bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlations of Postural Stability to Proprioception, Tactile Sensation, and Strength Among People With Chronic Ankle Instability
Authors: Liu Yanhao , Song Qipeng , Liu Ziyin , Dong Shiyu , Hiller Claire , Fong Daniel T.P. , Shen Peixin
Published: July 2024

Objectives: The static and dynamic correlations of postural stability to its three potential contributors, namely, proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength remain unclear among people with chronic ankle instability (CAI). This study aimed to compare static and dynamic postural stability, along with proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength between people with and without CAI and explore their correlations. Methods: Sixty-seven participants with CAI and 67 participants without CAI were enrolled in this study. Ankle proprioception, plantar tactile sensation, and lower limb strength were measured by a proprioception test device, a set of monofilaments, and a strength testing system, respectively. Static and dynamic postural stability were measured during standing and jump landing on a force plate and indicated by the root mean square of center of pressure and time to stability. Results: Compared to people without CAI, people with CAI had poorer postural stability, proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength. Both groups demonstrated correlation between proprioception and static postural stability, but only people without CAI showed correlation between proprioception and dynamic postural stability. Both groups demonstrated a correlation between tactile sensation and static postural stability, but not with dynamic stability. Both groups demonstrated a correlation between strength and both static and dynamic postural stability. Conclusions: People with CAI had deficits in static and dynamic postural stability, proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength. Among people with CAI, proprioception, tactile sensation, and strength can help maintain static postural stability; strength can help maintain dynamic postural stability, whereas proprioception may not provide sufficient information for dynamic postural stability.
The metal-binding GTPases CobW2 and CobW3 are at the crossroads of zinc and cobalt homeostasis in
Cupriavidus metallidurans
Authors: Galea Diana , Herzberg Martin , Nies Dietrich H.
Published: July 2024

The metal-resistant beta-proteobacterium
Cupriavidus metallidurans
is also able to survive conditions of metal starvation. We show that zinc-starved cells can substitute some of the required zinc with cobalt but not with nickel ions. The zinc importer ZupT was necessary for this process but was not essential for either zinc or cobalt import. The cellular cobalt content was also influenced by the two COG0523-family proteins, CobW2 and CobW3. Pulse-chase experiments with radioactive and isotope-enriched zinc demonstrated that both proteins interacted with ZupT to control the cellular flow-equilibrium of zinc, a central process of zinc homeostasis. Moreover, an antagonistic interplay of CobW2 and CobW3 in the presence of added cobalt caused a growth defect in mutant cells devoid of the cobalt efflux system DmeF. Full cobalt resistance also required a synergistic interaction of ZupT and DmeF. Thus, the two transporters along with CobW2 and CobW3 interact to control cobalt homeostasis in a process that depends on zinc availability. Because ZupT, CobW2, and CobW3 also direct zinc homeostasis, this process links the control of cobalt and zinc homeostasis, which subsequently protects
C. metallidurans
against cadmium stress and general metal starvation.

IMPORTANCE

In bacterial cells, zinc ions need to be allocated to zinc-dependent proteins without disturbance of this process by other transition metal cations. Under zinc-starvation conditions,
C. metallidurans
floods the cell with cobalt ions, which protect the cell against cadmium toxicity, help withstand metal starvation, and provide cobalt to metal-promiscuous paralogs of essential zinc-dependent proteins. The number of cobalt ions needs to be carefully controlled to avoid a toxic cobalt overload. This is accomplished by an interplay of the zinc importer ZupT with the COG0523-family proteins, CobW3, and CobW2. At high external cobalt concentrations, this trio of proteins additionally interacts with the cobalt efflux system, DmeF, so that these four proteins form an inextricable link between zinc and cobalt homeostasis.
Host-induced cell wall remodeling impairs opsonophagocytosis of
Staphylococcus aureus
by neutrophils
Authors: Ledger Elizabeth V. K. , Edwards Andrew M.
Published: July 2024

The bacterial pathogen
Staphylococcus aureus
responds to the host environment by increasing the thickness of its cell wall. However, the impact of cell wall thickening on susceptibility to host defenses is unclear. Using bacteria incubated in human serum, we show that host-induced increases in cell wall thickness led to a reduction in the exposure of bound antibody and complement and a corresponding reduction in phagocytosis and killing by neutrophils. The exposure of opsonins bound to protein antigens or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) was most significantly reduced, while opsonization by IgG against wall teichoic acid or peptidoglycan was largely unaffected. Partial digestion of accumulated cell wall using the enzyme lysostaphin restored opsonin exposure and promoted phagocytosis and killing. Concordantly, the antibiotic fosfomycin inhibited cell wall remodeling and maintained the full susceptibility of
S. aureus
to opsonophagocytic killing by neutrophils. These findings reveal that host-induced changes to the
S. aureus
cell wall reduce the ability of the immune system to detect and kill this pathogen through reduced exposure of protein- and LTA-bound opsonins.

IMPORTANCE

Understanding how bacteria adapt to the host environment is critical in determining fundamental mechanisms of immune evasion, pathogenesis, and the identification of targets for new therapeutic approaches. Previous work demonstrated that
Staphylococcus aureus
remodels its cell envelope in response to host factors and we hypothesized that this may affect recognition by antibodies and thus killing by immune cells. As expected, incubation of
S. aureus
in human serum resulted in rapid binding of antibodies. However, as bacteria adapted to the serum, the increase in cell wall thickness resulted in a significant reduction in exposure of bound antibodies. This reduced antibody exposure, in turn, led to reduced killing by human neutrophils. Importantly, while antibodies bound to some cell surface structures became obscured, this was not the case for those bound to wall teichoic acid, which may have important implications for vaccine design.
Lip and tongue biting in patients with a brain injury: a practical guide
Authors: Parsons Lily , Doshi Mili , Rice Carmel
Published: July 2024

Patients who have sustained a profound brain injury often bite their lips and tongue, damaging their oral tissues. Lip and tongue biting usually occurs in patients with atypical oral reflexes and can lead to severe trauma to soft tissues, resulting in pain, lacerations, swelling, bleeding, ulceration and difficulties providing oral care. Due to the prevalence of lip and tongue biting, healthcare professionals involved in their care must be aware of the presentation, prevention and management, and when and how to refer to dental services.
Topical menthol for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: a randomised controlled trial in breast cancer
Authors: Ozdemir Deniz , Arslan Selda , Artac Mehmet , Karaarslan Fatih
Published: July 2024

Objectives

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) symptom is one of the side effects of paclitaxel in breast cancer patients. This randomised controlled study was conducted to investigate the effect of topical menthol applied on the hands and feet of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy on CIPN symptoms.

Methods

60 breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=30), which received topical menthol treatment, or a control group (n=30), which received standard care. Both groups continued their routine pharmacological treatments throughout the study. The intervention group applied 1% menthol topically to their hands and feet two times a day. The effect of the intervention on CIPN symptoms was evaluated 3 weeks and 6 weeks after the intervention.

Results

The intervention group showed a significantly greater improvement in CIPN symptoms over time compared with the control group, with an effect size of η2=0.214 for the group×time interaction. Additionally, the intervention group exhibited a notable positive change in the exposure subscale of the CIPN rating scale, with an effect size of η2=0.114.

Conclusions

Topical application of menthol significantly mitigates the symptoms of CIPN in breast cancer patients. This study supports the use of menthol as an effective adjunctive treatment for CIPN.

Trial registration number

NCT05429814.
Detailed study of the decay of $$^{21}$$Mg
Authors: Jensen E. A. M. , Nielsen S. T. , Andreyev A. , Borge M. J. G. , Cederkäll J. , Fraile L. M. , Fynbo H. O. U. , Harkness-Brennan L. J. , Jonson B. , Judson D. S. , Kirsebom O. S. , Lică R. , Lund M. V. , Madurga M. , Marginean N. , Mihai C. , Page R. D. , Perea A. , Riisager K. , Tengblad O.
Published: July 2024

Beta-delayed proton and gamma emission in the decay of $$^{21}$$

21

Mg has been measured at ISOLDE, CERN with the ISOLDE Decay Station (IDS) set-up. The existing decay scheme is updated, in particular what concerns proton transitions to excited states in $$^{20}$$

20

Ne. Signatures of interference in several parts of the spectrum are used to settle spin and parity assignments to highly excited states in $$^{21}$$

21

Na. The previously reported $$\beta $$
β
p$$\alpha $$
α
branch is confirmed. A half-life of 120.5(4) ms is extracted for $$^{21}$$

21

Mg. The revised decay scheme is employed to test mirror symmetry in the decay and to extract the beta strength distribution of $$^{21}$$

21

Mg that is compared with theory.
Numerical implementation of evolution equations for twist-3 collinear PDFs
Authors: Rodini Simone , Rossi Lorenzo , Vladimirov Alexey
Published: July 2024

Twist-3 collinear parton distribution functions (PDFs) are matrix elements of quark-gluon-quark or three-gluons light-cone operators. They depend on three momentum fraction variables, which are restricted to a hexagon region, and the evolution kernels are defined via two-dimensional convolution in these variables. We present the numerical realisation of the twist-3 evolution equations at leading order in the strong coupling for all kinds of twist-3 PDF (quark, gluon, chiral-even/odd, etc). We provide two independent codes (in C and Fortran) that have been extensively cross-checked, and are ready-to-use. We supplement the paper with a review of known properties of twist-3 PDFs.
Mixing “Magnetic” and “Electric” Ehlers–Harrison transformations: the electromagnetic swirling spacetime and novel type I backgrounds
Authors: Barrientos José , Cisterna Adolfo , Kolář Ivan , Müller Keanu , Oyarzo Marcelo , Pallikaris Konstantinos
Published: July 2024

In this paper, we obtain a complete list of stationary and axisymmetric spacetimes, generated from a Minkowski spacetime using the Ernst technique. We do so by operating on the associated seed potentials with a composition of Ehlers and Harrison transformations. In particular, assigning an additional “electric” or “magnetic” tag to the transformations, we investigate the new spacetimes obtained either via a composition of magnetic Ehlers and Harrison transformations (first part) or via a magnetic-electric combination (second part). In the first part, the resulting type D spacetime, dubbed electromagnetic swirling universe, features key properties, separately found in swirling and (Bonnor–)Melvin spacetimes, the latter recovered in appropriate limits. A detailed analysis of the geometry is included, and subtle issues are addressed. A detailed proof that the spacetime belongs to the Kundt family, is included, and a notable relation to the5 planar-Reissner–Nordström-NUT black hole is also meticulously worked out. This relation is further exploited to reverse-engineer the form of the solution in the presence of a nontrivial cosmological constant. A Schwarzschild black hole embedded into the new background is also discussed. In the second part, we present four novel stationary and axisymmetric asymptotically nonflat type I spacetimes, which are naively expected to be extensions of the Melvin or swirling solution including a NUT parameter or electromagnetic charges. We actually find that they are, under conditions, free of curvature and topological singularities, with the physical meaning of the electric transformation parameters in these backgrounds requiring further investigation.
Mass formulas for supergravity black holes with string singularities
Authors: Bogush Igor , Clément Gérard , Gal’tsov Dmitri
Published: July 2024

We extend the derivation of mass formulas for stationary axisymmetric asymptotically locally flat solutions with string singularities on the polar axis to general supergravity actions containing vector and scalar fields. It is based on the rod structure of the solutions in Weyl coordinates and is applicable to black holes with Dirac and Misner strings. The obtained formulas differ from the corresponding ones in Einstein–Maxwell theory only by summation over all independent electric charges.
Monte Carlo evaluation of divergent one-loop integrals without contour deformation
Authors: Pittau Roberto
Published: July 2024

Reference (Pittau and Webber in Eur Phys J C 82(1):55,  https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10008-6, 2022) introduces a method for computing numerically four-dimensional multi-loop integrals without performing an explicit analytic contour deformation around threshold singularities. In this paper, we extend such a technique to massless scalar one-loop integrals regularized in the framework of dimensional regularization. A two-loop example is also discussed.
The role of pressure anisotropy on quark stars in gravity’s rainbow
Authors: Banerjee Ayan , Pradhan Anirudh , Dayanandan B. , Ali Akram
Published: July 2024

This work is seeking for the existence of stable quark stars (QSs) in the framework of a modified theory of gravity known as gravity’s rainbow. This modification comes from the fact that the geometry of spacetime depends on the energy of the test particle. We solve numerically the modified TOV equations and present the mass–radius (M–R) diagram for quark matter equations of state. To constrain the allowed values of the model parameters, we use current astrophysical measurements of the masses and radii of neutron stars. Finally, we investigate the dynamical stability of the hydrostatic equilibrium equations in gravity’s rainbow by analyzing the static stability, adiabatic index, and sound velocity profiles.
Managing a potential conflict between the protection of geological sites and the need to safeguard essential road infrastructure: the Coverack North Coast Protection Scheme and palaeo-Moho in Cornwall, UK
Authors: Holme Andrew
Published: July 2024

In alignment with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Shoreline Management Plan (SMP2), adopted by Cornwall Council, the Coverack North Coast Protection Scheme comprised the construction of a
c.
125 m-long rock armour revetment, and 55 m-long retaining wall, at Coverack Cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, UK. This was to prevent sea erosion impacting vehicle access via the B3294, the main public highway into Coverack.

The site of the proposed works on Coverack Beach is part of a Natural England designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its geology, specifically the exposure on the foreshore of an almost continuous cross-section of a palaeo-Moho, the former boundary between the Earth's crust and underlying mantle.

Following a period of consultation, a set of management proposals and mitigation measures were agreed with Natural England and Cornwall Council to protect and offset the impact of the proposed works on the SSSI asset.

It can be difficult to reconcile the issue of protecting communities from coastal erosion and ensuring the protection of geological assets. However, this can be mitigated if a balanced approach is adopted, and the work is sensitively managed to offset the impact of coastal protection schemes such as this.
From SSDs Back to HDDs: Optimizing VDO to Support Inline Deduplication and Compression for HDDs as Primary Storage Media
Authors: Raaf Patrick , Brinkmann André , Borba Eric , Asadi Hossein , Narasimhamurthy Sai , Bent John , El-Batal Mohamad , Salkhordeh Reza
Published: July 2024

Deduplication and compression are powerful techniques to reduce the ratio between the quantity of logical data stored and the physical amount of consumed storage. Deduplication can impose significant performance overheads, as duplicate detection for large systems induces random accesses to the backend storage. These random accesses have led to the concern that deduplication for primary storage and HDDs are not compatible. Most inline data reduction solutions are therefore optimized for SSDs and discourage their use for HDDs, even for sequential workloads.

In this work, we show that these concerns are valid if and only if the lessons learned from deduplication research are not applied. We have therefore investigated data reduction solutions for primary storage based on the RedHat Virtual Disk Optimizer (VDO) and show that directly applying them can decrease sequential write performance for HDDs by 36×. We then show that slight modifications to VDO plus the integration of a very small SSD area significantly improve performance even beyond the performance without data reduction enabled, making HDDs more cost-efficient for a wide range of mostly sequential cloud workloads than SSDs. Additionally, these VDO optimizations do not require to maintain different code bases for HDDs and SSDs, and we therefore provide the first data reduction solution applicable to both storage media.
Dynamic Matching with Better-than-2 Approximation in Polylogarithmic Update Time
Authors: Bhattacharya Sayan , Kiss Peter , Saranurak Thatchaphol , Wajc David
Published: July 2024

We present dynamic algorithms with
polylogarithmic
update time for estimating the size of the maximum matching of a graph undergoing edge insertions and deletions with approximation ratio
strictly better than 2
. Specifically, we obtain a

\(1+\tfrac{1}{\sqrt {2}}+\epsilon \approx 1.707+\epsilon\)

approximation in bipartite graphs and a

\(1.973+\epsilon\)

approximation in general graphs. We thus answer in the affirmative the value version of the major open question repeatedly asked in the dynamic graph algorithms literature. Our randomized algorithms’ approximation and worst-case update time bounds both hold w.h.p. against adaptive adversaries.

Our algorithms are based on simulating new two-pass streaming matching algorithms in the dynamic setting. Our key new idea is to invoke the recent sublinear-time matching algorithm of Behnezhad (FOCS’21) in a white-box manner to efficiently simulate the second pass of our streaming algorithms, while bypassing the well-known vertex-update barrier.
Virtual Empathy: Usability and Immersivity of a VR System for Enhancing Social Cohesion through Cultural Heritage
Authors: Lucifora Chiara , Schembri Massimiliano , Asprino Luigi , Follo Anna , Gangemi Aldo
Published: July 2024

In this article we describe and evaluate a VR application, designed with a novel approach that allows personalized interaction and a more immersive virtual experience. This VR system uses both a user-based methodology in which the user expresses his/her emotions by interacting directly with the environment; and an artificial intelligence-driven methodology that is based on automated language systems able to detect user emotion and moral values from verbal speech. In this study we evaluated the usability and immersivity of our system on a sample of 30 museum visitors. The results indicate that our application is easy and pleasant to use for visitors, and that positive assessments are significantly associated with the level of immersion and realism experienced within the virtual environment. Additionally, we found a low incidence of motion sickness among users.
Let’s Discover More API Relations: A Large Language Model-Based AI Chain for Unsupervised API Relation Inference
Authors: Huang Qing , Sun Yanbang , Xing Zhenchang , Cao Yuanlong , Chen Jieshan , Xu Xiwei , Jin Huan , Lu Jiaxing
Published: July 2024

APIs have intricate relations that can be described in text and represented as knowledge graphs to aid software engineering tasks. Existing relation extraction methods have limitations, such as limited API text corpus, and are affected by the characteristics of the input text. To address these limitations, we propose utilizing large language models (LLMs) (e.g., GPT-3.5) as a neural knowledge base for API relation inference. This approach leverages the entire Web used to pre-train LLMs as a knowledge base and is insensitive to the context and complexity of input texts. To ensure accurate inference, we design an AI chain consisting of three AI modules: API Fully Qualified Name (FQN) Parser, API Knowledge Extractor, and API Relation Decider. The accuracy of the API FQN Parser and API Relation Decider is 0.81 and 0.83, respectively. Using the generative capacity of the LLM and our approach’s inference capability, we achieve an average F1 value of 0.76 under the three datasets, significantly higher than the state-of-the-art method’s average F1 value of 0.40. Compared to the original CoT and modularized CoT methods, our AI chain design has improved the performance of API relation inference by 71% and 49%, respectively. Meanwhile, the prompt ensembling strategy enhances the performance of our approach by 32%. The API relations inferred by our method can be further organized into structured forms to provide support for other software engineering tasks.
The Composition of Earth's Lower Mantle
Authors: Murakami Motohiko , Khan Amir , Sossi Paolo A. , Ballmer Maxim D. , Saha Pinku
Published: July 2024

Determining the composition of Earth's lower mantle, which constitutes almost half of its total volume, has been a central goal in the Earth sciences for more than a century given the constraints it places on Earth's origin and evolution. However, whether the major element chemistry of the lower mantle, in the form of, e.g., Mg/Si ratio, is similar to or different from the upper mantle remains debated. Here we use a multidisciplinary approach to address the question of the composition of Earth's lower mantle and, in turn, that of bulk silicate Earth (crust and mantle) by considering the evidence provided by geochemistry, geophysics, mineral physics, and geodynamics. Geochemical and geodynamical evidence largely agrees, indicating a lower-mantle molar Mg/Si of ≥1.12 (≥1.15 for bulk silicate Earth), consistent with the rock record and accumulating evidence for whole-mantle stirring. However, mineral physics–informed profiles of seismic properties, based on a lower mantle made of bridgmanite and ferropericlase, point to Mg/Si ∼ 0.9–1.0 when compared with radial seismic reference models. This highlights the importance of considering the presence of additional minerals (e.g., calcium-perovskite and stishovite) and possibly suggests a lower mantle varying compositionally with depth. In closing, we discuss how we can improve our understanding of lower-mantle and bulk silicate Earth composition, including its impact on the light element budget of the core.
▪The chemical composition of Earth's lower mantle is indispensable for understanding its origin and evolution.▪Earth's lower-mantle composition is reviewed from an integrated mineral physics, geophysical, geochemical, and geodynamical perspective.▪A lower-mantle molar Mg/Si of ≥1.12 is favored but not unique.▪New experiments investigating compositional effects of bridgmanite and ferropericlase elasticity are needed to further our insight.
Weakly Supervised Deep Learning in Radiology
Authors: Misera Leo , Müller-Franzes Gustav , Truhn Daniel , Kather Jakob Nikolas
Published: July 2024

This review explores the transition of deep learning in radiology from laborious fully supervised methods to more scalable weakly supervised methods, emphasizing the potential and challenges for future research.
Monitoring Patients with Glioblastoma by Using a Large Language Model: Accurate Summarization of Radiology Reports with GPT-4
Authors: Laukamp Kai R. , Terzis Robert A. , Werner Jan-Michael , Galldiks Norbert , Lennartz Simon , Maintz David , Reimer Robert , Fervers Philipp , Gertz Roman Johannes , Persigehl Thorsten , Rubbert Christian , Lehnen Nils C. , Deuschl Cornelius , Schlamann Marc , Schönfeld Michael H. , Kottlors Jonathan
Published: July 2024

The large language model Generative Pretrained Transformer 4th-generation model (GPT-4; OpenAI) allows for the creation of summaries and graphic representations of the course of disease from the reports of various MRI examinations in patients with glioblastomas.
Screening Outcomes of Mammography with AI in Dense Breasts: A Comparative Study with Supplemental Screening US
Authors: Ha Su Min , Jang Myoung-jin , Youn Inyoung , Yoen Heera , Ji Hye , Lee Su Hyun , Yi Ann , Chang Jung Min
Published: July 2024

Supplemental screening US demonstrated additional node-negative early breast cancers that were overlooked by mammography and artificial intelligence in women with dense breasts, while increasing false-positive findings.
Endogenous glucocorticoids are required for normal macrophage activation and gastric Helicobacter pylori immunity
Authors: Khadka Stuti , Dziadowicz Sebastian A. , Xu Xiaojiang , Wang Lei , Hu Gangqing , Carrero Javier A. , DiPaolo Richard J. , Busada Jonathan T.
Published: July 2024

Signaling by endogenous glucocorticoids primes macrophages toward more robust responses to pathogens. Disruption of glucocorticoid signaling caused dysregulation of the chromatin landscape, blunted proinflammatory gene activation upon bacterial challenge, and impaired the gastric inflammatory response to Helicobacter pylori infection.
Acquired dysfunction of CFTR underlies cystic fibrosis-like disease of the canine gallbladder
Authors: Gookin Jody L. , Holmes Jenny , Clarke Lane L. , Stauffer Stephen H. , Meredith Bryanna , Vandewege Michael W. , Torres-Machado Nicole , Friedenberg Steven G. , Seiler Gabriela S. , Mathews Kyle G. , Meurs Kathryn
Published: July 2024

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulatory protein (CFTR) genomic variants and expression of mRNA, protein, and electrogenic anion secretory activity of CFTR were characterized in dog gallbladder. Acquired inhibition of CFTR expression by gallbladder epithelium was identified as underpinning a naturally occurring muco-obstructive disease of the dog gallbladder that bears striking pathological similarity to animal models of cystic fibrosis.
Generalization of Beckmann’s Transformation for Traffic Assignment Models with Asymmetric Cost Functions
Authors: Marechal Matthieu , de Grange Louis
Published: July 2024

An optimization model is developed to solve the deterministic traffic assignment problem under congested transport networks with cost functions that have an asymmetric Jacobian. The proposed formulation is a generalization of Beckmann’s transformation that can incorporate network links with multivariate vector cost functions to capture the asymmetric interactions between the flows and costs of the different links. The objective function is built around a line integral that generalizes the simple definite integral in Beckmann’s transformation and is parameterised to ensure the solution of the new problem satisfies Wardrop’s first principle of network equilibrium. It is shown that this method is equivalent to the variational inequality approach. Our new approach could be extended to supply‐demand equilibria models in other markets than transportation, with complementary or substitute goods/services in which there are asymmetric interactions between prices.
Abortion and Lethal Septicaemia in Sows Caused by a Non‐ST194 Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus
Authors: Albert Ervin , Kis István Emil , Kiss Krisztián , K-Jánosi Katalin , de Oliveira Costa Matheus , Tolnai György , Biksi Imre
Published: July 2024

Outbreaks of zoonotic Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) have caused severe epidemics in the pig sector since the 1970s in Southeastern Asia, China, and more recently North America. Cases of high mortality caused by peracute septicaemia were all attributed to strains of a highly virulent clonal lineage belonging to the sequence type (ST) 194. In Europe, only two outbreaks have been reported with similar features, caused by other sequence types. In August 2023, a febrile disease followed by abortion and subsequent death was observed among sows kept in a small‐scale organic pig farm in West Hungary. Symptoms, pathological lesions, and microbiological findings were suggestive of septicaemia from bacterial origin caused by SEZ. According to the results of the routine laboratory testing, no other relevant infectious agents were involved. Whole‐genome sequence analysis assigned the examined strains to ST138, unrelated to any of the European isolates. It also revealed a few common SEZ virulence genes, compared to the highly virulent ST194 strains. A sudden weather change and subsequent extremely high average daily temperature before the outbreak could be identified as the only predisposing factor. The immediate antibiotic treatment and applied biosecurity measures might have helped to restrict and terminate the outbreak. To our knowledge, this is the first report on abortion and lethal septicaemia in sows from Central and Eastern Europe. The results call attention to the potential of non‐ST194 SEZ strains to cause outbreaks in pig farms.
Methazolamide Can Treat Atherosclerosis by Increasing Immunosuppressive Cells and Decreasing Expressions of Genes Related to Proinflammation, Calcification, and Tissue Remodeling
Authors: Zhou Hongji , Zhang Rui , Li Min , Wang Fuyan , Gao Yuxia , Fang Kehua , Zong Jinbao , Chang Xiaotian
Published: July 2024

It has been reported that carbonic anhydrase I (CA1) is a target for the diagnosis and therapy of atherosclerosis (AS) since CA1 can promote AS aortic calcification. We also found that methazolamide (MTZ), a drug for glaucoma treatment and an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrases, can treat AS by inhibiting calcification in aortic tissues. This study focused on the therapeutic mechanism of MTZ and the pathogenic mechanism of AS. In this study, a routine AS animal model was established in ApoE−/− mice, which were treated with MTZ. The aortic tissues were analyzed using single‐cell sequencing. MTZ significantly increased the proportions of B‐1/MZB B cells with high expressions of Nr4A1 and Ccr7, CD8+CD122+ Treg‐like cells with high Nr4A1 expression, and smooth muscle cells with high Tpm2 expression. These cells or their marker genes were reported to exert immunosuppressive, anti‐proinflammatory, and atheroprotective effects. MTZ also decreased the proportions of endothelial cells with high expressions of Retn, Apoc1, Lcn2, Mt1, Serpina3, Lpl, and Lgals3; nonclassical CD14+CD16++ monocytes with high expressions of Mt1, Tyrobp, Lgals3, and Cxcl2; and Spp1+ macrophages with high expressions of Mmp‐12, Trem2, Mt1, Lgals3, Cxcl2, and Lpl. These cells or their marker genes have been reported to promote inflammation, calcification, tissue remodeling, and atherogenesis. A significant decrease in the proportion of CD8+CD183 (CXCR3)+ T cells, the counterpart of murine CD8+CD122+ T cells, was detected in the peripheral blood of newly diagnosed AS patients rather than in that of patients receiving anti‐AS treatments. These results suggest that MTZ can treat AS by increasing immunosuppressive cells and decreasing expressions of genes related to inflammation, calcification, and tissue remodeling.
“Making It Easier to Live, You Know?” A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Hoarding Behaviours and Social Networks on Older People’s Supported Housing Decisions
Authors: Murphy-Morgan Claire , Hodgson Philip , Pollet Thomas V. , Neave Nick
Published: July 2024

The decision to move from independent to supported housing is a key life decision. Research focusing on the potential barriers to transition to supported housing for people with hoarding behaviours and the impact of social networks on the decision‐making process is scarce. 16 participants, including 4 participants with hoarding behaviours, took part in in‐depth semistructured interviews providing information about their social networks, support received, their perceptions of supported housing, and their decisions made. Relatives and friends were the most widely reported networks of support for discussing supported housing options for participants both with and without hoarding behaviours. Three key themes were extracted from the dataset: Before the Move: Crisis and Stigma; During the Move: Possessions and Support; and After the Move: Supported Housing = a Bright Tomorrow. The data revealed stigmatised and negative perceptions of supported housing prior to moving, with a crisis event initiating the move in most cases. For people with hoarding behaviours, existing life traumas proved an additional barrier. All participants reported “moving day” as an acutely stressful event, and participants with hoarding behaviours reported greater stress and anxiety over possessions. All moved participants reported living in supported housing as a positive outcome. Three key considerations are apparent: awareness raising to combat stigmatised perceptions of supported housing; targeted support during the moving process to manage and pre‐empt problems; promoting supported housing as a positive environment and making participants, and their networks aware, potentially reducing the perceived impact of the move. Further research with a larger, and more socially and geographically diverse sample of individuals with and without hoarding behaviours, is recommended to further explore these considerations.
Diversity and Screening of Cellulolytic Microorganisms from Mangrove Forests, Natural Parks, Paddy Field, and Sugarcane Plantation in Panay Island, Philippines
Authors: Gatpatan Isabel Grace T. , Cabulong Rhudith B. , Sadaba Resurreccion B.
Published: July 2024

Cellulolytic microorganisms secrete cellulase, which plays a crucial role in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into value‐added products with diverse applications in industries, such as biofuel, healthcare, and agriculture. As the world transitions to a bioenergy future, cellulase demand is likely to expand. However, the high cost and low catalytic activity of cellulase hinder the commercialization of biorefineries. Searching for cellulase‐producing microorganisms in different environments through bioprospecting can aid in broadening the range of cellulases that are currently available. Meanwhile, the cellulolytic activity of marine microorganisms remains largely unexplored, making it difficult to compare the cellulolytic activity of terrestrial and marine environments. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the diversity and activity of culturable cellulolytic microorganisms in four terrestrial and three marine sites within Panay Island, Philippines. The results showed that the cellulolytic microbial load was tenfold higher in the terrestrial sites than in the marine sites, possibly due to the dynamic mangrove environment. Out of the 42 isolates with a high cellulolytic index (CI) of ≥3.0, 36 were from terrestrial and 6 from marine habitats. The CMCase, Avicelase, and FPase activities were then tested on the 18 isolates with the highest CI. It was observed that many isolates had a high CI, but few exhibited high enzyme activities. Marine isolates showed higher CMCase and Avicelase activities, with comparable FPase activity to their terrestrial counterparts. Isolates S1ACP6B from a sugarcane field and MS1OMP2A from a mangrove site exhibited the highest cellulase activities at 0.41 and 0.29 U/mg, respectively, and were identified as Enterobacter roggenkampii and Rhodococcus erythropolis, respectively. Among the 18 identified isolates, three are resistant to chloramphenicol and three isolates are potentially new species of Halomonas sp. MS1ACP1B, Albirhodobacter sp. MP2ACP3B, and Saccharomycetaceae sp. B1CZP10A. Overall, this study provides an insight on the composition of cellulolytic microbial load and their activities among various habitats.
Factors Affecting Consumer’s Intention to Use Electric Vehicles: Mediating Role of Awareness and Knowledge
Authors: Gupta Shantanu , Bansal Rohit , Bankoti Neha , Kar Sanjay Kumar , Mishra Saroj Kumar , Kaur Palvinder , Harichandan Sidharth
Published: July 2024

This paper explores the role of environmental consequences, perceived barriers, policy interventions, public opinions, and knowledge and awareness in using electric vehicles (EVs). We collected 506 responses about their intention to use the EVs to develop our hypothesis. This study uses knowledge and awareness of the EVs as mediating variables towards adopting the EVs and consumers’ residences as moderating variables. It also introduces several control variables in this proposed research model to measure the effect on the intention to use the EVs. In this research study, we test the importance‐performance map analysis and check Cohen’s f2 to identify a better output. The measurement and structural equation modelling results show that the environmental consequences are a stronger predictor of intention and policy interventions. The findings suggest that government policies can also have an attractive position in the EV segment. In addition, knowledge and awareness mediate the adoption of the EVs. Perceived barriers do not influence consumers to use an EV in India. We test the moderating role of residence with our construct and find a partial moderation role with policy intervention and public opinion. We introduce three self‐created constructs, i.e., intention to use, knowledge, and public opinion. Public opinion for the EVs supports consumers’ intention to use, and knowledge also plays a significant role in using EVs. These newly added constructs will be essential to manufacturers and policymakers while promoting EVs. Also, environmental consequences and policy interventions emerge as significant factors of user behaviour. The paper highlights the critical predictors of consumers’ intention to use the EVs. Thus, it helps society, policymakers, and managers formulate and implement schemes to boost EV purchasing.
Effectiveness of Community‐Based Multidisciplinary Integrated Care for Older Adults with General Practitioner Involvement: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Hayes Christina , Manning Molly , Fitzgerald Christine , Condon Brian , Griffin Anne , O’Connor Margaret , Glynn Liam , Robinson Katie , Galvin Rose
Published: July 2024

Background. Changing demographics has led to healthcare systems reorientating healthcare delivery towards the community setting and implementing integrated models of care worldwide. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of community‐based multidisciplinary integrated care strategies with general practitioner (GP) participation for community‐dwelling older adults and describes the level of care integration in each study. Methods. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Central Register of Controlled Trials in the Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE were systematically searched in February 2024. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster RCTs that focused on interventions for community‐dwelling older adults delivered by health and social care professionals with GPs were included. Two reviewers independently conducted the risk of bias assessment, applied the GRADE tool to quantify the certainty of evidence, and used the rainbow model of integrated care taxonomy to describe the elements of integrated care. Outcomes included functional status, healthcare utilisation, participant satisfaction with care, health‐related quality of life, mortality, nursing home admission, and adverse outcomes. Meta‐analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.4. Results. Twelve trials recruiting 8069 participants across 8 countries were included. Community‐based multidisciplinary team (MDT) integrated care demonstrated significant improvements in functional status (standardised mean difference (SMD): 0.21; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.05–0.37; low certainty evidence), hospitalisation (risk ratio (RR): 0.77; 95% CI: 0.63–0.95; very low certainty evidence), and participant satisfaction with care (SMD: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.15–0.76; low certainty evidence) from 12 to 36 months. No statistically significant effects favouring community‐based MDT interventions for functional status at 6‐month follow‐up, emergency department presentation, mortality, health‐related quality of life, or nursing home admission were established. Conclusion. Community‐based MDT integrated care with GP participation improves functional status, reduces hospitalisations, and increases patient satisfaction among community‐dwelling older adults in the long term. Future research should focus on models of integrated care that respond to the needs and preferences of older adults. This trial is registered with CRD42022309744.
Targeting Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells by Dual Inhibition of the Long Noncoding RNA HOTAIR and Lysine Methyltransferase EZH2
Authors: Wang Weini , Zhou Yanchi , Wang Ji , Zhang Shu , Ozes Ali , Gao Hongyu , Fang Fang , Wang Yue , Chu Xiaona , Liu Yunlong , Wan Jun , Mitra Anirban K. , O’Hagan Heather M. , Nephew Kenneth P.
Published: July 2024

The persistence of cancer stem cells (CSC) is believed to contribute to resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy and disease relapse in ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among US women. HOXC transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) is a long, noncoding RNA (lncRNA) overexpressed in high-grade serous ovarian cancer and linked to chemoresistance. However, HOTAIR impacts chromatin dynamics in ovarian CSCs. Oncogenic lncRNA’s contributions to drug-resistant disease are incompletely understood. Here, we generated HOTAIR knockout (KO) high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines using paired CRISPR guide RNA design to investigate the function of HOTAIR. We show the loss of HOTAIR function resensitized ovarian cancer cells to platinum treatment and decreased the population of ovarian CSCs. Furthermore, HOTAIR KO inhibited the development of stemness-related phenotypes, including spheroid formation ability and expression of key stemness-associated genes ALDH1A1, NOTCH3, SOX9, and PROM1. HOTAIR KO altered the cellular transcriptome and chromatin accessibility landscape of multiple oncogenic-associated genes and pathways, including the NF-kB pathway. HOTAIR functions as an oncogene by recruiting enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to catalyze H3K27 trimethylation to suppress downstream tumor suppressor genes, and it was of interest to inhibit both HOTAIR and EZH2. In vivo, combining a HOTAIR inhibitor with an EZH2 inhibitor and platinum chemotherapy decreased tumor formation and increased survival. These results suggest a key role for HOTAIR in ovarian CSCs and malignant potential. Targeting HOTAIR in combination with epigenetic therapies may represent a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate ovarian cancer progression and resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy.
Table 2 from A Phase II Trial of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in SETD2-Altered Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies (NCI 10170)
Authors: Maldonado Edward , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Takebe Naoko , Rodon Jordi , Mahalingam Devalingam , Trikalinos Nikolaos A. , Kalebasty Arash R. , Parikh Mamta , Boerner Scott A. , Balido Celene , Krings Gregor , Burns Timothy F. , Bergsland Emily K. , Munster Pamela N. , Ashworth Alan , LoRusso Patricia , Aggarwal Rahul R.
Published: July 2024

Treatment-emergent adverse events affecting ≥25% of patients
Table 1 from A Phase II Trial of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in SETD2-Altered Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies (NCI 10170)
Authors: Maldonado Edward , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Takebe Naoko , Rodon Jordi , Mahalingam Devalingam , Trikalinos Nikolaos A. , Kalebasty Arash R. , Parikh Mamta , Boerner Scott A. , Balido Celene , Krings Gregor , Burns Timothy F. , Bergsland Emily K. , Munster Pamela N. , Ashworth Alan , LoRusso Patricia , Aggarwal Rahul R.
Published: July 2024

Baseline characteristics, SETD2 mutations, co-occurring mutations, sites of metastases, and prior therapies
Figure 4 from A Phase II Trial of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in SETD2-Altered Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies (NCI 10170)
Authors: Maldonado Edward , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Takebe Naoko , Rodon Jordi , Mahalingam Devalingam , Trikalinos Nikolaos A. , Kalebasty Arash R. , Parikh Mamta , Boerner Scott A. , Balido Celene , Krings Gregor , Burns Timothy F. , Bergsland Emily K. , Munster Pamela N. , Ashworth Alan , LoRusso Patricia , Aggarwal Rahul R.
Published: July 2024

Progression-free survival (PFS) in solid tumor malignancies other than ccRCC (A) or in ccRCC (B). Dotted lines represent a 95% confidence interval.
Figure 3 from A Phase II Trial of the WEE1 Inhibitor Adavosertib in SETD2-Altered Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies (NCI 10170)
Authors: Maldonado Edward , Rathmell W. Kimryn , Shapiro Geoffrey I. , Takebe Naoko , Rodon Jordi , Mahalingam Devalingam , Trikalinos Nikolaos A. , Kalebasty Arash R. , Parikh Mamta , Boerner Scott A. , Balido Celene , Krings Gregor , Burns Timothy F. , Bergsland Emily K. , Munster Pamela N. , Ashworth Alan , LoRusso Patricia , Aggarwal Rahul R.
Published: July 2024

Best percentage change in tumor size in all evaluable patients in cohort A (Other Solid Tumors) and cohort B (ccRCC).
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor and Serotonin-Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitor Withdrawal Changes DSM Presentation of Mental Disorders: Results from the Diagnostic Clinical Interview for Drug Withdrawal
Authors: Cosci Fiammetta , Chouinard Virginie-Anne , Chouinard Guy
Published: July 2024

Introduction: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) may cause withdrawal at dose decrease, discontinuation, or switch. Current diagnostic methods (e.g., DSM) do not take such phenomenon into account. Using a new nosographic classification of withdrawal syndromes due to SSRI/SNRI decrease or discontinuation [by Psychother Psychosom. 2015;84(2):63–71], we explored whether DSM is adequate to identify DSM disorders when withdrawal occurs. Methods: Seventy-five self-referred patients with a diagnosis of withdrawal syndrome due to discontinuation of SSRI/SNRI, diagnosed via the Diagnostic Clinical Interview for Drug Withdrawal 1 – New Symptoms of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (DID-W1), and at least one DSM-5 diagnosis were analyzed. Results: In 58 cases (77.3%), the DSM-5 diagnosis of current mental disorder was not confirmed when the DID-W1 diagnosis of current withdrawal syndrome was established. In 13 cases (17.3%), the DSM-5 diagnosis of past mental disorder was not confirmed when criteria for DID-W1 diagnosis of lifetime withdrawal syndrome were met. In 3 patients (4%), the DSM-5 diagnoses of current and past mental disorders were not confirmed when the DID-W1 diagnoses of current and lifetime withdrawal syndromes were taken into account. The DSM-5 diagnoses most frequently mis-formulated were current panic disorder (50.7%, n = 38) and past major depressive episode (18.7%, n = 14). Conclusion: DSM needs to be complemented by clinimetric tools, such as the DID-W1, to detect withdrawal syndromes induced by SSRI/SNRI discontinuation, decrease, or switch, following long-term use.