bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus(LR) ameliorates acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) via modulating the lung “Innate Lymphoid Cells (ILCs)-Mononuclear Phagocytic System (MPS)”
Authors: Sapra Leena , Das Sneha , Saini Chaman , Mishra Pradyumna K. , Mridha Asit R. , Srivastava Rupesh K.
Published: August 2023

Acute-respiratory-distress-syndrome (ARDS), the ultimate manifestation of acute-lung-injury (ALI) is a life-threatening respiratory failure with a significantly higher incidence and mortality worldwide. Recent discoveries have emphasized the existence of a potential nexus between gut and lung-health wherein physiology of the gut is directly linked with the outcomes of the lung pathologies. These discoveries fuel novel approaches including probiotics for the treatment of several respiratory disorders including ALI/ARDS.Lactobacillus rhamnosus(LR) is a preferred probiotic of choice as it has been reported to exhibit potent anti-inflammatory activities in various inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we investigated the prophylactic-potential of LR in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI/ARDS mice model, which mimics the pathophysiology of several respiratory disorders including respiratory tract infections, COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) etc. Ourin vivofindings revealed that pretreatment with LR significantly attenuated lung inflammation and improved the pathophysiology of lung-tissues in ALI/ARDS mice. We observed that LR-administration suppressed the LPS-induced inflammatory cell infiltration in the lungs via ameliorating vascular-permeability (edema) of the lungs. Acute and chronic lung-disorders, including ARDS, are largely governed by innate-immune response. Interestingly, we observed that LR via modulating different ILCs (first responder to infections) subsets viz. ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3 prevent lung-fibrosis and maintain vascular permeability in LPS induced ALI/ARDS mice model. Of note, we observed a significant-enhancement in the percentage of inflammatory IL-17 producing CD3-Rorγt+NKp46-ILC3-fraction along with a significant reduction in IL-22 (responsible for vascular integrity) producing CD3-Rorγt+NKp46+ILC3 in both the BALF and lung-tissues. These ILCs would further augment the activation and recruitment of mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS-monocytes, macrophages and DCs) along with neutrophils and eosinophils in the lungs and BALF in ALI/ARDS mice model. Furthermore, gene expression and protein-analysis demonstrated that LR treatment significantly reduces the expression of inflammatory-cytokines in lung tissue and serum, thereby suggesting its potent immunomodulatory activity in attenuating ALI/ARDS. Summarily, our research convincingly establishes the prophylactic-role of LR in the prevention and management of respiratory-distress syndromes driven by the diverse inflammatory insults via modulating the lung’s “ILCs-MPS” axis with significant clinical-implications for the management of COVID-19, Influenza, COPD etc.
Surface electromyography (sEMG) of equine core muscles and kinematics of lumbo-sacral joint during core strengthening exercises
Authors: Coll Judit Aulinas , Blake Scott , Godoy Roberta Ferro de
Published: August 2023

Dynamic Mobilisation Exercises (DME) and myotatic reflex exercises were developed with the aim of improving core strengthening in horses. Previous studies have shown DME can increase cross sectional area (CSA) and symmetry of multifidus muscle, as well as activating the external oblique abdominal, and superficial descending pectoral muscles. The aim of this study was to objectively measure activity differences inm. longissimus dorsi(LD) andm. rectus abdominus(RA) whilst performing three levels of spinal flexion and lateral bending, as well as comparing thoracic and pelvic lift exercises in nine adult sport horses. Three repetitions of each exercise was performed for five seconds. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to record muscle electric activity, whilst sagittal lumbo-sacral flexion was measured with kinematics analysis. Overall, the results have shown that spinal flexion and lateral bending activate them. rectus abdominis(RA) progressively as the exercise requires further reach, with a lateral bending effect evident on the ipsilateral side of RA. RA also had increased activation during thoracic lifts in comparison with pelvic lifts.M. longissimus dorsi(LD) has shown no significant differences in peak or average rectified EMG measures on the contralateral side during lateral bending. Pelvic lifts generated the greatest flexion of the lumbo-sacral (LS) joint. Results provide a guideline of the level of muscle effort required in relation to each exercise.

Highlights

M. rectus abdominisis activated more with further reach for cervical flexion and lateral bending.

M. rectus abdominisis more active during thoracic lift than pelvic lift.

Lumbo-sacral joint achieves greater flexion on pelvic lift exercises.

M. longissimus dorsiresponds very little to increased reach in DMEs.
Efficient Natural Plasmid Transformation ofVibrio natriegensEnables Zero-capital Molecular Biology
Authors: Specht David A. , Sheppard Timothy J. , Kennedy Finn , Li Sijin , Gadikota Greeshma , Barstow Buz
Published: August 2023

The fast-growing microbeVibrio natriegensis capable of natural transformation where it draws DNA in from media via an active process under physiological conditions. Using an engineered strain with a genomic copy of the master competence regulatortfoXfromVibrio cholerain combination with a new minimal competence media (MCM) that uses acetate as an energy source, we demonstrate naturally competent cells which are created, transformed, and recovered entirely in the same media, without exchange or addition of new media. Cells are naturally competent to plasmids, recombination with linear DNA, and co-transformation of both to select for scarless and markerless genomic edits. The entire process is simple and inexpensive, requiring no capital equipment for an entirely room temperature process (Zero Capital protocol, 104cfu/µg), or just an incubator (High Efficiency protocol, 105–6cfu/µg). These cells retain their naturally competent state when frozen and are transformable immediately upon thawing like a typical chemical or electrochemical competent cell. Since the optimized transformation protocol requires only 50 minutes of hands-on time, andV. natriegensgrows quickly even on plates, a transformation started at 9 AM yields abundant culturable single colonies by 5 PM. Further, because all stages of transformation occur in the same media, and the process can be arbitrarily scaled in volume, this natural competence strain and media could be ideal for automated directed evolution applications. As a result, naturally competentV. natriegenscould compete withE. colias an excellent chassis for low-cost and highly scalable synthetic biology.
A fluorescent sex-sorting technique for insects with the demonstration inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Liu Junru , Rayes Danny , Akbari Omar S.
Published: August 2023

Recent advances in insect genetic engineering offer alternative genetic biocontrol solutions to control populations of pests and disease vectors. While success has been achieved, sex-sorting remains problematic for scaling many genetic biocontrol interventions. Here we describe the development of a sex-sorting technique for female and male selection with a proof-of-concept inD. melanogastertermed SEPARATOR (SexingElementProduced byAlternativeRNA-splicing ofATransgenicObservableReporter). This approach utilizes dominant fluorescent proteins and differentially spliced introns to ensure sex-specific expression. The system has the potential for adaptability to various insect species and application for high-throughput insect sex-sorting.
Mammalian olfactory cortex neurons retain molecular signatures of ancestral cell types
Authors: Zeppilli S. , Gurrola A. Ortega , Demetci P. , Brann D. H. , Attey R. , Zilkha N. , Kimchi T. , Datta S. R. , Singh R. , Tosches M. A. , Crombach A. , Fleischmann A.
Published: August 2023

The cerebral cortex diversified extensively during vertebrate evolution. Intriguingly, the three-layered mammalian olfactory cortex resembles the cortical cytoarchitecture of non-mammals yet evolved alongside the six-layered neocortex, enabling unique comparisons for investigating cortical neuron diversification. We performed single-nucleus multiome sequencing across mouse three- to six-layered cortices and compared neuron types across mice, reptiles and salamander. We identified neurons that are olfactory cortex-specific or conserved across mouse cortical areas. However, transcriptomically similar neurons exhibited area-specific epigenetic states. Additionally, the olfactory cortex showed transcriptomic divergence between lab and wild-derived mice, suggesting enhanced circuit plasticity through adult immature neurons. Finally, olfactory cortex neurons displayed marked transcriptomic similarities to reptile and salamander neurons. Together, these data indicate that the mammalian olfactory cortex retains molecular signatures representative of ancestral cortical traits.
Ascending vaginal infection in mice induces preterm birth and neonatal morbidity
Authors: Boyle Ashley K , Tetorou Konstantina , Suff Natalie , Beecroft Laura , Mazzaschi Margherita , Hristova Mariya , Waddington Simon N , Peebles Donald
Published: August 2023

Preterm birth (PTB; delivery <37 weeks), the main cause of neonatal death worldwide, can lead to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, as well as lung and gut pathology. PTB is commonly associated with ascending vaginal infection. Previously, we have shown that ascendingE. coliinfection in pregnant mice induces PTB and reduces pup survival. Here, we demonstrate that this model recapitulates the pathology observed in human preterm neonates, namely neuroinflammation, lung injury and gut inflammation. In neonatal brains, there is widespread cell death, microglial activation, astrogliosis and reduced neuronal density. We also validate the utility of this model by assessing efficacy of maternal cervical gene therapy with an adeno-associated viral vector containing human beta defensin 3; this improves pup survival and reducesTnfαmRNA expression in perinatal pup brains exposed toE. coli. This model provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the therapeutic benefit of preterm labour interventions on perinatal pathology.
Telomerase-independent survival leads to a mosaic of complex subtelomere rearrangements inChlamydomonas reinhardtii
Authors: Chaux Frédéric , Agier Nicolas , Garrido Clotilde , Fischer Gilles , Eberhard Stephan , Xu Zhou
Published: August 2023

Telomeres and subtelomeres, the genomic regions located at chromosome extremities, are essential for genome stability in eukaryotes. In the absence of the canonical maintenance mechanism provided by telomerase, telomere shortening induces genome instability. The landscape of the ensuing genome rearrangements is not accessible by short-read sequencing. Here, we leverage Oxford Nanopore Technologies long-read sequencing to survey the extensive repertoire of genome rearrangements in telomerase mutants of the model green microalgaChlamydomonas reinhardtii. In telomerase-mutant strains grown for hundreds of generations, most chromosome extremities were capped by short telomere sequences that were either recruited de novo from other loci or maintained in a telomerase-independent manner. Other extremities did not end with telomeres but only with repeated subtelomeric sequences. The subtelomeric elements, including rDNA, were massively rearranged and involved in breakage–fusion–bridge cycles, translocations, recombinations, and chromosome circularization. These events were established progressively over time and displayed heterogeneity at the subpopulation level. New telomere-capped extremities composed of sequences originating from more internal genomic regions were associated with high DNA methylation, suggesting that de novo heterochromatin formation contributes to the restoration of chromosome end stability inC. reinhardtii. The diversity of alternative strategies present in the same organism to maintain chromosome integrity and the variety of rearrangements found in telomerase mutants are remarkable, and illustrate genome plasticity at short timescales.
Synthesis and crystal structure of catena-poly[cobalt(II)-di-μ-chlorido-μ-pyridazine-κ2
N
1:N
2]
Authors: Näther Christian , Jess Inke
Published: August 2023

The reaction of cobalt dichloride hexahydrate with pyridazine leads to the formation of crystals of the title compound, [CoCl2(C4H4N2)]
n
. This compound is isotypic to a number of compounds with other divalent metal ions. Its asymmetric unit consists of a Co2+ atom (site symmetry 2/m), a chloride ion (site symmetry m) and a pyridazine molecule (all atoms with site symmetry m). The Co2+ cations are coordinated by four chloride anions and two pyridazine ligands, generating trans-CoN4Cl2 octahedra, and are linked into [010] chains by pairs of μ-1,1-bridging chloride anions and bridging pyridazine ligands. In the crystal structure, the pyridazine ligands of neighboring chains are stacked onto each other, indicating π–π interactions. Powder X-ray diffraction proves that a pure crystalline phase was obtained. Differential thermonalysis coupled to thermogravimetry (DTA–TG) reveal that decomposition is observed at about 710 K. Magnetic measurements indicate low-temperature metamagnetic behavior as already observed in a related compound.
Sustainable consumer choices – critical reflection on hospitality and tourism
Authors: Sharma Amit , Saulais Laure , Huang Yidan
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Strategies to promote more sustainable consumer choices have been gaining interest among tourism and hospitality scholars. In particular, behavioral economic theories of decision-making have gained popularity in the past decade, led by behavioral interventions (BIs) such as the nudge movement. This paper aims to present a critical reflection on this recent trend, with a specific focus on whether these BI approaches are an adequate tool to contribute to long-term behavioral changes, one crucial aim of the promotion of sustainable consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a critical review of recent significant academic works in the field, this paper reflects on how nudge principles are applied in the hospitality and tourism sectors, as well as the usual justifications given for their use. This paper then discusses the potential limitations, both theoretical and practical, of using these short-term focused approaches to decisions that intend to have long-term outcomes and aims.

Findings

BIs in hospitality and tourism have the potential to create long-term sustainable changes through a more comprehensive view of behavioral factors influencing decisions; however, such approaches would need to be strongly embedded in theoretical arguments that question “how” and “why” behavior change could be sustainable in the long term. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to address these concerns for future research.

Research limitations/implications

This critical reflection proposes a comprehensive framework that will help guide stronger theoretically motivated identification, design and empirical testing of BIs and nudges. Industry can eventually benefit from theoretically stronger interventions that provide a balance between the short-term and long-term influence of BIs to attain customer loyalty and eventually greater value for business stakeholders.

Originality/value

This reflection paper critically reviews the basis of BIs and recommends a framework to strengthen their theoretical arguments. This reflection focuses on the theoretical critique of BIs and nudges to ensure long-term behavior changes are sustainable. The paper also proposes a comprehensive framework that incorporates well-founded theoretical models to enhance BIs and nudge literature.
EMAS III-based analysis of European eco-management for energy efficiency investments
Authors: Dinçer Hasan , Yuksel Serhat , Bhatti Muhammad Ishaq M. , Mikhaylov Alexey
Published: August 2023

Purpose

The aim is to analyze the European eco-management because the global warming has become a topical issue impacting the whole world. Individual countries are trying to minimize all the catalysts of global warming, such as carbon emissions. This paper addresses this issue and analyzes the performance of European eco-management for the purpose of future energy investments being environmentally.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops a fuzzy decision-making model to study the performance indicators of selected countries based on EMAS III standard. It employs interval type-2 fuzzy DEMATEL to evaluate the performance factors and TOPSIS methodology to assess five selected European countries' performance in relation to eco-friendly, emission and renewable energy.

Findings

Eco-friendly energy plays the most critical role in this respect followed by emissions and renewable energy which constitute significant factors. The novelty of this study is identifying significant criteria regarding environmental and energy efficiency of investments and making performance assessments of European countries with a new fuzzy decision-making model. Both expert opinions and datasets are used for the analysis. This paper supports previous research about energy efficiency investments in Europe.

Research limitations/implications

The innovative feature of this study is identifying significant criteria regarding environmental and energy efficiency of investments and assessing the performance of European countries with a new fuzzy decision-making model. The fact that the analysis only concerns the European region is an important limitation. In future analyses, other groups of countries can be examined. Innovations can be made regarding the method applied. In this context, analyses can be done utilizing different fuzzy numbers. Finally, the importance of the criteria can be calculated with other methods such as SWARA.

Practical implications

The paper fills the gap in performance analysis of European eco-management for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments is done in this manuscript.

Originality/value

Analysis of European eco-management performance was done for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments. A fuzzy decision-making model is constructed. The paper fills the gap in performance analysis of European eco-management for environmentally friendly and efficient energy investments.
Using health belief model and social media analytics to develop insights from hospital-generated twitter messaging and community responses on the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tian Xin , He Wu , He Yuming , Albert Steve , Howard Michael
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine how different hospitals utilize social media to communicate risk information about COVID-19 with the communities they serve, and how hospitals' social media messaging (firm-generated content and their local community's responses (user-generated content) evolved with the COVID-19 outbreak progression.

Design/methodology/approach

This research proposes a healthcare-specific social media analytics framework and studied 68,136 tweets posted from November 2019 to November 2020 from a geographically diverse set of ten leading hospitals' social media messaging on COVID-19 and the public responses by using social media analytics techniques and the health belief model (HBM).

Findings

The study found correlations between some of the HBM variables and COVID-19 outbreak progression. The findings provide actionable insight for hospitals regarding risk communication, decision making, pandemic awareness and education campaigns and social media messaging strategy during a pandemic and help the public to be more prepared for information seeking in the case of future pandemics.

Practical implications

For hospitals, the results provide valuable insights for risk communication practitioners and inform the way hospitals or health agencies manage crisis communication during the pandemic For patients and local community members, they are recommended to check out local hospital's social media sites for updates and advice.

Originality/value

The study demonstrates the role of social media analytics and health behavior models, such as the HBM, in identifying important and useful data and knowledge for public health risk communication, emergency responses and planning during a pandemic.
Media presentation of hospital discharge to care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Abe Eniola , Dawson Pamela , Scott Jason
Published: August 2023

Purpose

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic the United Kingdom Government implemented a policy to rapid discharge hospital patients into care homes. This study aimed to examine how the media in the United Kingdom portrayed hospital discharge to care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was a qualitative document analysis. Four sources (Daily Mail,The Independent,The GuardianandBBC News) were selected to represent political orientations encompassing right-wing, centrist and left-wing perspectives, and were searched for mention of hospital discharge, care homes and Covid-19 pandemic between 1st January 2020 and 24th February 2022. Article text was copied verbatim into Microsoft Word documents prior to analysis. Data were thematically analysed, followed by coding the sentiment in the included articles as well as coding the sentiment of themes and sub-themes.

Findings

Of 722 identified articles, 133 were eligible for inclusion as the final corpus. Data represented a moralistic narrative consisting of four themes: (1) Government as villain, (2) care homes as antiheroes, (3) patients as ideal victims and (4) moral outcomes. Most of the corpus had a negative sentiment (78.1%). One theme, moral outcomes, had considerably more positive sentiment (32.4%) than others (range 15.1%–21.9%).

Originality/value

A moralistic argument for improving cross-boundary interactions between health and social care services is provided, and the media can play a role pushing cross-boundary working higher up the policy agenda. Future work should examine how direct stakeholders, including those working in healthcare and care home settings, perceived the discharge policy.
Inventory management and TQM practices for better firm performance: a systematic and bibliometric review
Authors: Mahajan Pramod Sanjay , Raut Rakesh D. , Kumar Prasanth R. , Singh Vikas
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to quantify the trend of variables used for building a theoretical model with the help of analysing bibliometrics data of inventory management (IM) and Total Quality Management (TQM) practices and their effects on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Scopus' research database and the Web of Science (WoS) (including Elsevier, Emerald Group Publishing, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, IEEE, Informs and SAGE) were used to find relevant articles. The articles, review papers and conference proceedings were screened from 1993 to 2021. The articles were analysed to explain the different types of IM practices, TQM practices and their effect on the firm's performance. Thematic analysis was done using a bibliometric package of “R” (Biblioshiny) and VOSviewer to identify the key trends, approaches and research agenda.

Findings

The research covered 28 years of publications and summarised 497 articles, review papers and conference papers. Researchers concluded that IM highly correlates with the inventory turnover ratio and has no relation to firm performance. Further, TQM positively affects firm performance, but integrating IM and TQM will be a research scope for future study as none of the researchers previously covered this.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the systematic literature review (SLR) and Bibliometric review, the study is limited to the Scopus and WoS (including Elsevier, Emerald Group Publishing, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, IEEE, Informs and SAGE) databases.

Originality/value

Being the research on a bibliometric and systematic review, relating IM practices with TQM practices would be the novelty of this paper.
A multilocus sequence typing method of Staphylococcus aureus DNAs in a sample from human skin
Authors: Furuya Hiroka , Ogura Kohei , Takemoto Norihiko , Watanabe Shinya , Yamazaki Ayaka , Ogai Kazuhiro , Sugama Junko , Okamoto Shigefumi
Published: August 2023

The skin and mucous membranes are the primary sites of Staphylococcus aureus colonization, particularly those of health care personnel and patients in long‐term care centers. We found that S. aureus colonized with a higher abundance ratio on skins which had recovered from pressure injury (PI) than on normal skins in our earlier research on the skin microbiota of bedridden patients. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) is a useful tool for typing S. aureus isolated from clinical specimens. However, the MLST approach cannot be used in microbiota DNA owing to the contamination from other bacteria species. In this study, we developed a multiplex‐nested PCR method to determine S. aureus MLST in samples collected from human skins. The seven pairs of forward and reverse primers were designed in the upstream and downstream regions, which were conserved specifically in S. aureus. The first amplifications of the seven pairs were conducted in a multiplex assay. The samples were diluted and applied to conventional PCR for MLST. We confirmed that the method amplified the seven allele sequences of S. aureus specifically in the presence of untargeted DNAs from human and other skin commensal bacteria. Using this assay, we succeeded in typing sequence types (STs) of S. aureus in the DNA samples derived from the skins healed from PI. Peaks obtained by Sanger sequencing showed that each sample contained one ST, which were mainly categorized into clonal complex 1 (CC1) or CC5. We propose that this culture‐free approach may be used in detecting S. aureus in clinical specimens without isolation.
Increased clonal growth in heavily harvested ecosystems failed to rescue ayahuasca lianas from decline in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest
Authors: Coe Michael A. , Gaoue Orou G.
Published: August 2023

Increasing harvest and overexploitation of wild plants for non‐timber forest products can significantly affect population dynamics of harvested populations. While the most common approach to assess the effect of harvest and perturbation of vital rates is focused on the long‐term population growth rate, most management strategies are planned and implemented over the short‐term.

We developed an integral projection model to investigate the effects of harvest on the demography and the short‐ and long‐term population dynamics of Banisteriopsis caapi in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.

Harvest had no significant effect on the size‐dependent growth of lianas, but survival rates increased with size. Harvest had a significant negative effect on size‐dependent survival where larger lianas experienced greater mortality rates under high harvest pressure than smaller lianas. In the populations under high harvest pressure, survival of smaller lianas was greater than that of populations with low harvest pressure. Harvest had no significant effect on clonal or sexual reproduction, but fertility was size‐dependent.

The long‐term population growth rates of B. caapi populations under high harvest pressure were projected to decline at a rate of 1.3% whereas populations with low harvest pressure are expected to increase at 3.2%. However, before reaching equilibrium, over the short‐term, all B. caapi populations were in decline by 26% (high harvested population) and (low harvested population) 20.4% per year.

Elasticity patterns were dominated by survival of larger lianas irrespective of harvest treatments. Life table response experiment analyses indicated that high harvest caused the 6% reduction in population growth rates by significantly reducing the survival of large lianas and increasing the survival‐growth of smaller lianas including vegetative reproductive individuals.

Synthesis and applications. This study emphasizes how important it is for management strategies for B. caapi lianas experiencing anthropogenic harvest to prioritize the survival of larger size lianas and vegetative reproducing individuals, particularly in increased harvested systems often prone to multiple stressors. From an applied conservation perspective, our findings illustrate the importance of both prospective and retrospective perturbation analyses in population growth rates in understanding the population dynamics of lianas in general in response to human‐induced disturbance.
Ligustrazine and liguzinediol protect against doxorubicin‐induced cardiomyocytes injury by inhibiting mitochondrial apoptosis and autophagy
Authors: Lian Naqi , Tong Jing , Zhu Weijie , Meng Qinghai , Jiang Miao , Bian Mianli , Li Yu
Published: August 2023

Preventing or treating heart failure (HF) by blocking cardiomyocyte apoptosis is an effective strategy that improves survival and reduces ventricular remodelling and dysfunction in the chronic stage. Autophagy is a mechanism that degrades intracellular components and compensates for energy deficiency, which is commonly observed in cardiomyocytes of failed hearts. Cardiomyocytes activated by doxorubicin (DOX) exhibit strong autophagy. This study aims to investigate the potential protective effect of ligustrazine and its derivative liguzinediol on regulating DOX‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and explore the use of the embryonic rat heart‐derived myoblast cell line H9C2 for identifying novel treatments for HF. The results indicated that it has been demonstrated to reverse myocardial infarction remodelling in failed hearts by promoting autophagy in salvaged cardiomyocytes and anti‐apoptosis of cardiomyocytes in granulation tissue. Our study suggests that ligustrazine and liguzinediol can be a promising agents and autophagy is potential pathway in the management of HF.
Spillover effects of FDI inflows on output growth: An analysis of aggregate and disaggregated FDI inflows of 13 MENA economies
Authors: Bergougui Brahim , Murshed Syed Mansoob
Published: August 2023

This paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on overall growth, as well as its sector‐specific spillovers in the Middle Eastern and North African region during the period from 2000 to 2020. Our major innovation is our ability to disaggregate FDI into primary, secondary and tertiary and examine their individual impact on growth, as well as their sector‐specific spillovers by using dynamic panel GMM methodology. We find prima facie evidence that total FDI significantly stimulates growth. However, when we turn to the disaggregated FDI data, primary sector FDI adversely affects the gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the service sector and overall GDP growth. On the other hand, secondary FDI has a ‘double‐edged’ effect, benefiting its own sector (the service sector's GDP growth), but not other sectors. In contrast, service sector FDI stimulates GDP growth in mining, manufacturing and service sectors, thereby enhancing overall economic growth. Our findings have important policy implications regarding the incentives provided by governments to encourage FDI, which need to be fine‐tuned to attract certain types of FDI (tertiary), with less focus on the primary sector
Men’s Health in Northern Ireland: Why do we need a men’s health policy?
Authors: Early Erin , Devine Paula
Published: August 2023

Males accounted for half the United Kingdom population in 2021 yet they fail to be prioritised in health and social policies. As examining the health of males and females collectively falls short in accounting for the complexities associated with gendered health outcomes, male health should be considered as a separate policy issue. The island of Ireland has two jurisdictions, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (NI); however, only the former has implemented a men’s health policy. As well as a policy vacuum within NI, few studies have comprehensively examined male health. To address this shortcoming, a narrative review of males’ physical and mental health trends in NI is presented to determine the need for a men’s health policy. A collation of secondary administrative data and survey data was conducted. The narrative review highlights the importance of utilising a holistic framework to understand men’s health. Key findings include high male suicide rates and young males being more likely to report certain mental health problems. The study concludes that a male health policy is needed. To achieve this, a Health Impact Pyramid was developed, and it illustrates practical steps that can be taken to support decision‐makers, service providers and individual males.
Adhesive small‐bowel obstruction as a challenging complication of familial Mediterranean fever: A case‐based review
Authors: Küçükali Batuhan , Gezgin Yıldırım Deniz , Esmeray Şenol Pelin , Yıldız Çisem , Karaçayır Nihal , Belder Nuran , Kutlar Tanıdır Merve , Azzam Abdurrahman , Kapısız Alparslan , Bakkaloğlu Sevcan A. , Söylemezoğlu H. Oğuz
Published: August 2023

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common inherited autoinflammatory disorder, characterized by recurrent and self‐limiting episodes of fever and serosal inflammation. Recurrent serositis may rarely lead to the formation of adhesions in the peritoneum, which may result in mechanical bowel obstruction. The symptoms, such as abdominal pain and vomiting, may mimic typical FMF attacks, resulting in misdiagnosis and severe morbidity, including strangulation and intestinal necrosis. Physicians are generally aware of other complications associated with FMF but reports on peritoneal adhesions and intestinal obstruction in English‐language literature are inadequate to increase clinicians' awareness. Therefore, it is crucial to meticulously evaluate FMF patients presenting with abdominal pain and ileus because these symptoms could be due to adhesive small‐bowel obstruction (ASBO). Furthermore, patients presenting with ASBO without a history of abdominal surgery should also be thoroughly evaluated, especially as it could be an initial presentation for an autoinflammatory disease. Herein, we present a pediatric case of FMF with the M694V homozygous mutation, complicated by ASBO while under colchicine treatment. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive review of the available literature on ASBO in FMF.
SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and increasing autoimmune disorders among ICU‐hospitalized COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Mosavat Arman , Mirhosseini Ali , Shariati Alireza , Mohareri Mehran , Valizadeh Narges , Mohammadi Fatemeh Sadat , Shamsian Seyed Ali Akbar , Jafari Rad Mozhdeh , Rezaee Seyed Abdolrahim
Published: August 2023

Introduction

In acute conditions, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) causes multi‐organ damage due to the induction of inappropriate immune responses, particularly lung tissue fibrosis. To evaluate the consequence of the deterioration of the immune system, autoimmune markers were assessed.

Methods

In a case–control study, 108 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), and 158 outpatients with mild clinical symptoms, with SARS‐CoV‐2 reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) positive tests, were included for comparison. The demographic and hematologic variables and presence of the main autoantibodies in sera of 40 eligible ICU‐hospitalized COVID‐19 patients and 40 COVID‐19 outpatients were assessed. Out of 108 COVID‐19 ICU‐hospitalized patients, 40 were selected as the control group (40/158) who had no underlying diseases before hospitalization, according to their self‐declaration and clinical records at the time of admission.

Results

The results demonstrated that the main complete blood count indices, such as red blood cells and platelets, decreased dramatically in ICU‐hospitalized patients. Furthermore, the autoantibody profiles were positive in 45% and 15% of ICU‐admitted patients for antinuclear antibodies and antineutrophilic cytoplasmic autoantibodies, respectively. In ICU patients, anti‐PM/Scl 100 or AMA‐M2 was 33%. Anti SS‐A, anti‐SS‐B, anti‐Ro‐52, and anti‐Jo‐1 in 11.5% for each one were reactive. Other autoantibodies of the ICU group were as follows: CENP (5.6%), Rib‐protein (5.6%), and nucleosome (5.6%). However, only two individuals in the control group had positive results for SS‐A and SS‐B (5%).

Conclusion

Induction of such particular autoantibodies by the virus can justify the multi‐organ involvement and severity of the disease in ICU patients, which may also cause other organ involvement in the long term.
Learning Losses of Undergraduate Students in South Asia during COVID‐19 and its Determinants*
Authors: Mumtahena Farzin , Sen Kaustav , Sayyed Mahnoor Imran , Wijayawardhana Pasan , Zafari Roya , Kafle Shrijya
Published: August 2023

The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought about significant changes to the the learning process, prompted by the shift away from traditional physical classrooms to virtual ones. With unequal access to remote learning technologies, there are concerns regarding undergraduate students' academic progress. A primary survey was conducted to create a composite learning score to quantify learning losses. A significantly higher learning loss is visible among students belonging to families facing income losses during the pandemic, and public university students. We find that compared to India, students of Bangladesh and Pakistan are affected more severely in terms of learning losses. The article also measures the extent of psychological distress and academic demotivation related to online learning. We find that the same groups of students face higher psychological distress and academic demotivation.
Strategies to reduce morbidity following pleurectomy and decortication for malignant pleural mesothelioma
Authors: Bou‐Samra Patrick , Chang Austin , Zhang Kevin , Azari Feredun , Kennedy Gregory , Guo Emily , Hwang Wei‐Ting , Singhal Sunil
Published: August 2023

Background

Pleurectomy and decortication (PD) in malignant pleural mesothelioma has a high morbidity mostly associated with aspiration pneumonia (PNA), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and foreign catheter sepsis. We instituted four strategies to reduce these complications and report our experience.

Methods

This was a retrospective review of patients who underwent PD at the University of Pennsylvania between 2015 and 2022. Our patients underwent standard of care PD in addition to tracheostomy and gastrostomy/jejunostomy tube with therapeutic anticoagulation (AC) leading up to surgery. Measured outcomes were postoperative PNA, DVT, and sepsis. The predicted risk of those same outcomes had patients not undergone the interventions was calculated based on the American College of Surgeons (ACS) surgical risk calculator (SRC). A McNemar's test was used to determine whether the risk of having PNA, DVT and sepsis differed between the two subgroups.

Results

Fifty‐five patients were included in the study. The mean age was 70 years (SD 6.2) with a mean of 21 (SD 19) pack‐years of smoking. PNA, DVT, and catheter‐related sepsis occurred in 12, four, and seven patients, respectively. Upon using the ACS SRC prediction model of the nonintervention group, PNA, DVT and catheter related sepsis was predicted to occur in 24 (paired data OR 5, 95% CI: 1.4–17.2; McNemar's test p = 0.008), 14 (paired data OR 3.5, 95% CI: 1.15–10.6; McNemar's test p = 0.03), and 17 (paired OR 3, 95% CI: 1.09–8.3; McNemar's test p = 0.04) patients, respectively.

Discussion

Patients undergoing tracheostomy creation, therapeutic AC at the time of diagnosis, and gastrostomy tube placement had a reduced risk of aspiration PNA, DVT, and catheter sepsis.
Dynamics of land use land cover change in an East African inland valley wetland
Authors: Gimbo Rebecca , Mukundi John Bosco , Mburu David Mwehia , Balirwa John Stephen
Published: August 2023

The dynamics of inland valley wetlands landuse landcover (LULC) changes are of ecological and economical significance hence necessitating up‐to‐date datasets of resource status. Nalwekomba inland valley wetland is highly agriculturally utilised yet ecologically important wetland threatened with conversion. Historical LULC data sets as bench marks justifying wetland conservation are lacking. Therefore, the spatial–temporal LULC changes in Nalwekomba inland valley wetland were analysed through a combination of remote sensing and GIS, using satellite images of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020 as reference years. Results revealed variable dominance of grassland and tree cover for the wetland and its catchment over the years; 32.7% and 35.3% and 30.9% and 29.8%, respectively, for 1990 and 41.4% and 30.4% and 26.3% and 29.1% for 2020. The 30‐year analysis revealed increasing area‐shifts for cropland and built‐up/settlement of 265.7% and 76.2%, respectively, reducing cover for shrubland by 78.31% in the wetland. Similar trend emerged for its catchment. Highest net cover gains and losses identified between 1990 and 2000 were for cropland and tree cover respectively. The observed trend points to the need for landuse planning and landcover management to enhance ecosystems' resilience to support sustainable livelihoods dependent on this ecosystem.
Characteristics and outcomes of respiratory distress among term infants born in a regional setting
Authors: Scullin Madeleine , Carmo Kathryn Browning , Haggie Stuart
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Respiratory distress is the leading cause of admission to neonatal units and is a common indication for medical retrieval. Whilst approximately 25% of births in NSW occur in regional centres, there is a paucity of neonatal research in these settings.

Objective

To describe the characteristics and outcomes of term neonates admitted with respiratory distress to two regional special care nurseries (SCNs) and identify variables associated with the need for medical retrieval.

Design

We describe a cohort of 629 term infants admitted to the SCN in two regional hospitals, 2015–2019. We describe the admission characteristics, level of respiratory support, biochemical investigations, diagnosis and outcomes.

Findings

During the study period, 629 eligible term infants were admitted, retrieval occurred in 29 (4.6%). Those admitted were more often male (66.5%), with a mean gestational age of 39 + 1 weeks (±9 days) and birth weight of 3470 g (±500 g). Infants requiring medical retrieval had higher PaCO2 on blood gas analysis (59.8 mmHg vs. 53.3 mmHg, OR 1.03, p = 0.02). There was no association between maternal GBS status, meconium‐stained liquor, gestational age, or raised inflammatory markers and medical retrieval. Transient tachypnoea of the newborn was the most common diagnosis of neonates admitted to SCN with respiratory distress.

Discussion

Among term infants admitted to a SCN for respiratory distress most were male, of a normal birthweight and born in good condition. Within our cohort there was no association between retrieval and maternal GBS colonisation, meconium‐stained liquor or raised infectious biomarkers. Medical retrieval was infrequent and was associated with higher PaCO2 on initial blood gas analysis.

Conclusion

We present a large cohort of term newborn infants managed for respiratory distress in a regional setting over a five‐year period. Retrieval was infrequent, and outcomes for the cohort were excellent with no deaths during the study period.
Intrapatient comparison of atopic dermatitis skin transcriptome shows differences between tape‐strips and biopsies
Authors: Del Duca Ester , He Helen , Liu Ying , Pagan Angel D. , David Eden , Cheng Julia , Carroll Britta , Renert‐Yuval Yael , Bar Jonathan , Estrada Yeriel D. , Maari Catherine , Proulx Etienne Saint‐Cyr , Krueger James G. , Bissonnette Robert , Guttman‐Yassky Emma
Published: August 2023

Background

Our knowledge of etiopathogenesis of atopic dermatitis (AD) is largely derived from skin biopsies, which are associated with pain, scarring and infection. In contrast, tape‐stripping is a minimally invasive, nonscarring technique to collect skin samples.

Methods

To construct a global AD skin transcriptomic profile comparing tape‐strips to whole‐skin biopsies, we performed RNA‐seq on tape‐strips and biopsies taken from the lesional skin of 20 moderate‐to‐severe AD patients and the skin of 20 controls. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were defined by fold‐change (FCH) ≥2.0 and false discovery rate <0.05.

Results

We detected 4104 (2513 Up; 1591 Down) and 1273 (546 Up; 727 Down) DEGs in AD versus controls, in tape‐strips and biopsies, respectively. Although both techniques captured dysregulation of key immune genes, tape‐strips showed higher FCHs for innate immunity (IL‐1B, IL‐8), dendritic cell (ITGAX/CD11C, FCER1A), Th2 (IL‐13, CCL17, TNFRSF4/OX40), and Th17 (CCL20, CXCL1) products, while biopsies showed higher upregulation of Th22 associated genes (IL‐22, S100As) and dermal cytokines (IFN‐γ, CCL26). Itch‐related genes (IL‐31, TRPV3) were preferentially captured by tape‐strips. Epidermal barrier abnormalities were detected in both techniques, with terminal differentiation defects (FLG2, PSORS1C2) better represented by tape‐strips and epidermal hyperplasia changes (KRT16, MKI67) better detected by biopsies.

Conclusions

Tape‐strips and biopsies capture overlapping but distinct features of the AD molecular signature, suggesting their respective utility for monitoring specific AD‐related immune, itch, and barrier abnormalities in clinical trials and longitudinal studies.
Ophthalmic symptoms, clinical signs and diagnostic delay in infants diagnosed with brain tumours in Denmark between 2007 and 2017
Authors: Turanzas Nathali J. , Mathiasen René , Heegaard Steffen , Schmiegelow Kjeld , Sehested Astrid , Holtz Jeppe K. , Siersma Volkert , Nissen Kamilla R. , von Holstein Sarah L.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To investigate ophthalmic onset manifestations and the impact of diagnostic delay on the prognosis in infants (<1 year) diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Methods

A retrospective population‐based nationwide study of infants diagnosed with a brain tumour between 2007 and 2017 in Denmark. Data was retrieved from the Danish Childhood Cancer Registry, the National Danish Health registries, and medical files. Primary outcome measures included symptoms, clinical findings, time to diagnosis and survival.

Results

Thirty‐seven infants were diagnosed with a brain tumour in Denmark between 2007 and 2017. In total, 19/37 infants (51%, 95% CI: 34–68) had ophthalmic manifestations at any time prior to or at diagnosis; and in 6/37 (16%, 95% CI: 6–32) ophthalmic manifestations were the initial symptom. The most common ophthalmic manifestations were strabismus (n = 7), sunset eyes (n = 6), nystagmus (n = 4), reduced pupillary light reflex (n = 4), and/or decreased vision (n = 4). The median number of symptoms per infant at the time of diagnosis was three (range 0–9). The median diagnostic delay was 26 days (range 0–283, IQR: 6;90). 5‐year survival rate was 75% (95% CI: 61–90) and all children with diagnostic delay > 100 days (n = 9, 24%) were still alive at the end of follow‐up (median 6.3 years, range 2.2–10.2).

Conclusion

We provide an overview of symptoms and clinical signs in a nation‐wide series of infants with CNS tumours and demonstrate that ophthalmic manifestations are frequently observed in infants prior to diagnosis, but, often in combination with other clinical signs. The diagnostic delay was substantial for a large part of the infants, but this was not associated with increased mortality.
HTLV‐1 and blood donation
Authors: Murphy Edward L.
Published: August 2023

Human T‐cell leukaemia virus type 1 (HTLV‐1) is a human retrovirus that causes adult T‐cell lymphoma and HTLV‐associated myelopathy. In this issue, Rosadas et al. use data from a recent WHO report to describe how blood banks test for HTLV‐1 and how this testing contributes to public health surveillance for the virus.

Commentary on: Rosadas et al. HTLV‐1 screening of blood donations: we are systematically missing opportunities. Br J Haematol 2023;202:1220–1223.