P < .001). Across the 3 cGNRI tertile groups, the IR was incrementally lower in the higher cGNRI tertiles (P for trend < .001). The Steiger's z‐test showed that the IR had a significantly stronger correlation with cGNRI than cBMI had with cGNRI. In the multivariable linear regression analyses, the IR was independently associated with the cGNRI, after adjusting for various confounders.

Conclusion

The current results revealed that the IR was a more sensitive indicator of nutrition risk than BMI and was independently associated with cGNRI in older patients with CKD5‐ND. Our study suggests that the IR is an appropriate tool for nutrition risk screening.
Use of amnion‐derived cellular cytokine solution for the treatment of gingivitis: A 2‐week safety, dose‐ranging, proof‐of‐principle randomized trial
Authors: Hasturk Hatice , Steed David , Tosun Emre , Martins Melissa , Floros Constantinos , Nguyen Daniel , Stephens Danielle , Cugini Maryann , Starr Jacqueline , Van Dyke Thomas E.
Published: February 2021

Background

A 6‐week Phase I clinical trial was performed to primarily evaluate the safety and secondarily determine the preliminary efficacy of a novel biological solution, ST266, comprised of a mixture of cytokines, growth factors, nucleic acids, and lipids secreted by cultured amnion‐derived multipotent progenitor cells on gingival inflammation.

Methods

Fifty‐four adults with gingivitis/periodontitis were randomly assigned to 1X ST266 or diluted 0.3X ST266 or saline topically applied on facial/lingual gingiva (20 µL/tooth). Safety was assessed through oral soft/hard tissue exam, adverse events, and routine laboratory tests. Efficacy was assessed by modified gingival index (MGI), bleeding on probing, plaque index, probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL). Assessments were performed on day 0, 8, 12, and 42. ST266 and saline applied daily starting at day 0 through day 12 except weekend days. Plasma was analyzed for safety and proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor‐alpha, and interferon gamma. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) was analyzed for the same cytokines. Subgingival plaque was primarily analyzed by checkerboard DNA‐DNA hybridization. Comparisons with saline were modeled through a generalized estimating equations method adjusting for baseline.

Results

No safety concern was found related to ST266. Statistically significant reduction in MGI was noted at day 42 by 1X ST266 compared with saline (P = 0.044). PD and CAL were reduced by both doses of ST266 at day 42 (P <0.01) and by 1X ST266 at day 12 (P <0.05). GCF IL‐1β and IL‐6 levels were reduced by both doses of ST266 at day 12 (P <0.05, P <0.01, respectively). IL‐6 was also significantly reduced in plasma of both ST266 groups (P <0.05). Significant reductions in red complex bacteria were detected in both ST266 doses.

Conclusions

In this “first in human oral cavity” study, topical ST266 was safe and effective in reducing gingival inflammation in 6 weeks. Longitudinal studies with large sample sizes are warranted to assess the therapeutic value of this novel host modulatory compound in the treatment of periodontal diseases.
The genetics of mitochondrial disease: dissecting mitochondrial pathology using multi‐omic pipelines
Authors: Alston Charlotte L , Stenton Sarah L , Hudson Gavin , Prokisch Holger , Taylor Robert W
Published: February 2021

Mitochondria play essential roles in numerous metabolic pathways including the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate through oxidative phosphorylation. Clinically, mitochondrial diseases occur when there is mitochondrial dysfunction – manifesting at any age and affecting any organ system; tissues with high energy requirements, such as muscle and the brain, are often affected. The clinical heterogeneity is parallel to the degree of genetic heterogeneity associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Around 10% of human genes are predicted to have a mitochondrial function, and defects in over 300 genes are reported to cause mitochondrial disease. Some involve the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA), but the vast majority occur within the nuclear genome. Except for a few specific genetic defects, there remains no cure for mitochondrial diseases, which means that a genetic diagnosis is imperative for genetic counselling and the provision of reproductive options for at‐risk families. Next‐generation sequencing strategies, particularly exome and whole‐genome sequencing, have revolutionised mitochondrial diagnostics such that the traditional muscle biopsy has largely been replaced with a minimally‐invasive blood sample for an unbiased approach to genetic diagnosis. Where these genomic approaches have not identified a causative defect, or where there is insufficient support for pathogenicity, additional functional investigations are required. The application of supplementary ‘omics’ technologies, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, has the potential to greatly improve diagnostic strategies. This review aims to demonstrate that whilst a molecular diagnosis can be achieved for many cases through next‐generation sequencing of blood DNA, the use of patient tissues and an integrated, multidisciplinary multi‐omics approach is pivotal for the diagnosis of more challenging cases. Moreover, the analysis of clinically relevant tissues from affected individuals remains crucial for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying mitochondrial pathology. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Pneumothorax with Ortner syndrome: an unusual presentation of aortic dissection
Authors: Lo Shan Min , Ramarmuty Hema Yamini , Kannan Kunji
Published: February 2021

Ortner syndrome or cardiovocal syndrome is hoarseness of voice due to left recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy as a result of cardiovascular abnormality. It is not known that pneumothorax has any association with Ortner syndrome. A 56‐year‐old gentleman, with previous history of 20 pack‐year smoking and 1‐year history of hypertension, presented to us with cough for two weeks with intermittent haemoptysis, as well as hoarseness of voice for the past one year. Direct laryngoscopy confirmed that he had left vocal cord palsy. Clinical and radiological investigations suggested that he had left pneumothorax. Left chest tube thoracostomy was performed and computed tomography of chest revealed aortic isthmus aneurysm with dissection extending to distal left common iliac artery and residual left hydropneumothorax. The patient was then referred to the vascular team and cardiothoracic team for further management.
Target localization during respiration motion based on LSTM: A pilot study on robotic puncture system
Authors: Ma Yuxiang , Yang Zhikai , Wu Wei , Xie Hongzhi , Gu Lixu
Published: February 2021

Background

In the needle biopsy, the respiratory motion causes the displacement of thoracic–abdominal soft tissues, which brings great difficulty to accurate localization. Based on internal target motion and external marker motion, the existing methods need to establish a correlation model or a prediction model to compensate the respiratory movement, which can hardly achieve required accuracy in clinic use due to the complexity of the internal tissue motion.

Methods

In order to improve the tracking accuracy and reduce the number of models, we propose a framework for target localization based on long short‐term memory (LSTM) method. Combined with the correlation model and the prediction model by using LSTM, we adopted the principal component of time‐series features of external surrogate signals to predict the trajectory of the internal tumour target. Additionally, based on the electromagnetic tracking system and Universal Robots 3 robotic arm, we applied the proposed approach to a prototype of robotic puncture system for real‐time tumour tracking.

Results

To verify the proposed method, experiments on both public datasets and customized motion phantom for respiratory simulation were performed. In the public dataset study, an average mean absolute error, and an average root‐mean‐square error of predictive results of 0.44 and 0.58 mm were achieved, respectively. In the motion phantom study, an average root mean square of puncturing error resulted in 0.65 mm.

Conclusion

The experimental results demonstrate the proposed method improves the accuracy of target localization during respiratory movement and appeals the potentials applying to clinical application.
Biological sex differences in Alzheimer's preclinical research: A call to action
Authors: Waters Ansley ,   Society for Women's Health Research Alzheimer's Disease Network, Laitner Melissa H.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

For decades, researchers have largely ignored sex as a biological variable (SABV) within preclinical studies. Recent literature indicates scientists are increasingly including male and female subjects in studies, but fewer studies assess for sex differences in study outcome. This is particularly concerning within the field of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as disease burden is higher among women and evidence suggests sex differences exist in etiology and disease course.

Methods

We conducted an informal review of preclinical AD research studies.

Results

Results confirmed that only about one‐third of ≈150 recent studies included both male and female mice, and <15 of nearly 150 studies examined SABV as an outcome of interest.

Discussion

Previous research supports the idea that better integration of SABV could open new doors in treatment research. We provide examples of best practices and discuss the need for Alzheimer's researchers to account for SABV within preclinical studies.
Donanemab (LY3002813) dose‐escalation study in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Lowe Stephen Loucian , Willis Brian A. , Hawdon Anne , Natanegara Fanni , Chua Laiyi , Foster Joanne , Shcherbinin Sergey , Ardayfio Paul , Sims John R.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

This study explored the safety and tolerability features of donanemab (LY3002813) in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild to moderate AD dementia.

Methods

Patients with AD were enrolled into the single‐ascending dose phase and were administered a single, intravenous (IV) dose of donanemab (five dosing cohorts from 0.1 to 10 mg/kg) or placebo followed by a 12‐week follow‐up period for each dose level. After the follow‐up period, the same patients proceeded into the multiple‐ascending dose (MAD) phase (five cohorts) and were administered IV doses of donanemab (0.3 to 10 mg/kg) or placebo approximately once per month for up to four doses depending on the initial doses (only cohort 1 went from 0.1 mg/kg to a higher dose of 0.3 mg/kg during the MAD phase). This phase concluded with a 12‐week follow‐up period. The relative exposure assessment of an unblinded, single, subcutaneous 3‐mg/kg dose of donanemab in patients with AD was also performed, followed by a 12‐week follow‐up period. One cohort of healthy subjects received an unblinded, single, IV 1‐mg/kg dose of donanemab. These two cohorts did not continue to the MAD phase.

Results

Donanemab was generally well tolerated up to 10 mg/kg. After single‐dose administration from 0.1 to 3.0 mg/kg, the mean terminal elimination half‐life was ≈4 days, increasing to ≈10 days at 10 mg/kg. Only the 10‐mg/kg dose showed changes in amyloid positron emission tomography. Amyloid reduction of 40% to 50% was achieved. Approximately 90% of subjects developed anti‐drug antibodies at 3 months after a single intravenous dose.

Discussion

Intravenous donanemab 10 mg/kg can reduce amyloid deposits in AD despite having a shorter than expected half‐life.
Association of the use of hearing aids with the conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia and progression of dementia: A longitudinal retrospective study
Authors: Bucholc Magda , McClean Paula L. , Bauermeister Sarah , Todd Stephen , Ding Xuemei , Ye Qinyong , Wang Desheng , Huang Wei , Maguire Liam P.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Hearing aid usage has been linked to improvements in cognition, communication, and socialization, but the extent to which it can affect the incidence and progression of dementia is unknown. Such research is vital given the high prevalence of dementia and hearing impairment in older adults, and the fact that both conditions often coexist. In this study, we examined for the first time the effect of the use of hearing aids on the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia and progression of dementia.

Methods

We used a large referral‐based cohort of 2114 hearing‐impaired patients obtained from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. Survival analyses using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model and weighted Cox regression model with censored data were performed to assess the effect of hearing aid use on the risk of conversion from MCI to dementia and risk of death in hearing‐impaired participants. Disease progression was assessed with Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes (CDR‐SB) scores. Three types of sensitivity analyses were performed to validate the robustness of the results.

Results

MCI participants that used hearing aids were at significantly lower risk of developing all‐cause dementia compared to those not using hearing aids (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61 to 0.89; false discovery rate [FDR]P = 0.004). The mean annual rate of change (standard deviation) in CDR‐SB scores for hearing aid users with MCI was 1.3 (1.45) points and significantly lower than for individuals not wearing hearing aids with a 1.7 (1.95) point increase in CDR‐SB per year (P = 0.02). No association between hearing aid use and risk of death was observed. Our findings were robust subject to sensitivity analyses.

Discussion

Among hearing‐impaired adults, hearing aid use was independently associated with reduced dementia risk. The causality between hearing aid use and incident dementia should be further tested.
Veterinary antibiotics in swine and cattle wastewaters of China and the United States: Features and differences
Authors: Wan Yi‐ping , Liu Ze‐hua , Liu Yu
Published: February 2021

Veterinary antibiotics (VAs) have been widely used in livestock for disease prevention, treatment, and growth promotion. This study compared top 20 VAs in Chinese and US swine and cattle wastewater with published literatures. The sulfonamides (SAs) were found to be predominant, accounting for 62% of the top 20 VAs in Chinese swine wastewater, while tetracyclines (TCs) contributed to about 68.7% of the 18 VAs in US swine wastewater. The average concentration of the 20 major VAs in Chinese swine wastewater was estimated to be 1145 μg/L against 253.6 μg/L in the United States. On the other hand, the five major VAs in Chinese cattle wastewater were identified to be oxytetracycline, nafcillin, apramycin, lincomycin, and amikacin, while monensin was found to be dominant in US cattle wastewater. The average concentration of the top 20 VAs in Chinese and US cattle wastewaters were found to be 54.6 and 46.2 μg/L, respectively. These analyses suggested that VAs were probably over‐used in Chinese swine industry, eventually causing the development and spreading of antibiotic resistant‐bacteria and genes, which should be paid with attention.

Practitioner points

Major veterinary antibiotics (VAs) in swine and cattle wastewater were identified.

Top 20 VAs in swine and cattle wastewater of China and the United States were compared.

VAs concentration in Chinese swine wastewater was 4.52 times that in the United States.

VAs concentration in Chinese cattle wastewater was 1.18 times that of the United States.
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Sexual Dysfunction in Obese Men
Authors: Fahmy Ahmed , Abdeldaiem Hussien , Abdelsattar Mohamed , Aboyoussif Tamer , Assem Akram , Zahran Abdelrahman , Elgebaly Omar
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Currently bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for significant and sustained weight loss. Erectile and endothelial dysfunctions may share some metabolic and vascular pathways in common that may be influenced by weight loss.

Aim

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of surgically induced weight loss on the erectile function on obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). We also aimed to examine the proposed underlying mechanism associated with improvement in erectile function after weight loss by LSG.

Methods

Eighty-two consecutive obese men who underwent a LGS were followed up for 12 months. All operations were performed by the same surgeon at a single institution.

Main Outcome measure

Patients were examined both before and after 12 months of LSG for biochemical tests; total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and for erectile function tests. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores were recorded.

Results

Eighty-two men (mean age 39 ± 14.6 years, range 24–62; mean BMI 41.2 ± 4.8 kg/m2) completed all preoperative and postoperative questionnaires and biochemical tests. At 12 months, the mean weight loss was 34.8 kg and the mean BMI decrease was 8.6 kg/m2. Preoperative and postoperative IIEF scores of the 65 sexually active patients showed significant improvement in erectile function (21.2 ± 5.7 vs 26.5 ± 4.5; P = .02). Seventeen (20.7%) men were not sexually active preoperatively; only 5 became sexually active postoperatively. Men had a significant decrease in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Nitric oxide synthase activity showed a significant increase (P < .02). In addition, our patients showed a statistically significant decrease in interleukin-6 levels and C-reactive protein compared with preoperative period (P < .03 and P < .01, respectively).

Conclusion

A significant improvement of erectile function was documented among obese young men undergoing LGS. This improvement was documented both clinically by improvement in IIEF score postoperatively and biochemically.
Establishing the Status of Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Disaster: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ghazanchaei Elham , Khorasani-Zavareh Davoud , Aghazadeh-Attari Javad , Mohebbi Iraj
Published: February 2021

Objective:

People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. This research systematically reviewed reports describing studies on the status of patients with NCDs before, during and after disasters.

Method:

Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 were collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words ‘Non-Communicable Disease and Disasters.’ NCDs include cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes and cancer diseases.

Results:

The review identified 42 relevant articles. Most of the included studies were found to have described the conditions of patients with NCDs after disasters - 14 (13.3%), during disasters – 11 (26.2%), before disasters – 6 (14.3%), within all stages of disasters: before, during and after – 6 (14.3%), only during and after disasters – 4 (9.5%), and includes before and during disasters – 1 (2.4%).

Conclusion:

NCDs pose major health issues in disasters. Development of strong counter measures against the interruption of treatment, as well as surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary as preparation for future disasters.
Anxiety, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress a month after 2019 Cyclone Fani in Odisha, India
Authors: Kar Nilamadhab , Samantaray Narendra Nath , Kar Shreyan , Kar Brajaballav
Published: February 2021

Background:

Early Identification of disaster victims with mental health problems may be useful, but information within a short period after a disaster is scarce in developing countries. This study examined anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms at 1 month following 2019 Cyclone Fani in Odisha, India.

Method:

Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were assessed by the Primary care PTSD screen for DSM 5 (PC-PTSD-5), anxiety symptoms by the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and depression by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The survey included participants’ disaster experience e.g., evacuation, fear of death, injury, death in family, damage to house, difficulty for food, displacement, and effect on livelihood.

Results:

Proportion of sample (n = 80) with probable PTSD was 42.9%, with severe anxiety was 36.7%, moderately severe depression was 16.5%, and severe depression was 3.8%. Suicidal cognitions were reported to increase by 14%. Comorbidity was common; with significant (P < 0.01) correlation between PTSS and anxiety (r = 0.69), depression (r = 0.596), and between anxiety and depression (r = 0.63). Damage of house and displacement were associated significantly with PTSD; evacuation and displacement with moderate and severe depression; and displacement with severe anxiety. No specific demographic factors were significantly linked to the psychiatric morbidities.

Conclusion:

A considerable proportion of victims had psychiatric morbidities at 1 month. Associated risk factors included housing damages, evacuation, and displacement, suggesting the need to improve the disaster-management process.
Real-world implementation and impact of a rapid carbapenemase detection test in an area endemic for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
Authors: Trzebucki Alex M. , Westblade Lars F. , Loo Angela , Mazur Shawn , Jenkins Stephen G. , Calfee David P. , Satlin Michael J. , Simon Matthew S.
Published: February 2021

A retrospective study was conducted to describe the impact of a molecular assay to detect the most common carbapenemase genes in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales isolates recovered in culture. Carbapenemases were detected in 69% of isolates, and assay results guided treatment modifications or epidemiologic investigation in 20% and 4% of cases, respectively.
RECURRENCE AND THE EXISTENCE OF INVARIANT MEASURES
Authors: INSELMANN MANUEL J. , MILLER BENJAMIN D.
Published: February 2021

We show that recurrence conditions do not yield invariant Borel probability measures in the descriptive set-theoretic milieu, in the strong sense that if a Borel action of a locally compact Polish group on a standard Borel space satisfies such a condition but does not have an orbit supporting an invariant Borel probability measure, then there is an invariant Borel set on which the action satisfies the condition but does not have an invariant Borel probability measure.
ONE DIMENSIONAL GROUPS DEFINABLE IN THE p-ADIC NUMBERS
Authors: ACOSTA LÓPEZ JUAN PABLO
Published: February 2021

A complete list of one dimensional groups definable in the p-adic numbers is given, up to a finite index subgroup and a quotient by a finite subgroup.
COMBINATORICS OF ULTRAFILTERS ON COHEN AND RANDOM ALGEBRAS
Authors: BRENDLE JÖRG , PARENTE FRANCESCO
Published: February 2021

We investigate the structure of ultrafilters on Boolean algebras in the framework of Tukey reducibility. In particular, this paper provides several techniques to construct ultrafilters which are not Tukey maximal. Furthermore, we connect this analysis with a cardinal invariant of Boolean algebras, the ultrafilter number, and prove consistency results concerning its possible values on Cohen and random algebras.
CLOSED AND UNBOUNDED CLASSES AND THE HÄRTIG QUANTIFIER MODEL
Authors: WELCH PHILIP D.
Published: February 2021

We show that assuming modest large cardinals, there is a definable class of ordinals, closed and unbounded beneath every uncountable cardinal, so that for any closed and unbounded subclasses
$P, Q, {\langle L[P],\in ,P \rangle }$
and
${\langle L[Q],\in ,Q \rangle }$
possess the same reals, satisfy the Generalised Continuum Hypothesis, and moreover are elementarily equivalent. Examples of such P are Card, the class of uncountable cardinals, I the uniform indiscernibles, or for any n the class
$C^{n}{=_{{\operatorname {df}}}}\{ \lambda \, | \, V_{\lambda } \prec _{{\Sigma }_{n}}V\}$
; moreover the theory of such models is invariant under ZFC-preserving extensions. They also all have a rich structure satisfying many of the usual combinatorial principles and a definable wellorder of the reals. The inner model constructed using definability in the language augmented by the Härtig quantifier is thus also characterized.
Exploring the impact of unstable terminals on branch support values in paleontological data
Authors: Flores Jorge R. , Lehtonen Samuli , Hyvönen Jaakko
Published: February 2021

Recent studies have acknowledged the many benefits of including fossils in phylogenetic inference (e.g., reducing long-branch attraction). However, unstable taxa are known to be problematic, as they can reduce either the resolution of the strict consensus or branch support. In this study, we evaluate whether unstable taxa that reduce consensus resolution affect support values, and the extent of such impact, under equal and extended implied weighting. Two sets of analyses were conducted across 30 morphological datasets to evaluate complementary aspects. The first focused on the analytical conditions incrementing the terminal instability, while the second assessed whether pruning wildcards improves support. Changes in support were compared with the “number of nodes collapsed by unstable terminals,” their “distance to the root,” the “proportion of missing data in a dataset,” and the “proportion of sampled characters.” Our results indicate that the proportion of missing entries distributed among closely related taxa (for a given character) might be as detrimental for stability as those distributed among characters (for a given terminal). Unstable terminals that (1) collapse few nodes or (2) are closely located to the root node have more influence on the estimated support values. Weighting characters according to their extra steps while assuming that missing entries contribute to their homoplasy reduced the instability of wildcards. Our results suggest that increasing character sampling and using extended implied weighting decreases the impact of wildcard terminals. This study provides insights for designing future research dealing with unstable terminals, a typical problem of paleontological data.
DNA methylation as a regulator of intestinal gene expression
Authors: Pinho R. M. , Maga E. A.
Published: February 2021

The intestinal tract is the entry gate for nutrients and symbiotic organisms, being in constant contact with external environment. DNA methylation is one of the keys to how environmental conditions, diet and nutritional status included, shape functionality in the gut and systemically. This review aims to summarise findings on the importance of methylation to gut development, differentiation and function. Evidence to date on how external factors such as diet, dietary supplements, nutritional status and microbiota modifications modulate intestinal function through DNA methylation is also presented.
Large gyro-orbit model of ion velocity distribution in plasma near a wall in a grazing-angle magnetic field
Authors: Geraldini Alessandro
Published: February 2021

A model is presented for the ion distribution function in a plasma at a solid target with a magnetic field

$\boldsymbol {B}$

inclined at a small angle,

$\alpha \ll 1$

(in radians), to the target. Adiabatic electrons are assumed, requiring

$\alpha \gg \sqrt {Zm_{e}/m_{i}}$

, where

$m_{e}$

and

$m_{i}$

are the electron and ion mass, respectively, and

$Z$

is the charge state of the ion. An electric field

$\boldsymbol {E}$

is present to repel electrons, and so the characteristic size of the electrostatic potential

$\phi$

is set by the electron temperature

$T_{e}$

,

$e\phi \sim T_{e}$

, where

$e$

is the proton charge. An asymptotic scale separation between the Debye length

$\lambda _{D} = \sqrt {\epsilon _0 T_{{e}} / e^{2} n_{{e}} }$

, the ion sound gyro-radius

$\rho _{s} = \sqrt { m_{i} ( ZT_{e} + T_{i} ) } / (ZeB)$

and the size of the collisional region

$d_{c} = \alpha \lambda _{\textrm {mfp}}$

is assumed,

$\lambda _{D} \ll \rho _{s} \ll d_{c}$

. Here

$\epsilon _0$

is the permittivity of free space,

$n_{e}$

is the electron density,

$T_{i}$

is the ion temperature,

$B= |\boldsymbol {B}|$

and

$\lambda _{\textrm {mfp}}$

is the collisional mean free path of an ion. The form of the ion distribution function is assumed at distances

$x$

from the wall such that

$\rho _{s} \ll x \ll d_{c}$

, that is, collisions are not treated. A self-consistent solution of the electrostatic potential for

$x \sim \rho _{s}$

is required to solve for the quasi-periodic ion trajectories and for the ion distribution function at the target. The large gyro-orbit model presented here allows to bypass the numerical solution of

$\phi (x)$

and results in an analytical expression for the ion distribution function at the target. It assumes that

$\tau =T_{i}/(ZT_{e})\gg 1$

, and ignores the electric force on the quasi-periodic ion trajectory until close to the target. For

$\tau \gtrsim 1$

, the model provides an extremely fast approximation to energy–angle distributions of ions at the target. These can be used to make sputtering predictions.
Genetics of eating disorders in the genome-wide era
Authors: Watson Hunna J. , Palmos Alish B. , Hunjan Avina , Baker Jessica H. , Yilmaz Zeynep , Davies Helena L.
Published: February 2021

Enabled by advances in high throughput genomic sequencing and an unprecedented level of global data sharing, molecular genetic research is beginning to unlock the biological basis of eating disorders. This invited review provides an overview of genetic discoveries in eating disorders in the genome-wide era. To date, five genome-wide association studies on eating disorders have been conducted – all on anorexia nervosa (AN). For AN, several risk loci have been detected, and ~11–17% of the heritability has been accounted for by common genetic variants. There is extensive genetic overlap between AN and psychological traits, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder, and intriguingly, with metabolic phenotypes even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) risk variants. Furthermore, genetic risk variants predisposing to lower BMI may be causal risk factors for AN. Causal genes and biological pathways of eating disorders have yet to be elucidated and will require greater sample sizes and statistical power, and functional follow-up studies. Several studies are underway to recruit individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder to enable further genome-wide studies. Data collections and research labs focused on the genetics of eating disorders have joined together in a global effort with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Molecular genetics research in the genome-wide era is improving knowledge about the biology behind the established heritability of eating disorders. This has the potential to offer new hope for understanding eating disorder etiology and for overcoming the therapeutic challenges that confront the eating disorder field.