bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distribution of malaria parasite-derived phosphatidylcholine in the infected erythrocyte
Authors: Vallintine Tansy , van Ooij Christiaan
Published: March 2023

Malaria parasites modify their host erythrocyte in multiple ways, leading to changes in the deformability, adhesiveness and permeability of the host erythrocyte. Most of these changes are mediated by proteins exported from the parasite to the host erythrocyte, where these proteins interact with the host cell cytoskeleton or form complexes in the plasma membrane of the infected erythrocyte. In addition, malaria parasites induce the formation of membranous compartments – the parasitophorous vacuole, the tubovesicular network, the Maurer’s clefts and small vesicles – within the infected erythrocyte, a cell that is normally devoid of internal membranes. After infection, changes also occur in the composition and asymmetry of the erythrocyte plasma membrane. Although many aspects of the mechanism of export of parasite proteins have become clear, the mechanism by which these membranous compartments are formed and expanded is almost entirely unknown. To determine whether parasite-derived phospholipids play a part in these processes, we applied a metabolic labelling technique that allows phosphatidylcholine to be labelled with a fluorophore. As the host erythrocyte cannot synthesize phospholipids, within infected erythrocytes, only parasite-derived phosphatidylcholine will be labelled with this technique. The results revealed that phosphatidylcholine produced by the parasite is distributed throughout the infected erythrocyte, including the TVN and the erythrocyte plasma membrane, but not Maurer’s clefts. Interestingly, labelled phospholipids were also detected in the erythrocyte plasma membrane very soon after invasion of the parasites, indicating that the parasite may add phospholipids to the host erythrocyte during invasion.
Dihydroartemisinin inhibits EMT of glioma via gene BASP1 in extrachromosomal DNA
Authors: Zhongyou Que , Zhiwei Zhou , Sheng Liu , Wenhua Zheng , Bingxi Lei
Published: March 2023

The mechanism of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) inhibiting the migration and invasion of glioma in an ROS-DSB-dependent manner has been revealed. Extrachromosomal DNAs (ecDNAs) which are generated by DNA damage have great potential in glioma treatment. However, the role of ecDNAs in DHA’s pharmacological mechanisms in glioma is still unknown. In this study, DHA was found to inhibit proliferative activity, increase ROS levels and promote apoptosis in U87 and U251 cells. Migration and invasion have also been suppressed. ecDNA expression profiles were found in gliomas. EcDNA-BASP1 was found, by means of bioinformatics analysis, to be present in GBM tissues and positively correlated with patient prognosis. Proliferation, migration and invasion were upregulated after knockdown of ecDNA-BASP1. The expression of vimentin and N-cadherin also had the same tendency. Finally, we found that the ecDNA-BASP1 content in nude mouse transplant tumors was significantly increased after DHA treatment, which might exert a better suppressive effect on glioma. The upregulation of tumor suppressor ecDNA-BASP1 played an important role in the suppression of glioma progression induced by DHA. EcDNA-BASP1 may inhibit glioma migration and invasion through repressing epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT).
Asymmetric evolution of protein domains in the leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLK) family of plant developmental coordinators
Authors: Man Jarrett , Harrington Thomas , Lally Kyra , Bartlett Madelaine E.
Published: March 2023

The coding sequences of developmental genes are expected to be conserved over deep time, withcis-regulatory change driving the modulation of gene function. In contrast, proteins with roles in defense are expected to evolve rapidly, in molecular arms-races with pathogens. However, some gene families include both developmental and defense genes. In these families, does the tempo and mode of evolution differ between developmental and defense genes, despite shared ancestry and structure? The leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR-RLKs) protein family includes many members with roles in plant development and defense, thus providing an ideal system for answering this question. LRR-RLKs are receptors that traverse plasma membranes. LRR domains bind extracellular ligands, RLK domains initiate intracellular signaling cascades in response to ligand binding. In LRR-RLKs with roles in defense, LRR domains evolve faster than RLK domains. To determine whether this asymmetry extends to developmental LRR-RLKs, we assessed evolutionary rates and tested for selection acting on eleven clades of LRR-RLK proteins, using deeply sampled protein trees. To assess functional evolution, we performed heterologous complementation assays usingArabidopsis thaliana(arabidopsis) LRR-RLK mutants. We found that the LRR domains of developmental LRR-RLK proteins evolved faster than their cognate RLK domains. LRR-RLKs with roles in development and defense had strikingly similar patterns of molecular evolution. Heterologous transformation experiments revealed that the evolution of developmental LRR-RLKs likely involves multiple mechanisms, including changes tocis-regulation, coding sequence evolution, and escape from adaptive conflict. Our results indicate similar evolutionary pressures acting on developmental and defense signaling proteins, despite divergent organismal functions. In addition, deep understanding of the molecular evolution of developmental receptors can help guide targeted genome engineering in agriculture.
Unexpected inhibition of the lipid kinase PIKfyve reveals an epistatic role for p38 MAPKs in endolysosomal fission and volume control
Authors: Wible Daric J. , Parikh Zalak , Cho Eun Jeong , Chen Miao-Der , Mukhopadhyay Somshuvra , Dalby Kevin N. , Varadarajan Shankar , Bratton Shawn B.
Published: March 2023

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) regulate early endocytic trafficking, but their effects on late endocytic trafficking remain unclear. Herein, we report that the pyridinyl imidazole p38 MAPK inhibitors, SB203580 and SB202190, induce a rapid but reversible Rab7-dependent accumulation of large cytoplasmic vacuoles. While SB203580 did not induce canonical autophagy, phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate [PI(3)P] accumulated on vacuole membranes, and inhibition of the class III PI3-kinase (PIK3C3/VPS34) suppressed vacuolation. Ultimately, vacuolation resulted from the fusion of ER/Golgi-derived membrane vesicles with late endosomes and lysosomes (LELs), combined with an osmotic imbalance in LELs that led to severe swelling and a decrease in LEL fission. Since PIKfyve inhibitors induce a similar phenotype by preventing the conversion of PI(3)P to PI(3,5)P2, we performedin vitrokinase assays and found that PIKfyve activity was unexpectedly inhibited by SB203580 and SB202190, corresponding to losses in endogenous PI(3,5)P2 levels in treated cells. However, vacuolation was not entirely due to ‘off-target’ inhibition of PIKfyve by SB203580, as a drug-resistant p38α mutant suppressed vacuolation. Moreover, genetic deletion of both p38α and p38β rendered cells dramatically more sensitive to PIKfyve inhibitors, including YM201636 and apilimod. In subsequent ‘washout’ experiments, the rate of vacuole dissolution upon the removal of apilimod was also significantly reduced in cells treated with BIRB-796, a structurally unrelated p38 MAPK inhibitor. Thus, p38 MAPKs act epistatically to PIKfyve to promote LEL fission; and pyridinyl imidazole p38 MAPK inhibitors induce cytoplasmic vacuolation through the combined inhibition of both PIKfyve and p38 MAPKs.
A primer on integrated generalized structured component analysis
Authors: Hwang Heungsun , Sarstedt Marko , Cho Gyeongcheol , Choo Hosung , Ringle Christian M.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present integrated generalized structured component analysis (IGSCA) as a versatile approach for estimating models that contain both components and factors as statistical proxies for the constructs. The paper sets out to discuss the how-tos of using IGSCA by explaining how to specify, estimate, and evaluate different types of models. The paper’s overarching aim is to make business researchers aware of this promising structural equation modeling (SEM) method.

Design/methodology/approach

By merging works of literature from various fields of science, the paper provides an overview of the steps that are required to run IGSCA. Findings from conceptual, analytical and empirical articles are combined to derive concrete guidelines for IGSCA use. Finally, an empirical case study is used to illustrate the analysis steps with the GSCA Pro software.

Findings

Many of the principles and metrics known from partial least squares path modeling – the most prominent component-based SEM method – are also relevant in the context of IGSCA. However, there are differences in model specification, estimation and evaluation (e.g. assessment of overall model fit).

Research limitations/implications

Methodological developments associated with IGSCA are rapidly emerging. The metrics reported in this paper are useful for current applications, but researchers should follow the latest developments in the field.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to offer guidelines for IGSCA use and to illustrate the method's application by means of the GSCA Pro software. The recommendations and illustrations guide researchers who are seeking to conduct IGSCA studies in business research and practice.
Digital future beyond pandemic outbreak: systematic review of the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on digital psychology
Authors: Khan Mudassar , Khan Nohman , Begum Samina , Qureshi Muhammad Imran
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The globe has experienced a devastating COVID-19 pandemic, putting the planet under lockdown and causing social alienation. The near collapse of social and economic activities is disrupting the supply chain. Customer-required products were in low supply across the world. A slew of new digital firms springs up to fill the need during this time. This study aims to reach a holistic goal by better understanding customers' digitalisation behaviour. The first step is to review existing consumer digital psychology research to map this study’s current knowledge of the pandemic's early and late phases and the impact of digital businesses on consumer behaviour. Finally, it provides lawmakers with a future agenda for limiting the digital psychology of consumers and enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used the Scopus and Web of Science databases to extract records to follow the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement. The final 57 papers were applied after the screening process. The digital environment, psychological digitalisation and behavioural changes were recognised as three primary classes based on a comprehensive examination of the previous literature. This study identified possible difficulties in earlier literature: the scarcity of collaborative and transdisciplinary research on digital psychology, which various academics have emphasised in the past. On the other hand, these investigations were primarily conducted in the psychological surroundings of technology users.

Findings

According to this study, digital psychology has improved significantly during the pandemic and many new digital start-ups have arisen. This study also used digital research to create a framework for a pandemic strategic response plan to help minimise the current COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future outbreaks.

Originality/value

The study mapped existing literature on digital psychology alterations because of the novel COVID-19 outbreak.
The role of innovativeness and supply chain agility in the Australian service industry: a dynamic capability perspective
Authors: Humdan Eias Al , Shi Yangyan , Behina Masud , Chowdhury Md. Maruf Hossan , Mahmud A.K.M. Shakil
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via supply chain agility (SCA) in the service industry at higher and lower collaborative relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypothesised model is operationalised with survey data from 245 Australian service firms collected via LinkedIn and analysed using structural equation modelling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

Findings

The analysis found that SCA significantly mediates the relationship between innovativeness and performance. Further, the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via SCA was significant when the collaborative relationship was high. Results also revealed that a configuration of both innovativeness and agility better predicts performance.

Originality/value

This study is an early attempt to investigate SCA in service industries by scrutinizing SCA from an innovative point of view. While previous studies have demonstrated the role of innovativeness in enhancing a firm's performance, this study explores this link further by investigating the conditional indirect effect of innovativeness on performance via SCA at different levels of collaborative relationships.
An analytical approach for the determination of helical gear tooth geometry
Authors: Mohammed Omar D.
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to present an analytical approach for the determination of helical gear tooth geometry and introduces the necessary parameters. Tooth geometry including tooth chamfer, involute curve, root fillet, helix as well as tooth microgeometry can be obtained using the presented approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The presented analytical approach involves deriving the equivalent equations at the transverse plane rather than the normal plane. Moreover, numerical evaluation of microgeometry modifications is presented for tooth profile, tooth lead and flank twist.

Findings

An analytical approach is presented and equations are derived and explained in detail for helical gear tooth geometry calculation, including tooth microgeometry. Method 1, which was presented by Lopez and Wheway (1986) for obtaining the root fillet, is examined and it is proven that it does not work accurately for helical gears, but rather it works perfectly in the case of spur gears. Changing the normal plane parameters in Method 1 to the transverse plane ones does not give correct results. Two alternative methods, namely, Methods 2 and 3, are developed in the current research for the calculation of the tooth root fillet of helical gears. The presented methods and also the numerical evaluation presented for microgeometry modification are examined against the geometry obtained from Windows LDP software. The results show very good agreement, and it is feasible to apply the approach using the presented equations.

Originality/value

In the gear design process, it is important to model the correct gear tooth geometry and deliver all related dimensions and calculations accurately. However, the determination of helical gear tooth geometry has not been presented adequately by equations to facilitate gear modelling. The detailed helical gear tooth root has been enveloped using software tools that can simulate the cutter motion. Deriving those equations, presented in this article, provides gear design engineers and researchers with the possibility to model helical gears and perform design calculations in a structured, applicable and accurate method.
Mothering and desistance from high-risk drug use amongst women in Malta: an evolved grounded theory study
Authors: Camilleri Claire , Clark Marilyn
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore and theorise about the desistance process of Maltese mothers who previously used drugs. The study unpacks how initial and continued desistance from high-risk drug use (HRDU) is impacted by being a mother within the Maltese context and identifies contingencies for desistance and examines how they are negotiated along the desistance pathways.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a symbolic interactionist-inspired career framework and involved in-depth exploration of trajectories of mothering and desistance of eight Maltese women with a history of HRDU. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and analysis used an evolved grounded theory methodology.

Findings

Four explanatory categories were identified in the interview data to document the role of mothering in the various pathways to desistance recounted by the women. These are: becoming a mother; differing pathways of desistance in relation to mothering; the lived experience; identity negotiation and transformation. This study highlights how identity fluidity and transformation is central to the desistance process.

Practical implications

The paper aims to inform policy and practice with mothers who use drugs and their families and has important implications for the development and delivery of gender transformative interventions.

Originality/value

This study challenges taken-for-granted beliefs about the influence of mothering on desistance and identifies the complexities involved.
Industry consolidation as a strategy: an acquisition program perspective
Authors: Lähteenmäki Jarno , Töyli Juuso
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the intriguing process of industry asset consolidation. It is critical for firms to manage their business acquisitions strategically for survival in this industry life cycle process, which develops through multiple company mergers. The companies extensively acquiring industry assets have utilized acquisition programs consisting of both pre-acquisition strategizing and post-acquisition integration; however, the existing literature on acquisition programs focuses on post-acquisition integration activities. This study aims to bridge this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on pre-acquisition strategizing of acquisition programs and proposes a model in which an acquiring company could manage its acquisitions for industry asset consolidation over the industry evolution.

Findings

Empirically, in the multi-case study of telecommunications infrastructure companies, the authors collect an extensive set of archival records accumulated over the whole industry life-cycle, spanning more than 30 years, and they apply a qualitative data analysis to reveal strategic actions within the companies.

Research limitations/implications

The discoveries elaborate on activities comprising the acquisition process model: social legitimacy, strategic alignment, resource fulfillment, consolidation pursuit and merging.

Practical implications

The counterintuitive findings are that the companies strived to ensure legitimacy early in the telecommunication infrastructure markets before they reached strategic alignment with their owners.

Originality/value

The results extend the understanding of industry asset consolidation as an organization-level phenomenon and show how contextual factors connected to industry life-cycle phases, such as regulatory regimes and financial cycles and industry evolution, influence the attributions of an acquisition program.
Do they see eye to eye? Managing customer experience in phygital high-tech retail
Authors: Pusceddu Gianluca , Moi Ludovica , Cabiddu Francesca
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically investigate the typologies of phygital (synaeresis of “physical” and “digital”) customer experiences (CXs) that can arise in high-tech retail based on the intensity of consumers' responses and reactions to the stimuli triggered by firms. Moreover, it explores how firms attempt to shape the architecture of the phygital CXs. Notably, this article identifies the flexible and agile strategies implemented by firms to enhance the several typologies of phygital CXs, with the intention of better exploiting physical and digital features to respond to the differences in customers' needs, preferences and expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study performs an in-depth exploratory single-case study based on semi-structured interviews with the customers, managers and employees of the Webidoo Store.

Findings

This study develops a framework illustrating the main typologies of ordinary (“hostile”, “controversial” and “disappointing”) and extraordinary (“passionate” and “explorative”) CXs that can arise in phygital contexts. Also, it identifies some key flexible and agile strategies (“decompressive strategy”, “mentoring strategy”, “prompting strategy” and “entertaining strategy”) that companies might follow to adjust their offerings and respond quickly to the different forms of phygital CXs to create a more compelling experience tailored to customers' needs, preferences and expectations.

Research limitations/implications

Among the study's limitations are the single-case study methodology and a specific setting like the Italian one. As a result, future studies could broaden the study to include other research contexts and countries. The paper offers significant managerial insights based on the many forms of CX across ordinary and extraordinary CXs. Thus, it provides critical takeaways for businesses to meet customer demand.

Originality/value

This paper analyzes the different typologies of ordinary and extraordinary CXs that could occur in phygital contexts based on the intensity of consumers' responses and reactions to firms' stimuli. Also, it explores how firms attempt to shape the architecture of the phygital CXs through flexible and agile strategies. From this paper, managers and decision-makers can reflect on successful strategies they could use to affect the stimuli to which customers respond in an agile manner, thus enhancing phygital CXs.
Does the evolution of ontogenetic niche shifts favour species coexistence? An empirical test in Trinidadian streams
Authors: Anaya‐Rojas Jaime M. , Bassar Ronald D. , Matthews Blake , Goldberg Joshua F. , King Leighton , Reznick David , Travis Joseph
Published: March 2023

A major question in ecology is how often competing species evolve to reduce competitive interactions and facilitate coexistence. One untested route for a reduction in competitive interactions is through ontogenetic changes in the trophic niche of one or more of the interacting species. In such cases, theory predicts that two species can coexist if the weaker competitor changes its resource niche to a greater degree with increased body size than the superior competitor.

We tested this prediction using stable isotopes that yield information about the trophic position (δ15N) and carbon source (δ13C) of two coexisting fish species: Trinidadian guppiesPoecilia reticulataand killifishRivulus hartii.

We examined fish from locations representing three natural community types: (1) where killifish and guppies live with predators, (2) where killifish and guppies live without predators and (3) where killifish are the only fish species. We also examined killifish from communities in which we had introduced guppies, providing a temporal sequence of the community changes following the transition from a killifish only to a killifish–guppy community.

We found that killifish, which are the weaker competitor, had a much larger ontogenetic niche shift in trophic position than guppies in the community where competition is most intense (killifish–guppy only). This result is consistent with theory for size‐structured populations, which predicts that these results should lead to stable coexistence of the two species. Comparisons with other communities containing guppies, killifish and predators and ones where killifish live by themselves revealed that these results are caused primarily by a loss of ontogenetic niche changes in guppies, even though they are the stronger competitor. Comparisons of these natural communities with communities in which guppies were translocated into sites containing only killifish showed that the experimental communities were intermediate between the natural killifish–guppy community and the killifish–guppy–predator community, suggesting contemporary evolution in these ontogenetic trophic differences.

These results provide comparative evidence for ontogenetic niche shifts in contributing to species coexistence and comparative and experimental evidence for evolutionary or plastic changes in ontogenetic niche shifts following the formation of new communities.
Rape in Peking: Injured woman, microhistory and global trial
Authors: Du Chunmei
Published: March 2023

In December 1946, college student Shen Chong was raped by an inebriated US Marine in Peking. Although the initial trial by the court martial in China found the Marine guilty, the verdict was overturned by Judge Advocate General of the Navy in Washington. Student protests quickly turned into a nationwide anti‐American movement. In contrast to previous studies that emphasise the event's political impacts from the perspective of American imperialism and Chinese nationalism, this article shifts both the focus and scale of inquiry from the macro of national and international politics to the micro of a Chinese woman's body, investigating the particular mechanisms through which injustice towards a Chinese woman was executed in the US justice system. Probing along and against the ‘archival grain’ in both countries and languages, this article argues that such injustice was not only grounded in the political hegemony of the US military empire, but also resulted from a flawed legal system steeped in racial and sexual biases against Chinese women. This article further suggests that in order to understand this key chapter of Sino–US history, we must bring back to the centre of our study the injured woman, a figure that has remained largely invisible in the grand narratives of conventional political and diplomatic history.
Situational awareness in a creeping crisis: How the initial phases of the COVID‐19 pandemic were handled from a crisis management perspective in the Nursing Home Agency in Oslo
Authors: Sætren Gunhild B. , Vaag Jonas R. , Hansen Iselin F. , Bjørnfeld Gro A.
Published: March 2023

In March 2020, the municipality of Oslo's Nursing Home Agency was hit by Norway's first COVID‐19 outbreak. Being responsible for a very vulnerable group, they had to deal with a situation never before encountered and of which they had very limited knowledge. In this study, we explored how situational awareness (SA) changed from a creeping to an urgent crisis. We undertook a case study of the Nursing Home Agency's top management during the initial period of the COVID‐19 pandemic (December 2019 through late March 2020). We conducted individual interviews with the management in charge of decisions. Thematic analysis yielded four main categories affecting SA: perception of event development, perception of available time, information, and cooperation and trust. We found that subjective experience of the geographical proximity of the crisis and subjective experience of time were essential in shaping SA. Perception of time was essential to the understanding of urgency, which was an important factor in reacting properly. Further, the perception of space was necessary for the crisis to be interpreted as critical. Time and space are objective factors but are perceived subjectively. Our model showed that the crisis must be perceived as urgent for proper actions to be decided upon.
Trichoderma metabolites trigger aggregation behavior in Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus)
Authors: Zhang Lang , Yi Cong , Du Chengju , Wen Chao , Li Zhiqiang , Chen Yong , Wen Xiujun , Wang Cai
Published: March 2023

Our previous studies have shown that some Trichoderma fungi trigger aggregation behavior in Formosan subterranean termites, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki. However, the mechanisms underlying the induction of termite aggregation by Trichoderma fungi remain unclear. Here, we found that the aqueous or acetone extract of Trichoderma asperellum Samuels, Lieckfeldt & Nirenberg and Trichoderma virens Pers. ex Fries isolated from the gut or cuticle of C. formosanus elicited significant termite aggregation in 2‐choice tests. We then screened 9 Trichoderma metabolites (3‐acetoxy‐2‐butanone, phenol, 3‐ethoxypropionic acid, ethyl 2,4‐dioxovalerate, diglycolic acid, d‐valine, styrene, 3‐aminopyridine, and hexyl acetoacetate) that triggered termite aggregation. Among them, phenol (1 000 μg/mL), 3‐ethoxypropionic acid (10 μg/mL), ethyl 2,4‐dioxovalerate (1 000 μg/mL), and diglycolic acid (1 000 μg/mL) showed the strongest activities, triggering termite aggregation throughout the 24‐h period. As T. asperellum and T. virens produce different metabolites that trigger aggregation behavior in termites, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between subterranean termites and Trichoderma fungi likely vary. Future studies are needed to test whether these chemicals can attract termites and increase bait consumption.
Changes in extractive components and bacterial flora in live mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis during storage at different temperatures
Authors: Wang Run , Hirabayashi Mayumi , Furuta Ayumi , Okazaki Takashi , Tanimoto Shota
Published: March 2023

To estimate the quality of mussels during storage, the mortality, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity, extractive components, viable bacterial count (VBC), and bacterial flora of live mussels were investigated. The hierarchical cluster analysis, based on extractive components and VBC, taste active value (TAV), and equivalent umami concentration (EUC), suggested that metabolite composition, bacterial, and taste changing patterns of samples stored at 5 and 10°C differed from those stored at 0°C. The mortality of mussels stored at 5 and 10°C was lower than those at 0°C. The gills of live mussels stored at 0°C for more than 7 days exhibited significantly lower SDH activity than those stored at 5 and 10°C. There was no significant difference in EUC among the samples stored at different temperatures, but a significantly higher TAV of Ala and succinic acid was observed in live mussels after 12 days of storage at 5 and 10°C than in those stored at 0°C. Next‐generation sequencing analysis showed that samples stored at 5 and 10°C lost bacterial diversity, and their bacterial flora changed compared to that before storage. Considering these results, the most suitable storage condition to maintain high quality for live mussels is 5°C for less than 7 days.
Cinematic versus volume rendered imaging for the depiction of complex congenital heart disease
Authors: Layden Natalie , Brassil Colm , Jha Nihar , Saundankar Jelena , Yim Deane , Andrews David , Patukale Aditya , Srigandan Shrivuthsun , Murray Conor P
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Planning for surgical intervention for patients with complex congenital heart disease requires a comprehensive understanding of the individual's anatomy. Cinematic rendering (CR) is a novel technique that purportedly builds on traditional volume rendering (VR) by converting CT image data into clearly defined 3D reconstructions through the stimulation and propagation of light rays. The purpose of this study was to compare CR to VR for the understanding of critical anatomy in unoperated complex congenital heart disease.

Methods

In this retrospective study, CT data sets from 20 sequential scanned cases of unoperated paediatric patients with complex congenital heart disease were included. 3D images were produced at standardised and selected orientations, matched for both VR and CR. The images were then independently reviewed by two cardiologists, two radiologists and two surgeons for overall image quality, depth perception and the visualisation of surgically relevant anatomy, the coronary arteries and the pulmonary veins.

Results

Cinematic rendering demonstrated significantly superior image quality, depth perception and visualisation of surgically relevant anatomy than VR.

Conclusion

Cinematic rendering is a novel 3D CT—rendering technique that may surpass the traditionally used volumetric rendering technique in the provision of actionable pre‐operative anatomical detail for complex congenital heart disease.
The promise and challenges of characterizing genome‐wide structural variants: A case study in a critically endangered parrot
Authors: Wold Jana R. , Guhlin Joseph G. , Dearden Peter K. , Santure Anna W. , Steeves Tammy E.
Published: March 2023

There is growing interest in the role of structural variants (SVs) as drivers of local adaptation and speciation. From a biodiversity genomics perspective, the characterization of genome‐wide SVs provides an exciting opportunity to complement single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). However, little is known about the impacts of SV discovery and genotyping strategies on the characterization of genome‐wide SV diversity within and among populations. Here, we explore a near whole‐species resequence data set, and long‐read sequence data for a subset of highly represented individuals in the critically endangered kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus). We demonstrate that even when using a highly contiguous reference genome, different discovery and genotyping strategies can significantly impact the type, size and location of SVs characterized genome‐wide. Further, we found that the mean number of SVs in each of two kākāpō lineages differed both within and across generations. These combined results suggest that genome‐wide characterization of SVs remains challenging at the population‐scale. We are optimistic that increased accessibility to long‐read sequencing and advancements in bioinformatic approaches including multireference approaches like genome graphs will alleviate at least some of the challenges associated with resolving SV characteristics below the species level. In the meantime, we address caveats, highlight considerations, and provide recommendations for the characterization of genome‐wide SVs in biodiversity genomic research.
PointedSDMs: An R package to help facilitate the construction of integrated species distribution models
Authors: Mostert Philip S. , O'Hara Robert B.
Published: March 2023

Ecological data are being collected at a large scale from a multitude of different sources, each with their own sampling protocols and assumptions. As a result, the integration of disparate datasets is a rapidly growing area in quantitative ecology, and is subsequently becoming a major asset in understanding the shifts and trends in species' distributions.

However, the tools and software available to construct statistical models to integrate these disparate datasets into a unified framework is lacking. This has made these methods inaccessible to general practitioners and has stagnated the growth of data integration in more applied settings.

We therefore present PointedSDMs: an easy to use R package used to construct integrated species distribution models. It provides functions to easily format the data, fit the models in a computationally efficient way and presents the output in a format that is convenient for additional work.

This paper illustrates the different uses and functions available in the package, which are designed to simplify the modelling of integrated models. A case study using the package is also presented: combining three datasets coming from different sampling protocols, all containing records of Setophaga caerulescens across Pennsylvania state.
Using piospheres to identify, assess and monitor gradients of elephant impact on thicket
Authors: Carvalho Shandon Luke , Campbell Eileen Elaine
Published: March 2023

Overpopulation in conservation areas with large populations of elephants reduces the diversity of the thicket vegetation of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Monitoring species' specific impacts is a difficult task for reserves. This study investigates whether the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) can be used to evaluate the health of thicket in the Addo Elephant National Park successfully. To achieve this, different browsing intensities of elephants were used to establish a gradient of the full range of utilisation levels on thicket. These were obtained at different distances from the nearest available water sources for Mesic and Valley Thicket types. NDVI values were correlated to an elephant utilisation gradient, which was, in turn, directly related to distance from a water source. The lowest NDVI values (<0.2) were observed adjacent to watering holes where vegetation was completely degraded due to trampling by the daily congregation of animals. The highest NDVI values (>0.5 representing the densest stands of thicket vegetation) were obtained at distances exceeding 7 km from a water source where elephant densities were the lowest within the park. NDVI values could, therefore, be used to identify and monitor gradients of elephant impact on the integrity of thicket.
Entecavir versus tenofovir on prognosis of hepatitis B virus‐related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy
Authors: Kao Wei‐Yu , Tan Elise Chia‐Hui , Lee Hsin‐Lun , Huang Yi‐Hsiang , Huo Teh‐Ia , Chang Chun‐Chao , Chiou Jeng‐Fong , Hou Ming‐Chih , Wu Jaw‐Ching , Su Chien‐Wei
Published: March 2023

Background

There is still controversy about whether tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and entecavir (ETV) have different effects on the outcomes of patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare the prognoses between ETV and TDF treatment among patients with HBV‐related HCC after hepatectomy.

Methods

An analysis was done on data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry, which was linked to Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, for the years 2011–2016. We identified 7107 patients with HBV‐related HCC after curative hepatectomy, and 25.3% of them used ETV or TDF after surgery. After propensity score overlap weighting, 1797 patients treated with ETV (n = 1365) or TDF (n = 432) were included for analyses. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare the efficacy of ETV and TDF for recurrence and overall survival (OS).

Results

After hepatectomy, the recurrence rate per 100 person‐years was 14.87 for the ETV group and 9.25 for the TDF group. The risk of recurrence was similar in the TDF group and the ETV group (HR [95% CI]: 0.91 [0.69–1.19; p = 0.479]), as was the risk of all‐cause mortality (HR [95% CI]: 0.67 [0.42–1.07]; p = 0.091). When considering early recurrence (<2 years) and late recurrence (≧2 years), the TDF and ETV groups showed no significant differences. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses demonstrated consistent results.

Conclusion

Both TDF and ETV showed similar health benefits in terms of recurrence and OS in patients with HBV‐related HCC patients after hepatectomy.
Prevalence and impact of faecal incontinence among individuals with Rome IV irritable bowel syndrome
Authors: Goodoory Vivek C. , Ng Cho E. , Black Christopher J. , Ford Alexander C.
Published: March 2023

Background

Little is known about faecal incontinence (FI) in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Aims

To compare characteristics of people with IBS reporting FI, compared with people with IBS who do not report FI.

Methods

We collected demographic, gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms, healthcare usage, direct healthcare costs, impact on work and activities of daily living, and quality of life data from individuals with Rome IV‐defined IBS. We asked participants about FI, assigning presence or absence according to Rome‐IV criteria.

Results

Of 752 participants with Rome IV IBS, 202 (26.9%) met Rome IV criteria for FI. Individuals with FI were older (p < 0.001), more likely to have IBS‐D (47.0% vs. 39.0%, p = 0.008), and less likely to have attained a university or postgraduate level of education (31.2% vs. 45.6%, p < 0.001), or to have an annual income of ≥£30,000 (18.2% vs. 32.9%, p < 0.001). They were more likely to report urgency (44.6% vs. 19.1%, p < 0.001) as their most troublesome symptom and a greater proportion had severe IBS symptom scores, abnormal depression scores, higher somatic symptom‐reporting scores or higher gastrointestinal symptom‐specific anxiety scores (p < 0.01 for trend for all analyses). Mean health‐related quality of life scores were significantly lower among those with, compared with those without, FI (p < 0.001). Finally, FI was associated with higher IBS‐related direct healthcare costs (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

Among individuals with Rome IV IBS, one‐in‐four repo rted FI according to Rome IV criteria. Physicians should ask patients with IBS about FI routinely.
Social work for vulnerable and marginalized people during COVID‐19 in Japan
Authors: Murayama Yoh , Hasebe Masami , Yamazaki Sachiko , Yamaguchi Jun , Kobayashi Erika
Published: March 2023

During the Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID‐19), working conditions became increasingly difficult for social workers, as they had to deal with new challenges and added workloads. This study describes the difficulties faced by social workers of the Self‐Reliance Support System in Japan and clarifies the solution for each difficulty while conducting their duties to support vulnerable people during COVID‐19. To this end, we conducted an open‐ended questionnaire survey and an interview survey. The data were analyzed using qualitative coding. The results showed that the difficulties faced in consultation support work included supporting hitherto socially invisible groups such as sole traders and foreigners. Social workers also faced an ethical dilemma, as they could not provide support to clients who “did not try to solve their problems” or for whom “interventional attempts did not lead to counseling support” and who only sought benefits at the risk of becoming isolated and impoverished. Following this, consultants collaborated to resolve such difficulties while maximizing the use of various local resources. The study's findings clarify that it would be effective to understand the difficulties faced by social workers to obtain hints toward their resolution.
CYP11B2 inhibitor dexfadrostat phosphate suppresses the aldosterone‐to‐renin ratio, an indicator of sodium retention, in healthy volunteers
Authors: Mulatero Paolo , Groessl Michael , Vogt Bruno , Schumacher Christoph , Steele Ronald Edward , Brooks Ashley , Hossack Stuart , Brunner Hans‐Rudolf
Published: March 2023

Aims

High aldosterone is a key driver of hypertension and long‐term negative sequelae. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of dexfadrostat phosphate (DP13), a novel aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) inhibitor, in healthy participants.

Methods

This randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study was conducted in two parts. In part A, a single‐ascending dose escalation, 16 participants received oral DP13 1–16 mg. Part B was a multiple‐ascending dose, sequential group study in which 32 participants received oral DP13 4, 8 or 16 mg once daily for 8 days. Safety and tolerability were monitored throughout. An adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test at maximal blood drug concentrations defined the dose range for multiple dosing.

Results

DP13 was well tolerated at all doses, with no serious adverse events. In part B, all DP13 doses (4, 8 and 16 mg) over 8 days effectively suppressed aldosterone production, increased the urinary sodium/potassium ratio, decreased plasma sodium and increased plasma potassium and renin levels compared with placebo, resulting in potent suppression of the aldosterone‐to‐renin ratio (ARR). Endocrine counter‐regulation resulted in the 4 mg dose no longer sustaining 24‐h aldosterone suppression after 8 days of treatment, unlike the 8‐ and 16 mg doses. There was no evidence of drug‐induced adrenal insufficiency (ACTH stress challenge).

Conclusions

In patients with excess aldosterone and ensuing sodium retention driving hypertension, managing sodium balance is critical. A CYP11B2 inhibitor like DP13, whose effectiveness can be monitored by a reduction in ARR, may prove valuable in managing aldosterone‐dependent hypertension and primary aldosteronism.
Abemaciclib drives the therapeutic differentiation of acute myeloid leukaemia stem cells
Authors: Xie Xiaoling , Zhang Wuju , Zhou Xuan , Ye Zhixin , Wang Hao , Qiu Yingqi , Pan Yating , Hu Yuxing , Li Luyao , Chen Zhuanzhuan , Yang Wanwen , Lu Yao , Zou Shuxin , Li Yuhua , Bai Xiaochun
Published: March 2023

Self‐renewal and differentiation arrest are two features of leukaemia stem cells (LSCs) responsible for the high relapse rate of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). To screen drugs to overcome differentiation blockade for AML, we conducted screening of 2040 small molecules from a library of United States Food and Drug Administration‐approved drugs and found that the cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib, exerts high anti‐leukaemic activity. Abemaciclib significantly suppressed proliferation and promoted the differentiation of LSCs in vitro. Abemaciclib also efficiently induced differentiation and impaired self‐renewal of LSCs, thus reducing the leukaemic cell burden and improving survival in various preclinical animal models, including patient‐derived xenografts. Importantly, abemaciclib strongly enhanced anti‐tumour effects in combination with venetoclax, a B‐cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‐2) inhibitor. This treatment combination led to a marked decrease in LSC‐enriched populations and resulted in a synergistic anti‐leukaemic effect. Target screening revealed that in addition to CDK4/6, abemaciclib bound to and inhibited CDK9, consequently attenuating the protein levels of global p‐Ser2 RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) carboxy terminal domain (CTD), Myc, Bcl‐2, and myeloid cell leukaemia‐1 (Mcl‐1), which was important for the anti‐AML effect of abemaciclib. Collectively, these data provide a strong rationale for the clinical evaluation of abemaciclib to induce LSC differentiation and treat highly aggressive AML as well as other advanced haematological malignancies.
Dialectical Integration: The Case of Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Authors: Herzovich Yael Peri , Govrin Aner
Published: March 2023

Based on Hegel's dialectics, we argue that different psychotherapies considered monolithic such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and psychoanalysis, even though they hold radically different views on human suffering and therapy's aims, profoundly influence each other. We call this mutual influence dialectical integration (DI). DI is the result of unconscious processes that are activated by antagonism and negation for self‐constitution. In a dialectically formative process, the self‐constitution of CBT and psychoanalysis each is achieved by means of the negation of part of itself, which undergoes alienation in the other, thereby superficially taking the form of a rejection of the other approach. But whenever theoretical or practical lacunae occur in the unfolding of these disciplines, they negate this primary negation and re‐internalize the alienated self‐component. This part does not return in its original—and negated—form, but, through a sublation introducing theoretical and practical development. This is illustrated here by Hartmann's ego psychology, Beck's cognitive theory, Young's schema therapy, and Bateman & Fonagy's mentalization‐based therapy (MBT). We show how these developments incorporate elements of otherness, which are not simply extraneous to the tradition but also part of it. We conclude by showing how DI gives rise to recognition and containment of otherness in both schools.