bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Healthy and unhealthy plant‐based diets in relation to the incidence of colorectal cancer overall and by molecular subtypes
Authors: Wang Fenglei , Ugai Tomotaka , Haruki Koichiro , Wan Yi , Akimoto Naohiko , Arima Kota , Zhong Rong , Twombly Tyler S. , Wu Kana , Yin Kanhua , Chan Andrew T. , Giannakis Marios , Nowak Jonathan A. , Meyerhardt Jeffrey A. , Liang Liming , Song Mingyang , Smith‐Warner Stephanie A. , Zhang Xuehong , Giovannucci Edward L. , Willett Walter C. , Ogino Shuji
Published: August 2022

Background

Plant‐based foods have been recommended for health. However, not all plant foods are healthy, and little is known about the association between plant‐based diets and specific molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer (CRC). We examined the associations of healthy and unhealthy plant‐based diets with the incidence of CRC and its molecular subtypes.

Methods

While 123 773 participants of the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow‐up Study had been followed up (3 143 158 person‐years), 3077 of them had developed CRC. Healthy and unhealthy plant‐based diet indices (hPDI and uPDI, respectively) were calculated using repeated food frequency questionnaire data. We determined the tumoural status of microsatellite instability (MSI), CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), and BRAF and KRAS mutations.

Results

Higher hPDI was associated with lower CRC incidence (multivariable hazard ratio [HR] comparing extreme quartiles, 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.77, 0.96; P‐trend = .04), whereas higher uPDI was associated with higher CRC incidence (multivariable HR comparing extreme quartiles, 1.16, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.29; P‐trend = .005). The association of hPDI significantly differed by KRAS status (P‐heterogeneity = .003) but not by other tumour markers. The hPDI was associated with lower incidence of KRAS‐wildtype CRC (multivariable HR comparing extreme quartiles, 0.74, 95% CI: 0.57, 0.96; P‐trend = .004) but not KRAS‐mutant CRC (P‐trend = .22).

Conclusions

While unhealthy plant‐based diet enriched with refined grains and sugar is associated with higher CRC incidence, healthy plant‐based diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables is associated with lower incidence of CRC, especially KRAS‐wildtype CRC.
Electrical fire monitoring IoT framework for ancient architectural complex leveraging edge computing
Authors: Dai Huan , Shi Pengzhan , Liu Hongbo , Chen Ruyu , Chen Zhenping
Published: August 2022

Electrical fires caused by leakage, short circuit, overload, and other electrical failures occur frequently in residential areas, and failure to find and locate the fault location in time is the main reason for the evolution of circuit fault into electrical fire, especially in the ancient buildings with aging circuit facilities. Different from modern large‐scale buildings, ancient architectural complex is composed of a large number of scattered low buildings with inconsistent facility specifications and simple structure, so it does not have the conditions to deploy unified electrical lines and establish traditional large‐scale circuit monitoring system. In this study, we design an electrical fire monitoring IoT (EFM‐IoT) framework, which can realize early fire warning by monitoring the residual current of appliances and is easy to deploy in ancient buildings. EFM‐IoT adopts the data cleaning mechanism based on report form to filter redundant data, reducing computing and storage pressure in the cloud. Moreover, we analyze the energy consumption in the process of residual current and temperature data flow, and explore an effective energy‐saving mechanism for transmission. EFM‐IoT has been successfully applied in Chinese historical and cultural street—Pingjiang Road of Suzhou. Extensive evaluation and analysis results demonstrate that EFM‐IoT can effectively alleviate the data traffic and load in the cloud and reduce the response time of early warning.
Analytical toxicology of yew constituents in human blood and urine by liquid chromatography‐high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Jacobs Cathy M. , Wagmann Lea , Meyer Markus R.
Published: August 2022

The active, poisonous constituents in Taxus baccata, the yew plants, are taxine alkaloids whose main action is suggested to be a block of calcium and sodium channels. The main alkaloids are taxine B (30%) and taxine A (1.3%). Symptoms can include bradycardia, bradypnea, diastolic, and cardiac standstill. The current investigation reports the analytical toxicology of human blood and urine to confirm a suspected ingestion of yew needles. This includes the qualitative detection of several yew ingredients, including the main alkaloids, the validated quantification of 3,5‐dimethoxyphenol, and the discussion of suitable analytical targets. After analyzing human specimens and yew needle extracts using the developed procedures, the five alkaloids 1‐deotaxine B, taxicatin, taxine A, taxine B, and taxine I could be detected and tentatively identified. Finally, taxine A and B can be recommended as analytical targets besides 3,5‐dimethoxyphenol.
rGAI: An R package for fitting the generalized abundance index to seasonal count data
Authors: Dennis Emily B. , Fagard‐Jenkin Calliste , Morgan Byron J. T.
Published: August 2022

The generalized abundance index (GAI) provides a useful tool for estimating relative population sizes and trends of seasonal invertebrates from species' count data and offers potential for inferring which external factors may influence phenology and demography through parametric descriptions of seasonal variation. We provide an R package that extends previous software with the ability to include covariates when fitting parametric GAI models, where seasonal variation is described by either a mixture of Normal distributions or a stopover model which provides estimates of life span. The package also generalizes the models to allow any number of broods/generations in the target population within a defined season. The option to perform bootstrapping, either parametrically or nonparametrically, is also provided. The new package allows models to be far more flexible when describing seasonal variation, which may be dependent on site‐specific environmental factors or consist of many broods/generations which may overlap, as demonstrated by two case studies. Our open‐source software, available at https://github.com/calliste‐fagard‐jenkin/rGAI, makes these extensions widely and freely available, allowing the complexity of GAI models used by ecologists and applied statisticians to increase accordingly.
Prey identity affects fitness of a generalist consumer in a brown food web
Authors: Khadempour Lily , Rivas Quijano Leslie , terHorst Casey P.
Published: August 2022

The use of ever‐advancing sequencing technologies has revealed incredible biodiversity at the microbial scale, and yet we know little about the ecological interactions in these communities. For example, in the phytotelmic community found in the purple pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea, ecologists typically consider the bacteria as a functionally homogenous group. In this food web, bacteria decompose detritus and are consumed by protozoa that are considered generalist consumers. Here, we tested whether a generalist consumer benefits from all bacteria equally. We isolated and identified 22 strains of bacteria, belonging to six genera, from S. purpurea plants. We grew the protozoa, Tetrahymena sp. with single isolates and strain mixtures of bacteria and measured Tetrahymena fitness. We found that different bacterial strains had different effects on protozoan fitness, both in isolation and in mixture. Our results demonstrate that not accounting for the composition of prey communities may affect the predicted outcome of predator–prey interactions.
Fast‐paced city life? Tempo and mode of phenotypic changes in urban birds from Switzerland
Authors: Hüppi Evelyn , Geiger Madeleine
Published: August 2022

Humans' large influence on the environment has constructed many new ecological niches, such as in urban areas. Phenotypic changes, including morphological ones related to human influence, are known from a small number of bird species. The amount of change in a given time period, that is, the rate of change, may vary. Rates of change (both evolutionary and through phenotypic plasticity) are reportedly rapid in human‐influenced settings, although this is disputed. We present new data on changes in beak dimensions and rates of change over historical time periods in four urban bird species (Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Eurasian Blackbird, House Sparrow) from three Swiss cities (Basel, Bern, Geneva). Our study shows that beak dimensions have changed little in most investigated urban bird populations over the past century. Only in Genevan Blackbirds there was evidence for an increase in beak length over the past 65 years; Bernese Chaffinches appear to be trending toward a decrease in beak width over the past 55 years. Rates of change in our sample in comparison with literature records showed that compared to populations less influenced by humans, urban evolutionary rates appear to be similar. Although in accordance with previous findings about other urban bird species, our study exemplifies the difficulty to find universal patterns in tempo and mode of phenotypic evolution in urban areas, even when considering the same taxa. Our data contribute to the expanding field of urban evolutionary biology, which is particularly important regarding the growing urban habitats worldwide.
Coastal upwelling may strengthen the controls of herbivory and light over the population dynamics of Hedophyllum sessile in the Oregon rocky intertidal
Authors: Spiecker Barbara J. , Menge Bruce A.
Published: August 2022

Survival of early life history stages is critical to the successful establishment of benthic populations. Although light availability and herbivory are likely to influence the passage of marine macroalgae through a “recruitment bottleneck” at the sporeling stage, the interactive effect of these factors on subsequent community patterns of macroalgae is not well studied. We experimentally tested the effect of light and grazing on sporelings of the common intertidal kelp Hedophyllum sessile. Studies were conducted at two sites along the Oregon coast: Strawberry Hill (an intermittent upwelling region) and Cape Blanco North (a persistent upwelling region). Herbivory and light availability were manipulated and kelp performance metrics (density and length) were measured monthly from May to November 2019. We found that the effects of herbivory and light availability were pronounced at Cape Blanco North but negligible at Strawberry Hill. At Cape Blanco North, herbivory had strong but opposing effects on the density and length of H. sessile. Kelp density was higher in treatments without herbivores while kelp length was greater in treatments with herbivores. Responses also differed with the life history stage. Herbivory had negative effects on juvenile kelp but positive effects on adult kelp while light availability had opposing effects on the length of juvenile and adult kelps. The length of juvenile kelps was higher in shaded treatments while the length of adult kelps was higher in unshaded treatments. Our study highlights the potential importance of coastal geophysical processes (and subsequently, nutrients) in modifying herbivore and light effects on population dynamics of H. sessile, and how these dynamics may be further influenced by different characteristics of the kelp (i.e., demographic traits and life history stages).
ParentalDNAmethylation influences plasticity of early offspring traits, but offspringDNAmethylation influences trait plasticity throughout life
Authors: Morgan Britany L. , Donohue Kathleen
Published: August 2022

Plants alter their phenotypes in response to both their own environment and that of their parents. Parental environments are hypothesized to more strongly regulate early life stages of offspring, while offspring environments regulate later life stages, since offspring perception becomes more accurate throughout development. DNA methylation in plants is known to respond to environmental conditions and can be transmitted across generations, so DNA methylation of both parents and offspring may be involved in regulating responses to environments within and across generations. However, the relative contribution of each generation's epigenetic regulation is not known. We quantified phenotypic responses to parent and offspring canopy environment and tested whether parental or offspring DNA methylation mediated those responses. To quantify the response to parental versus offspring canopy, we used green filter during the growth of either parents or offspring. To test the contribution of parental versus offspring DNA methylation to regulate offspring phenotypic responses to canopy shade at seed, seedling, and adult life stages, we manipulated parental or offspring DNA methylation using 5‐azacytidine. Both parent and offspring shade affected offspring traits. Parental DNA demethylation affected trait responses to both parental and offspring canopy, but it did so only at early life stages, while offspring DNA demethylation influenced responses throughout life. Trait correlations were significantly altered by chemical demethylation of parents and offspring, indicating that DNA methylation in both generations influences integrated phenotypic responses to canopy. These results demonstrate that the influence of parental methylation on offspring phenotypes measured in this study were manifest only early in the life of offspring, while offspring phenotypes were more strongly influenced by their own epigenetic regulation at mature stages. DNA methylation of both parents and offspring appears to coordinate multitrait responses like the “shade avoidance syndrome.”
Experimental evolution of bacterial survival on metallic copper
Authors: Xu Feng , Liu Sha , Naren Naran , Li Lily , Ma Luyan Z. , Zhang Xue‐Xian
Published: August 2022

Antimicrobial copper‐containing surface materials have a great potential of reducing the risks of healthcare‐associated infections (HAIs), but their increased use in hospital facilities may select copper‐resistant strains, causing concerns to antimicrobial resistance management. Here, we describe a long‐term bacterial evolution experiment wherein a non‐pathogenic Pseudomonas strain was subjected to daily transfer in laboratory media with and without copper‐mediated contact killing. The copper treatment sequentially involved two surface materials differing in Cu content and thus contact killing effectiveness: first on brass (Cu 63.5%) and then on pure copper (Cu 99.9%). A gradual increase in bacterial survival rate (or a decrease of killing effectiveness) was observed over time on the related copper surfaces. For the final evolved populations after 320 transfers, 37.8% cells of the copper‐evolved populations were able to survive 60 min on pure copper, whereas populations in the control lines remained sensitive with a survival rate of 0.09% under the same contact killing condition. Genome re‐sequencing revealed ~540 mutations accumulated in the copper lines but only 71, on average, in the control lines (variant frequency > 0.5). The mutagenic activities of Cu+ ions were confirmed by measuring spontaneous mutation rate in a laboratory medium supplemented with copper sulfate at a non‐inhibitory concentration. The copper‐evolved populations have acquired increased resistance to Cu+ ions and tobramycin (an aminoglycoside antibiotic), but showed decreased production of biofilm, exoprotein, and pyoverdine. Together, our data demonstrate the potential of bacteria to evolve prolonged survival on metallic copper, and the long‐term impacts should be considered with increased copper usage in hospital environments.
Detecting endangered pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) using environmental DNA: Comparison of ddPCR, qPCR, and conventional diver surveys
Authors: Dimond James L. , Gathright Benjamin Ryder , Bouma Joshua V. , Carson Henry S. , Sowul Kathleen
Published: August 2022

Abalone populations along the Pacific Coast of North America are threatened. In the Salish Sea (Washington, USA), pinto abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) have failed to recover from intensive harvest after over 25 years of fishery closure, prompting a growing restoration effort. As these efforts expand, a persistent challenge is simply locating this rare and highly cryptic species in the field, limiting the ability to identify critical habitat and locate wild adults to serve as restoration broodstock. Here, we tested the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect pinto abalone. Using a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay previously developed for larval pinto abalone, we first evaluated its sensitivity to abalone eDNA in aquaria settings, finding a positive relationship between abalone biomass and the concentration of abalone DNA. We then tested abalone eDNA detection in the field by collecting replicate water samples from abalone restoration sites, using an occupancy model to estimate detection probability in relation to abalone biomass estimated via diver surveys. Both eDNA concentration and detection probability were positively associated with diver‐estimated abalone biomass. By modifying the assay for droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), detection probability increased by 32%–89% over qPCR. eDNA surveys using ddPCR had higher error (CV = 96.9%) than diver surveys (CV = 29.4%) but were more efficient, taking approximately 1/10th of the person‐hours per site of a diver survey. For the final phase of the study, we collected water samples at 80 sites throughout the region, obtaining positive abalone eDNA detections at 11 sites with qPCR and 19 additional sites with ddPCR. Our results provide novel survey data on abalone populations within the Salish Sea and show that eDNA is a viable tool for cost‐effective, efficient, and non‐invasive abalone detection.
Revisiting Formal Copper(III) Complexes: Bridging Perspectives with Quasi‐d10 Configurations
Authors: Leach Isaac F. , Havenith Remco W. A. , Klein Johannes E. M. N.
Published: August 2022

The formal Cu(III) complex [Cu(CF3)4]1− has often served as a paradigmatic example of challenging oxidation state assignment – with many reports proposing conflicting descriptions. Here we report a computational analysis of this compound, employing Energy Decomposition Analysis and Intrinsic Bond Orbital Analysis. We present a quasi‐d10 perspective of the metal centre, resulting from ambiguities in d‐electron counting. The implications for describing reactions which undergo oxidation state changes, such as the formal reductive elimination from the analogous [Cu(CF3)3(CH2Ph)]1− complex (Paeth et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 3153), are probed. Electron flow analysis finds that the changes in electronic structure may be understood as a quasi‐d10 to d10 transition at the metal centre, rendering this process essentially redox neutral. This is reminiscent of a previously studied formal Ni(IV) complex (Steen et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 13133–13139), and indicates that our description of electronic structure has implications for the understanding of elementary organometallic reaction steps.
N‐stabilized metal single atoms enabled rich defects for noble‐metal alloy toward superior water reduction
Authors: Jin Haiyan , Wong Lok Wing , Lai Ka Hei , Zheng Xiaodong , Lau Shu Ping , Deng Qingming , Zhao Jiong
Published: August 2022

The traditional methods of introducing defects into alloy catalysts, such as dealloying, quenching, and doping, usually require complicated processes, rendering less controllability to the products and performances. Herein, a simple fabrication method for vacancy‐rich IrCo alloy nanoparticles supported on N‐doped carbon sheets (denoted as D‐IrCo/NC) is applied by post‐annealing the single atom (Ir and Co) dispersed precursors. The mobile single atoms and the coalescences of metallic clusters are directly observed via in situ transmission electron microscopy. Compared to the alloy catalysts obtained by direct calcination or other traditional methods, the D‐IrCo4.9/NC catalyst is enriched with vacancy defects and only demands an overpotential of 14 mV at j = 10 mA/cm2 for HER. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the under‐coordinated Ir sites possess the lowest hydrogen adsorption energy. This novel preparation method is universal, and this work also provides a facile strategy to fabricate highly defective alloy catalysts evolved from single atom precursors.

image
Automatic modulation classification with 2D transforms and convolutional neural network
Authors: Ghanem Hanan S. , Shoaib Mohamed R. , El‐Gazar Safaa , Emara Heba , El‐Shafai Walid , El‐Moneim Samia A. , El‐Fishawy Adel S. , Taha Taha E. , Hamed Hesham F.A. , El‐Banby Ghada M. , Elsabrouty Maha , El‐Rabaie El‐Sayed M. , Abd El‐Samie Fathi E. , Salama Gerges M.
Published: August 2022

This article focuses on automatic modulation classification (AMC) in wireless communication systems. A convolutional neural network (CNN) with three layers is introduced for the AMC process. Over degraded channels, it is assumed that the constellation diagrams of received signals do not show sharp points as in the case of pure signals. Instead, the points spread to constitute circle‐shaped objects. With more deterioration in channel conditions, these circle‐shaped objects begin to show overlapping. This behavior motivates us to use object detection, when dealing with the modulation classification task. The selection of the adopted transforms in this article is made from the object detection perspective. Different 2D transforms are considered on the constellation diagrams and compared for better classification performance. These transforms are the Radon transform (RT), the curvelet transform, and the phase congruency (PC). They are applied on the 2D constellation diagrams prior to the classification task with the CNN. The classification of the modulation format at different signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs) is considered in this article from the constellation diagrams, and the preprocessed constellation diagrams using RT, curvelet transform, and PC. Seven types of modulation formats are considered in this study to represent both spread and dense constellation diagram patterns, and the study extends from −10 to 10 dB. Analysis of the results indicating the most suitable preprocessor according to the constellation type and the SNR involved is provided.
Immune‐modified Glasgow prognostic score: A new prognostic marker for head and neck cancer
Authors: Terazawa Kosuke , Ohashi Toshimitsu , Shibata Hirofumi , Ishihara Takuma , Ogawa Takenori
Published: August 2022

Background

The modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) includes C‐reactive protein and serum albumin levels and is a useful prognostic tool for malignant tumors. The immune system affects cancer progression and recurrence and treatment response. We hypothesized that increasing the lymphocyte count improves mGPS, and we created a new prognostic marker termed immune‐mGPS (imGPS).

Methods

This study included 461 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The imGPS was calculated as the conventional mGPS with one additional point for a low lymphocyte count (<1250/μL).

Results

Addition of the lymphocyte count to mGPS significantly increased the area under the time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curve for overall and progression‐free survivals. The added predictive abilities of this tool were supported by improvement in both net reclassification and integrated discrimination.

Conclusion

imGPS is a more accurate predictor of clinical outcome in patients with HNSCC than mGPS.
Emerging reconfigurable electronic devices based on two‐dimensional materials: A review
Authors: Fei Wenwen , Trommer Jens , Lemme Max Christian , Mikolajick Thomas , Heinzig André
Published: August 2022

As the dimensions of the transistor, the key element of silicon technology, are approaching their physical limits, developing semiconductor technology with novel concepts and materials has been the main focus of scientific research and industry. In recent years, emerging reconfigurable technologies that offer device‐level run‐time reconfigurability have been explored and shown the potential to enhance device and circuit functions. Two‐dimensional (2D) materials possess exquisite electronic properties and provide a suitable platform for reconfigurable technology owing to their atomic‐thin thickness and high sensitivity to external electrical fields. In this review, we present an intensive survey of 2D‐material‐based devices with diverse reconfigurability, including carrier polarity, threshold voltage control, as well as multifunctional configurations enabled by 2D heterostructures. We discuss the working principles for these devices in detail and highlight the important figures of merit for performance improvement. We further provide a forward‐looking perspective on the opportunities and challenges of these reconfigurable devices based on 2D materials in the field of computing technologies.

image
A shape memory scaffold for body temperature self‐repairing wearable perovskite solar cells with efficiency exceeding 21%
Authors: Xue Tangyue , Huang Zengqi , Zhang Pei , Su Meng , Hu Xiaotian , Wu Tingqing , Fan Baojin , Chen Gangshu , Yu Guanghui , Liu Wentao , Liu Xuying , Zhang Yiqiang , Song Yanlin
Published: August 2022

Grain boundary cracks in flexible perovskite films can be repaired by filling with self‐repairing polymers during the preparation and wearable operation. However, the self‐repairing polymers are commonly active through external heating or humidification treatments, which cannot match with the human body's temperature tolerance of wearable devices. Herein, a body temperature‐responsive shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) is demonstrated to achieve the real‐time mechanical self‐repairing of grain boundary cracks (~37°C). Furthermore, the strong intermolecular interaction between SMPU and the uncoordinated Pb2+ and I−, can reduce the trap density in perovskite films. The blade‐coated device achieves a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 21.33%, which is among the best reported flexible perovskite solar cells (PSCs; 0.10 cm2). Importantly, the device with SMPU can recover more than 80% of the PCE after 6000 cycles (bending radius: 8 mm). Finally, the flexible PSCs are used for wearable solar power supply of a smartphone, which show great potential for self‐repairing wearable electronics.

image
Critical collaboration across three transnational literacy autobiographies
Authors: Kang Stephie Minjung , Gangopadhyay Suha , Hall Lindsey Allene
Published: August 2022

Historically, language and literacy education has overemphasized the ability to listen, speak, read, and write in one standard language (Campbell, 2005; Clark, 2013) without taking personal, historical, and contextual literacy experiences into account. Undertaking autobiography writing as a critical reflexive practice, this study analyzes three transnational literacy autobiographies or TLAs (Canagarajah, 2020) by each author that center critical engagement with an artifact (Pahl & Rowsell, 2010) to learn how experiences within transnational contact zones have shaped their trajectories as literacies scholars. Merging pluriversality and transnational literacies as conceptual frameworks for analyzing their autobiographies, the authors conduct an interactive elicitation strategy and identify colonialism, emotion, and identity as emergent themes. Finally, the authors suggest using TLAs through critical collaboration to center transnational literacies and pedagogies, develop a transnational ethic of care, and imagine changes in current systems of inequity in literacy education.
Network pharmacology and molecular docking integrated strategy to investigate the pharmacological mechanism of palmatine in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Pei Hongyan , Zeng Jianning , Chen Weijia , He Zhongmei , Du Rui
Published: August 2022

Objective

The key molecular mechanism of palmatine in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was investigated in this article.

Methods

Network pharmacology techniques constructed drug‐target‐disease relationship networks and predictive pathways of action. At the cellular level, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to induce Raw 264.7 cells to establish an inflammation model, and interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α indicators were examined. Apoptosis was detected using Hoechst 33258. At the animal level, LPS was used to induce AD animal model, and behavioral performance were examined by water maze, and serum biochemical indexes were measured by ELISA. And the expression of PI3K and P‐AKT was observed by immunohistochemistry. Finally, molecular level validation was performed using the molecular docking technique.

Results

The result of Network pharmacological was predicted that palmatine may treat AD mainly through the PI3K pathway. Palmatine has no significant effect on Raw264.7 cells viability within 0.05 mg/ml, Palmatine can significantly induce Raw264.7 cells to secret IL‐6 and IL1‐β in a concentration‐dependent manner, but it has not obvious impact on NO and TNF‐α. Palmatine has a significant restorative effect on the cell viability of Raw264.7 in a concentration of 0.1 mg/ml. Palmatine can be concentration‐dependent to downregulate the secretion of LPS‐induced IL‐6. At the same time, Palmatine also has a significant effect on the level of TNF‐α induced by LPS, it also can slightly downregulate the secretion of IL‐1β. The results of Hoechst33258 showed that cells in the 0.025 mg/ml and 0.5 mg/ml delivery groups increased with different degrees of bright blue fluorescence, and apoptosis rate decreased. Animal experiments showed that palmatine effectively improved the learning and memory ability of AD mice. The immunohistochemical results exhibited that the expression of PI3K and P‐AKT in the model group decreased, but they were obvious reversed by palmatine The molecular docking results showed that palmatine and key targets had good docking, among which the binding to ERBB2, CDC42, MDM2, and mTOR was the most likely.

Conclusion

Palmatine has neuroprotective effects. Palmatine could effectively ameliorate memory impairment in AD mice by promoting the PI3K‐AKT pathway. Molecular docking results showed that palmatine has a better binding ability with mTOR.
Serotonergic mechanisms associated with experimental models of hypoxia: A systematic review
Authors: Carneiro Isadora Braga Contreiras , Toscano Ana Elisa , da Cunha Marcela de Sá Barreto , Lacerda Diego Cabral , Pontes Paula Brielle , de Castro Raul Manhães , de Jesus Deiró Tereza Cristina Bonfim , Medeiros Jairza Maria Barreto
Published: August 2022

Purpose

The aim of this systematic review was to explore and discuss the literature concerning the effects of hypoxia or anoxia during the perinatal period on the serotoninergic network in rodents, through mechanisms that lead to changes in serotonergic neurons, levels, segments of central nervous system affected, 5‐HT transporter, and 5‐HT receptor.

Methods

Literature searches were performed in Embase, Medline (PubMed), Web of Science, and SCOPUS, from April to July 2021, with a total of 1045 published studies found. Using a predefined protocol, as registered on the CAMARADES website, 10 articles were included in this review. The PRISMA statement was used for reporting this systematic review. The internal validity was assessed using the SYRCLE's risk of bias tool.

Results

Our main findings show that hypoxia in the first days of postnatal life led to a disturbance in the serotonergic system with reduced in 5‐HT fibers, reduced brain levels of 5‐HT and 5‐HIAA, reduced SERT protein expression, and reduced receptor 5‐HT7. Putative mechanisms involving damage in the serotoninergic system include retrograde cell death resulting from primary damage mainly in forebrain areas, which impairs remote areas including serotonergic raphe nuclei. Other probable mechanisms associated with the serotoninergic network damage may be triggered by excitotoxic lesion and neuroinflammation.

Conclusion

Hypoxia at the beginning of an animal's life leads to modification of the serotonergic components associated with putative mechanisms that include cell damage and neuroinflammation.
Novel polymorphism of the HMGCR gene related to the risk of diabetes in premature triple‐vessel disease patients
Authors: Zhao Xueyan , Tang Xiaofang , Xu Jingjing , Liu Ru , Huang Keyong , Li Jiawen , Li Yulong , Jiang Lin , Xu Lianjun , Zhang Yin , Wang Dong , Hui Rutai , Gao Runlin , Song Lei , Yuan Jinqing
Published: August 2022

Background

Coronary heart disease and diabetes are highly interrelated and complex diseases. We proposed to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms of the lipoprotein important regulatory genes Niemann‐Pick C1‐like 1 (NPC1L1) and 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl‐coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) in patients with premature triple‐vessel coronary disease (PTVD) with diabetes, blood glucose and body mass index.

Methods

Four single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs11763759, rs4720470, rs2072183 and rs2073547) of NPC1L1 and three SNPs (rs12916, rs2303151 and rs4629571) of HMGCR were genotyped in 872 PTVD patients.

Results

After performing logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex, rs2303151 of HMGCR was related to the risk of diabetes in the dominance model (odds ratio = 1.35, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–1.80, p = 0.04). However, the four SNPs of NPC1L1 were not associated with the risk of diabetes. Further analyses showed that neither the above SNPs of NPC1L1, nor the SNPs of HMGCR were related to blood glucose and body mass index (all p > 0.05).

Conclusions

We report that rs2303151 is a novel polymorphism of the HMGCR gene related to the risk of diabetes in PTVD patients, which suggests HMGCR may be a potential common targeted pathogenic pathways between coronary heart disease and diabetes.
AMF and PSB applications modulated the biochemical and mineral content of the eggplants
Authors: Sharma Meenakshi , Delta Anil K. , Dhanda Parmdeep S. , Kaushik Prashant , Mohanta Yugal K. , Saravanan Muthupandian , Mohanta Tapan K.
Published: August 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the beneficial role of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in improving eggplant fruits' biochemical composition and mineral content. The plants were treated with AMF Acaulospora laevis, and bacteria Pseudomonas fluorescens, and the corresponding variations were measured for mineral content (Ca, Fe, Mg, K, and P), biochemical parameters (dry matter, total soluble solid [TSS], phenolics, chlorogenic acid, vitamin C) along with arbuscular mycorrhiza spore number, and percentage of root colonization. The AMF and PSB‐mediated soil and root‐associated nutrients become available for uptake via mineralization, solubilization, and mobilization, primarily through the generation of organic acids and P‐hydrolysing enzymes by the microbes. All the treatments showed a significant increase in the concentrations of different biochemical components. However, the combination of both A. laevis and P. fluorescens was found to be the most efficient. These results indicated the possibility of A. laevis and P. fluorescens being used as biofertilizers.
Use of Glycolysis‐Enhancing Drugs and Risk of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Simmering Jacob E. , Welsh Michael J. , Schultz Jordan , Narayanan Nandakumar S.
Published: August 2022

Background

Terazosin (TZ) and closely related α1‐adrenergic receptor antagonists (doxazosin [DZ] and alfuzosin [AZ]) enhance glycolysis and reduce neurodegeneration in animal models. Observational evidence in humans from several databases supports this finding; however, a recent study has suggested that tamsulosin, the comparator medication, increases the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Aims

We consider a different comparison group of men taking 5α‐reductase inhibitors (5ARIs) as a new, independent comparison allowing us to both obtain new estimates of the association between TZ/DZ/AZ and Parkinson's disease outcomes and validate tamsulosin as an active comparator.

Methods

Using the Truven Health Analytics Marketscan database, we identified men without Parkinson's disease, newly started on TZ/DZ/AZ, tamsulosin, or 5ARIs. We followed these matched cohorts to compare the hazard of developing Parkinson's disease. We conducted sensitivity analyses using variable duration of lead‐in to mitigate biases introduced by prodromal disease.

Results

We found that men taking TZ/DZ/AZ had a lower hazard of Parkinson's disease than men taking tamsulosin (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.71, 95% CI [confidence interval]: 0.65–0.77, n = 239,888) and lower than men taking 5ARIs (HR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.75–0.94, n = 129,116). We found the TZ/DZ/AZ versus tamsulosin HR to be essentially unchanged with up to 5 years of lead‐in time; however, the TZ/DZ/AZ versus 5ARI effect became attenuated with longer lead‐in durations.

Conclusions

These data suggest that men using TZ/DZ/AZ have a somewhat lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease than those using tamsulosin and a slightly lower risk than those using 5ARIs. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Influencing factors of care dependence in patients with coronary heart disease after percutaneous coronary intervention—A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Guo Juan , Chen Youyou , Dai Yu , Chen Qin , Wang Xiyong
Published: August 2022

Aim

Care dependence has been scarcely investigated in coronary heart disease patients after percutaneous coronary intervention. This study aimed to investigate the association between frailty, self‐efficacy, combined effects of frailty and self‐efficacy, mental health, and care dependence in coronary heart disease patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Design

Cross‐sectional study.

Methods

Data from 400 patients after percutaneous coronary intervention were collected from 2017–2020. Logistic regression model and mediating analysis were used to identify the association between frailty, self‐efficacy, combined effects of frailty and self‐efficacy, and care dependence.

Results

Patients with frailty and self‐efficacy tended to have severe care dependence symptoms. There was no correlation between frailty symptoms, self‐efficacy, and care dependence in patients without symptoms of anxiety or depression. But in patients with anxiety or depression symptoms, there is a strong correlation between frailty symptoms, lower self‐efficacy, and care dependence. Mental health played an inhibitory effect on frailty and care dependence.
A cross‐sectional observational study on the level of diabetes knowledge and related influencing factors among orthopaedic nurses
Authors: Shi Wenli , Yao Huilan , Guo Zihe , Fan Shunwu , Pan Hongying , Liu Chao
Published: August 2022

Aim

To evaluate the level of diabetes knowledge and related influencing factors among Chinese orthopaedic nurses.

Design

A cross‐sectional observational study. The STROBE checklist was followed.

Methods

A convenience sampling method was adopted by using the Questionnaire Star application to publish online questionnaire. The nurses' diabetes knowledge levels were assessed, including a total of 34 items from the “Orthopaedic Nurses Diabetes Knowledge Mastery Questionnaire” and the “Orthopaedic Nurses General Information Questionnaire” between July 2020 and September 2020.

Results

Altogether, 363 nurses participated in the survey. Their levels of diabetes‐related knowledge were moderate or lower (16.51 ± 2.96 out of 25 points). The knowledge level was closely related to five factors: professional title, education level, whether the hospital employed diabetes specialist nurses or treated outpatients, type of diabetes‐related training received and whether the individual was familiar with and adhered to current treatment guidelines. The knowledge level can be improved by providing additional training that accounts for these factors.
Value‐Based Payments in Health Care: Evidence from a Nationwide Randomized Experiment in the Home Health Sector
Authors: Li Jun
Published: August 2022

Value‐based payment programs, also known as pay‐for‐performance, use financial incentives to motivate providers to invest in quality and are a critical part of Medicare health care reform. This study examines the first year of the Home Health Value‐Based Purchasing program, a nationally representative cluster randomized experiment implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2016. The goal of the program is to achieve better home health care quality. Home health agencies in treatment states were rewarded or penalized based on their performance on agency‐reported and non‐agency‐reported quality measures. The program improved agency‐reported measures by approximately one percentage point, and performance gains suggest a dose‐response relationship with respect to incentive size. However, the performance gains in agency‐reported measures did not reflect true quality improvement. I find evidence that agencies manipulated their coding of patients and inflated their performance. Coding manipulation explains the entirety of the program's impact on agency‐reported measures.
Age‐ and sex‐specific rates of gall bladder disease in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: Agawu Atu , Shults Justine , Smith‐Whitley Kim , Feudtner Chris
Published: August 2022

Background

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have an increased risk for gallstones due to chronic hyperbilirubinemia from hemolysis. Although gallstones are a known complication, there is variability in estimates of disease burden and uncertainty in the association between sex and gall bladder disease (GBD).

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of children with SCD using administrative claims data (January 1, 2014–December 31, 2018). Population‐averaged multivariable panel‐data logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between GBD clinical encounters (outcome) and two exposures (age and sex). Annual GBD risk was calculated using predictive margins, adjusting for disease severity, transfusion frequency, and hydroxyurea exposure.

Results

A total of 13,745 individuals (of 21,487 possible) met inclusion criteria. The population was evenly split across sex (49.5% female) with predominantly Medicaid insurance (69%). A total of 946 individuals (6.9%) had GBD, 432 (3.1%) had a gallstone complication, and 487 (3.5%) underwent cholecystectomy. The annual risk of GBD rose nonlinearly from 1 to 5% between ages 1 and 19 years with no difference between males and females. Cholecystectomy occurred primarily in individuals with GBD (87%), and neither age nor sex was associated with cholecystectomy in this population. High disease severity (compared with low) more than doubled the annual risk of GBD at all ages.

Conclusions

GBD is associated with age but not sex in children with SCD. Neither age nor sex is associated with risk of cholecystectomy. High disease severity increases the rate of GBD at all ages.
Joint longitudinal trajectories of pain intensity and opioid prescription in veterans with back pain
Authors: Buta Eugenia , Gordon Kirsha S. , Gueorguieva Ralitza , Becker William C. , Heapy Alicia , Bathulapalli Harini , Zeng Qing , Redd Doug , Brandt Cynthia , Goulet Joseph
Published: August 2022

Purpose

We describe pain intensity and opioid prescription jointly over time in Veterans with back pain to better understand their relationship.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study on electronic health record data from 117 126 Veterans (mean age 49.2 years) diagnosed with back pain in 2015. We used latent class growth analysis to jointly model pain intensity (0–10 scores) and opioid prescriptions over 2 years to identify classes of individuals similar in their trajectory of pain and opioid over time. Multivariable multinomial logit models assessed sociodemographic and clinical predictors of class membership.

Results

We identified six trajectory classes: a “no pain/no opioid” class (22.2%), a “mild pain/no opioid” class (45.0%), a “moderate pain/no opioid” class (24.6%), a “moderate, decreasing pain/decreasing opioid” class (3.3%), a “moderate pain/high opioid” class (2.6%), and a “moderate, increasing pain/increasing opioid” class (2.3%). Among those in moderate pain classes, being white (vs. non‐white) and older were associated with higher odds of being prescribed opioids. Veterans with mental health diagnoses had increased odds of being in the painful classes versus “no pain/no opioid” class.

Conclusion

We found distinct patterns in the long‐term joint course of pain and opioid prescription in Veterans with back pain. Understanding these patterns and associated predictors may help with development of targeted interventions for patients with back pain.
Lung recruitment in neonatal high‐frequency oscillatory ventilation with volume‐guarantee
Authors: Solis‐Garcia Gonzalo , González‐Pacheco Noelia , Ramos‐Navarro Cristina , Vigil‐Vázquez Sara , Gutiérrez‐Vélez Ana , Merino‐Hernández Amaia , Rodríguez Sánchez De la Blanca Ana , Sánchez‐Luna Manuel
Published: August 2022

Background and Objectives

The optimal lung volume strategy during high‐frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is reached by performing recruitment maneuvers, usually guided by the response in oxygenation. In animal models, secondary spontaneous change in oscillation pressure amplitude (ΔPhf) associated with a progressive increase in mean airway pressure during HFOV combined with volume guarantee (HFOV‐VG) identifies optimal lung recruitment. The aim of this study was to describe recruitment maneuvers in HFOV‐VG and analyze whether changes in ΔPhf might be an early predictor for lung recruitment in newborn infants with severe respiratory failure.

Design and Methods

The prospective observational study was done in a tertiary‐level neonatology department. Changes in ΔPhf were analyzed during standardized lung recruitment after initiating early rescue HFOV‐VG in preterm infants with severe respiratory failure.

Results

Twenty‐seven patients were included, with a median gestational age of 24 weeks (interquartile range [IQR]: 23–25). Recruitment maneuvers were performed, median baseline mean airway pressure (mPaw) was 11 cm H2O (IQR: 10–13), median critical lung opening mPaw during recruitment was 14 cm H2O (IRQ: 12–16), and median optimal mPaw was 12 cm H2O (IQR: 10–14, p < 0.01). Recruitment maneuvers were associated with an improvement in oxygenation (FiO2: 65.0 vs. 45.0, p < 0.01, SpO2/FiO2 ratio: 117 vs. 217, p < 0.01). ΔPhf decreased significantly after lung recruitment (mean amplitude: 23.0 vs. 16.0, p < 0.01).

Conclusion

In preterm infants with severe respiratory failure, the lung recruitment process can be effectively guided by ΔPhf on HFOV‐VG.
1D Atomic Defect Tunnel Structure of Oxygen‐Deficient Tungsten Oxide Epitaxial Films and Its Redox Device Applications
Authors: Kim Gowoon , Ohta Hiromichi
Published: August 2022

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have potential as active materials for information storage devices due to their diverse structural–chemical–physical properties. Among the many TMOs, tungsten oxide (WO
x
) is a promising candidate because the oxygen concentration can control the crystal structure. The 1D atomic defect tunnel structure of oxygen‐deficient WO
x
is a suitable platform to realize storage devices. Recently, the relationship between the crystal structure and the optical–electrical–thermal transport properties of WO
x
using high‐quality epitaxial films has been elucidated and an electrochemical redox device using WO
x
films with a 1D atomic defect tunnel structure has been demonstrated using this relationship. Herein, the 1D atomic defect tunnel structure of oxygen‐deficient WO
x
epitaxial films and its redox device applications are reviewed based on these efforts.