bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PSXII-27 Effects of Sericea lespedeza on methane emission and health status in grazing Boer goat wethers
Authors: Puchala Ryszard , Ribeiro Luana , Lourencon Raquel V , Goetsch Arthur L
Published: October 2021

The objective was to determine effects of feeding 12 yearling Boer goat wethers Sericea lespedeza as supplemental pellets or grazed forage on ruminal methane emission and health status compared with grazing grass-based pasture and supplemental forage-concentrate pellets. There were 4 5-wk periods in the late spring and summer. Periods 1–3 were on a 0.7-ha native grass pasture and period 4 was on a 1.1-ha pasture of Sericea lespedeza. A forage-concentrate pellet was supplemented in period 1 (CON1), 3 (CON2), and 4 (SL-P), and pelleted Sericea lespedeza (Sims Brothers Inc., Union Springs, AL) was given in period 2 (SL-S). Pellets were supplemented and ruminal methane emission was measured with a small ruminant GreenFeed unit (C-Lock, Rapid City, SD). Pellets were dispensed up to 30 times daily, with 6 sessions of 5-9-g bait drops and a 2.5-h session interval. Body weight at the end of periods generally increased as period advanced (35.7, 38.8, 37.9 and 41.1 kg for CON1, SL-S, CON2, and SL-P, respectively; SEM=1.08). Sericea lespedeza decreased methane emission (P < 0.05), with pasture grazing having greater effect than pellet supplementation (43.7, 36.2, 40.9, and 32.5 g/d for CON1, SL-S, CON2, and SL-P, respectively; SEM=0.84). Likewise, SL consumption decreased FAMACHA score (P < 0.05), with a similar effect for both SL forms (3.28, 2.95, 3.21, and 2.86 for CON1, SL-S, CON2, and SL-P, respectively; SEM=0.061). Body condition score was similar among periods (2.65, 2.64, 2.68, and 2.67 for CON1, SL-S, CON2, and SL-P, respectively; SEM=0.022). In conclusion, the effect of consumption of SL on methane emission probably relates to condensed tannins and greater impact of SL-P could involve a higher dietary level. Similarly, inclusion of SL in meat goat diets has potential to decrease the parasite load and thereby improve health status, also presumably because of bioactive condensed tannins.
PSXIV-17 Meat quality and fatty acid composition of lambs reared under thermal stress in grazing conditions and slaughtered at two body weights
Authors: Rodriguez Abner A , Rivera Aixa , Duckett Susan K , Bayne Alana
Published: October 2021

Interest in meat quality and its fatty acid composition stems mainly from the need to find ways to produce healthier meat. In Puerto Rico, no documented information is available on the nutritional profile in the meat of lambs raised under local conditions (crossbred animals raised in heat stress and grazing naturalized pastures, NP). The quality of meat and fatty acid composition was evaluated, of 12 lambs grazed NP > 8h, tropical grass hay and water ad libitum, 150g of concentrate (12% CP), and mineral blocks. Six animals were slaughtered at two live weight of 22 (SW1) or 35 (SW2) kg to determine the meat quality given by pH, color, nutrient content, and the fatty acid composition in the Longissimus dorsi muscle. The data was analyzed using a completely randomized design with two treatments and six repetitions. SW1 and SW2 had similar pH (5.57 vs. 5.73), but lambs at SW1 displayed lower (P < 0.01) a* value than those slaughtered at SW2 (11.18 vs 13.57), but L* (38.91 vs 37.56) and b* (10.72 vs 10.67) values were similar. On both slaughter weight moisture (75.63 vs 74.51), ash (4.10 vs 3.34), crude protein (24.36 vs 25.12), and crude fat (2.30 vs 2.01) percentage of the meat was similar. The total lipid content (0.953 vs 2.25), saturated fatty acids (34.68 vs 42.98), and monounsaturated fatty acid (28.36 vs 37.28) of lambs at SW1 was lower than those at SW2, but n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (18.74 vs 8.57and 6.61 vs 2.88, respectively) were higher (P < 0.05). The n-6/n-3 ratio was similar for both SW groups (2.84 vs 2.96). Differences in individual fatty acid content due to the slaughter weight were observed. In conclusion, the meat quality and the fatty acid composition of the Longissimus dorsi were affected by slaughter weight of lambs grazing naturalized pastures.
PSIX-25 Feed and water deprivation at weaning and subsequent heat stress impacts serum and ileal markers of gastrointestinal integrity in nursery pigs
Authors: Horn Nathan L , Woodward Adrienne , Ajuwon Kola , Adeola Layi
Published: October 2021

Social and environmental stressors impact nursery pig performance and may be linked to gastrointestinal dysfunction. The current experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of feed and water deprivation on serum stress markers and ileal mucosal gene expression in nursery pigs. Mixed-sex pigs were allotted on the basis of IBW (7.0 kg ± 0.89) in a RCBD with treatments in a split-plot arrangement and consisting of the whole-plot factor of with or without a 24-h feed and water deprivation at weaning and the sub-plot factor of with or without a cyclic 3-d heat stress starting 27 d post-weaning. On 1, 27, and 30 d post-weaning one pig from each pen was selected, blood was collected for measurement of serum cortisol, corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF), and endotoxins, and an ileal mucosal scraping was taken and gene expression of claudin 1 (CL-1), occludin (OC), and zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) were measured by RT PCR. There was an increase (P < 0.05) in serum CRF and endotoxins and a tendency for an increase (P = 0.09) in serum cortisol due to the deprivation 1 d post-weaning. Further, there was a tendency for an increase (P < 0.10) in serum endotoxins and CRF due to the deprivation at 27 and 30 d post-weaning, respectively. Gene expression of CL-1 tended to increase (P = 0.10), and OC decreased (P = 0.05) due to the deprivation 1 d post-weaning. Expression of the OC gene decreased (P < 0.05) due to the deprivation 27 d post-weaning and OC and ZO-1 gene expression tended to decrease (P = 0.07) due to the heat stress 30 d post-weaning. These results show that post-weaning stress events alter serum stress markers and impact intestinal barrier function.
PSIX-29 Study of the association of mtDNA haplogroups and Ages of 100 days in pigs
Authors: Getmantseva Lyubov , Bakoev Nekruz , Shevtsova Varvara , Bakoev Siroj , Kolosova Maria
Published: October 2021

The aim of the work was to determine the mtDNA haplogroups and assess their associations with Days_100 in pigs based on sequencing the D-loop region. The research was carried out on Landrace sows (n = 123). To amplification a fragment of mtDNA D-loop conducted PCR using the following primers: F5 ‘ - TGC AAA CCA AAA CGC CAA GT-3’ and R: 3 ‘ - TTT TTG GGG TTT GGC AAG GC-5. Statistical analyzes were performed using Linear mixed model fit by REML (‘lmerModLmerTest’). The studied group of pigs had the largest number of D haplogroups, which were definitely in 66 sows (53.7%). Haplogroup E was identified in 18 sows (14.6%). Among the haplogroups of Asian origin, which include A, B and C, only genotype C was present. Statistical differences for D100 were established between Hap_C and Hap_E. The presented results indicate the influence of mtDNA haplogroups on Days_100 and pigs of hapogroup E showed the best results compared to analogs of haplogroup E. This may be due to the fact that haplotype E is of European origin, and haplotype C is of Asian origin. Breeding commercial European pigs is focused on increasing the growth rate, and this significantly reduces pig keeping costs and increases production efficiency. It should be noted that changes in growth rate are associated with more intense metabolic processes where mitochondria play a significant role. This may be reflected at the genetic level being determined by the nucleotide sequence of mtDNAs and at the haplotype level in particular. This research was funded by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (0445-2021-0008).
SYNBIP: synthetic binding proteins for research, diagnosis and therapy
Authors: Wang Xiaona , Li Fengcheng , Qiu Wenqi , Xu Binbin , Li Yanlin , Lian Xichen , Yu Hongyan , Zhang Zhao , Wang Jianxin , Li Zhaorong , Xue Weiwei , Zhu Feng
Published: October 2021

The success of protein engineering and design has extensively expanded the protein space, which presents a promising strategy for creating next-generation proteins of diverse functions. Among these proteins, the synthetic binding proteins (SBPs) are smaller, more stable, less immunogenic, and better of tissue penetration than others, which make the SBP-related data attracting extensive interest from worldwide scientists. However, no database has been developed to systematically provide the valuable information of SBPs yet. In this study, a database named ‘Synthetic Binding Proteins for Research, Diagnosis, and Therapy (SYNBIP)’ was thus introduced. This database is unique in (a) comprehensively describing thousands of SBPs from the perspectives of scaffolds, biophysical & functional properties, etc.; (b) panoramically illustrating the binding targets & the broad application of each SBP and (c) enabling a similarity search against the sequences of all SBPs and their binding targets. Since SBP is a human-made protein that has not been found in nature, the discovery of novel SBPs relied heavily on experimental protein engineering and could be greatly facilitated by in-silico studies (such as AI and computational modeling). Thus, the data provided in SYNBIP could lay a solid foundation for the future development of novel SBPs. The SYNBIP is accessible without login requirement at both official (https://idrblab.org/synbip/) and mirror (http://synbip.idrblab.net/) sites.
Artists in Korea
Authors: Jong Sang Jo
Published: October 2021

A Korean idol group “BTS” made history with its tenth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 Chart. Dramatic developments in the music industry of Korea demonstrate how important it is for artists to enjoy freedom of expression and economic incentives like copyright. Although both freedom and copyright are ideas imported from the West, Korean artists have absorbed them quite differently than Westerners. Even as artistic freedom is taken for granted in the West, individual artists in Korea seriously fought for and achieved that same freedom. Korean artists have also realized that the theory of Western copyright law does not apply well in Korea in reality. Despite increasingly strong protection of copyright, the status of Korean artists has not improved much in either copyright law or reality. Although much of Korean music and film is well-known around the world, it is not widely known that some Korean artists have become victims of unfair contracts. While Korea’s Internet technology impressed the world with its speed, Korean artists and fans turned out to be another victim on the Internet. Copyright trolls also demonstrate how different the Korean art industry is from the Western one.
Shiloh and Corinth
Authors: Engle Stephen D.
Published: October 2021

In the Civil War’s master narrative, the Shiloh and Corinth campaigns figure prominently because they represented more than just the Union’s large-scale military foray into the Confederacy’s vital western river region (specifically the region between the Cumberland and Mississippi rivers), the occupation of slave soil, and the Confederacy’s first major counteroffensive. They also exposed the complex interplay between armies and the places they operated, demonstrated how national objectives played out in local conditions, and revealed the war’s brutal nature. The Battle of Shiloh produced the bloodiest fighting on the North American continent up to that time, precipitated the subsequent Union capture of Corinth, Mississippi, disrupted slavery in the Trans-Mississippi, led to an enormous transfer of power in the western theater, and induced Union policy changes regarding occupation and repatriation of the Southern citizenry. In short, these developments established the foundation for the Union’s successful prosecution of the war.
Petersburg, Virginia, June–August 1864
Authors: Greene A. Wilson
Published: October 2021

This chapter discusses the strategic context and operational conduct of the military events around Petersburg, Virginia, between June and August 1864. The Petersburg Campaign involved the principal armies of both the United States and the Confederacy, led, respectively, by Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee. Grant initiated four major offensives during this period that spanned both sides of the James River, including a massive cavalry raid that coursed through ten Virginia counties. African American troops saw combat in these military actions for the first time in the war’s eastern theater. The campaign greatly impacted the citizens of Petersburg, the Confederacy’s seventh-largest city, and was fought within the preliminaries of the presidential election of 1864. In addition to inflicting tens of thousands of casualties, these martial actions had a profound effect on the civilians, Black and White, who were caught up in the Civil War’s most decisive campaign.
A “Tomboy” and a “Lady”
Authors: Decker Corrie
Published: October 2021

Religion remained a significant factor in youth cultures that emerged during the twentieth century, and it continues to do so in the twenty-first century. In many places around the world, religious ideals held singular importance for young people’s understanding of themselves and their relationships with family members and friends. This is certainly the case in many Muslim societies. Understanding the role of religion in modern youth culture requires a deep engagement with young people’s personal experiences as well as the discourses that sought to circumscribe young people’s actions. One woman who reconciled tensions between religious ideals and emerging youth culture was Muna, who came of age in the Zanzibar Islands of East Africa during the late 1950s and 1960s. Muna reconciled these tensions by walking a fine line between adolescence and adulthood, femininity and masculinity, and respectability and mischievousness. She was a self-professed “tomboy” who resisted fulfilling the role of a proper Muslim “lady” as long as possible. If growing up meant abiding by religious codes that strictly controlled her behavior, then she would remain immature as long as possible. Young people like Muna, who tested the boundaries of religious codes governing their behavior, redefined religious “respectability” by asserting their own understandings of gender and sexuality. Young people at the forefront of these religious and cultural changes brought youth culture into the public sphere.
Urbanization
Authors: Sleight Simon , Heeks Jasper
Published: October 2021

As towns and cities across the world expanded rapidly from the nineteenth century onward, young people actively responded to changing living, working, and environmental conditions and created and pursued cultural practices with enthusiasm. Urbanization brought both pleasures and perils for youth, who turned to the streets for escape, camaraderie, and opportunity. Juvenile street gangs were expressions of everyday urban life, and they proliferated between 1850 and 1930, grabbing the attention of journalists, writers, politicians, legal authorities, and the general public. The urban, social, and cultural contexts of youth gangs, their strong spatial and stylistic elements, and their internal dynamics and outlooks will be examined. The phenomenon of street gangs was not confined to any one region, and historical youth cultures in Melbourne, Tokyo, Durban, Port of Spain, London, and elsewhere are assessed. The authors contemplate the similarities and differences between cases and the influence of international cultural currents. The insights of transnational perspectives are applied to the case of Australian larrikin youth, whose behavior and modes of cultural expression made them a global news story in the final decades of the nineteenth century. As well as considering young people’s inspirations and creations, we review approaches historians can adopt for investigating urban youth cultures, including in relation to primary sources, conceptual frameworks, and intersectional analysis. We show that juvenile street cultures, far from always criminal, were complex collaborative products of urbanization.
Monastic and University Education in the Medieval and Early Modern West
Authors: Reeves Andrew
Published: October 2021

Monasteries, cathedral schools, and, from the thirteenth century, universities served as incubators for youth culture in medieval and early modern Western Europe. The young men who trained in these institutions developed an identity as a set of future elite professionals within the Church. As a social class of male elites, the student bodies’ cultural patterns included hazing rituals as well as a performance of such masculine values as violence, competitiveness, and heteronormative sexuality. How student youth culture expressed itself in institutions shifted over the course of more than a millennium. A self-conscious youth culture emerged within the more urban milieu of Europe’s cathedral schools in the twelfth century. When the orders of friars, both Franciscan and Dominican, emerged in the thirteenth century, their lifestyle of simplicity, poverty, and asceticism appealed to students because it offered a counterculture opposing both careerism and performative masculinity that characterized university youth culture. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation began as a youth counterculture that rejected the Church itself. Over the later Middle Ages and early modern period, student bodies increasingly came to be composed of aristocrats and the wealthy, and thus university culture came to be an element of elite youth culture.
Transforming Rebellion into Affirmation
Authors: Ringel Paul
Published: October 2021

Youth cultures grounded in commercial youth literature became national and international phenomena during the late eighteenth century. For generations, these cultures were at the forefront of efforts to legitimize young people’s emergence as consumers, as readers’ desire for entertainment and representations of youthful independence in their stories compelled producers to mitigate their instructional impulses. Yet as other industries like fashion, television, and music increasingly eschewed obligations to instruct young consumers, youth literature has retained its conservative values. Most of its successful narrative models follow a period of adolescent rebellion with a conclusion that affirms the value of existing institutions, values, and hierarchies. This pattern has caused books and magazines to recede from the vanguard of shaping youth cultures.
The Colosseum
Authors: Dodge Hazel
Published: October 2021

This chapter provides an overview of the uses and structural history of the Colosseum, the largest amphitheatre constructed in the Roman world. Romans knew it as the ‘Amphitheatrum Flavium’, after the dynasty of emperors responsible for its construction. It continued in use even after the fall of Rome, with games still popular into the sixth century. The chapter examines the evidence for naumachiae during the inaugural games and concludes that it is most unlikely that the Colosseum area was flooded to a practical depth. It also reviews the evidence for the accommodation of spectators and its reflection of Roman society.
Measurement of specific organ domains in lupus randomized controlled trials: a scoping review
Authors: Connelly Kathryn , Vettivel Jeevan , Golder Vera , Kandane-Rathnayake Rangi , Morand Eric F
Published: October 2021

Objective

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in SLE (lupus) typically adopt composite responder definitions as primary efficacy endpoints; however, outcomes within individual organ domains are also important to understand. The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate how organ-specific disease activity and therapeutic responses have been measured and reported in lupus RCTs.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane registry and clinicaltrials.gov. Eligible studies were RCTs investigating efficacy of an immune-directed drug therapy in active SLE, published January 2000–March 2021, excluding studies limited to lupus nephritis. Data were extracted independently in duplicate into a template and summarized descriptively.

Results

Thirty-four RCTs were included, of which 32 (94%) reported activity and/or responses in at least one organ domain. Study populations had a high, although variable, frequency of baseline musculoskeletal and mucocutaneous activity and low, but also variable, representation of other domains. Definitions of organ-specific responses were inconsistent, even within individual instruments. Response in most organ domains were evaluated using BILAG and SLEDAI components but meaningful comparison between treatment arms was limited by small subgroups analysed in a post hoc fashion. Specific mucocutaneous and arthritis instruments were also used, including within pre-specified organ-specific endpoints, which discriminated between treatment arms in some studies.

Conclusion

Mucocutaneous and musculoskeletal manifestations predominate in SLE RCTs. Organ-specific outcome measures are commonly reported, but definitions of involvement and response are inconsistent. Research into the development of new outcome measures for key organ domains, and validation and comparison of response definitions using existing instruments, is needed.
Relative Time Constraints Improve Molecular Dating
Authors: Szöllõsi Gergely J , Höhna Sebastian , Williams Tom A , Schrempf Dominik , Daubin Vincent , Boussau Bastien
Published: October 2021

Dating the tree of life is central to understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Molecular clocks calibrated with fossils represent the state of the art for inferring the ages of major groups. Yet, other information on the timing of species diversification can be used to date the tree of life. For example, horizontal gene transfer events and ancient coevolutionary interactions such as (endo)symbioses occur between contemporaneous species and thus can imply temporal relationships between two nodes in a phylogeny. Temporal constraints from these alternative sources can be particularly helpful when the geological record is sparse, for example, for microorganisms, which represent the majority of extant and extinct biodiversity. Here, we present a new method to combine fossil calibrations and relative age constraints to estimate chronograms. We provide an implementation of relative age constraints in RevBayes that can be combined in a modular manner with the wide range of molecular dating methods available in the software. We use both realistic simulations and empirical datasets of 40 Cyanobacteria and 62 Archaea to evaluate our method. We show that the combination of relative age constraints with fossil calibrations significantly improves the estimation of node ages. [Archaea, Bayesian analysis, cyanobacteria, dating, endosymbiosis, lateral gene transfer, MCMC, molecular clock, phylogenetic dating, relaxed molecular clock, revbayes, tree of life.]
Dry Root Rot of Chickpea: A Disease Favored by Drought
Authors: Rai Avanish , Irulappan Vadivelmurugan , Senthil-Kumar Muthappa
Published: October 2021

Chickpea is an essential crop for protein nutrition and is grown around the world in rain-fed conditions. However, chickpea cultivation is under threat due to emerging diseases favored by drought stress. Dry root rot (DRR), an economically devastating disease, is an example. Chickpea-specific strains of a necrotic fungal phytopathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina, cause DRR. Microsclerotia of this fungus, which are capable of withstanding harsh environmental conditions, serve as primary inoculum. Initial symptoms are scattered necrotic spots in roots, progressing to rotting and withering lateral roots, accompanied by prematurely dried, straw-colored foliage. The recent rise in global temperature and worsening of drought spells have aggravated DRR outbreaks in chickpea. To date, DRR epidemiology has not been clarified in detail. Also, the literature lacks clarity on M. phaseolina taxonomy, morphology, disease progression, and diagnosis. In this article, research progress on patterns of DRR occurrence in the field and belowground and aboveground symptoms are clarified. In addition, the current understanding of taxonomy and management practices is elaborated. We also summarize knowledge of the impact of drought and high temperature on DRR severity. Furthermore, we provide future perspectives on the importance of host resistance, quantitative trait loci identification, and genotype screening for the identification of resistant genotypes. The article proposes new research priorities and a corresponding plan for the mitigation of DRR.
The combined use of thermography and ultrasound to evaluate the development of pressure injury in a critically ill patient
Authors: Baron Miriam Viviane , Santos Amanda Corrêa dos , Martins Paulo Ricardo Hernandes , Dominguez Luis Manuel Ley , Ott Joice Nedel , Brandenburg Cristine , Pinto Marcus Vinicius de Mello , Sampaio Aline Ronis , Koepp Janine , Pinheiro Carolina Gonçalves , Iketani Nathália Ken Pereira , Florentino Danielle de Mello , Sancho Alexandre Gomes , Pacheco Esteban Fortuny , Costa Bartira Ercília Pinheiro da
Published: October 2021

Introduction:

Pressure injury is 1 of the most common pressure related injuries in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. In individuals with darker skin tones, skin assessment protocols appear to be less effective, resulting in early damage from pressure. Bedside assessment measures using ultrasound and infrared thermography (IRT) have been studied to identify pressure injuries.

Patient concerns:

A 58-year-old dark-skinned male was admitted to the intensive care unit due to an ischemic stroke.

Diagnosis:

The visual evaluation of the skin took place on the second day after admission to the intensive care unit (before 48 hours). The patient had a whitish erythema on the left heel (LH) and a large bloody blister on the right heel. There were no signs of color change on the sacrum skin.

Interventions:

We performed 3 skin evaluations of the sacrum and calcaneus using ultrasound and IRT.

Outcomes:

Changes in the temperature of the target regions (sacrum, right heel and LH) were observed. The right heel showed higher mean temperatures than the LH in all evaluations. In the first evaluation of the sacrum region, the average temperature was lower (-1.3°C) than in the second and third evaluation (1°C). In the calcaneus, the mean temperature range (right heel - LH) showed a difference of (3.5°C) in the first evaluation, a difference of (1.4°C) in the second evaluation, and a difference of (1.7°C) in the third evaluation. Ultrasound images of the selected regions showed abnormal tissue patterns - edema - since the first evaluation.

Conclusion:

These findings indicate that the regions with deep tissue injury on ultrasound evaluation were compatible with the regions of abnormal temperatures in the IRT. IRT could identify regions of pathological process, which could be confirmed by abnormal ultrasound findings. Well-designed, randomized research with a larger sample could verify if the combination of these assessment techniques could be used as a potential method for early detection and evaluation of pressure injuries.
A protocol for DUAL pathway inhibition (low-dose rivaroxaban and aspirin) as compared to aspirin only to improve endothelial function in peripheral artery disease
Authors: Willems LH , Thijssen DHJ , Donders ART , van der Vijver-Coppen RJ , Groh LA , Reijnen MMPJ , Warlé MC
Published: October 2021

Background:

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients are at high risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and major adverse limb events. Recent trials demonstrate that rivaroxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor, in addition to single antiplatelet therapy results in lower mortality. A potential explanation is that Factor Xa improves endothelial function through crosstalk between coagulation and inflammatory pathways, subsequently attenuating the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular and major adverse limb events. In this study, we hypothesize that combined treatment of low-dose rivaroxaban and acetylsalicylic acid improves endothelial function in PAD patients.

Methods:

DUAL-PAD is a multicenter, two-arm, phase IV clinical trial. Two cohorts of patients with symptomatic lower extremity PAD are enrolled: a:) moderate PAD (intermittent claudication), b) severe PAD (critical limb ischemia). Participants are treated with acetylsalicylic acid for a 1-month run-in period, followed by 3-months of dual pathway inhibition with acetylsalicylic acid and low-dose rivaroxaban. The primary outcome is the change in proportion of patients with endothelial dysfunction, measured as carotid artery vasoconstriction upon sympathetic stimulation. The secondary endpoint is the change in level of endothelial dysfunction, as reflected by plasma endothelin-1 levels.

Discussion:

the aim of the study is to examine if dual pathway inhibition improves endothelial function in patients with moderate or severe PAD.

Trial registration:

This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on January 6, 2020 (URL https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04218656?term=NCT04218656&draw=2&rank=1).
Lifetime Trauma and Cardiovascular Health in Latinas
Authors: Caceres Billy A. , Doan Danny , Barcelona Veronica , Suero-Tejeda Niurka
Published: October 2021

Background

Potentially traumatic experiences throughout the life course are associated with poor cardiovascular health among women. However, research on the associations of trauma with cardiovascular health among Latino populations is limited. Understanding the impact of trauma on cardiovascular health within marginalized populations may provide guidance on developing interventions with a particular focus on preventative care.

Objective

The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to examine the associations of lifetime trauma with cardiovascular health among middle-aged and older Latina women.

Methods

Participants were recruited from an existing study in New York City. All participants completed a structured questionnaire to assess lifetime trauma, demographic characteristics (such as age and education), financial resource strain, and emotional support. The Trauma History Questionnaire was used to assess lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic experiences (range 0–24). Cardiovascular health was measured with a validated measure of cardiovascular health from the American Heart Association (Life’s Simple 7). We used self-reported and objective data to calculate cardiovascular health scores (range 0–14). Multiple linear regression was used to examine the associations of lifetime trauma with cardiovascular health, adjusted for age, education, financial resource strain, and emotional support.

Results

The sample included 50 Latina women with a mean age of 63.1 years, 88% were Dominican, and only 6% had completed a college degree. Women reported an average of 4.8 traumatic experiences. Mean cardiovascular health score was 6.5 (SD = 1.6, range 3–10). Linear regression models found that, after adjusting for age, education, financial resource strain, and emotional support, a higher count of lifetime trauma was associated with worse cardiovascular health. However, this association did not reach statistical significance.

Discussion

Women with a higher count of lifetime trauma had worse cardiovascular health scores; this association was not statistically significant. Future studies should investigate associations of lifetime trauma and cardiovascular health in larger and more diverse samples of Latinas. Nurses and other clinicians should incorporate trauma-informed approaches to cardiovascular disease risk reduction to improve the cardiovascular health of Latina women who are survivors of trauma.
Review of Fever Management Advice on Government and Hospital Websites in Australia
Authors: Hook Jody , Smith Sheree M.
Published: October 2021

Background

The public often searches the Internet for information about managing symptoms of various diseases, with government and major hospital websites often providing valid and freely available information.

Objectives

Fever is a common symptom of viral illness, and this review sought to identify information related to fever self-management on government and major hospital websites.

Methods

Two distinct search strategies were used. The first was an Internet-based search reviewing fever management advice published on Australian government websites (state, territory, and federal). The second search strategy pertained to fever management advice posted by major Australian tertiary adult and children’s hospitals.

Results

A total of 4,797 results were identified during the two searches, with a total of 12 websites on fever self-management identified for inclusion; four were from either federal or state government, with the remaining eight from tertiary hospital websites. The information identified showed a discordant definition of fever and lack of consistency in self-management advice.

Discussion

This review identified a lack of consistent online government and hospital information. The information discrepancy across multiple websites was not underpinned by clinical evidence to support the self-management of fever.
Comparison of Autologous Breast Reconstruction Complications by Type of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Regimen
Authors: Olawoyin Olamide M. , Mehta Sumarth , Chouairi Fouad , Gabrick Kyle S. , Avraham Tomer , Pusztai Lajos , Alperovich Michael
Published: October 2021

Background:

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy before mastectomy helps reduce tumor burden and pathologic response in breast cancer. Limited evidence exists regarding how neoadjuvant chemotherapy impacts outcomes following microvascular breast reconstruction. This study examines the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens and schedules on microvascular breast reconstruction complication rates and also assesses the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on circulating immune cells related to wound healing.

Methods:

Patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and microvascular breast reconstruction at Yale New Haven Hospital between 2013 and 2018 were identified. Demographic variables, oncologic history, chemotherapy regimens, and complication profiles were collected. Chemotherapy regimens were stratified by inclusion of anthracycline and order of taxane administration. Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and t tests were used for univariate analysis. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to control for covariates.

Results:

One hundred patients met inclusion criteria. On multivariate analysis, the administration of taxane first in an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy sequence was associated with increased complications (OR, 3.521; p = 0.012), particularly fat necrosis (OR, 2.481; p = 0.040). In the logistic regression model evaluating the effect of the taxane-first regimen on complication rates, the area under the curve was estimated to be 0.760 (p < 0.0001), particularly fat necrosis 0.635 (p < 0.05). The dosage of chemotherapy, number of days between neoadjuvant chemotherapy completion and surgery, and number of circulating immune cells did not significantly differ among patients who experienced complications.

Conclusions:

Taxane-first, anthracycline-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens were associated with increased complications, particularly fat necrosis. The increased postreconstruction complication risk must be weighed against the benefits of taxane-first regimens in improving tumor outcome.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, III.
TULUA Lipoabdominoplasty: Transversal Aponeurotic Plication, No Undermining, and Unrestricted Liposuction. A Multicenter Study of 845 Cases
Authors: Villegas-Alzate Francisco J. , Blugerman Guillermo , Vera-Cucchiaro Javier , Cárdenas-Camarena Lázaro , Uebel Carlos O. , Schavelzon Diego , Moretti Ernesto , Elena Esteban , Elmeligy Ayman , Danilla Stefan
Published: October 2021

Background:

TULUA (transverse plication, no undermining, full liposuction, neoumbilicoplasty, and low transverse abdominal scar) is the acronym for a radically different lipoabdominoplasty, intended to add simplicity, improve vascular safety, and attain good results. Modifications are unrestricted liposuction, no flap detachment, massive transverse infraumbilical plication, umbilicus amputation, neoumbilicoplasty, diminished tension wound closure, and low transverse scar settlement. The objectives of this article are to describe the technique and analyze a multicenter experience.

Methods:

Sixty-eight plastic surgeons from 10 countries provided data for a retrospective review of 845 patients. Aesthetic results were scored by each surgeon using the Salles scale and analyzed in combination with complications to identify associations between patient and surgery characteristics.

Results:

Of the patients, 95.5 percent were female, 19.7 percent were obese, 35.6 percent had prior scars, 10.4 percent had undergone previous abdominoplasty, 6.5 percent were postbariatric, and 6.6 percent were smokers. One patient had a kidney transplant, and 16.5 percent had comorbidities. Surgery characteristics varied widely, being on average as follows: lipoaspirate, 2967 ml; resection, 1388 g; and surgical time, 3.9 hours; 46.5 percent were not hospitalized. Averaged results were 8.68 of 10 points, besides adequate positioning and proportion of scar and umbilicus, without epigastric compensatory bulging (4.97 of 6 points). Overall complications were 16.2 percent, mostly seroma (8.8 percent); vascular-related complications (i.e., necrosis, wound dehiscence, and infection) constituted 2.7 percent. There were no fatalities. The logistic regression model demonstrated that smoking and obesity duplicate the risk of complications; if age older than 60 years is added, the risk of complication increases seven to nine times. Reported indications were multiple; however, pathologic diastasis was excluded.

Conclusion:

TULUA lipoabdominoplasty is a new reproducible procedure with good quantified results and an acceptable complication rate.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, IV.
Increased Akkermansia abundance is associated with increased colonic mucosal ω-3 fatty acids and decreased colonic mucosal PGE2 concentrations following healthy dietary pattern interventions
Authors: Rifkin S.B. , Sen A. , Turgeon D.K. , Chan R. , Ruffin M.T. , Brenner D.E. , Schloss P.D. , Djuric Z.
Published: October 2021

Both increased dietary intake of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and subsequent increases in colonic mucosal ω-3 PUFA concentrations have been linked to improved gut barrier function and decreased risks of metabolic diseases and cancer. In addition, increased dietary ω-3 PUFA has been linked to eubiosis in mouse studies. Increased ω-3 PUFA function in part to reduce cyclooxygenase-(COX) mediated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, a biomarker of cancer risk linked to compromised gut barrier function. We analyzed data from a dietary intervention study in individuals at increased risk of colon cancer to determine whether changes in the mucosal microbiome composition were associated with changes in colonic mucosal ω-3/ ω-6 PUFA ratio. Microbiome analyses of colonic biopsies before and after the dietary intervention from 86 participants were done by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate further whether changes in Akkermansia was associated with changes in each colonic tissue variable: ω-3/ω-6 PUFA ratios, PGE2 concentrations, and expression of COX-1 and COX-2. The median dietary intake and mucosal ω-3/ω-6 PUFA ratio increased after intervention. Greater increases in mucosal ω-3/ω-6 PUFA ratios after intervention were significantly associated with several changes in taxon abundance, including increased Akkermansia muciniphilia relative abundance. An increased abundance of Akkermansia muciniphilia also was associated significantly with decreased PGE2 concentrations but not with changes in COX expression. Further studies are warranted to elucidate mechanisms by which Akkermansia may affect or is affected by these pathways and the relative importance of individual dietary components.
Public acceptability of non-pharmaceutical interventions to control a pandemic in the United Kingdom: a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Loria-Rebolledo Luis Enrique , Ryan Mandy , Watson Verity , Genie Mesfin G , Sakowsky Ruben Andreas , Powell Daniel , Paranjothy Shantini
Published: October 2021

Objective

To understand how individuals make trade-offs between features of lockdown interventions to control a pandemic across the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Design

Survey that included a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE). The survey design was informed using policy documents, social media analysis and with input from remote think aloud interviews with members of the public (n=23).

Setting

Nation-wide survey across the four nations of the United Kingdom. Representative sample in terms of age and sex for each of the nations recruited using an online panel between 29th October and 12th December 2020.

Participants

Individuals who are over 18 years old. A total of 4120 adults completed the survey (1112 in England, 848 in Northern Ireland, 1143 in Scotland and 1098 in Wales).

Primary outcome measure

Adult’s preferences for, and trade-offs between, type of lockdown restrictions, length of lockdown, postponement of routine healthcare, excess deaths, impact on ability to buy things and unemployment.

Results

In all four countries, one out of five respondents were willing to reduce excess deaths at all costs. The majority of adults are willing to accept higher excess deaths if this means lockdowns that are less strict, shorter and do not postpone routine healthcare. On average, respondents in England were willing to accept a higher increase in excess deaths to have less strict lockdown restrictions introduced compared to Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, respectively.

Conclusions

The majority of the UK population is willing to accept the increase in excess deaths associated with introducing less strict lockdown restrictions. The acceptability of different restriction scenarios varies according to the features of the lockdown and across countries. Authorities can use information about trade-off preferences to inform the introduction of different lockdown restriction levels, and design compensation policies that maximise societal welfare.

Strengths and limitations of this study

This study offers empirical evidence that, unlike existing data from opinion polls and citizens’ panels, offers a clear understanding of the trade-offs between restrictions and impacts of lockdown on society.

Estimating preferences for each nation, and quantifying them in terms of a common denominator, allows a comparison that takes into account the heterogeneity of UK nations and can be used to inform the introduction of different levels of lockdown restrictions in each.

A limitation of our study is that we are not able to estimate the effect of on-going lockdowns in preferences. Furthermore, our results are not necessarily transferable to other nations.
Differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 naturally infected and vaccinated individuals in an inner-city emergency department
Authors: Beck Evan J , Hsieh Yu-Hsiang , Fernandez Reinaldo E , Dashler Gaby , Egbert Emily R , Truelove Shawn A , Garliss Caroline , Wang Richard , Bloch Evan M. , Shrestha Ruchee , Blankson Joel , Cox Andrea L. , Manabe Yukari C , Kickler Thomas , Rothman Richard E , Redd Andrew D , Tobian Aaron AR , Milstone Aaron M , Quinn Thomas C , Laeyendecker Oliver
Published: October 2021

Background

Emergency Departments (EDs) can serve as surveillance sites for infectious diseases. Our purpose was to determine the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevalence of vaccination against COVID-19 among patients attending an urban ED in Baltimore City.

Methods

Using 1914 samples of known exposure status, we developed an algorithm to differentiate previously infected, vaccinated, and unexposed individuals using a combination of antibody assays. We applied this testing algorithm to 4360 samples ED patients obtained in the springs of 2020 and 2021. Using multinomial logistic regression, we determined factors associated with infection and vaccination.

Results

For the algorithm, sensitivity and specificity for identifying vaccinated individuals was 100% and 99%, respectively, and 84% and 100% for naturally infected individuals. Among the ED subjects, seroprevalence to SARS-CoV-2 increased from 2% to 24% between April 2020 and March 2021. Vaccination prevalence rose to 11% by mid-March 2021. Marked differences in burden of disease and vaccination coverage were seen by sex, race, and ethnicity. Hispanic patients, though 7% of the study population, had the highest relative burden of disease (17% of total infections) but similar vaccination rates. Women and White individuals were more likely to be vaccinated than men or Black individuals (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] 1.35 [95% CI: 1.02, 1.80] and aOR 2.26 [95% CI: 1.67, 3.07], respectively).

Conclusions

Individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 can be differentiated from vaccinated individuals using a serologic testing algorithm. SARS-CoV-2 exposure and vaccination uptake frequencies reflect gender, race and ethnic health disparities in this urban context.

Using an antibody testing algorithm, we distinguished between immune responses from SARS-CoV-2-infected and vaccinated individuals. When applied to blood samples from an emergency department in Baltimore, disparities in disease burden and vaccine uptake by sex, race, and ethnicity were identified.
Severe Prenatal Shocks and Adolescent Health: Evidence from the Dutch Hunger Winter
Authors: Conti Gabriella , Poupakis Stavros , Ekamper Peter , Bijwaard Govert E. , Lumey L.H.
Published: October 2021

This paper investigates impacts, mechanisms and selection effects of prenatal exposure to multiple shocks, by exploiting the unique natural experiment of the Dutch Hunger Winter. At the end of World War II, a famine occurred abruptly in the Western Netherlands (November 1944 - May 1945), pushing the previously and subsequently well-nourished Dutch population to the brink of starvation. We link high-quality military recruits data with objective health measurements for the cohorts born in the years surrounding WWII with newly digitised historical records on calories and nutrient composition of the war rations, daily temperature, and warfare deaths. Using difference-in-differences and triple differences research designs, we show that the cohorts exposed to the Dutch Hunger Winter since early gestation have a higher Body Mass Index and an increased probability of being overweight at age 18, and that this effect is partly accounted for by warfare exposure and a reduction in energy-adjusted protein intake. Moreover, we account for selective mortality using a copula-based approach and newly-digitised data on survival rates, and find evidence of both selection and scarring effects. These results emphasise the complexity of the mechanisms at play in studying the consequences of early conditions.