bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Community of Practice for Supporting Families of Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Reynolds Michelle C. , Caldwell Diana , Boonchaisri Natalie , Ragon Katharine E. , Palmer Susan B.
Published: March 2022

It is important to continuously support families to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their family members. Using a life course approach to address strengths and needs of families, a National Community of Practice, infused with the Charting the LifeCourse framework, focused on systems change to improve policy and practices to enhance the lives of families. A qualitative analysis used the Value Creation framework to evaluate both process and product outcomes of 16 state communities of practice as to changes in knowledge and practices. Results emphasize the relative effectiveness of aspects of policy and overarching practices designed to support people with disabilities and their families in participating states.
Factors associated with active syphilis among men and women aged 15 years and older in the Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (2015–2016)
Authors: Ruangtragool Leala , Silver Rachel , Machiha Anna , Gwanzura Lovemore , Hakim Avi , Lupoli Katie , Musuka Godfrey , Patel Hetal , Mugurungi Owen , Tippett Barr Beth A. , Rogers John H.
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Ulcerative STIs, including syphilis, increase the risk for HIV acquisition and transmission due to the presence of ulcers/chancres that serve as a point-of-entry and exit for HIV. In Zimbabwe, diagnosis of syphilis often occurs in pregnant women who seek ANC services where syphilis testing is offered, and among men and women who seek health care for STIs. Zimbabwe’s national syphilis estimates are based on these diagnosed cases, with little information available about the prevalence of untreated syphilis among the general population. This analysis uses data from ZIMPHIA (2015–2016) to describe factors associated with active syphilis among men and women ages 15 years and older.

Methods

ZIMPHIA collected blood specimens for HIV and syphilis testing from 22,501 consenting individuals (ages 15 years and older). Household HIV testing used the national HIV rapid-testing algorithm with HIV-positive results confirmed at satellite laboratories using Geenius HIV-1/2 rapid test (Bio-rad, Hercules, California, USA). Point-of-care non-Treponemal and Treponemal syphilis testing was performed using Chembio’s Dual-Path Platform Syphilis Screen & Confirm Assay. Factors associated with active syphilis were explored using multiple variable, weighted logistic regression and were stratified by gender.

Results

The likelihood of active syphilis in HIV-positive females was 3.7 times greater in HIV-positive females than HIV-negative females (aOR: 3.7, 95% CI 2.3–5.9). Among males odds of having active syphilis was 5 times higher among those that engaged in transactional sex than those who did not have sex or transactional sex (aOR: 5.3, 95% CI 1.9–14.7), and 6 times higher if HIV positive versus negative (aOR: 5.9, 95% CI 3.0–12.0). Urban residence, province, education (highest attended), marital status, number of sex partners, consistency of condom use, pregnancy status (females), and circumcision status (males) were not significant in the adjusted model for either females or males.

Conculsion

HIV status was found to be the only factor associated with active syphilis in both females and males. Given the persistent link between HIV and active syphilis, it is prudent to link individuals’ diagnoses and treatments, as recommended by the WHO. Enhanced integration of STI and HIV services in health delivery points such as ANC, reproductive services, or male circumcision clinics, combined with consistent, targeted outreach to high-risk populations and their partners, may assist the MOHCC to eliminate active syphilis in Zimbabwe.
dbGSRV: A manually curated database of genetic susceptibility to respiratory virus
Authors: Li Ping , Zhang Yan , Shen Wenlong , Shi Shu , Zhao Zhihu
Published: March 2022

Human genetics has been proposed to play an essential role in inter-individual differences in respiratory virus infection occurrence and outcomes. To systematically understand human genetic contributions to respiratory virus infection, we developed the database dbGSRV, a manually curated database that integrated the host genetic susceptibility and severity studies of respiratory viruses scattered over literatures in PubMed. At present, dbGSRV contains 1932 records of genetic association studies relating 1010 unique variants and seven respiratory viruses, manually curated from 168 published articles. Users can access the records by quick searching, batch searching, advanced searching and browsing. Reference information, infection status, population information, mutation information and disease relationship are provided for each record, as well as hyperlinks to public databases in convenient of users accessing more information. In addition, a visual overview of the topological network relationship between respiratory viruses and associated genes is provided. Therefore, dbGSRV offers a convenient resource for researchers to browse and retrieve genetic associations with respiratory viruses, which may inspire future studies and provide new insights in our understanding and treatment of respiratory virus infection. Database URL: http://www.ehbio.com/dbGSRV/front/
A high precision finite-element forward solver for surface nuclear magnetic resonance incorporating conductivity changes and surface-topography variations
Authors: Chen Hanbo , Xiong Bin , Zhang Chi , Cheng Ziyu
Published: March 2022

Surface nuclear magnetic resonance (SNMR) is a geophysical method that can be used directly for detecting groundwater resources, and it has attracted the attention of many scholars. In this paper, we propose a new effective algorithm for numerical modeling of 3D SNMR data for arbitrary topography in a conductive medium. We adopt a total-field algorithm for solving the quasi-static variant of Maxwell’s equation and handle a complex-shaped loop source by discretizing the transmitter into electric dipoles, which can be further easily discretized into electric dipoles along the three directions of the Cartesian coordinate system. To solve the 3D SNMR forward-modeling problem quickly and accurately, a new element-integration system based on a new symmetric orthogonal rule is used for calculating the sensitivity (i.e., kernel) functions of all elements. The new rule is based on a special arrangement involving a cubic close-packed lattice structure and is characterized by fast convergence, positive weight, and symmetry. We apply the developed numerical algorithm to SNMR tomography of several typical hydrogeological models. The synthetic results show that higher precision can be achieved with few grids and nodes without increasing the computation time by using the new integration algorithm. In addition, we find that the topography and conductivity can affect the SNMR response, which needs to be considered while interpreting SNMR data.
Integrating genomic information and productivity and climate-adaptability traits into a regional white spruce breeding program
Authors: Cappa Eduardo P. , Klutsch Jennifer G. , Sebastian-Azcona Jaime , Ratcliffe Blaise , Wei Xiaojing , Da Ros Letitia , Liu Yang , Chen Charles , Benowicz Andy , Sadoway Shane , Mansfield Shawn D. , Erbilgin Nadir , Thomas Barb R. , El-Kassaby Yousry A.
Published: March 2022

Tree improvement programs often focus on improving productivity-related traits; however, under present climate change scenarios, climate change-related (adaptive) traits should also be incorporated into such programs. Therefore, quantifying the genetic variation and correlations among productivity and adaptability traits, and the importance of genotype by environment interactions, including defense compounds involved in biotic and abiotic resistance, is essential for selecting parents for the production of resilient and sustainable forests. Here, we estimated quantitative genetic parameters for 15 growth, wood quality, drought resilience, and monoterpene traits for Picea glauca (Moench) Voss (white spruce). We sampled 1,540 trees from three open-pollinated progeny trials, genotyped with 467,224 SNP markers using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). We used the pedigree and SNP information to calculate, respectively, the average numerator and genomic relationship matrices, and univariate and multivariate individual-tree models to obtain estimates of (co)variance components. With few site-specific exceptions, all traits examined were under genetic control. Overall, higher heritability estimates were derived from the genomic- than their counterpart pedigree-based relationship matrix. Selection for height, generally, improved diameter and water use efficiency, but decreased wood density, microfibril angle, and drought resistance. Genome-based correlations between traits reaffirmed the pedigree-based correlations for most trait pairs. High and positive genetic correlations between sites were observed (average 0.68), except for those pairs involving the highest elevation, warmer, and moister site, specifically for growth and microfibril angle. These results illustrate the advantage of using genomic information jointly with productivity and adaptability traits, and defense compounds to enhance tree breeding selection for changing climate.
Bioprospecting of fungal endophytes from Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz with antioxidant and cytotoxic activity
Authors: Rai Nilesh , Keshri Priyanka Kumari , Gupta Priyamvada , Verma Ashish , Kamble Swapnil C. , Singh Santosh Kumar , Gautam Vibhav
Published: March 2022

Oroxylum indicum(L.) Kurz, a medicinal plant, shows numerous pharmacological properties which may be attributed to the bioactive compounds produced byO.indicumor due to associated endophytes. In the present study, leaf ofO.indicumwas evaluated for the presence of associated fungal endophytes, and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of bioactive compounds produced from them. Using culture-dependent approach, eight fungal endophytes belonging to five different genera were identified. Two endophytesDaldinia eschscholtziiandEctophoma multirostratahave been reported for the first time from the leaf ofO.indicumplant. High-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) of ethyl acetate (EA) extract of isolated fungal endophytes showed a distinct fingerprinting profile in EA extract ofColletotrichum gloeosporioides. Among identified endophytes, EA extract ofC.gloeosporioidesshowed significant antioxidant activity against DPPH free radical, superoxide anion radical, nitric oxide radical and hydroxyl radical with EC50values of 22.24±1.302 μg/mL, 67.46±0.576 μg/mL, 80.10±0.706 μg/mL and 61.55±1.360 μg/mL, respectively. EA extract ofC.gloeosporioidesexhibited potential cytotoxicity against HCT116, HeLa and HepG2 cancer cell lines with IC50values of 76.59 μg/mL, 176.20 μg/mL and 1750.70 μg/mL, respectively. A comparative HPTLC fingerprinting and the antioxidant activity ofC.gloeosporioidesassociated with two different hosts (leaf ofO.indicumand dead twigs of other plant) showed thatC.gloeosporioidesproduces bioactive compounds in a host-dependent manner.
Predictors of social distancing and hand washing among adults in five countries during COVID-19
Authors: Anderson-Carpenter Kaston D. , Tacy Garrett S.
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine disparities in hand washing and social distancing among 2,509 adults from the United States, Italy, Spain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and India. Respondents were recruited via Qualtrics’ participant pool and completed an online survey in the most common language spoken in each country. In hierarchical linear regression models, living in a rural area (β = -0.08,p= .001), older age (β = 0.07,p< .001), identifying as a woman (β = 0.07,p= .001), and greater educational attainment (β = 0.07,p= .017) were significantly associated with hand washing. Similar results were found regarding social distancing, in which living in a rural area (β = -0.10,p< .001), country of residence (β = 0.11,p< .001), older age (β = 0.17,p< .001), identifying as a woman (β = 0.11, p < .001), and greater educational attainment (β = 0.06,p= .019) were significant predictors. Results from the multivariable linear regression models demonstrate more nuanced findings with distinct and significant disparities across the five countries found with respect to hand washing and social distancing. Taken together, the results suggest multiple influencing factors that contribute to existing disparities regarding social distancing and hand washing among adults internationally. As such, more tailored public interventions are needed to promote preventive measures to mitigate existing COVID-related disparities.
Healthcare-associated infections caused by chlorhexidine-tolerant Serratia marcescens carrying a promiscuous IncHI2 multi-drug resistance plasmid in a veterinary hospital
Authors: Allen Joanne L. , Doidge Nicholas P. , Bushell Rhys N. , Browning Glenn F. , Marenda Marc S.
Published: March 2022

The bacterium Serratia marcescens can cause opportunistic infections in humans and in animals. In veterinary settings, the diversity, reservoirs and modes of transmission of this pathogen are poorly understood. The phenotypes and genotypes of Serratia spp. isolated from dogs, cats, horses, a bird and a rabbit examined at an Australian veterinary hospital between 2008 and 2019 were characterised. The isolates were identified as S. marcescens (n = 15) or S. ureilytica (n = 3) and were placed into four distinct phylogenetic groups. Nine quasi-clonal isolates associated with post-surgical complications in different patients displayed high levels of resistance to the antimicrobials fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and to the disinfectant chlorhexidine. A Serratia sp. with a similar resistance profile was also isolated from chlorhexidine solutions used across the Hospital, suggesting that these infections had a nosocomial origin. A genomic island encoding a homolog of the Pseudomonas MexCD-OprJ biocide efflux system was detected in the chlorhexidine-tolerant Serratia. The nine multi-drug resistant Serratia isolates also possessed a Ser-83-Ile mutation in GyrA conferring fluoroquinolone resistance, and carried a large IncHI2 conjugative plasmid encoding antimicrobial and heavy metal resistances. This replicon was highly similar to a plasmid previously detected in a strain of Enterobacter hormaechei recovered from the Hospital environment. IncHI2 plasmids are commonly found in Enterobacteriaceae, but are rarely present in Serratia spp., suggesting that this plasmid was acquired from another organism. A chlorhexidine-tolerant Serratia isolate which lacked the IncHI2 plasmid was used in mating experiments to demonstrate the transfer of multi-drug resistance from a E. hormaechei donor. This study illustrates the importance of environmental surveillance of biocide-resistance in veterinary hospitals.
Role of hydrogen sulfide in sulfur dioxide production and vascular regulation
Authors: Sun Chufan , Yu Wen , lv Boyang , Zhang Yanan , Du Shuxu , Zhang Heng , Du Junbao , Jin Hongfang , Sun Yan , Huang Yaqian
Published: March 2022

Both hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) are produced endogenously from the mammalian metabolic pathway of sulfur-containing amino acids and play important roles in several vascular diseases. However, their interaction during the control of vascular function has not been fully clear. Here, we investigated the potential role of H2S in SO2 production and vascular regulation in vivo and in vitro. Wistar rats were divided into the vehicle, SO2, DL-propargylglycine (PPG) + SO2, β-cyano-L-alanine (BCA) + SO2 and sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) + SO2 groups. SO2 donor was administered with or without pre-administration of PPG, BCA or NaHS for 30 min after blood pressure was stabilized for 1 h, and then, the change in blood pressure was detected by catheterization via the common carotid artery. Rat plasma SO2 and H2S concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography and sensitive sulfur electrode, respectively. The isolated aortic rings were prepared for the measurement of changes in vasorelaxation stimulated by SO2 after PPG, BCA or NaHS pre-incubation. Results showed that the intravenous injection of SO2 donors caused transient hypotension in rats compared with vehicle group. After PPG or BCA pretreatment, the plasma H2S content decreased but the SO2 content increased markedly, and the hypotensive effect of SO2 was significantly enhanced. Conversely, NaHS pretreatment upregulated the plasma H2S content but reduced SO2 content, and attenuated the hypotensive effect of SO2. After PPG or BCA pre-incubation, the vasorelaxation response to SO2 was enhanced significantly. While NaHS pre-administration weakened the SO2-induced relaxation in aortic rings. In conclusion, our in vivo and in vitro data indicate that H2S negatively controls the plasma content of SO2 and the vasorelaxant effect under physiological conditions.
Development of near real-time wireless image sequence streaming cloud using Apache Kafka for road traffic monitoring application
Authors: Htut Aung Myo , Aswakul Chaodit
Published: March 2022

In this paper, the authors have designed and implemented the prototype for a near real-time wireless image sequence streaming cloud with two-layered restoration for a road traffic monitoring application of a small-scale network. Since the proposed design is targeted to implement outdoors where the link or node failure could occur, the fault-tolerant capability must be considered. Having only one layer restoration may not provide a good quality of service. Therefore, a two-layer restoration framework is designed in the proposed system by restoring the network layer with the underlying software-defined wireless mesh network capability and at the local broker selection over the Apache Kafka framework. The monitoring application performance has been investigated for the end-to-end average latency and image loss percentage by outdoor testing for 13 hours from 5:40 P.M. 17th November 2020 to 6:40 A.M. 18th November 2020. The end-to-end average latency and image loss percentage have been found to be within the acceptable condition i.e. less than 5 seconds on average with approximated 10% image losses. The proposed system has also been compared with the traditional ad-hoc network, running the OLSR-based network layer, in terms of the rerouting time, restoration time and end-to-end average latency. Based on the emulated wireless network in controllable laboratory environments, the proposed SDWMN-based system outperforms the conventional OLSR-based system with potentially faster rerouting/restoration time due to SDN central controllability and with only marginally increased end-to-end average latency after re-routing/restoration completion. Algorithm complexity analysis has also been given for both the systems. Both the experimental and complexity analysis results thus suggest the practical applicability of the proposed system. Given this promising result, it is therefore recommended as the future research in further developing from the prototype design into the actual deployment for daily traffic monitoring operations.
Public awareness, knowledge of availability, and willingness to use neurosurgical care services in Sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Ikwuegbuenyi Chibuikem A. , Umutoni Alice , Atabe Ngwene Neri Ngole , Ngoma Placide , Nyalundja Arsene Daniel , Nteranya Daniel Safari , Olobatoke Tunde A. , Ogunfolaji Oloruntoba , Sichimba Dawin , Najjuma Joanitor , Sebopelo Lorraine Arabang , Ndajiwo Aliyu , Bamimore Michael A. , Adegboyega Gideon , Kanmounye Ulrick Sidney
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Low- and middle-income countries bear the majority of neurosurgical disease burden and patients face significant barriers to seeking, reaching, and receiving care. We aimed to understand barriers to seeking care among adult Africans by evaluating the public perception, knowledge of availability, and readiness to use neurosurgical care services.

Methods

An e-survey was distributed among African adults who are not in the health sector or pursuing a health-related degree. Chi-square test and ANOVA were used for bivariate analysis and the alpha value was set at 0.05. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

Results

Six hundred and sixty-two adults from 16 African countries aged 25.4 (95% CI: 25.0, 25.9) responded. The majority lived in urban settings (90.6%) and were English-speaking (76.4%) men (54.8%). Most respondents (76.3%) could define neurosurgery adequately. The most popular neurosurgical diseases were traumatic brain injury (76.3%), congenital brain and spine diseases (67.7%), and stroke (60.4%). Unwillingness to use or recommend in-country neurosurgical services was associated with rural dwelling (β = -0.69, SE = 0.31, P = 0.03), lack of awareness about the availability of neurosurgeons in-country (β = 1.02, SE = 0.20, P<0.001), and believing neurosurgery is expensive (β = -1.49, SE = 0.36, P<0.001).

Conclusion

Knowledge levels about neurosurgery are satisfactory; however, healthcare-seeking is negatively impacted by multiple factors.
Signed random walk diffusion for effective representation learning in signed graphs
Authors: Jung Jinhong , Yoo Jaemin , Kang U.
Published: March 2022

How can we model node representations to accurately infer the signs of missing edges in a signed social graph? Signed social graphs have attracted considerable attention to model trust relationships between people. Various representation learning methods such as network embedding and graph convolutional network (GCN) have been proposed to analyze signed graphs. However, existing network embedding models are not end-to-end for a specific task, and GCN-based models exhibit a performance degradation issue when their depth increases. In this paper, we proposeSignedDiffusionNetwork(SidNet), a novel graph neural network that achieves end-to-end node representation learning for link sign prediction in signed social graphs. We propose a new random walk based feature aggregation, which is specially designed for signed graphs, so that SidNeteffectively diffuses hidden node features and uses more information from neighboring nodes. Through extensive experiments, we show that SidNetsignificantly outperforms state-of-the-art models in terms of link sign prediction accuracy.
Antibiotics cause metabolic changes in mice primarily through microbiome modulation rather than behavioral changes
Authors: Bongers Kale S. , McDonald Roderick A. , Winner Katherine M. , Falkowski Nicole R. , Brown Christopher A. , Baker Jennifer M. , Hinkle Kevin J. , Fergle Daniel J. , Dickson Robert P.
Published: March 2022

Background

The microbiome is an important and increasingly-studied mediator of organismal metabolism, although how the microbiome affects metabolism remains incompletely understood. Many investigators use antibiotics to experimentally perturb the microbiome. However, antibiotics have poorly understood yet profound off-target effects on behavior and diet, including food and water aversion, that can confound experiments and limit their applicability. We thus sought to determine the relative influence of microbiome modulation and off-target antibiotic effects on the behavior and metabolic activity of mice.

Results

Mice treated with oral antibiotics via drinking water exhibited significant weight loss in fat, liver, and muscle tissue. These mice also exhibited a reduction in water and food consumption, with marked variability across antibiotic regimens. While administration of bitter-tasting but antimicrobially-inert compounds caused a similar reduction in water consumption, this did not cause tissue weight loss or reduced food consumption. Mice administered intraperitoneal antibiotics (bypassing the gastrointestinal tract) exhibited reduced tissue weights and oral intake, comparable to the effects of oral antibiotics. Antibiotic-treated germ-free mice did not have reduced tissue weights, providing further evidence that direct microbiome modulation (rather than behavioral effects) mediates these metabolic changes.

Conclusions

While oral antibiotics cause profound effects on food and water consumption, antibiotic effects on organismal metabolism are primarily mediated by microbiome modulation. We demonstrate that tissue-specific weight loss following antibiotic administration is due primarily to microbiome effects rather than food and water aversion, and identify antibiotic regimens that effectively modulate gut microbiota while minimizing off-target behavioral effects.
Changes in the gut microbiota of Nigerian infants within the first year of life
Authors: Oyedemi Omolanke T. , Shaw Sophie , Martin Jennifer C. , Ayeni Funmilola A. , Scott Karen P.
Published: March 2022

The composition of the gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining the balance between health and disease. However, there is considerably less information on the composition of the gut microbiota of non-Western communities. This study was designed to investigate the evolution in the gut microbiota in a cohort of Nigerian infants within the first year of life. Faecal samples were obtained monthly from 28 infants from birth for one year. The infants had been born by a mix of natural birth and caesarean section and were either breast-fed or mixed fed. Sequencing of the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used to characterise the microbiota. Short chain fatty acids and lactate present in each faecal sample were identified by gas chromatography. Microbial differences were observed between the vaginal and caesarean section delivered infants in samples collected within 7 days of life, although these differences were not observed in later samples. Exclusively breastfed infants had predominance of Ruminococcus gnavus, Collinsella, and Sutterella species. Different Bifidobacterium species dominated breast-fed compared to mixed fed infants. Clostridium, Enterococcus, Roseburia, and Coprococcus species were observed once the infants commenced weaning. Butyrate was first detected when weaning started between months 4–6 in the majority of the infants while total short chain fatty acid concentrations increased, and acetate and lactate remained high following the introduction of solid foods. The observed taxonomic differences in the gut microbiota between Nigerian infants, as well as butyrate production during weaning, were strongly influenced by diet, and not by birthing method. Introduction of local/solid foods encouraged the colonisation and evolution of specific marker organisms associated with carbohydrate metabolism.
Continuous cash dividends, ownership structure and firm value: Evidence from Chinese A-share market
Authors: Qi Qin , Li Weijie , Liu Chong , Huang Yuncheng , Hu Changsheng
Published: March 2022

This paper examines the relation between continuous cash dividends, ownership structure and firm value across a sample of 1503 firms listed on Chinese A-share market from 2009 to 2017. The empirical results reveal (1) the positive effect of continuous cash dividends on firm value and that (2) values of both state-owned enterprises controlled by central government (SOECGs) and state-owned enterprises controlled by local governments (SOELGs) that distribute continuous cash dividends increase more with ownership concentration than values of those that distribute discontinuous cash dividends; continuous cash dividends fail to mediate the effect of ownership concentration on firm value in private firms (PFs). The results are robust.
Development and validation of new evaluation scale for measuring stroke patients’ motivation for rehabilitation in rehabilitation wards
Authors: Yoshida Taiki , Otaka Yohei , Kitamura Shin , Ushizawa Kazuki , Kumagai Masashi , Kurihara Yuto , Yaeda Jun , Osu Rieko
Published: March 2022

Objective

This study aimed to develop the Motivation in stroke patients for rehabilitation scale (MORE scale), following the Consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments (COSMIN).

Method

Study participants included rehabilitation professionals working at the convalescent rehabilitation hospital and stroke patients admitted to the hospital. The original MORE scale was developed from an item pool, which was created through discussions of nine rehabilitation professionals. After the content validity of the scale was verified using the Delphi method with 61 rehabilitation professionals and 22 stroke patients, the scale’s validity and reliability were examined for 201 stroke patients. The construct validity of the scale was investigated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and item response theory analysis. Cronbach’s alpha confirmed its internal consistency. Regarding convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity, Spearman’s rho was calculated between the MORE scale and the Apathy Scale (AS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which rates the subjective feelings of motivation.

Results

Using the Delphi method, 17 items were incorporated into the MORE scale. According to EFA and CFA, a one-factor model was suggested. All MORE scale items demonstrated satisfactory item response, with item slopes ranging from 0.811 to 2.142, and item difficulty parameters ranging from -3.203 to 0.522. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.948. Regarding test-retest reliability, a moderate correlation was found between scores at the beginning and one month after hospitalization (rho = 0.612. p < 0.001). The MORE scale showed significant correlation with AS (rho = -0.536, p < 0.001), SDS (rho = -0.347, p < 0.001), and VAS (rho = 0.536, p < 0.001), confirming the convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity, respectively.

Conclusions

The MORE scale was verified as a valid and reliable scale for evaluating stroke patients’ motivation for rehabilitation.
The critical factor: The role of quality in the performance of supported accommodation services for complex mental illness in England
Authors: Almeda Nerea , García-Alonso Carlos Ramón , Killaspy Helen , Gutiérrez-Colosía Mencía R. , Salvador-Carulla Luis
Published: March 2022

Rehabilitation services have a key role in ensuring integrated and comprehensive mental health (MH) care in the community for people suffering from long-term and severe mental disorders. MH-supported accommodation services aim to promote service users’ autonomy and independence. Given the complexity associated with MH-supported accommodation services in England, a comparative evaluation of critical performance indicators, including service provision and quality of care, seems to be necessary in designing evidence-informed policies. This study aims to explore the influence of service quality indicators on the performance of MH-supported accommodation services in England. The analysed sample includes supported accommodation services from 14 nationally representative local authorities in England from the QuEST study grouped by three main types of care: residential care homes (divided into two subgroups: move-on and non-move-on oriented), supported housing and floating outreach. EDeS-MH (efficient decision support-mental health) was used to assess the performance indicators for the selected services by combining a Monte Carlo simulation engine, data envelopment analysis and a fuzzy inference engine for integrating expert knowledge. Depending on the type of care, six/seven quality domains were sequentially included after a baseline scenario (only technical) was analysed. Relative technical efficiency scores for the baseline scenarios revealed high performance in all the selected supported accommodation services, but the statistical variability was high. Quality domains significantly improved performance in every type of care. The inclusion of quality indicators has a positive impact on the global performance of each type of care. Remaining at the corresponding services more than expected for two years has a negative impact on performance. These findings can be considered from a planning perspective to facilitate the design of pathways of care with more realistic expectations about gaining autonomy in two years.
Skin and nasal colonization of coagulase-negative staphylococci are associated with atopic dermatitis among South African toddlers
Authors: Ndhlovu Gillian O. N. , Dube Felix S. , Moonsamy Rasalika T. , Mankahla Avumile , Hlela Carol , Levin Michael E. , Lunjani Nonhlanhla , Shittu Adebayo O. , Abdulgader Shima M.
Published: March 2022

Background

Skin colonization with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) is generally beneficial, but recent investigations suggest its association with flares and atopic dermatitis (AD) severity. However, this relationship remains unclear.

Objective

To assess patterns of staphylococcal colonization and biofilm formation in toddlers with and without AD from rural and urban South African settings.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study of AD-affected and non-atopic AmaXhosa toddlers from rural Umtata and urban Cape Town, South Africa. CoNS isolates were recovered from lesional, nonlesional skin samples and the anterior nares of participants. Identification of the staphylococci was achieved by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The microtiter plate assay assessed in-vitro biofilm formation.

Results

CoNS and S. aureus commonly co-colonized nonlesional skin among cases (urban: 24% vs. 3%, p = 0.037 and rural 21% vs. 6%, p<0.001), and anterior nares in urban cases (24% vs. 0%, p = 0.002) than the control group. S. capitis colonization on nonlesional skin and anterior nares was positively associated with more severe disease in rural (48.3±10.8 vs. 39.7±11.5, P = 0.045) and urban cases (74.9±10.3 vs. 38.4±13, P = 0.004), respectively. Biofilm formation was similar between cases and controls, independent of rural-urban living.

Conclusion

CoNS colonization is associated with AD and disease severity and may be implicated in AD exacerbations. Studies are needed to understand their underlying pathological contribution in AD pathogenesis.
Effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from the 27 Brazilian states
Authors: Fracalossi de Moraes Rodrigo , Russell Louise B. , Santos da Silva Lara Livia , Toscano Cristiana M.
Published: March 2022

Background

Despite substantial evidence on the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), there is still limited evidence on the individual effects of different types of NPIs on social distancing, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Methods

We used panel data analysis to evaluate the effects of mandatory social distancing rules on social distancing. We obtained data on six different categories of mandatory restrictions implemented in Brazil, by date and state, from state government gazettes (diários oficiais). We then defined a social distancing rules index (SDI) to measure the strictness of social distancing rules, assigning each a value of 2, 1, or 0 depending on whether restrictions were full, partial, or very limited/non-existent at every given time. A separate variable was defined for masking mandates. We tested whether the following variables were associated to social distancing: SDI, masking mandates, COVID-19 incidence, population socioeconomic status, and political orientation. Data is for each day between March 11thand November 10th, 2020 in the 27 Brazilian states (N= 6615).

Findings

Social distancing increased when social distancing rules were stricter, and decreased when the use of face masks became mandatory. The effects of different types of restrictions varied: suspending in-person classes and gatherings, religious/sport/cultural activities had a greater effect than other types of restrictions. Also, the effect of social distancing rules on people’s behaviour decreased over time, especially when rules were stricter.

Interpretation

Mandatory social distancing rules must be adopted to increase social distancing. Stricter rules have a higher impact, but result in decreased compliance over time. Policymakers should prioritize more targeted policies.
Derivation and validation of the Rapid Assessment of Dementia Risk (RADaR) for older adults
Authors: Capuano Ana W. , Shah Raj C. , Blanche Paul , Wilson Robert S. , Barnes Lisa L. , Bennett David A. , Arvanitakis Zoe
Published: March 2022

Background

There is no practical dementia risk score in the clinical setting.

Objective

To derive and validate a score obtained by a rapid and simple assessment, which guides primary care providers in predicting the risk of dementia among older adults.

Design

A total of 4178 participants from three longitudinal cohorts (mean age at baseline = 76.8 [SD = 7.6] years), without baseline dementia, followed annually for a median of 10 years (IQR: 5 to16 years, Reverse Kaplan-Meier).

Participants

To derive the score, we used data from 1,780 participants from the Rush Memory and Aging Project (93% White). To validate the score, we used data from 1,299 participants from the Religious Order Study (92% White), and to assess generalizability, 679 participants from the Minority Aging Research Study (100% Black).

Measurements

Clinician-based dementia diagnosis at any time after baseline and predictive variables associated with dementia risk that can be collected in a primary care setting: demographics, clinical indicators, medical history, memory complaints, cognitive and motor tests, and questions to assess functional disability, depressive symptoms, sleep, social isolation, and genetics (APOE e4 and AD polygenic risk score).

Results

At baseline, age, memory complaint, the ability to handle finances, the recall of the month, recall of the room, and recall of three words, were associated with the cumulative incidence of dementia, in the derivation cohort. The discrimination of the RADaR (Rapid Risk Assessment of Dementia) was good for the derivation and external-validation cohorts (AUC3 years = 0.82–0.86), compared to the overall discrimination of age alone (AUC3 years = 0.73), a major risk factor for dementia. Adding genetic data did not increase discrimination.

Limitations

Participants were volunteers, may not represent the general population.

Conclusions

The RADaR, derived from community-dwelling older persons, is a brief and valid tool to predict dementia risk at 3 years in older White and Black persons.
Testing implementation facilitation for uptake of an evidence-based psychosocial intervention in VA homeless programs: A hybrid type III trial
Authors: Smelson David A. , Yakovchenko Vera , Byrne Thomas , McCullough Megan B. , Smith Jeffrey L. , Bruzios Kathryn E. , Gabrielian Sonya
Published: March 2022

Background

Healthcare systems face difficulty implementing evidence-based practices, particularly multicomponent interventions. Additional challenges occur in settings serving vulnerable populations such as homeless Veterans, given the population’s acuity, multiple service needs, and organizational barriers. Implementation Facilitation (IF) is a strategy to support the uptake of evidence-based practices. This study’s aim was to simultaneously examine IF on the uptake of Maintaining Independence and Sobriety Through Systems Integration, Outreach and Networking-Veterans Edition (MISSION-Vet), an evidence-based multicomponent treatment engagement intervention for homeless Veterans with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse, and clinical outcomes among Veterans receiving MISSION-Vet.

Methods

This multi-site hybrid III modified stepped-wedge trial involved seven programs at two Veterans Affairs Medical Centers comparing Implementation as Usual (IU; training and educational materials) to IF (IU + internal and external facilitation).

Results

A total of 110 facilitation events averaging 27 minutes were conducted, of which 85% were virtual. Staff (case managers and peer specialists; n = 108) were trained in MISSION-Vet and completed organizational readiness assessments (n = 77). Although both sites reported being willing to innovate and a desire to improve outcomes, implementation climate significantly differed. Following IU, no staff at either site conducted MISSION-Vet. Following IF, there was a significant MISSION-Vet implementation difference between sites (53% vs. 14%, p = .002). Among the 93 Veterans that received any MISSION-Vet services, they received an average of six sessions. Significant positive associations were found between number of MISSION-Vet sessions and outpatient treatment engagement measured by the number of outpatient visits attended.

Conclusions

While staff were interested in improving patient outcomes, MISSION-Vet was not implemented with IU. IF supported MISSION-Vet uptake and increased outpatient service utilization, but MISSION-Vet still proved difficult to implement particularly in the larger healthcare system. Future studies might tailor implementation strategies to organizational readiness.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02942979.
Two attentive strategies reducing subjective distortions in serial duration perception
Authors: Sierra Franklenin , Poeppel David , Tavano Alessandro
Published: March 2022

Humans tend to perceptually distort (dilate/shrink) the duration of brief stimuli presented in a sequence when discriminating the duration of a second stimulus (Comparison) from the duration of a first stimulus (Standard). This type of distortion, termed “Time order error” (TOE), is an important window into the determinants of subjective perception. We hypothesized that stimulus durations would be optimally processed, suppressing subjective distortions in serial perception, if the events to be compared fell within the boundaries of rhythmic attentive sampling (4–8 Hz, theta band). We used a two-interval forced choice (2IFC) experimental design, and in three separate experiments tested different Standard durations: 120-ms, corresponding to an 8.33 Hz rhythmic attentive window; 160 ms, corresponding to a 6.25 Hz window; and 200 ms, for a 5 Hz window. We found that TOE, as measured by the Constant Error metric, is sizeable for a 120-ms Standard, is reduced for a 160-ms Standard, and statistically disappears for 200-ms Standard events, confirming our hypothesis. For 120- and 160-ms Standard events, to reduce TOEs it was necessary to increase the interval between the Standard and the Comparison event from sub-second (400, 800 ms) to supra-second (1600, 2000 ms) lags, suggesting that the orienting of attention in time waiting for the Comparison event to onset may work as a back-up strategy to optimize its encoding. Our results highlight the flexible use of two different attentive strategies to optimize subjective time perception.
How to prepare stool banks for an appropriate response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences in the Netherlands and a retrospective comparative cohort study for faecal microbiota transplantation
Authors: Groenewegen Bas , van Lingen Emilie , Ooijevaar Rogier E. , Wessels Els , Feltkamp Mariet C. W. , Boeije-Koppenol Eline , Verspaget Hein W. , Kuijper Ed J. , van Prehn Joffrey , Keller Josbert J. , Terveer Elisabeth M. ,   on behalf of the Study Group of the Netherlands Donor Feces Bank
Published: March 2022

Background

Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an efficacious treatment for patients with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections (rCDI). Stool banks facilitate FMT by providing screened faecal suspensions from highly selected healthy donors. Due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the potential risk of SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission via FMT, many stool banks were forced to temporarily halt and adjust donor activities.

Goal

The evaluation of a strategy to effectively continue stool banking activities during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Study

To restart our stool banking activities after an initial halt, we implemented periodic SARS-CoV-2 screening in donor faeces and serum, and frequent donor assessment for COVID-19 related symptoms. FMT donor and recipient data obtained before (2016–2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020-August 2021) were compared to assess stool banking efficacy.

Results

Two out of ten donors developed COVID-19. No differences during versus before the COVID-19 pandemic were observed in the number of approved faeces donations (14 vs 22/month, p = 0.06), FMT requests for rCDI (3.9 vs 4.3/month, p = 0.6); rCDI patients eligible for FMT (80.6% vs 73.3%, p = 0.2); rCDI cure rate (90.3% vs 89.2%, p = 0.9); CDI-free survival (p = 0.7); the number of non-rCDI patients treated with FMT (0.5/month vs 0.4/month), and the number of possibly FMT related adverse events (9.5% vs 7.8%, p = 0.7). Two FMTs for rCDI were delayed due to COVID-19.

Conclusions

There is a continued need for FMT treatment of rCDI during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appropriate donor screening and SARS-CoV-2 infection prevention measures can be implemented in existing protocols without increasing the burden for donors, and allow safe, effective and efficient FMT during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Stool banks should evaluate their SARS-CoV-2 donor screening protocols for long-term sustainability and efficacy, and share their experiences to help the utilisation, standardisation and improvement of stool banks worldwide.
Interleukin-17 is disease promoting in early stages and protective in late stages of experimental periodontitis
Authors: Wilharm Anneke , Binz Christoph , Sandrock Inga , Rampoldi Francesca , Lienenklaus Stefan , Blank Eva , Winkel Andreas , Demera Abdi , Hovav Avi-Hai , Stiesch Meike , Prinz Immo
Published: March 2022

Periodontitis is one of the most common infectious diseases in humans. It is characterized by a chronic inflammation of the tooth-supporting tissue that results in bone loss. However, the role and source of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17) and of the cells producing it locally in the gingiva is still controversial. Th17 αβ T cells, CD4+ exFoxP3+ αβ T cells, or IL-17-producing γδ T cells (γδ17 cells) seem to be decisive cellular players in periodontal inflammation. To address these issues in an experimental model for periodontitis, we employed genetic mouse models deficient for either γδ T cells or IL-17 cytokines and assessed the bone loss during experimental periodontal inflammation by stereomicroscopic, histological, and μCT-analysis. Furthermore, we performed flow-cytometric analyses and qPCR-analyses of the gingival tissue. We found no γδ T cell- or IL-17-dependent change in bone loss after four weeks of periodontitis. Apart from that, our data are complementary with earlier studies, which suggested IL-17-dependent aggravation of bone loss in early periodontitis, but a rather bone-protective role for IL-17 in late stages of experimental periodontitis with respect to the osteoclastogenicity defined by the RANKL/OPG ratio.