bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High levels of cathepsin S and cystatin C in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome
Authors: Kocak Ibrahim , Hizmetli Sami , Tas Ayça , Karadag Ahmet , Zontul Cemile , Silig Yavuz
Published: April 2020

Objectives

Although the etiopathogenesis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) is not yet clear, central sensitization is thought to be responsible for the pathogenesis of FM. The aim of this study was to compare the serum cathepsin S (CatS) and cystatin C (CysC) levels between patients with FM and healthy control subjects.

Methods

This study was conducted in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic between January 2019 and October 2019. The study included 145 FM patients newly diagnosed with primary FM according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria and 129 healthy volunteers. The age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) of the participants were recorded. Venous blood samples were collected from both groups for the measurement of the levels of serum CatS and CysC. The functional status of FM patients was evaluated using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ).

Results

No statistically significant difference was determined between the patient and control groups in terms of age, gender, and BMI (P > .05). A comparison of the serum CatS and CysC levels of the FM and control groups revealed a statistically significant difference (P = .001). No correlation was determined between FIQ and serum CatS and CysC levels (P > .05).

Conclusion

Serum CatS and CysC levels were found to be higher in FM patients. However, there was no correlation between the functional status of FM patients and serum CatS and CysC levels. These results can be of guidance for further clinical studies of the etiopathogenesis and treatment of FM.
Comparing Rapid Scoring Systems in Mortality Prediction of Critically Ill Patients With Novel Coronavirus Disease
Authors: Hu Hai , Yao Ni , Qiu Yanru
Published: April 2020

Objectives

Rapid and early severity‐of‐illness assessment appears to be important for critically ill patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19). This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the rapid scoring system on admission of these patients.

Methods

A total of 138 medical records of critically ill patients with COVID‐19 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics on admission used for calculating Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) and outcomes (survival or death) were collected for each case and extracted for analysis. All patients were divided into two age subgroups (<65 years and ≥65 years). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed for overall patients and both subgroups.

Results

The median [25th quartile, 75th quartile] of MEWS of survivors versus nonsurvivors were 1 [1, 2] and 2 [1, 3] and those of REMS were 5 [2, 6] and 7 [6, 10], respectively. In overall analysis, the area under the ROC curve for the REMS in predicting mortality was 0.833 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.737 to 0.928), higher than that of MEWS (0.677, 95% CI = 0.541 to 0.813). An optimal cutoff of REMS (≥6) had a sensitivity of 89.5%, a specificity of 69.8%, a positive predictive value of 39.5%, and a negative predictive value of 96.8%. In the analysis of subgroup of patients aged <65 years, the area under the ROC curve for the REMS in predicting mortality was 0.863 (95% CI = 0.743 to 0.941), higher than that of MEWS (0.603, 95% CI = 0.462 to 0.732).

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this study was the first exploration on rapid scoring systems for critically ill patients with COVID‐19. The REMS could provide emergency clinicians with an effective adjunct risk stratification tool for critically ill patients with COVID‐19, especially for the patients aged <65 years. The effectiveness of REMS for screening these patients is attributed to its high negative predictive value.
Persuasive Lobbying with Allied Legislators
Authors: Awad Emiel
Published: April 2020

Why do interest groups lobby allied legislators if they already agree? One possibility is that allies are intermediaries who help persuade unconvinced legislators. To study the role and value of intermediaries, I develop a formal model of persuasive lobbying where interest groups use public cheap talk and provide verifiable information to a strategically selected coalition of legislators. Interest groups face a trade‐off: Lobbying aligned legislators is advantageous as they are more willing to endorse the group's preferred policy, but those who are too aligned cannot persuade a majority of their peers. The model illustrates how intermediaries are especially valuable if interest groups cannot persuade a majority themselves. Counter to previous work, the results demonstrate how a legislature's ideological composition determines the use of intermediaries. Groups may lobby intermediaries even if access to legislators is free and unrestricted.
Airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 to healthcare workers: a narrative review
Authors: Wilson N. M. , Norton A. , Young F. P. , Collins D. W.
Published: April 2020

Healthcare workers are at risk of infection during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 pandemic. International guidance suggests direct droplet transmission is likely and airborne transmission occurs only with aerosol‐generating procedures. Recommendations determining infection control measures to ensure healthcare worker safety follow these presumptions. Three mechanisms have been described for the production of smaller sized respiratory particles (‘aerosols’) that, if inhaled, can deposit in the distal airways. These include: laryngeal activity such as talking and coughing; high velocity gas flow; and cyclical opening and closure of terminal airways. Sneezing and coughing are effective aerosol generators, but all forms of expiration produce particles across a range of sizes. The 5‐μm diameter threshold used to differentiate droplet from airborne is an over‐simplification of multiple complex, poorly understood biological and physical variables. The evidence defining aerosol‐generating procedures comes largely from low‐quality case and cohort studies where the exact mode of transmission is unknown as aerosol production was never quantified. We propose that transmission is associated with time in proximity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐1 patients with respiratory symptoms, rather than the procedures per se. There is no proven relation between any aerosol‐generating procedure with airborne viral content with the exception of bronchoscopy and suctioning. The mechanism for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 transmission is unknown but the evidence suggestive of airborne spread is growing. We speculate that infected patients who cough, have high work of breathing, increased closing capacity and altered respiratory tract lining fluid will be significant producers of pathogenic aerosols. We suggest several aerosol‐generating procedures may in fact result in less pathogen aerosolisation than a dyspnoeic and coughing patient. Healthcare workers should appraise the current evidence regarding transmission and apply this to the local infection prevalence. Measures to mitigate airborne transmission should be employed at times of risk. However, the mechanisms and risk factors for transmission are largely unconfirmed. Whilst awaiting robust evidence, a precautionary approach should be considered to assure healthcare worker safety.
Sperm miR‐26a‐5p and its target PTEN transcripts content in men with unexplained infertility
Authors: Dorostghoal Mehran , Galehdari Hamid , Moramezi Farideh , Danyari Reza
Published: April 2020

Background

Recent evidence suggests that routine semen analysis has limited power to predict male fertility. Several efforts have been made to best discriminate between fertile and subfertile men using several sperm features. So, there is a need to more reliable assays for providing molecular data to evaluate sperm quality and predict male fertility.

Objectives

Present study aimed to investigate relationship between sperm miR‐26a‐5p and its target PTEN transcript content and sperm parameters in unexplained infertile and healthy fertile men.

Materials and methods

Sperm parameters and transcript content of miR‐26a‐5p and PTEN in ejaculated spermatozoa were assessed in fertile (n = 15) and normozoospermic infertile (n = 15) men.

Results

Sperm transcript levels of miR‐26a‐5p were lower in unexplained infertile men than in fertile controls (P = .021). High sperm PTEN expression is correlated with low miR‐26a‐5p transcript levels in ejaculated spermatozoa. High levels of sperm miR‐26a‐5p transcript were associated with high sperm motility and normal morphology. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated miR‐26a‐5p has a fairly good diagnostic value to distinguish fertile and unexplained infertile men with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.747 (95% confidence interval: 0.560‐0.933; P = .021).

Discussion

This study suggests that sperm miR‐26a‐5p and its target PTEN transcript content may contribute to infertility etiology in unexplained infertile patients.

Conclusion

miR‐26a‐5p has a potential to use as a diagnostic biomarker and provide new therapeutic approaches for male infertility.
Early childhood social determinants and family relationships predict parental separation and living arrangements thereafter
Authors: Hjern Anders , Bergström Malin , Kjaer Urhoj Stine , Nybo Andersen Anne‐Marie
Published: April 2020

Aim

Parental separation has been associated with poor mental health in children with better outcomes in children living in joint physical custody compared with those living with one parent after the separation. In this study, we investigated socioeconomic and relational predictors in early childhood of later parental separation and family arrangements thereafter.

Methods

This study included 34 768 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort, who were living with both parents at the 6 months’ data collection and followed up in 2010‐2014 at age 11 years. Questionnaire data from the two data collections were linked with population registers in Statistics Denmark about parental income, education and psychiatric care and analysed in logistic regression models.

Results

Socioeconomic indicators of the family and parental psychiatric disorders before birth of the child and family relationships in infancy predicted parental separation at age 11 year. For children with separated parents, a high family income and a high parental educational level were the main predictors of living in joint physical custody at the 11‐year follow‐up.

Conclusion

Socioeconomic living conditions predict parental separation as well as living arrangements thereafter. Studies of consequences of living arrangements after parental separation should account for family factors preceding the separation.
Biomarkers and predicting acute kidney injury
Authors: Luft Friedrich C.
Published: April 2020

Aim

How can we convert biomarkers into reliable, validated laboratory tests? Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimators exist for more than a century. The first utilitarian biomarkers were endogenously produced urea and creatinine. Clinicians then developed simple tests to determine whether or not renal tubular function was maintained. Are there faster and better tests that reflect decreased renal function and increased acute kidney injury (AKI) risk?

Methods

We inspect earlier, and recently propagated biomarkers. Cystatin C reflects GFR and is not confounded by muscle mass. Direct GFR and plasma volume can now be measured acutely within 3 hours. Better yet would be tests that give information before GFR decreases and prior to urea, creatinine, and cystatin C increases. Prospective tests identifying those persons likely to develop AKI would be helpful. Even more utilitarian would be a test that also suggests a therapeutic avenue.

Results

A number of highly provocative biomarkers have recently been proposed. Moreover the application of big data from huge electronic medical records promise new directions in identifying and dealing with AKI.

Conclusions

Pipedreams are in the pipeline; the novel findings require immediate testing, verification, and perhaps application. Future research promises to make such dreams come true.
Comment on “Wang et al. (2005), Robust estimating functions and bias correction for longitudinal data analysis”
Authors: Lunardon Nicola , Menardi Giovanna
Published: April 2020

This note provides a discussion on the manuscript by Wang et al. (2005) who aim to robustify inference for longitudinal data analysis by replacing the ordinary generalized estimating function with an influence‐bounded, possibly biased, version. To adjust for the bias of the ensuing robust estimator, the authors provide its analytic approximation by means of asymptotic expansions, and estimate it by plugging‐in a nonrobust estimate of the parameter of interest. In this letter, we argue that the proposed bias‐corrected estimator is, in fact, nonrobust.
Movement‐mediated community assembly and coexistence
Authors: Schlägel Ulrike E. , Grimm Volker , Blaum Niels , Colangeli Pierluigi , Dammhahn Melanie , Eccard Jana A. , Hausmann Sebastian L. , Herde Antje , Hofer Heribert , Joshi Jasmin , Kramer‐Schadt Stephanie , Litwin Magdalena , Lozada‐Gobilard Sissi D. , Müller Marina E. H. , Müller Thomas , Nathan Ran , Petermann Jana S. , Pirhofer‐Walzl Karin , Radchuk Viktoriia , Rillig Matthias C. , Roeleke Manuel , Schäfer Merlin , Scherer Cédric , Schiro Gabriele , Scholz Carolin , Teckentrup Lisa , Tiedemann Ralph , Ullmann Wiebke , Voigt Christian C. , Weithoff Guntram , Jeltsch Florian
Published: April 2020

Organismal movement is ubiquitous and facilitates important ecological mechanisms that drive community and metacommunity composition and hence biodiversity. In most existing ecological theories and models in biodiversity research, movement is represented simplistically, ignoring the behavioural basis of movement and consequently the variation in behaviour at species and individual levels. However, as human endeavours modify climate and land use, the behavioural processes of organisms in response to these changes, including movement, become critical to understanding the resulting biodiversity loss. Here, we draw together research from different subdisciplines in ecology to understand the impact of individual‐level movement processes on community‐level patterns in species composition and coexistence. We join the movement ecology framework with the key concepts from metacommunity theory, community assembly and modern coexistence theory using the idea of micro–macro links, where various aspects of emergent movement behaviour scale up to local and regional patterns in species mobility and mobile‐link‐generated patterns in abiotic and biotic environmental conditions. These in turn influence both individual movement and, at ecological timescales, mechanisms such as dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, and niche partitioning. We conclude by highlighting challenges to and promising future avenues for data generation, data analysis and complementary modelling approaches and provide a brief outlook on how a new behaviour‐based view on movement becomes important in understanding the responses of communities under ongoing environmental change.
Applying hierarchical resource selection concepts to solving crop damage caused by birds
Authors: Barzen Jeb A. , Gossens Andrew P. , Lacy Anne E. , Yandell Brian S.
Published: April 2020

Recovery of Greater Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) is a conservation success but will increase the potential for crop damage if problems caused by high crane density remain unresolved. In spring, cranes consume planted corn kernels (Zea mays), causing significant damage. From 1999 to 2001 and 2007 to 2009 we experimented with resolving crane damage. Seeds treated with either insecticides or anthraquinone (AQ) were not consumed in planted fields while untreated seeds were, causing a 19.6% reduction in seedling density where cranes foraged. Insecticides tested were inappropriate for future use while performance of AQ mimicked that of insecticides but was environmentally acceptable and economical to use. Though cranes selected germinating corn fields, regardless of treatment, they used fields containing treated corn without causing damage. Cranes were generalists when selecting food items within a field and likely switched food items when exposed to treated corn but were specialists when selecting field types within a home range. Deterrence at geographic scales where species are generalists may reduce the chance for habituation. Subsequent deployment of AQ has been replicated with other bird species and crops at landscape scales. Successful solutions enable landowners to value wildlife and promote biological diversity found on those lands.
Guarding against Disruption Risk by Contracting under Information Asymmetry
Authors: Li Guo , Liu Mengqi , Bian Yiwen , Sethi Suresh P.
Published: April 2020

This study considers a decentralized supply chain in which a downstream manufacturer purchases a component from an upstream supplier privileged with private information on supply disruption risk. The supplier's initial reliability, asymmetric to the manufacturer, is either low or high. To guard against disruption risk by enhancing supply reliability, the manufacturer employs two representative contracts, namely, the wholesale price contract and the screening menu contract. We first examine the push and pull regimes under the wholesale price contract, and find that the manufacturer prefers the pull regime. Under the screening menu contract, we also consider two regimes: contracting the high‐type and low‐type supplier, and contracting only the high‐type supplier. From the perspective of the manufacturer, the regime that allows contracting both types of the supplier dominates the regime of contracting only the high‐type supplier under certain conditions. Comparing the wholesale price and screening menu contracts, we derive several interesting results. First, under specific conditions, the wholesale price contract is dominant for the manufacturer when the reliability enhancement cost or initial supply reliability heterogeneity is relatively high; otherwise, the screening menu contract is more favorable to the manufacturer. Second, in the pull regime, more information transparency may be detrimental to the manufacturer when the supplier's initial reliability is low, whereas the high‐type supplier can surprisingly yield a high profit under information asymmetry. Third, the low‐type supplier's preference on information transparency hinges on the reliability enhancement cost in the push regime.
Addressing cognitive health in coordinated specialty care for early psychosis: Real‐world perspectives
Authors: Saperstein Alice M. , Medalia Alice , Bello Iruma , Dixon Lisa B.
Published: April 2020

Aim

Addressing cognitive health during the early phase of psychosis has the potential to enhance recovery outcomes, yet methods to assess and treat cognitive problems are not a systematic part of Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) in the United States. We sought to understand how CSC providers perceive cognitive health and gauge the acceptability and appropriateness of cognitive interventions to inform the development and implementation of a cognitive health toolkit for OnTrackNY, a CSC program.

Methods

Electronic surveys were sent to clinicians from 22 OnTrackNY teams. One unstructured and 10 structured questions assessed knowledge and beliefs about cognition, current cognitive health practices, the likelihood of adopting new practices, perceived facilitators, and barriers to assessing and treating cognitive health.

Results

Fifty‐three clinicians responded. Clinicians identified a range of terms associated with cognitive impairment with specific neurocognitive deficits cited most frequently. The majority perceived the evidence for cognitive impairment at the time of first episode to be moderate to strong, that specific interventions for cognition are warranted, and that there is a significant link between cognition and community functioning. While current practices vary, 88% indicated a high likelihood of integrating tools to address cognitive problems if provided. Compensatory approaches to aid cognitive functioning were viewed most favourably.

Conclusions

Results suggest that addressing cognitive health is acceptable and appropriate for OnTrackNY but there is a need for systematic training to integrate empirically supported interventions with existing recovery‐oriented practices. Piloting a cognitive health toolkit will inform the potential uptake of assessment and treatment practices more broadly.
Extinction of cue‐evoked food‐seeking recruits a GABAergic interneuron ensemble in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex of mice
Authors: Brebner Leonie S. , Ziminski Joseph J. , Margetts‐Smith Gabriella , Sieburg Meike C. , Hall Catherine N. , Heintz Tristan G. , Lagnado Leon , Hirrlinger Johannes , Crombag Hans S. , Koya Eisuke
Published: April 2020

Animals must quickly adapt food‐seeking strategies to locate nutrient sources in dynamically changing environments. Learned associations between food and environmental cues that predict its availability promote food‐seeking behaviors. However, when such cues cease to predict food availability, animals undergo “extinction” learning, resulting in the inhibition of food‐seeking responses. Repeatedly activated sets of neurons, or “neuronal ensembles,” in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are recruited following appetitive conditioning and undergo physiological adaptations thought to encode cue‐reward associations. However, little is known about how the recruitment and intrinsic excitability of such dmPFC ensembles are modulated by extinction learning. Here, we used in vivo 2‐Photon imaging in male Fos‐GFP mice that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) in recently behaviorally activated neurons to determine the recruitment of activated pyramidal and GABAergic interneuron dmPFC ensembles during extinction. During extinction, we revealed a persistent activation of a subset of interneurons which emerged from a wider population of interneurons activated during the initial extinction session. This activation pattern was not observed in pyramidal cells, and extinction learning did not modulate the excitability properties of activated pyramidal cells. Moreover, extinction learning reduced the likelihood of reactivation of pyramidal cells activated during the initial extinction session. Our findings illuminate novel neuronal activation patterns in the dmPFC underlying extinction of food‐seeking, and in particular, highlight an important role for interneuron ensembles in this inhibitory form of learning.
Herbivory meets fungivory: insect herbivores feed on plant pathogenic fungi for their own benefit
Authors: Eberl Franziska , Fernandez de Bobadilla Maite , Reichelt Michael , Hammerbacher Almuth , Gershenzon Jonathan , Unsicker Sybille B.
Published: April 2020

Plants are regularly colonised by fungi and bacteria, but plant‐inhabiting microbes are rarely considered in studies on plant–herbivore interactions. Here we show that young gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) caterpillars prefer to feed on black poplar (Populus nigra) foliage infected by the rust fungus Melampsora larici‐populina instead of uninfected control foliage, and selectively consume fungal spores. This consumption, also observed in a related lepidopteran species, is stimulated by the sugar alcohol mannitol, found in much higher concentration in fungal tissue and infected leaves than uninfected plant foliage. Gypsy moth larvae developed more rapidly on rust‐infected leaves, which cannot be attributed to mannitol but rather to greater levels of total nitrogen, essential amino acids and B vitamins in fungal tissue and fungus‐infected leaves. Herbivore consumption of fungi and other microbes may be much more widespread than commonly believed with important consequences for the ecology and evolution of plant–herbivore interactions.
Neurophysiological investigations of drug resistant epilepsy patients treated with vagus nerve stimulation to differentiate responders from non‐responders
Authors: Hödl S. , Carrette S. , Meurs A. , Carrette E. , Mertens A. , Gadeyne S. , Goossens L. , Dewaele F. , Bouckaert C. , Dauwe I. , Proesmans S. , Raedt R. , Boon P. , Vonck K.
Published: April 2020

Background and purpose

In patients treated with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for drug resistant epilepsy (DRE), up to a third of patients will eventually not respond to the therapy. As VNS therapy requires surgery for device implantation, prediction of response prior to surgery is desirable. It is hypothesized that neurophysiological investigations related to the mechanisms of action of VNS may help to differentiate VNS responders from non‐responders prior to the initiation of therapy.

Methods

In a prospective series of DRE patients, polysomnography, heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive event related potentials were recorded. Polysomnography and HRV were repeated after 1 year of treatment with VNS. Polysomnography, HRV and cognitive event related potentials were compared between VNS responders (≥50% reduction in seizure frequency) and non‐responders.

Results

Fifteen out of 30 patients became VNS responders after 1 year of VNS treatment. Prior to treatment with VNS, the amount of deep sleep (NREM 3), the HRV high frequency (HF) power and the P3b amplitude were significantly different in responders compared to non‐responders (P = 0.007; P = 0.001; P = 0.03).

Conclusion

Three neurophysiological parameters, NREM 3, HRV HF and P3b amplitude, were found to be significantly different in DRE patients who became responders to VNS treatment prior to initiation of their treatment with VNS. These non‐invasive recordings may be used as characteristics for response in future studies and help avoid unsuccessful implantations. Mechanistically these findings may be related to changes in brain regions involved in the so‐called vagal afferent network.
The workplace experiences of BAME professional women: Understanding experiences at the intersection
Authors: Opara Victoria , Sealy Ruth , Ryan Michelle K.
Published: April 2020

Situated within workplace equality and discrimination scholarship, this article focuses on intersectional identity narratives. We seek to better understand the workplace experiences of British Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) professional women, and how these experiences impact on a range of wellbeing outcomes. The absence of research relating to BAME professional women reflects a failure to consider intersectional organizational identities and experiences. We aim to problematize the existence of single and static identity categories within intersectional analyses and the challenge they represent. We engage a non‐traditional methodological approach, conducting real‐time online written interviews with professional British BAME women. We consider the important interplays at the intersection of minority ethnicity, gender and nationality. The main themes to emerge were (i) experiences of misperceived identity imposition, whereby such social treatment had implications for participants' wellbeing and (ii) the use of strategic essentialism by participants on the basis of nationality, ethnicity and gender, an innovative finding in intersectional research. We conclude that a focus on identity categories such as ethnicity or race and gender alone may lead to the further constraining and classifying of certain individuals. To avoid this there is need to consider intersectional identity experiences in light of nationality and the disparate underpinning systems of domination.
Factors associated with obesity in the Pharmacokinetic and Clinical Observations in People over Fifty (POPPY) cohort: an observational cross‐sectional analysis
Authors: Savinelli S , De Francesco D , Feeney ER , Babalis D , Bagkeris E , Post FA , Boffito M , Williams I , Vera J , Johnson M , Anderson J , Sachikonye M , Winston A , Sabin C , Mallon PWG
Published: April 2020

Objectives

The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence of obesity in the Pharmacokinetic and Clinical Observations in People over Fifty (POPPY) cohort, to identify demographic, clinical and HIV‐specific factors associated with obesity, and to characterize the association between obesity and sociodemographic, clinical and HIV‐specific factors and quality of life (QoL).

Methods

A cross‐sectional analysis was carried out of baseline data from the three groups [“older” people with HIV infection (PWH) aged ≥ 50 years, “younger” PWH aged < 50 years and HIV‐negative controls aged ≥ 50 years] within the POPPY cohort. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2.

Results

A total of 1361 subjects were included in the study, of whom 335 (24.6%) were obese. The prevalence of obesity was higher in controls (22.3%) than in older (16.8%) and younger (14.2%) PWH, with no differences between the two groups of PWH. Factors associated with obesity were older age, female gender, black African ethnicity and alcohol consumption. Recreational drug use and a higher current CD4 T‐cell count (in PWH) were associated with lower and higher odds of being obese, respectively. The presence of obesity was associated with worse physical health QoL scores, higher odds of having cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, but lower odds of having osteopenia/osteoporosis, irrespective of HIV status.

Conclusions

Despite a lower prevalence of obesity in PWH, specific subgroups (women, people of black African origin and older people) were more likely to be obese, and negative health consequences of obesity were evident, regardless of HIV status. Whether targeted preventive strategies can reduce the burden of obesity and its complications in PWH remains to be determined.
No evidence for association between cutaneous lichen planus and hepatitis B and C virus infection in south Poland – a case–control study
Authors: Żychowska Magdalena , Żychowska Małgorzata
Published: April 2020

Background

The incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients with lichen planus (LP) varies considerably. Currently, there is more evidence for the association between hepatitic C and oral LP (OLP) than cutaneous LP (CLP). There is also lack of data on the Polish population. The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of HCV infection and liver test abnormalities among patients with CLP in south Poland.

Methods

Eighty‐four patients with CLP and 130 patients with other dermatoses (controls) were included in this retrospective case–control study. Medical records were reviewed for the presence of anti‐HCV antibodies and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and serum levels of liver function tests: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma‐glumatyltranspeptidase (GGT).

Results

Anti‐HCV antibodies were not found in any of the patients in the study or control group. HBsAg was detected in one (1.19%) patient with CLP and none of the controls. Considering the prevalence of abnormal liver function parameters, there were no statistically significant differences in the frequencies of AST (P = 0.87), ALT (P = 0.9), and GGT (P = 0.81) above the upper limit between patients with CLP and patients with other dermatoses.

Conclusions

Currently, there is no evidence confirming the relationship between HCV infection and CLP in southern Poland. There is also no increased incidence of liver function abnormalities compared to patients with other dermatoses. However, there is a need for further research on larger groups of patients.
Characteristics of penile cancer in Japan: An analysis of nationwide hospital‐based cancer registry data
Authors: Tanaka Ken , Kandori Shuya , Nitta Satoshi , Chihara Ichiro , Kojo Kosuke , Nagumo Yoshiyuki , Kimura Tomokazu , Kojima Takahiro , Kawai Koji , Okuyama Ayako , Higashi Takahiro , Nishiyama Hiroyuki
Published: April 2020

Objectives

To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with penile cancer in Japan using the nationwide hospital‐based cancer registry database.

Methods

Using hospital‐based cancer registry data, we described the distribution of age, pathology, tumor–node–metastases classification, and first‐course treatment in patients treated between 2012 and 2015. We compared the patterns of first‐line treatment between elderly and non‐elderly patients.

Results

A total of 1012 patients were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma among 1773 patients with penile tumors who registered under topography code C60. The median age at diagnosis was 74 years, and 85.9% of patients were aged >60 years. The most common pathology was usual‐type squamous cell carcinoma (91.9%), followed by verrucous carcinoma (5.0%), sarcomatoid carcinoma (1.1%), papillary carcinoma (0.7%), basaloid carcinoma (0.6%), adenosquamous carcinoma (0.4%), warty carcinoma (0.2%) and mixed carcinoma (0.1%). A total of 61.3% of patients were diagnosed with localized disease. In contrast, the proportions of patients with lymph node and distant metastases were 27.5% and 2.1% at diagnosis, respectively. The proportion of patients who were treated with chemotherapy as the first‐course treatment was significantly lower among elderly patients (≥80 years) with clinical stage III (27.6% vs 7.1%, P = 0.0312) and clinical stage IV (53.2% vs 14.3%, P = 0.0086).

Conclusions

Most penile cancer patients in Japan are diagnosed with usual‐type squamous cell carcinoma, and those with human papilloma virus‐related squamous cell carcinomas are <1%. Chemotherapy for advanced penile cancer is administered less in Japanese elderly (≥80 years) patients.
Single‐phase and binary phase nanogranular ferrites for magnetic hyperthermia application
Authors: Thandapani Prabhakaran , Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja , Vinícius‐Araújo Marcus , Bakuzis Andris F. , Béron Fanny , Thirumurugan Arun , Denardin Juliano C. , Jiménez Jose A. , Akbari‐Fakhrabadi Ali
Published: April 2020

The study demonstrates the performance of heating efficiency in single‐phase and binary phase spinel ferrite nanosystems. Ferrimagnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) (CFO) and superparamagnetic copper ferrite/copper oxide (CuFe2O4/CuO) (CuF) nanosystems of different particle sizes were synthesized through a microwave‐assisted coprecipitation method. The heating behavior was observed in range of both field amplitudes (8‐24 kA/m at 516 kHz) and frequencies (325‐973 kHz at 12 kA/m). The heating efficiency was analyzed and compared by means of particle size, magnetization, effective anisotropy constant, and Néel relaxation mechanism. Indeed, the heating rate was maximized in larger ferrite particles with low effective anisotropy constant. Moreover, though the magnetization and effective anisotropy constant of single‐phase CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were higher, the binary phase CuFe2O4/CuO nanosystems of similar crystallite size (28 nm) exhibited superior heating efficiency (4.21°C/s). For a field amplitude and frequency of 24 kA/m and 516 kHz, the heating rate of CuF and CFO ferrites with different crystallite sizes decreased in the order of 4.21 > 2.14 > 0.58 > 0.52°C/s for 29 nm > 25 nm > 12 nm > 15 nm, respectively. The results emphasize that binary phase ferrite nanoparticles are better thermoseeds than the single‐phase ferrites for the magnetic hyperthermia application.
Do nurses rate diseases according to prestige? A survey study
Authors: Johannessen Lars E. F. , Album Dag , Rasmussen Erik B.
Published: April 2020

Aims

To see whether nurses rate diseases according to prestige and, if so, how their ratings compare to the disease prestige hierarchy previously uncovered among physicians.

Design

Cross‐sectional survey.

Methods

In 2014, 122 nurses in a continuing education programme for healthcare personnel in Norway rated a sample of 38 diseases according to how prestigious they see these as being among healthcare workers in general.

Results

The nurses were found to rank myocardial infarction, leukaemia, and brain stroke at the top of the prestige hierarchy and depressive neurosis, anxiety neurosis, and fibromyalgia at the bottom. Their rankings overlap significantly with those previously documented for physicians and suggest that nurses assess the diseases through a ‘cure’ rather than a ‘care’ perspective on health care.

Conclusion

The nurses ordered diseases in a prestige hierarchy and their rankings are strikingly like those of physicians. The findings are of significant relevance to nursing practice and set a new course for future research into prestige and nursing culture.

Impact

The findings should encourage nurses – individually and collectively – to reflect on whether and how notions of disease prestige influence their decision‐making. By showing that nurses as well as physicians are able to rate diseases according to prestige, the study suggests new avenues for future disease prestige research.
Loganin alleviates testicular damage and germ cell apoptosis induced by AGEs upon diabetes mellitus by suppressing the RAGE/p38MAPK/NF‐κB pathway
Authors: Chen Yuping , Jiao Ni , Jiang Ming , Liu Liping , Zhu Yihui , Wu Hongyan , Chen Jing , Fu Yingxue , Du Qiu , Xu Huiqin , Sun Jihu
Published: April 2020

Diabetes mellitus (DM) damages male reproduction at multiple levels, such as endocrine secretion, spermatogenesis and penile erection. We herein investigated the protective effects and mechanism of loganin targeting the advanced glycation end products (AGEs)/receptor for AGEs (RAGE)/p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38MAPK)/NF‐κB signalling pathway. Loganin relieved the general DM symptoms and decreased the blood glucose level of KK‐Ay DM mice. Haematoxylin‐eosin staining demonstrated that loganin ameliorated testicular histology and function and enhanced the activities of testis‐specific markers lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), acid phosphatase (ACP) and gamma‐glutamyl transferase (γ‐GT). Loganin also showed evident anti‐oxidative stress, anti‐apoptotic and anti‐inflammatory effects on DM‐induced reproductive damage by restoring glutathione (GSH) level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, as well as reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and Bax/Bcl‐2 ratio in vivo and in vitro. Western blotting exhibited that loganin significantly inhibited the AGEs/RAGE/p38MAPK/NF‐κB signalling pathway. Acridine orange and ethidium bromide staining (AOEB) and Western blotting showed that loganin in combination with inhibitors of RAGE, p38MAPK and NF‐κB exerted stronger anti‐apoptotic effects on AGE‐induced GC‐2 cell damage compared with loganin alone. In conclusion, loganin can protect against DM‐induced reproductive damage, probably by suppressing the AGEs/RAGE/p38MAPK/NF‐κB pathway.
Extracellular S100A4 as a key player in fibrotic diseases
Authors: Li Zhenzhen , Li Yanan , Liu Shuangqing , Qin Zhihai
Published: April 2020

Fibrosis is characterized by fibroblast activation, extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation and infiltration of inflammatory cells that sometimes leads to irreversible organ dysfunction. Considerable evidence now indicates that inflammation plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of organ fibrosis. S100A4 protein, a ubiquitous member of the S100 family, has recently been discovered as a potential factor implicated in fibrotic diseases. S100A4 protein is released at inflammatory site and has a certain biological function to promote cell motility, invasion, ECM remodelling, autophagy and angiogenesis. In addition, extracellular S100A4 is also a potential causation of inflammatory processes and induces the release of cytokines and growth factors under different pathological conditions. Elevated S100A4 level in patients’ serum closely correlates with disease activity in several fibrotic diseases and serves as a useful biomarker for diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. Analyses of knockout mouse models have identified a functional role of extracellular S100A4 protein in fibrotic diseases, suggesting that suppressing its expression, release or function might be a promising therapeutic strategy. This review will focus on the role of extracellular S100A4 as a key regulator of pro‐inflammatory signalling pathways and its relative biological processes involved in the pathogenesis of fibrosis.
Methyltransferase‐like 3‐mediated N6‐methyladenosine modification of miR‐7212‐5p drives osteoblast differentiation and fracture healing
Authors: Mi Bobin , Xiong Yuan , Yan Chenchen , Chen Lang , Xue Hang , Panayi Adriana C. , Hu Liangcong , Hu Yiqiang , Zhou Wu , Cao Faqi , Liu Guohui
Published: April 2020

N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been reported in various diseases and implicated in increasing numbers of biological processes. However, previous studies have not focused on the role of m6A modification in fracture healing. Here, we demonstrated that m6A modifications are decreased during fracture healing and that methyltransferase‐like 3 (METTL3) is the main factor involved in the abnormal changes in m6A modifications. Down‐regulation of METTL3 promotes osteogenic processes both in vitro and in vivo, and this effect is recapitulated by the suppression of miR‐7212‐5p maturation. Further studies have shown that miR‐7212‐5p inhibits osteoblast differentiation in MC3T3‐E1 cells by targeting FGFR3. The present study demonstrated an important role of the METTL3/miR‐7212‐5p/FGFR3 axis and provided new insights on m6A modification in fracture healing.
Growth trajectories of prenatal embryos of the deep‐sea shark Chlamydoselachus anguineus (Chondrichthyes)
Authors: López‐Romero Faviel A. , Klimpfinger Claudia , Tanaka Sho , Kriwet Jürgen
Published: April 2020

Chlamydoselachus anguineus, Garman 1884, commonly called the frilled shark, is a deep‐sea shark species occurring up to depths of 1300 m. It is assumed to represent an ancient morphotype of sharks (e.g., terminal mouth opening, more than five gill slits) and thus is often considered to represent plesiomorphic traits for sharks. Therefore, its early ontogenetic developmental traits are important for understanding the evolution of its particular phenotype. Here, we established six stages for prenatal embryos and used linear measurements and geometric morphometrics to analyse changes in shape and size as well as their timing during different embryonic stages. Our results show a change in head shape and a relocation of the mouth opening at a late stage of development. We also detected a negative allometric growth of the head and especially the eye compared to the rest of the body and a sexual dimorphism in total body length, which differs from the known data for adults. A multivariate analysis of covariance shows a significant interaction of shape related to the logarithm of centroid size and developmental stage. Geometric morphometrics results indicate that the head shape changes as a covariate of body size while not accounting for differences between sexes. The growth pattern of stages 32 and 33 indicates a shift in head shape, thus highlighting the moment in development when the jaws start to elongate anteriorly to finally achieve the adult condition of terminal mouth opening rather than retaining the early embryonic subterminal position as is typical for sharks. Thus, the antero‐terminal mouth opening of the frilled shark has to be considered a derived feature.
Digital scanned laser light‐sheet fluorescence lifetime microscopy with wide‐field time‐gated imaging
Authors: LI R. , LIU A. , WU T. , XIAO W. , TANG LI , CHEN LINGLING
Published: April 2020

We develop a multidimensional fluorescence imaging technique by implementing a wide‐field time‐gated fluorescence lifetime imaging into digital scanned laser light‐sheet microscopy (FLIM‐DSLM) to measure 3D fluorescence lifetime distribution in mesoscopic specimens with high resolution. This is achieved by acquiring a series of time‐gated images at different relative time delays with respect of excitation pulses at different depths. The lifetime is determined for each voxel by iteratively fitting to single exponential decay. The performance of the developed system is evaluated with the measurements of a lifetime reference Rhodamine 6G solution and a subresolution fluorescent bead phantom. We also demonstrate the application performances of this system to ex vivo and in vivo imaging of Tg(kdrl:EGFP) transgenic zebrafish embryos, illustrating the lifetime differences between the GFP signal and the autofluorescence signal. The results show that FLIM‐DSLM can be used for sample size up to a few millimetres and can be utilised as a powerful and robust method for biomedical research, for example as a readout of protein–protein interactions via Förster resonance energy transfer.
Synaptic withdrawal following nerve injury is influenced by postnatal maturity, muscle‐specific properties, and the presence of underlying pathology in mice
Authors: Mole Alannah J. , Bell Sarah , Thomson Alison K. , Dissanayake Kosala N. , Ribchester Richard R. , Murray Lyndsay M.
Published: April 2020

Axonal and synaptic degeneration occur following nerve injury and during disease. Traumatic nerve injury results in rapid fragmentation of the distal axon and loss of synaptic terminals, in a process known as Wallerian degeneration (WD). Identifying and understanding factors that influence the rate of WD is of significant biological and clinical importance, as it will facilitate understanding of the mechanisms of neurodegeneration and identification of novel therapeutic targets. Here, we investigate levels of synaptic loss following nerve injury under a range of conditions, including during postnatal development, in a range of anatomically distinct muscles and in a mouse model of motor neuron disease. By utilising an ex vivo model of nerve injury, we show that synaptic withdrawal is slower during early postnatal development. Significantly more neuromuscular junctions remained fully innervated in the cranial nerve/muscle preparations analysed at P15 than at P25. Furthermore, we demonstrate variability in the level of synaptic withdrawal in response to injury in different muscles, with retraction being slower in abdominal preparations than in cranial muscles across all time points analysed. Importantly, differences between the cranial and thoracoabdominal musculature seen here are not consistent with differences in muscle vulnerability that have been previously reported in mouse models of the childhood motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), caused by depletion of survival motor neuron protein (Smn). To further investigate the relationship between synaptic degeneration in SMA and WD, we induced WD in preparations from the Smn2B/− mouse model of SMA. In a disease‐resistant muscle (rostral band of levator auris longus), where there is minimal denervation, there was no change in the level of synaptic loss, which suggests that the process of synaptic withdrawal following injury is Smn‐independent. However, in a muscle with ongoing degeneration (transvs. abdominis), the level of synaptic loss significantly increased, with the percentage of denervated endplates increasing by 33% following injury, compared to disease alone. We therefore conclude that the presence of a die‐back can accelerate synaptic loss after injury in Smn2B/− mice.
Saudi Teachers’ Perceptions of In‐Service Education and Training Addressing Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Abed Mohaned G. , Shackelford Todd K.
Published: April 2020

Worldwide, 3.0–7.0 percent of school‐aged children meet criteria for a diagnosis of Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In Saudi Arabia, ADHD appears to be more prevalent than the worldwide average, with estimates of 12.6–16.7 percent. Unfortunately, there is a relative dearth of research addressing ADHD and related training programs in Saudi Arabia. We investigated perceptions of teachers in Saudi elementary schools regarding current In‐Service Education and Training (INSET) programs addressing students diagnosed with ADHD. We interviewed 40 teachers (15 women and 25 men) from public elementary schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The findings highlight the need to develop INSET programs specifically addressing best practices for managing and educating students diagnosed with ADHD.