bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assistance provided in daily tasks and difficulty experienced by caregivers for people living with dementia
Authors: Amato Carmen , Burridge Gemma , Basic David , Huynh Danielle , Gibbons Emma , Ní Chróinín Danielle , Liu Karen P.Y.
Published: February 2021

Introduction

There is a growing body of research that addresses caregivers for people living with dementia. However, there is limited research looking at the perceptions of caregivers in specific daily tasks. To address this gap, this study investigated the assistance caregivers provided and the difficulty they faced when completing daily tasks for people with dementia and, additionally, how these experiences might relate to their perceived burden.

Methods

Sixty‐two caregivers for people living with dementia completed the study. Data were collected, through a survey, on the level of assistance caregivers provided, and the difficulties they experienced. The Zarit Burden Scale was used to measure the level of perceived burden. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used to report the results and the relationship between the perceived burden, the level of assistance provided, and the difficulty experienced.

Results

The activities of daily living that caregivers provided the most assistance for was dressing and showering. Most instrumental activities of daily living required maximal to total assistance. Overall, the caregivers did not experience a high level of difficulty with assisting with these daily tasks in comparison to the level of assistance provided. The caregiver burden was associated significantly with the difficulties experienced in dressing, toileting, and showering (rho = 0.30–0.75), most instrumental activities of daily living (rho = 0.29–0.47), but not with the level of assistance provided.

Conclusion

Caregivers are assisting in many daily tasks. Their level of difficulty is relatively low in comparison to the level of assistance they provide. Significant correlations were found between the difficulties experienced and the burden scale. There is a need for occupational therapists to address the specific daily tasks and the concerns experienced by caregivers and to provide them with adequate support to improve the quality of care for people with dementia.
Salvianolic acid A blocks vasculogenic mimicry formation in human non‐small cell lung cancer via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling
Authors: Jin Luming , Chen Chaoyang , Huang Lipeng , Bu Liang , Zhang Libin , Yang Qiuju
Published: February 2021

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) is associated with aggressive cancer cells. Salvianolic acid A (Sal‐A), an antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory agent, has bioactive properties from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Current investigation aspired to explore the activity of Sal‐A in the VM formation of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the mechanism underling this function. The CCK8, the scratch and boyden chemotaxis assay were presented to describe NSCLC cells viability, migration and invasion capabilities, respectively. The protein expression was verified by western blotting. In this report, Sal‐A caused a reduction in viability, metastasis and capillaries structure formation of NSCLC cells. Additionally, Sal‐A markedly prevented the key VM related proteins, containing EphA2, VE‐cadherin and MMP2. Besides, Sal‐A significantly diminished p‐PI3K, p‐Akt and p‐mTOR level in NSCLC cells. More importantly, SC79 pretreatment reversed Sal‐A inhibits NSCLC cells viability, metastasis and VM formation. These data exhibit that Sal‐A could block VM network formation in NSCLC cells through modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway.
Impacts by feral goats on critically endangered Crepidiastrum grandicollum (Compositae) endemic to the Ogasawara Islands
Authors: Abe Tetsuto
Published: February 2021

Oceanic islands are biodiversity hotspots with highly endemic ecosystems that are vulnerable to invasive alien species. Understanding the status of endangered species and identifying threats have the highest priority for insular biodiversity conservation. The two remaining populations of endangered Crepidiastrum grandicollum on Chichi‐jima Island were studied for 5 years to describe their status and evaluate the impacts of feral goats (Capra hircus). The main cause of population decline was browsing by goats. The populations protected by the exclosures were stable but declined after an exclosure was removed. Even in the protected population, regeneration was limited outside the exclosures and in 1 year of the survey, a high proportion of feeding damage by moth larvae was observed in one population. These facts indicate that exclosures are not a sufficient conservation measure, and eradication of goats and population restoration in novel habitats are necessary to reduce the extinction risk of C. grandicollum.
Post‐transcriptional regulation is involved in the cold‐active methanol‐based methanogenic pathway of a psychrophilic methanogen
Authors: Jia Jia , Li Jie , Qi Lei , Li Lingyan , Yue Lei , Dong Xiuzhu
Published: February 2021

The methanol‐derived methanogenetic pathway contributes to bulk methane production in cold regions, but the cold adaptation mechanisms are obscure. This work investigated the mechanisms using a psychrophilic methylotrophic methanogen Methanolobus psychrophilus R15. R15 possesses two mtaCB operon paralogues‐encoding methanol:corrinoid methyltransferase that is key to methanol‐based methanogenesis. Molecular combined methanogenic assays determined that MtaC1 is important in methanogenesis at the optimal temperature of 18°C, but MtaC2 can be a cold‐adaptive paralogue by highly upregulated at 8°C. The 5′P‐seq and 5′RACE all assayed that processing occurred at the 5′ untranslated region (5′‐UTR) of mtaC2; reporter genes detected higher protein expression, and RNA half‐life experiments assayed prolonged lifespan of the processed transcript. Therefore, mtaC2 5′‐UTR processing to move the bulged structure elevated both the translation efficiency and transcript stability. 5′P‐seq, quantitative RT‐PCR and northern blot all identified enhanced mtaC2 5′‐UTR processing at 8°C, which could contribute to the upregulation of mtaC2 at cold. The R15 cell extract contains an endoribonuclease cleaving an identified 10 nt‐processing motif and the native mtaC2 5′‐UTR particularly folded at 8°C. Therefore, this study revealed a 5′‐UTR processing mediated post‐transcriptional regulation mechanism controlling the cold‐adaptive methanol‐supported methanogenetic pathway, which may be used by other methylotrophic methanogens.
Does corporate culture matter to earnings management? Evidence from Chinese Time‐honoured Brand firms
Authors: Saci Fateh , Jasimuddin Sajjad M. , Hoque Ariful
Published: February 2021

This paper focuses on the earnings management and the culture of China Time‐honoured Brand. It shows that the accrual earnings management and real earnings management of China Time‐honoured Brand are significantly lower than other enterprises. The transmission mechanism between culture and corporate earnings management comes from the executives' culture infiltration. Property rights and incentive compatibility have significant moderating effect on the relationship between China Time‐honoured Brand and earnings management. From the quantitative point of view, this paper supplements the function of China Time‐honoured Brand culture in overcoming the problem of corporate information distortion and points out also the transmission mechanism and adjustment factors. On the one hand, it helps to deepen the understanding of the cultural factor and corporate financial behaviour, and on the other hand, it provides the direct evidence about the influence of Chinese excellent traditional culture to the small companies. The article helps to understand the relationship between traditional culture, corporate culture and corporate financial behaviour and its mechanism of action, which has an important practical significance.
Scotland’s Faltering Green Industrial Revolution
Authors: Gibbs Ewan
Published: February 2021

Renewable energy has long been central to SNP policy making and Scottish independence. During the 2014 referendum, green electricity generation was presented as a means for Scotland to achieve ‘reindustrialisation’. Despite a world‐leading transition in electricity supply, the Scottish government has struggled to develop renewables manufacturing. Scotland’s largest offshore engineering company, BiFab, entered administration in 2020. This article explains the faltering of Scotland’s green industrial revolution. First, it assesses renewables’ privileged place in SNP perspectives, underlining its deep roots in North Sea oil and criticisms of British governments’ mismanagement of offshore opportunities. Second, the failure of market‐led policy making to provide the anticipated industrial benefits from offshore wind developments is explained through the domineering role of foreign state‐owned enterprises and global supply chains in the UK’s renewables sector. The conclusion argues that older nationalist perspectives offer remedies, but these require a more active industrial policy that diverges from the current approach of the Scottish Government.
Latent Class Modelling for a Robust Assessment of Productivity: Application to French Grazing Livestock Farms
Authors: Dakpo K Hervé , Latruffe Laure , Desjeux Yann , Jeanneaux Philippe
Published: February 2021

Our objective is to extend the latent class stochastic frontier (LCSFM) model to compute productivity change, using the robust transitive productivity Färe‐Primont index. The application is to three types of grazing livestock farms in France over the period 2002–2016. The LCSFM identified two classes of farms, intensive farms and extensive farms. Results indicate that productivity change and its components show only small differences between the LCSFM and the pooled model that does not account for heterogeneity. Differences across classes exist, but depend on farm type.
New perspective toward nutritional support for malnourished cancer patients: Role of lipids
Authors: Wang Yandan , Zhang Tao , Liu Ruijie , Chang Ming , Wei Wei , Jin Qingzhe , Wang Xingguo
Published: February 2021

To improve the difficulties related to malnutrition, nutritional support has become an essential part of multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment for cancer. Lipids are essential nutrient source for the human body, and nowadays in clinical practices, it has a positive interventional effect on patients suffering from cancer. However, contribution of lipids in nutritional support of cancer patients is still poorly understood. Moreover, the sensory and physicochemical properties of lipids can severely restrict their applications in lipid‐rich formula foods. In this review article, for the first time, we have presented a summary of the existing studies which were related to the associations between different lipids and improved malnutrition in cancer patients and discussed possible mechanisms. Subsequently, we discussed the challenges and effective solutions during processing of lipids into formula foods. Further, by considering existing problems in current lipid nutritional support, we proposed a novel method for the treatment of malnutrition, including developing individualized lipid nutrition for different patients depending on the individual's genotype and enterotype. Nonetheless, this review study provides a new direction for future research on nutritional support and the development of lipid‐rich formula foods for cancer patients, and probably will help to improve the efficacy of lipids in the treatment of cancer malnutrition.
Ultrasound‐assisted extraction and modification of plant‐based proteins: Impact on physicochemical, functional, and nutritional properties
Authors: Rahman Md Mahfuzur , Lamsal Buddhi P.
Published: February 2021

Ultrasonication is a green technology that has recently received an enormous research attention for extraction of plant‐based proteins and tailoring the functionalities of these ingredients. Ultrasonication is generally used as a pretreatment method in the conventional protein solubilization protocols because it can break the cell matrix to improve the extractability. The rate of protein extraction and increase in the extraction yields depend on operating conditions such as sonic energy density, time of sonication, the substrate to slurry ratio, agitation, and so on. Ultrasonication is also applied to modify the physical, structural, and functional properties of protein‐based ingredients, besides simultaneous extraction and modifications. Significant changes that occur in protein physical properties due to sonication include size reduction, rheology, electrical conductivity, and zeta (ζ) potential. These changes are due to cavitation‐induced shear leading to changes in secondary and tertiary structures, including protein aggregation and cross‐linking due to oxidation. Physical and structural changes affect the resulting ingredient functionality and nutritional quality of protein. Changes in the functional properties, especially hydrophobicity, solubility, emulsion, and foaming, depend on the extent of ultrasound energy applied to the protein. This study aims to review major ultrasound process parameters and conditions for extraction and modification of plant proteins and their impact on protein structural changes and resulting physicochemical, functional, and nutritional properties.
US Election Polls: A Quick Postmortem
Authors: Forsberg Ole J.
Published: February 2021

How did the 2020 US presidential election polls really do? Ole J. Forsberg gives his assessment
From Terrorism to Flooding: How Vulnerable is Your City?
Authors: Piegorsch Walter W. , McCaster Rachel R. , Cutter Susan L.
Published: February 2021

Walter W. Piegorsch, Rachel R. McCaster and Susan L. Cutter explain how the tools of data science can help quantify the risks and vulnerabilities to hazards in the places where we live and work
William Stubbs, Parliament and the Medieval English Constitution
Authors: Dodd Gwilym
Published: February 2021

The name of William Stubbs will forever be associated with the birth of modern scholarship on the late medieval English parliament. At the core of his Constitutional History, a three‐volume work published in the 1870s, is a brilliant synthesis of the development of the early parliament. Since its publication, however, Stubbs's work has generated varied reactions, as scholars have positioned themselves at different points on a sliding scale of praise through to criticism; that is, between praising the Constitutional History for its depth of scholarship and pioneering methodologies, on the one hand, to criticising the work for its present‐minded approach and whiggish agenda, on the other. The aim of this discussion is to strike a balance between these two extremes. While it acknowledges the undoubted flaws of Stubbs's narrative, it also argues for a more nuanced and holistic approach to his work. It suggests that the taint of whiggism has for too long acted as a barrier to a true appreciation of the scholarly merit of the work, merit that extends beyond simply acknowledging its ambition, originality and legacy. The discussion considers some key areas of parliamentary development between c.1290 and c.1406 and notes the continued synergies that exist between what Stubbs wrote 140 years ago and current interpretations and understandings.
King Pym and his ‘Happy, Scrappy Jester’
Authors: Roberts Stephen K.
Published: February 2021

The Reign of King Pym took mid 17th‐century studies in a new direction when it was published in 1941. Anglo‐American collaboration in the field in the 1920s and 1930s had been rooted in making available in print to a scholarly readership one of the private diaries of the Long Parliament. J.H. Hexter's book, produced at a time when Anglo‐American collaboration was temporarily on hold under pressure of global war, changed the direction of academic discourse by its format (monograph), content (a detailed study of a brief period in a unique parliament) and tone (brash and unrestrained by the idiom of the academy). The book scoped out the power of John Pym, but also its limitations, and introduced to scholarly debate a categorisation of political groupings in 1642–3 that held sway for 40 years. The first direct attacks on Hexter's work, beginning in the 1980s, were weakened by overstatement. In the forthcoming History of Parliament volumes, Pym's signal importance is reasserted, but Hexter's concept of the ‘middle group’ is found to be untenable.
Parties in Parliament in the 18th Century: The Demolition of Robert Walcott and its Consequences*
Authors: Hayton David
Published: February 2021

The failure of Robert Walcott's attempted ‘Namierisation’ of Queen Anne's house of commons in the 1950s is now an accepted historiographical fact. Scholars working on late Stuart politics inevitably dismiss Walcott's work as misguided and misleading, and instead take as a given the existence of a two‐party structure as delineated by the standard authority on the subject, Geoffrey Holmes. This article returns to the controversy over ‘party’ in the 1960s, which reached a climax in 1967 with the publication of Holmes's magnum opus and J.H. Plumb's Ford Lectures. The purpose is not to revisit the debate, which was decided conclusively at the time, but to explore the context in which Walcott and his critics were writing; more specifically the connection between Walcott's work and the approach to 18th‐century political history pioneered by Sir Lewis Namier. Using private correspondence between the principals, it argues that Walcott did not properly follow Namier's methods, and was identified as a Namierite largely because Namier was unwilling, for personal reasons, to disown him. In the long run, this reluctance proved damaging, accelerating the decline in Namier's reputation in the 1960s and the shift towards different forms of political history.
John Brooke and the Namierite Succession*
Authors: Aston Nigel
Published: February 2021

Without John Brooke, the first volumes of the History of Parliament for the house of commons covering the years 1754–90 might either have appeared much later than they did in 1964 (a mere four years after Sir Lewis Namier's death) or they might never have appeared at all. It was a token of how much Brooke willingly played the role of Namier's principal lieutenant during the latter's lifetime and his qualified loyalty continued for the remainder of his own career. But Brooke was also a capable historian in his own right whose achievements in biography have been largely obscured because of the squabbles between Namier and his detractors. Brooke wrote a fine biography of George III in 1972, published an authoritative edition of Horace Walpole's Memoirs of King George II in 1985 (the year of his own death), and served with distinction as senior editor of the Historical Manuscripts Commission. This essay is an attempt in recovering John Brooke and assessing his status as an 18th‐century historian of parliament (and more), as well as considering his relationship to both Lewis Namier and W.S. Lewis, and emphasising his importance in sustaining the History of Parliament project in the aftermath of Namier's death.
Norman Gash and the Making of Mr Secretary Peel
Authors: Gaunt Richard A.
Published: February 2021

In May 1961, the firm of Longmans published the first volume of Norman Gash's monumental life of Sir Robert Peel. Mr Secretary Peel: The Life of Sir Robert Peel before 1830 was hailed at the time as a landmark and has proved surprisingly durable as an interpretation of Peel's early life and formation. This essay is concerned with locating Gash's work within its political, biographical, and historiographical context. It begins by considering the reaction of Peel family members to Gash's biography, before tracing the antecedents of his historical preoccupations and intellectual development in the years leading up to the publication of Mr Secretary Peel. It presents a wide range of new evidence relating to Gash's life and emergence as a political and parliamentary historian, drawing upon sources which have come to light in the decade since his death in May 2009.
Parliamentary History: An Oblique Glance*
Authors: Bentley Michael
Published: February 2021

Because parliamentary history has entered the DNA of English and anglophone historiography, one readily forgets how unusual are its parameters and influence in wider historical writing in the West. This essay supplies a reminder that we can look sideways at that historiographical form and think about the place of parliamentary history in societies so different as those of the United States and Europe. Doing so reveals oddities in the place of parliamentary history in divergent cultures and brings into question the viability of the subject in the light of current persuasions that have become hegemonic – the cultural, the gendered, the global. The enquiry concludes that the future of parliamentary history will rest on its ability to come to terms with some of those persuasions and relocate itself within their imperatives.
Processing a 100% legume pasta in a classical extruder without agglomeration during mixing
Authors: Laleg Karima , Cassan Denis , Abecassis Joël , Micard Valérie
Published: February 2021

Pasta made exclusively from legume has high nutritional potential (rich in protein and gluten free). However, it is difficult to produce 100% legume dough suitable for the extrusion step in pasta production that comprises hydration, mixing, and extrusion. This paper addresses the biochemical phenomena at the origin of the agglomeration of dough particles frequently reported in the literature, which results in very sticky dough that cannot be extruded. We tested changes in mixing conditions including mixing temperature, addition of antioxidants, and flour pretreatment. Our results suggest that enzymatic reactions, notably lipoxygenase related redox activity, are responsible for this impairment of dough mixing and extrusion. Some of the process conditions studied can be applied at industrial scale and will help produce a legume food with nutritional and culinary qualities, beneficial for people with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, as well as the general population.

Practical Application

In the context of a sustainable and healthy food transition, the food industry is developing legume‐based food of high nutritional quality that is widely consumed, like pasta. However, using legumes often leads to technological problems during the mixing and extrusion of pasta. This article demonstrates they are linked to enzymatic oxidative phenomena and provides an easy solution to reduce the problems without drastically changing pasta processing. Applied at industrial scale, it will allow the production of naturally gluten‐free pasta rich in protein (two to three times the protein content of wheat pasta), of good nutritional quality.
Metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for production of vanillylamine from lignin‐derived substrates
Authors: Manfrão‐Netto João Heitor Colombelli , Lund Fredrik , Muratovska Nina , Larsson Elin M. , Parachin Nádia Skorupa , Carlquist Magnus
Published: February 2021

Whole‐cell bioconversion of technical lignins using Pseudomonas putida strains overexpressing amine transaminases (ATAs) has the potential to become an eco‐efficient route to produce phenolic amines. Here, a novel cell growth‐based screening method to evaluate the in vivo activity of recombinant ATAs towards vanillylamine in P. putida KT2440 was developed. It allowed the identification of the native enzyme Pp‐SpuC‐II and ATA from Chromobacterium violaceum (Cv‐ATA) as highly active towards vanillylamine in vivo. Overexpression of Pp‐SpuC‐II and Cv‐ATA in the strain GN442ΔPP_2426, previously engineered for reduced vanillin assimilation, resulted in 94‐ and 92‐fold increased specific transaminase activity, respectively. Whole‐cell bioconversion of vanillin yielded 0.70 ± 0.20 mM and 0.92 ± 0.30 mM vanillylamine, for Pp‐SpuC‐II and Cv‐ATA, respectively. Still, amine production was limited by a substantial re‐assimilation of the product and formation of the by‐products vanillic acid and vanillyl alcohol. Concomitant overexpression of Cv‐ATA and alanine dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis increased the production of vanillylamine with ammonium as the only nitrogen source and a reduction in the amount of amine product re‐assimilation. Identification and deletion of additional native genes encoding oxidoreductases acting on vanillin are crucial engineering targets for further improvement.
An atypical distribution of acute calcific periarthritis in the setting of trauma
Authors: Cheung Ernest , Rajadurai Suraindra Mark , Chen Xiao , Nicholls Kane M , Wong Sarah Jane , Del Rio Andres
Published: February 2021

Case report of an atypical location of ACP. ACP should be considered even in small joints with characteristic imaging even with trauma involvement.
Utility of magnetic resonance imaging in Crohn's associated sacroiliitis: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Malik Fardina , Scherl Ellen , Weber Ulrich , Carrino John A. , Epsten Madeline , Wichuk Stephanie , Pedersen Susanne J. , Paschke Joel , Schwartzman Sergio , Kroeber Georg , Maksymowych Walter P. , Longman Randy , Mandl Lisa A.
Published: February 2021

Objective

Prevalence of sacroiliitis in Crohn's disease (CD) is variable depending on defining criteria. This study utilized standardized sacroiliac joint (SIJ) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify sacroiliitis in CD patients and its association with clinical and serological markers.

Methods

Consecutive adult subjects with CD prospectively enrolled from an inflammatory bowel disease clinic underwent SIJ MRI. Data collected included CD duration, history of joint/back pain, human leukocyte antigen‐B27 status, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) for activity of CD, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, and various serologic markers of inflammation. Three blinded readers reviewed MRIs for active and structural lesions according to the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada modules.

Results

Thirty‐three CD patients were enrolled: 76% female, 80% White, median age 36.4 years (interquartile range 27.2‐49.0), moderate CD activity (mean HBI 8.8 ± SD 4.5). Nineteen subjects (58%) reported any back pain, 13 of whom had inflammatory back pain. Four subjects (12%) showed sacroiliitis using global approach and 6 (18%) met Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society MRI criteria of sacroiliitis. Older age (mean 51.2 ± SD 12.5 vs. 37.2 ± 14; P = .04), history of dactylitis (50.0% vs. 3.4%, P = .03) and worse BASMI (4.1 ± 0.7 vs. 2.4 ± 0.8, P ≤ .001) were associated with MRI sacroiliitis; no serologic measure was associated.

Conclusion

There were 12%‐18% of CD patients who had MRI evidence of sacroiliitis, which was not associated with back pain, CD activity or serologic measures. This data suggests that MRI is a useful modality to identify subclinical sacroiliitis in CD patients.
The landscape of small cell lung cancer metastases: Organ specificity and timing
Authors: Megyesfalvi Zsolt , Tallosy Bernadett , Pipek Orsolya , Fillinger Janos , Lang Christian , Klikovits Thomas , Schwendenwein Anna , Hoda Mir Alireza , Renyi‐Vamos Ferenc , Laszlo Viktoria , Rezeli Melinda , Moldvay Judit , Dome Balazs
Published: February 2021

Background

Early metastasis is a hallmark of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). However, the mechanisms and resulting patterns of SCLC dissemination are unclear. Our aim was thus to investigate the organ specificity and timing of blood‐borne metastases in a comprehensive large cohort of SCLC patients.

Methods

In this retrospective non‐interventional cross‐sectional study of 1009 Caucasian SCLC patients, we investigated the correlation between the distinct locations of the primary tumor and metastatic sites.

Results

The onset of bone (p < 0.001), brain (p < 0.001), and pericardial (p = 0.02) metastases were late events, whereas adrenal gland (p = 0.005) and liver (p < 0.001) metastases occurred earlier. No significant difference was found in the distribution of early versus late metastases when comparing central and peripheral primary tumors. Patients with bone metastases had a higher than expected likelihood of having liver metastases, while brain metastases tended to appear together with adrenal gland metastases. Pleural and both lung and pericardial metastases also tended to co‐metastasize together more frequently than expected if metastatic events occurred independently. Notably, patients with central primary tumors had decreased median overall survival (OS) compared to those with peripheral tumors, although this tendency does not appear to be significant (p = 0.072).

Conclusion

Our results are suggestive for particular site‐ and sequence‐specific metastasis patterns in human SCLC. SCLC bone metastases tend to appear together with liver metastases, while brain metastases occur together with adrenal gland metastases. Better understanding of metastasis distribution patterns might help to improve the diagnosis and therapeutic decision‐making in SCLC patients.
MicroRNA‐210 targets FBXO31 to inhibit tumor progression and regulates the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway and EMT in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Meng Jing , Zhang Chao , Zhao Tongquan , Shi Guangwen , Zhao Jingjing , Lin Zhaoxia
Published: February 2021

Evidence from previous studies showed that the dysregulation of microRNA (miR) is frequently associated with tumor progression. The aberrant miR‐210 expression has been identified in a variety of tumors. However, its biological roles in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) still need further elucidation. Thus, in the current study we explore the roles of miR‐210 in ESCC progression. The findings of our study reveal that miR‐210 is down‐regulated in ESCC, which indicates poor prognosis and aggressive tumor progression. Moreover, miR‐210 restoration was found to enhance ESCC viability, invasion, and migration abilities. F‐Box only protein 31 (FBXO31) was confirmed to be one of the targets of miR‐210 in ESCC cells. Results also revealed that miR‐210 played crucial roles in regulating ESCC cell epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. In conclusion, data show that miR‐210 serves as an anti‐ESCC miR via down‐regulation of FBXO31 and regulation of EMT and Wnt signaling, suggesting that the miR‐210/FBXO31 axis may function as promising therapeutic targets and effective prognostic markers for ESCC patients.
PD‐0332991 combined with cisplatin inhibits nonsmall cell lung cancer and reversal of cisplatin resistance
Authors: Liu Minghui , Cui Liyuan , Li Xin , Xia Chunqiu , Li Yongwen , Wang Rui , Ren Fan , Liu Hongyu , Chen Jun
Published: February 2021

Background: Acquired resistance of chemotherapy, especially cisplatin, is a major challenge in lung cancer treatment. We conducted this study to examine whether a cyclin D kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitor, PD 0332991, could reverse cisplatin resistance in human lung cancer cells. In addition, we explored the underlying mechanisms.

Method: We used CCK‐8 assay to got the IC50 of PD‐0332991 and cisplatin in A549 and A549/CDDP respectively. CCK‐8 assay, CalcuSyn 2.0 software, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis used to identify PD‐0332991 could reverse the acquired resistance of cisplatin. At last, western‐blot used to show the mechanism of PD‐0332991 enhances the effects of cisplatin.

Results: We found that PD‐0332991 potentiated cisplatin‐induced growth inhibition in both cisplatin‐sensitive (A549) and cisplatin‐resistant (A549/CDDP) cells via downregulation of the proliferation, induction of apoptosis (A549 increased to 7.06%; A549/CDDP increased to 7.03%), and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest (A549 increased to 9.15%; A549/CDDP increased to 49.92%). Western blot analysis revealed that PD‐0332991 enhance the effect of cisplatin through inhibit Rb‐E2Fs pathway.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that PD‐0332991 could reverse the acquired resistance of cisplatin in lung cancer cells and provide a novel treatment strategy for lung cancer patients with cisplatin resistance.
Pleural mesothelioma: When echo‐endoscopy (EUS‐B‐FNA) leads to diagnosis in a minimally invasive way
Authors: Piro Roberto , Fontana Matteo , Livrieri Francesco , Menzella Francesco , Casalini Eleonora , Taddei Sofia , De Giorgi Federica , Facciolongo Nicola
Published: February 2021

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos‐related and locally invasive tumor with poor prognosis. The acquisition of histological material is mandatory in order to establish a diagnosis. In this situation, the sampling of tissue is generally performed via a thoracoscopic pleural biopsy, either medically or surgically. The use of endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) or transesophageal fine needle aspiration with an EBUS scope (EUS‐B‐FNA) of pleural lesions have only rarely been reported due to the theoretical limitations of tissue acquisition in such cases. We herein report a rare case of MPM successfully diagnosed via EUS‐B‐FNA in a 49‐year‐old woman with an unusual presentation characterized by solid thickening in the right mediastinal pleura.
Long‐term response to afatinib in an elderly patient with uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor mutation‐positive lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Shijubou Naoki , Sumi Toshiyuki , Kamada Koki , Sawai Takeyuki , Yamada Yuichi , Nakata Hisashi , Mori Yuji , Chiba Hirofumi
Published: February 2021

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors are the standard treatment for patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring EGFR mutations. Uncommon mutations, excluding exon 19 deletions and exon 21 L858R, comprise 7%–23% of EGFR mutation‐positive NSCLC. The treatment of uncommon EGFR mutation‐positive NSCLCs is controversial. Here, we present the case of an 81‐year‐old man who was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma cStage IVA harboring the uncommon EGFR L861Q mutation. The patient received oral afatinib treatment (40 mg/day). One month after the initiation of afatinib treatment, Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 grade 2 stomatitis was observed. It improved upon afatinib withdrawal. After 10 days of withdrawal, afatinib treatment was resumed at a reduced dose of 20 mg/day. Subsequently, the patient continued treatment with afatinib. A partial response to afatinib treatment was maintained for 49 months until primary tumor regrowth. Afatinib treatment was continued after disease progression, but the patient died of bacterial pneumonia 59 months after initiation of afatinib treatment. Several studies have previously reported a large number of compound mutations with uncommon mutations, and that compound mutation‐induced cells are most susceptible to afatinib. This suggests the efficacy of afatinib in clinical practice and that afatinib may be safely administered to elderly patients with appropriate dose reductions.
Telemetry‐validated nitrogen stable isotope clocks identify ocean‐to‐estuarine habitat shifts in mobile organisms
Authors: Shipley Oliver N. , Newton Alisa L. , Frisk Michael G. , Henkes Gregory A. , LaBelle Jake S. , Camhi Merry D. , W. Hyatt Michael , Walters Hans , Olin Jill A.
Published: February 2021

Throughout their life history, many animals transition among heterogeneous environments to facilitate behaviours such as reproduction, foraging and predator avoidance. The dynamic environmental and biological conditions experienced by mobile species are integrated in the chemical composition of their tissues, providing retrospective insight into movement.

Here, we present a unique application of nitrogen stable isotope clocks (‘isotopic clocks’), which integrate tissue turnover rates, consumer stable isotope ratios and habitat‐specific isotope baselines to predict time‐since‐immigration and the timing of habitat shifts in a migratory species. Nitrogen stable isotope values of blood plasma collected from juvenile sand tiger sharks Carcharias taurus, a species known to undertake seasonal movements between ocean and estuarine environments, were used to derive estimates of time‐since‐immigration and the timing of seasonal habitat shifts undertaken by this species.

Nitrogen isotopic clocks estimated for 65 juvenile sand tiger sharks sampled across 6 years indicated that individual sharks predominantly arrived to estuarine habitats between June and July, with some individuals arriving as early as mid‐May. These estimates were validated by comparing isotope‐derived estuarine arrival times with those from acoustically tracked individuals. The median estuarine arrival day estimates from our isotopic approach aligned with estimates from acoustic telemetry for each sampling population.

Sensitivity analyses indicated that isotopically inferred time‐since‐immigration and estuarine arrival estimates were robust to variation in isotopic turnover rate and diet tissue discrimination factors under multiple modelling scenarios. This suggests that parameterization of the nitrogen isotopic clock provides reliable estimates of time‐since‐immigration and day of arrival into new habitats if isotopic variation exists between origin and new locations.

Our study presents a unique application of telemetry‐validated isotope clocks to derive retrospective estimates of time‐since‐immigration and timing of habitat shifts for animals that seasonally traverse heterogeneous environments. This approach can be readily applied across many temporal and spatial scales, and to other species and ecosystems, to facilitate rapid assessment of changes in animal habitat use and broader ecosystem structure.
Inflammatory response, fluid balance and outcome in emergency high‐risk abdominal surgery
Authors: Cihoric Mirjana , Kehlet Henrik , Lauritsen Morten L. , Højlund Jakob , Kanstrup Katrine , Foss Nicolai B.
Published: February 2021

Background

The main disease etiologies requiring emergency high‐risk abdominal surgery are intestinal obstruction and perforated viscus and the differences in immune response to these pathologies are largely unexplored. In search of improvement of patient assessment in the perioperative phase, we examined the inflammatory response in this setting, focusing on potential difference in pathophysiology.

Methods

The electronic medical records of 487 patients who underwent emergency abdominal surgery from year 2013‐2015 for intestinal obstruction and perforated viscus were reviewed. We evaluated the relationship between pre‐ and postoperative C‐reactive protein (CRP) trajectory, fluid balance, and perioperative morbidity and mortality according to type of surgery, intervention, and surgical pathology.

Results

A total of 418 patients were included. Pre‐ and postoperative absolute CRP values were significantly higher in patients with perforated viscus (n = 203) than in intestinal obstruction (n = 215) (P < .0001). Relative changes at hour 6 and POD 1 were non‐significant (P = .716 and P = .816 respectively). There was significant association between both pre‐ (quartile 1 vs 4, OR 5.11; P < .01) and postoperative (quartile 1 vs 4, OR 4.10; P < .001) CRP and adverse outcome, along with fluid balance and adverse outcome in patients with obstruction but not in those with perforation. Fluid balance and CRP had statistically significant positive correlation in patients with obstruction.

Conclusions

In this explorative study, a high pre‐ and postoperative CRP and a high positive fluid balance were associated with worse outcome in patients with intestinal obstruction, but not in patients with perforated viscus. Future studies should address the different inflammatory and fluid trajectories in these specific pathologies.
An Experimental Test of the Relationship between Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Use and Alcohol Consumption
Authors: Hershberger Alexandra R. , Studebaker Amanda , Whitt Zachary T. , Fillmore Mark , Kahler Christopher W. , Cyders Melissa A.
Published: February 2021

Background

Increasing research shows that the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is associated with a higher rate and quantity of alcohol consumption.

Methods

The present study used a 2‐session, within‐subjects design to experimentally examine the relationship between ENDS use and laboratoryad libitumalcohol consumption. A total ofN = 31 (mean age = 28.71, SD = 11.17; 45.2% women; 54.8% White/Caucasian) healthy adults from the community who use ENDS and endorsed liking beer completed the study, which included a beer consumption taste‐test task that assessed the volume of beer consumed by the participants across 2 counterbalanced sessions: 1 in which concurrent ENDS use was allowed and 1 in which it was not. All analyses controlled for age, race, and gender.

Results

The effect of ENDS condition on the volume of beer consumed was not statistically significant,F(1, 30) = 0.03,p = 0.86). Results of linear mixed modeling showed that ENDS puffs were significantly related to alcohol sips (estimate = 0.23, SE = 0.07,p = 0.002) across thead libitumsession.

Conclusions

Overall, ENDS use did not increase alcohol consumption; however, the data suggest that ENDS puffs might act as a prime for beer sips or that these 2 behaviors are linked through habit. Future studies should more fully measure and compare global and event‐level data on ENDS and alcohol use as they might show disparate patterns of relationships.
Fine‐scale interactions between boats and large albatrosses indicate variable susceptibility to bycatch risk according to species and populations
Authors: Corbeau A. , Collet J. , Orgeret F. , Pistorius P. , Weimerskirch H.
Published: February 2021

Many seabirds are attracted to fishing boats where they exploit foraging opportunities, often involving bycatch‐related mortality. Bycatch risk is generally estimated by overlapping seabirds foraging ranges with coarse‐scale monthly maps of fishing efforts, but a more direct estimation would be the time birds actually spend attending fishing boats. Here we matched data from Automatic Identification Systems from all declared boats in the Southern Ocean, with 143 simultaneous foraging trips from all populations of large albatrosses (Diomedea amsterdamensis and Diomedea exulans) breeding in the Indian Ocean (Marion, Crozet, Kerguelen, Amsterdam islands). We quantified and compared real‐time co‐occurrence between boats and albatrosses, at different scales (100, 30 and 5 km). We also examined to what extent co‐occurrence at a large‐scale (5×5° grid cell) predicted fine‐scale attendance (5 km). Albatrosses on average spent about 3 h per trip attending fishing boats (<5 km) at both Amsterdam and Marion and about 30 h per trip at Kerguelen. In all populations, >90% of declared fishing boat attendances occurred within Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZ) where bycatch mitigation measures are enforced. Outside EEZs, birds from all populations to a large extent also attended non‐fishing boats. Fishing boat density at a large scale (5 × 5°, 100 km) was a poor predictor of time spent attending fishing boats (<5 km) across populations. Our results indicate a large variation in fishing boat densities within the foraging ranges of different populations and in the time birds spent attending boats. We discuss the pros and cons of considering bycatch risk at a large geographical scale and methods that can be implemented to improve the estimation of seabird vulnerability to fishing activities when fine‐scale data are available, particularly for the conservation of those highly threatened species.
Epigenetics of alcohol use disorder—A review of recent advances in DNA methylation profiling
Authors: Longley Martha J. , Lee Jisoo , Jung Jeesun , Lohoff Falk W.
Published: February 2021

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although there is a heritable component, the etiology of AUD is complex and can involve environmental exposures like trauma and can be associated with many different patterns of alcohol consumption. Epigenetic modifications, which can mediate the influence of genetic variants and environmental variables on gene expression, have emerged as an important area of AUD research. Over the past decade, the number of studies investigating AUD and DNA methylation, a form of epigenetic modification, has grown rapidly. Yet we are still far from understanding how DNA methylation contributes to or reflects aspects of AUD. In this paper, we reviewed studies of DNA methylation and AUD and discussed how the field has evolved. We found that global DNA and candidate DNA methylation studies did not produce replicable results. To assess whether findings of epigenome‐wide association studies (EWAS) were replicated, we aggregated significant findings across studies and identified 184 genes and 15 gene ontological pathways that were differentially methylated in at least two studies and four genes and three gene ontological pathways that were differentially methylated in three studies. These genes and pathways repeatedly found enrichment of immune processes, which is in line with recent developments suggesting that the immune system may be altered in AUD. Finally, we assess the current limitations of studies of DNA methylation and AUD and make recommendations on how to design future studies to resolve outstanding questions.
Tyramine synthesis, vesicular packaging, and the SNARE complex function coordinately in astrocytes to regulate Drosophila alcohol sedation
Authors: Lee Kristen M. , Talikoti Ananya , Shelton Keith , Grotewiel Mike
Published: February 2021

Identifying mechanisms underlying alcohol‐related behaviors could provide important insights regarding the etiology of alcohol use disorder. To date, most genetic studies on alcohol‐related behavior in model organisms have focused on neurons, leaving the causal roles of glial mechanisms less comprehensively investigated. Here, we report our studies on the role of Tyrosine decarboxylase 2 (Tdc2), which converts tyrosine to the catecholamine tyramine, in glial cells in Drosophila alcohol sedation. Using genetic approaches that drove transgene expression constitutively in all glia, constitutively in astrocytes and conditionally in glia during adulthood, we found that knockdown and overexpression of Tdc2, respectively, increased and decreased the sensitivity to alcohol sedation in flies. Manipulation of the genes tyramine β‐hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase, which respectively synthesize octopamine and dopamine from tyramine and tyrosine, had no discernable effect on alcohol sedation, suggesting that Tdc2 affects alcohol sedation by regulating tyramine production. We also found that knockdown of the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) and disruption of the SNARE complex in all glia or selectively in astrocytes increased sensitivity to alcohol sedation and that both VMAT and the SNARE complex functioned downstream of Tdc2. Our studies support a model in which the synthesis of tyramine and vesicle‐mediated release of tyramine from adult astrocytes regulates alcohol sedation in Drosophila. Considering that tyramine is functionally orthologous to norepinephrine in mammals, our results raise the possibility that gliotransmitter synthesis release could be a conserved mechanism influencing behavioral responses to alcohol as well as alcohol use disorder.