bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FIGURE 6 from WNT4 Regulates Cellular Metabolism via Intracellular Activity at the Mitochondria in Breast and Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Sottnik Joseph L. , Shackleford Madeleine T. , Robinson Sydney K. , Villagomez Fabian R. , Bahnassy Shaymaa , Oesterreich Steffi , Hu Junxiao , Madak-Erdogan Zeynep , Riggins Rebecca B. , Corr Bradley R. , Cook Linda S. , Treviño Lindsey S. , Bitler Benjamin G. , Sikora Matthew J.
Published: January 2024

Consensus WNT4-regulated metabolites are enriched for fatty acid metabolism. A, Consensus of n = 41 metabolites rescued with WNT4-OE and metabolites inversely regulated by WNT4-OE versus WNT4 knockdown. WNT4 ON versus OFF corresponds to differential regulation by WNT4 overexpression versus knockdown, respectively. B, Pathway analysis of consensus WNT4-regulated metabolites. C, Gene set enrichment analysis of genes differentially expressed in Luminal A ILC versus Luminal A IDC (n = 1360) includes metabolic pathways, with relative gene expression levels in ILC consistent with increased lipid metabolism and decreased glycolysis and OXPHOS. Points = individual genes (fold changes from TCGA, ref. 7); red bar = median fold change. D, fGSEA = fast gene set enrichment analysis of representative pathways in C. NES = normalized enrichment score.
FIGURE 5 from WNT4 Regulates Cellular Metabolism via Intracellular Activity at the Mitochondria in Breast and Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Sottnik Joseph L. , Shackleford Madeleine T. , Robinson Sydney K. , Villagomez Fabian R. , Bahnassy Shaymaa , Oesterreich Steffi , Hu Junxiao , Madak-Erdogan Zeynep , Riggins Rebecca B. , Corr Bradley R. , Cook Linda S. , Treviño Lindsey S. , Bitler Benjamin G. , Sikora Matthew J.
Published: January 2024

WNT4 overexpression rescues some metabolic effects of ER:WNT4 pathway inhibition. A, Small-molecule inhibitor targets in current model of ER:WNT4 signaling pathway. B, Meta-analysis of parental MM134 cells versus WNT4-OE MM134 across drug treatment series (i.e., WNT4 effect controlled for inhibitor effect) identifies n = 71 metabolite levels altered by WNT4 overexpression. Green = overlap with siWNT4 dysregulated metabolites. C, Overall changes in metabolite levels caused by WNT4 knockdown versus WNT4 overexpression are inversely correlated, supporting regulation of associated metabolic pathways by WNT4. D, Inhibitor effects in parental MM134 versus WNT4-OE MM134 are strongly correlated, but a subset of inhibitor effects are reversed by WNT4 overexpression. E, Metabolites for which inhibitor effects is decreased by ≥30% for at least two inhibitors (n = 39).
FIGURE 2 from WNT4 Regulates Cellular Metabolism via Intracellular Activity at the Mitochondria in Breast and Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Sottnik Joseph L. , Shackleford Madeleine T. , Robinson Sydney K. , Villagomez Fabian R. , Bahnassy Shaymaa , Oesterreich Steffi , Hu Junxiao , Madak-Erdogan Zeynep , Riggins Rebecca B. , Corr Bradley R. , Cook Linda S. , Treviño Lindsey S. , Bitler Benjamin G. , Sikora Matthew J.
Published: January 2024

ER regulates glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid metabolism in ILC cells. A, Overall metabolomics study design in MDA MB 134VI ILC cells; all samples in biological triplicate. B, Joint analysis of transcriptome + metabolome data identifies dysregulated pathways after ER knockdown. Transcriptome data from GSE171364. C, Metabolites levels altered by ER knockdown (left, n = 63), with gene expression changes associated with major metabolic mechanisms (right).
FIGURE 1 from WNT4 Regulates Cellular Metabolism via Intracellular Activity at the Mitochondria in Breast and Gynecologic Cancers
Authors: Sottnik Joseph L. , Shackleford Madeleine T. , Robinson Sydney K. , Villagomez Fabian R. , Bahnassy Shaymaa , Oesterreich Steffi , Hu Junxiao , Madak-Erdogan Zeynep , Riggins Rebecca B. , Corr Bradley R. , Cook Linda S. , Treviño Lindsey S. , Bitler Benjamin G. , Sikora Matthew J.
Published: January 2024

BioID supports WNT4 localization to the mitochondria. A, Proteins enriched in HT1080 Wnt-BirA versus parental HT1080 cells lacking BirA construct expression. B, Overlap of proteins identified in HT1080 (A) versus HT1080-PKO and MM134 identifies n = 72 “high-confidence” WNT4-associated proteins. C, Gene ontology analysis for cellular compartment for WNT3A- versus WNT4-associated proteins. Dashed line = 1.3 (P = 0.05). D, Network analysis of WNT3A- versus WNT4-associated proteins via subcell barcode. Enrichments against cell line HCC287 background shown; parallel results observed with other cell line background data, for example, MCF7. E, Proteins with predicted cytosolic or mitochondrial localization (subcell barcode) among “high-confidence” WNT4-associated proteins. Red = predicted mitochondrial localization, pink = mTOR complex in mitochondrial dynamics, biogenesis, and autophagy. F, Biotin treatment and streptavidin pulldown was performed as for MS studies, and candidate WNT4-associated proteins from E detected by immunoblotting. Total protein by Ponceau.
A Case Report: Ovarian Fibrothecoma with Minor Sex Cord Elements
Authors: Miki Reina , Kitajima Kazuhiro , Maeda Tetsuo , Watanabe Takahiro , Oki Noriyoshi
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Ovarian stromal tumors with minor sex cord elements are rare, and there are not specific imaging features to help in making the diagnosis. Case Presentation: We report a case of this tumor in an 81-year-old woman who was referred to our hospital for constipation and a pelvic mass. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a well-circumscribed mass and isointensity compared to the skeletal muscle on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) and low signal intensity mixed with high signal ranges on T2-weighted imaging. Dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1WI revealed mild and increased enhancement of the peripheral area in the early and delayed phases, respectively. On diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), a heterogeneously high signal intensity corresponding to the peripheral enhanced area was observed, and the apparent diffusion coefficient values of the high-intensity areas on DWI were low. Malignancy could be suspected, so the mass was surgically removed. Pathological assessment revealed a fibrothecoma with minor sex cord elements. Conclusion: The tumor’s preoperative diagnosis is difficult, although the possibility of this rare tumor from atypical findings on DWI and/or dynamic contrast enhancement studies should be considered.
Clinical Features of Hepatic Manifestations among Adult Patients with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Bao Qiongling , Xu Zhengqing , Yang Fengling , Lu Juan
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Liver dysfunction is common in patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). However, whether the severity of liver injury is associated with the prognosis of patients with HLH remains to be determined. This study aims to assess the association of the severity of liver involvement with short-term prognosis among adult patients with HLH. Methods: A retrospective study was performed from January 2012 to December 2020, including 150 patients with newly diagnosed HLH and liver injury. Results: The majority of our cohort suffered from mild to moderate hepatic damage, presenting with Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A (55, 36.7%) or B (74, 49.3%). The prevalence of acute liver failure (ALF) was 9.3% in our cohort. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 49.3% among the study population. HLH patients with ALF showed an extremely adverse prognosis, with a mortality rate as high as 92.9%. In a multivariate analysis, age ≥60 years (p = 0.016), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) ≥7 μmol/L (p < 0.001), and malignancy-associated HLH (p < 0.001) at the diagnosis of HLH were identified as being strongly correlated with 30-day prognosis. An excellent predictive power was found. Among the predictive scores used to assess early death of HLH patients with liver injury, the prognostic efficiency of chronic liver failure-sequential organ failure assessment (CLIF-SOFA) (AUROC: 0.936 ± 0.0211) and SOFA score (0.901 ± 0.026) were significantly better than those of the APACHE II (p < 0.001), model for end-stage liver disease score (p < 0.001) and CTP scores (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with old age, elevated BUN, and malignancy had inferior survival. CLIF-SOFA and SOFA enable more accurate prediction of early death in HLH patients with liver injury than other liver-specific and general prognostic models.
Successful Treatment with Daratumumab of a Patient with Monoclonal Lambda Light Chain Disease Presenting as Nephrotic Syndrome and Crescentic Glomerulonephritis
Authors: Bnaya Alon , Ganzel Chezi , Shavit Linda
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition diseases (MIDDs) are a group of systemic diseases, characterized by deposition of monoclonal immunoglobulin predominantly in the kidney. In the absence of overt hematologic disease, MIDDs are classified as a part of monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance. Patients with MIDD may present with a nephrotic syndrome and kidney function impairment. Treatment usually includes anti-plasma cell therapy. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 54-year-old female who presented with nephrotic syndrome related to light chain deposition disease of lambda type. Due to a complicated clinical course (including cardiac injury and thromboembolic stroke), plasma cell-targeted therapy was stopped. A few months later, the patient presented with severe acute kidney injury. Kidney biopsy revealed crescentic glomerulonephritis, and immunofluorescence staining was positive for lambda chain. Treatment with daratumumab was initiated resulting in stabilization of kidney function and partial nephrotic syndrome remission. Conclusion: This case highlights an uncommon histologic manifestation in a patient diagnosed with light chain deposition disease. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of plasma cell-targeted therapy and the favorable clinical and hematological response observed with daratumumab.
As mulheres angolanas no imaginário colonial português: uma breve análise histórica
Authors: Silva Dayane Augusta Santos da
Published: January 2024

Baseando-me principalmente em fontes jornalísticas, procuro repensar o lugar das mulheres na sociedade colonial angolana. A intenção é demonstrar como as ideias de “raça”, “civilismo”, “ensino” e "inserção social” das mulheres, refletida nas leis e práticas coloniais dos anos 1960, ocorreram à sombra do Estatuto do Indigenato, um código normativo que desde os princípios do século XX diferenciava os indivíduos de raça negra ou dela descendentes dos portugueses. Formas anteriores de “coisificação” e “promoção” das mulheres em Angola. Neste período, acreditava-se que a colonização teria adotado um processo incompleto ao desconsiderar o papel das mulheres na sociedade africana. Paralelamente, verso ainda sobre o contexto de exigência de posicionamento das mulheres em uma atmosfera de medo e insegurança com a luta anticolonial.
Uma coleção de desenhos etnográficos: Os ritmos e movimentos no ambiente de um mercado público paraibano
Authors: Velame João Vítor
Published: January 2024

Neste ensaio visual, apresento algumas experimentações multissensoriais feitas com desenhos durante meu trabalho de campo no Mercado Santo Agostinho, localizado em Rio Tinto, Paraíba. Meu objetivo é criar montagens que, a um só tempo, apresentem os resultados da pesquisa desenvolvida e elicitem um exercício etnográfico que, ao focalizar no ver, no desenhar e no escrever, tenta captar os ritmos e movimentos dessa feira livre.
Imagens, saberes e fazeres: aprendendo com Maria Caetano
Authors: Maffi Aline de Jesus
Published: January 2024

Neste ensaio, acompanho Maria da Luz Caetano Pereira em seus fazeres e saberes cotidianos. Maria é uma mulher de 70 anos, trabalhadora rural, que há mais de 60 anos habita o Distrito de Maravilha, localizado na zona rural do Paraná. As imagens selecionadas derivam de uma experiência relacional que se associa a um engajamento mútuo entre pesquisadora e interlocutora e, dessa forma, mostram como as atividades vinculadas ao trabalho rural, assim como o trabalho antropológico, engendram saberes e fazeres.
As vidas da Casa de Nagô
Authors: Carvalho Adson Luis Barros de , Ahlert Martina
Published: January 2024

As imagens que compõem o ensaio mostram a Casa de Nagô, um dos mais antigos terreiros de Tambor de Mina do Maranhão, durante a Festa da Queimação de Palhinhas. As fotos registram momentos centrais dessa festa: apresentam as madrinhas e a casa vazia, previamente preparada para receber os visitantes; a presença de uma pessoa e a de muitas, quando a Casa se faz cheia de gente. As fotos mostram também a decoração e a estética do terreiro, os laços coloridos, as bandeiras de papel, o cuidado na composição dos altares e do presépio, a fumaça da queimação de palhinhas e o acender das velas para o menino Jesus.
O evangelho segundo Paul Lafargue: a religião do Capital
Authors: Lara Marina Garcia
Published: January 2024

A obra de Paul Lafargue, “A Religião do Capital”, escrito no final do século XIX, retrata o capitalismo como uma religião poderosa e popular, enfatizando seu impacto na vida das pessoas. O autor emprega uma metáfora religiosa para comparar a adoração irracional do sistema econômico à devoção religiosa tradicional. Isso destaca as preocupações do período, quando a Europa passava por mudanças industriais e a exploração da classe trabalhadora se intensificava. A crítica de Lafargue ao capitalismo ainda é relevante hoje, particularmente em termos da persistência da desigualdade e da contínua busca pelo lucro acima das necessidades humanas. Este trabalho procura demonstrar como o conteúdo apresentado por Lafargue continua sendo importante para a compreensão dos sistemas econômicos e reforça a necessidade de reflexões sobre nosso sistema atual.
Maternidades entre trabalhadoras sexuais: o sustento como prática de cuidado
Authors: Teodoro Débora Antonieta Silva Barcellos
Published: January 2024

Nesse artigo apresento reflexões oriundas de dados produzidos nas semanas iniciais de meu campo de doutorado, dedicado a pensar dinâmicas familiares entre trabalhadoras sexuais, com foco nas maternidades. Tais reflexões foram sistematizadas, num primeiro momento, para apresentação em um grupo de trabalho da XIV Reunião de Antropologia do Mercosul. O que proponho é pensar o provimento do sustento de filhas e filhos por meio do trabalho sexual como uma prática de cuidado efetiva: i) a qual confere sentido ao papel de mãe dessas mulheres; ii) que se distancia de outras formas de cuidar.
O espectro de David Graeber — ou de Madagascar sobre ele. Comentários sobre o dossiê de tradução
Authors: Falleiros Guilherme
Published: January 2024

Apresentação de Guilherme Falleiros ao dossiê de tradução David Graeber: uma etnografia da autoridade. Esta seção especial está composta por traduções de cinco ensaios do antropólogo realizadas por Leonardo Viana Braga e Renato Martinelli com revisão de Luiz Gustavo Pradella, uma resenha do livro "Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia" escrita por Bruno Huyer e um ensaio fotográfico –quimeras– preparado por Nika Dubrovsky.
How to set up for eternity
Authors: Dubrovsky Nika , Soares Renato Martelli , Braga Leonardo Viana
Published: January 2024

Photographic essay organized by Nika Dubrovsky with photographies, notes and maps gathered during David Graeber's fieldwork in Madagascar.
Alteridades vegetais: emaranhamentos multiespecíficos com as plantas
Authors: Amoroso Marta , Shiratori Karen , Oliveira Aline Ferreira , Almeida Neto Joaquim Pereira de
Published: January 2024

Os artigos reunidos neste dossiê se voltam, sobretudo, para os modos indígenas de viver e habitar o mundo, no qual participam uma pluralidade de agentes, que protagonizam com os humanos histórias mais-que-humanas. As chamadas “interações vegetais” nos convidam a experimentar ontologias e epistemologias outras, em vista de abrir espaço para novas ferramentas conceituais, menos centradas na humanidade enquanto sua figura paradigmática. Reunimos ensaios que destacam os deslocamentos que os conhecimentos tradicionais dos povos indígenas aportam às reflexões atuais da chamada “virada vegetal”, bem como aqueles que se guiam pela agência dos seres vegetais, tecendo novas alianças diante do atual aprofundamento da crise ambiental e climática.
Modernização capitalista e higienização do trabalho no campo em Joinville: uma análise histórica do periódico A Agricultura de Joinville (1933-1938)
Authors: Graper Weslley dos Santos
Published: January 2024

O periódico A Agricultura foi um instrumento político que visava a modernização dos trabalhadores rurais de Joinville. Era vinculado e promovido pela Sociedade de Agricultura e Criação de Joinville, criada em 1934 e posteriormente tornada uma repartição da prefeitura do município, em um contexto de ampliação do controle dos corpos dos trabalhadores para as regiões rurais da cidade em meados de 1932 e 1933. Paralelamente, por parte do poder econômico e político da cidade, havia discursos alegando insatisfações com o atraso da lavoura, apesar da promissão da indústria local. Nesse ínterim, os setores dominantes do município imaginavam os camponeses da cidade de modo majoritariamente negativo. Essa visão ocorria em virtude da não sintonização dos trabalhadores do campo com a lógica mercadológica capitalista e a utopia burguesa modernizadora da época.
Um estudo cartográfico do livro “O Campo e a Cidade” (1989) de Raymond Williams no cenário universitário brasileiro
Authors: Malandrin Hiago Vaccaro
Published: January 2024

Esta pesquisa procura investigar a circulação do livro O Campo e a Cidade: na história e na literatura (1973) do autor galês Raymond Williams (1921-1988) a partir de sua primeira tradução para o vernáculo em 1989. Os dados encontrados nos acervos online consultados indicam que no Brasil a produção de Williams tem presença destacada nas bibliotecas universitárias públicas e privadas.
A articulação entre o trabalho e a educação de uma imigrante órfã
Authors: Negrão Ana Maria Melo
Published: January 2024

Esta inquietação sobre a trajetória de uma órfã imigrante espanhola, a Tata, motivou a pesquisa de meu doutorado na Faculdade de Educação da UNICAMP.  Buscou reconstruir os fatores sociais, a favoreceram a trajetória da órfã, em Campinas, desde pequena, dedicada ao trabalho não remunerado em uma única casa de família, sem ser adotada, sem frequentar escola regular e como isso se refletia no imaginário social em uma cidade elitista, nas décadas de 20 a 90 do século XX. A fonte utilizada, além de poucos documentos, fotografias, foi a história oral, com relatos de três gerações cuidadas por ela, da mesma família, ou de amigas e pessoas que a conheceram, com informações a completar o que as fontes escritas silenciavam. As pessoas cederam sua voz, despertando lembranças, fatos e histórias de uma vida toda dedicada ao trabalho.
Thelephora pacifica (Basidiomycota: Thelephorales), a new species of the tropical forests in the Mexican Pacific coast
Authors: VILLARRUEL-ORDAZ J.L. , MALDONADO-BONILLA L.D. , SÁNCHEZ-ESPINOZA A.C. , GARIBAY-ORIJEL R. , ÁLVAREZ-MANJARREZ J.
Published: January 2024

Thelephora is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi distributed in angiosperm and gymnosperm forests around the world. In this study, we describe Thelephora pacifica, a new species associated with tropical oak forests in Mexico. Phylogenetically, it is the sister group of T. pseudoganbajun from China. Morphologically, it corresponds to T. vialis previously reported in Mexico. Thelephora pacifica has a flabelliform basidiocarp with a hymenophore of grayish-brown color with pinkish tinges contrasting with the yellowish-olive margin. It is distributed in the Pacific forests of Mexico, an area with a high potential for endemism.
Taxonomic classification of Praeclarispora herbicola comb. nov. in Leptosphaeriaceae (Pleosporales)
Authors: XU SHENG , PHOOKAMSAK RUNGTIWA , JIANG HONGBO , BHAT DARBHE JAYARAMA , DAWOUD TURKI M. , XU JIANCHU , MORTIMER PETER E. , KUMLA JATURONG , LUMYONG SAISAMORN , SUWANNARACH NAKARIN
Published: January 2024

During our ongoing study of ascomycetes in Yunnan Province of China, a saprobic fungus was collected on a dead stem of Bidens pilosa (black-jack) in Yunnan Province, China. Preliminary identification based on the LSU, SSU, and ITS nucleotide BLAST searches demonstrated that the new isolate is related to Praeclarispora artemisiae and Phragmogibbera herbicola. Praeclarispora artemisiae and Ph. herbicola are morphologically resembled in having erumpent to superficial, subglobose, ostiolate ascomata, composed of thick-walled, carbonaceous or coriaceous, scleroplectenchymatous celled peridium, 8-spored, bitunicate, narrowly obovoid to cylindric-clavate asci and fusiform, versicolor, septate, thin- and smooth-walled ascospores. Phylogenetic analyses of the combined LSU, SSU, and ITS sequence dataset revealed that the new isolate shared the same branch length with Ph. herbicola but clustered with Pr. artemisiae in Leptosphaeriaceae. Hence, Ph. herbicola is transferred to Praeclarispora, and the new combination, Praeclarispora herbicola comb. nov. is introduced herein. The new isolate shows to be conspecific with Pr. herbicola based on morphological characteristics and is also supported by phylogenetic evidence. Therefore, our new isolate is identified as Pr. herbicola which is reported on Bidens pilosa for the first time.
Repent for Alwisia repens: emended descriptions of two species of Alwisia (Myxomycetes) thought to lack a capillitium
Authors: LLOYD SARAH J. , LEONTYEV DMYTRO , VIGUS PAULA , SCHNITTLER MARTIN
Published: January 2024

The examination of new collections of Alwisia repens and the isotypes of A. repens and A. morula has revealed that these species exhibit a vestigial capillitium in the form of smooth tubules. These tubules are either directed downward or embedded parallel to the peridium; in A. morula they may be long enough to extend from the top to the base of the sporotheca. In both species the upper part of the peridium dehisces into polygonal platelets, which are delimited by preformed fissures. This type of sporotheca opening has not been documented in the Reticulariales before and is known to occur only in certain species within Echinosteliales, Liceales and Trichiales. Newly obtained specimens of A. repens display well-developed, erect stalks. This contradicts the original diagnosis which describes the species as having creeping stalks. We propose emended descriptions for A. repens and A. morula to incorporate these newly discovered characteristics.
New Taxa and Occurrences of Mesophotic and Deep-sea Goniasteridae (Valvatida, Asteroidea) from Okinawa and adjacent regions
Authors: MAH CHRISTOPHER L. , KOGURE YOICHI , FUJITA TOSHIHIKO , HIGASHIJI TAKUO
Published: January 2024

Thirteen new records of Goniasteridae showing mesophotic occurrence are presented, including a new species of Pseudoceramaster doto n. sp. from southern Japan and a new genus and species, Churaumiastra hoshi nov. gen. nov. sp. which occurs in southern Japan, the Philippines and Western Australia.
A new endemic clove tree pest of Cryptophasa Lewin, from Sangihe Island, Indonesia (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae)
Authors: WATUNG JACKSON F , TAIRAS ROBERT W , KALIGIS JAMES B , DARMAWAN DARMAWAN , SUWITO AWIT , NARAKUSUMO RADEN PRAMESA , ENCILIA ENCILIA , DWIBADRA DHIAN , DHARMAYANTHI ANIK BUDHI , SUTRISNO HARI
Published: January 2024

A novel endemic pest of clove tree, Cryptophasa warouwi sp. nov., has been discovered on Sangihe Island. This new species can be distinguished from its closest relative species, C. watungi Sutrisno & Suwito, 2015 which is found in North Sulawesi, by its dark brown straw-coloured wings in both males and females. The most distinctive diagnostic characters of this new species are observed in its genitalia structure: a bent-downward uncus with a strongly sclerotized finger-shaped apex, a bent phallus gradually widened towards coecum, and a double, membranous corpus bursae branching off at mid-ductus corpus bursae of female genitalia. Additionally, DNA barcodes revealed this new species to be embedded among Australian Cryptophasa species despite having fasciculated male antennae that have been considered diagnostic of the genus Paralecta. This suggests that the male antennae may not be a reliable character for separating Cryptophasa from Paralecta. A more comprehensive study including all Cryptophasa and Paralecta will be required to elucidate the definition of each genus. Images depicting both adults and genitalia are provided for this newly recognized species.
Two new species of Diaphorocleidus and new data on D. affinis (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) parasitizing Bryconops cf. affinis (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from the Munim River basin, State of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil
Authors: SILVA MARCIARA LOPES , COHEN SIMONE CHINICZ , OTTONI FELIPE POLIVANOV , VIANA DIEGO CARVALHO , MENESES YURI COSTA DE , JUSTO MARCIA CRISTINA NASCIMENTO
Published: January 2024

During a study conducted on the helminth fauna of fishes in the middle Munim River basin, State of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil, three species (two new) of Diaphorocleidus Jogunoori, Kritsky & Venkatanarasaiah, 2004 are reported from the gills of the “piaba” Bryconops cf. affinis (Iguanodectidae): Diaphorocleidus affinis (Mizelle, Kritsky & Crane, 1968), D. forcipiformis n. sp. and D. munimensis n. sp. New morphological data, drawings, and geographic distribution were provided for D. affinis. Diaphorocleidus forcipiformis n. sp. is characterized by a male copulatory organ with 2½ rings counterclockwise and base forming a small tube with two circular flanges and accessory piece bifurcated, claw-shaped, with parts similar in shape and size, one of them distally bifid. Diaphorocleidus munimensis n. sp. is differentiated by the accessory piece, which is composed of two large pieces, united in their proximal part, claw-shaped, and distally hooked. The findings of this initial survey on the helminth parasites of fishes in this area emphasize the importance of carrying out comparable surveys on other fish species. Such surveys may lead to the identification of unknown species or new occurrences.
Clinical Efficacy and Nursing Efficiency Analysis of Jiuwei Zhusheng Decoction in Promoting Cervical Ripening in the Perinatal Midwifery Holistic Care
Authors: Liu Jinjin , Wu Fang
Published: January 2024

To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Jiuwei Zhusheng Decoction (JWZSD) and perinatal midwifery holistic nursing care in promoting cervical ripening, we conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 80 primiparous and full-term pregnant women with indications for labor induction. The participants were divided into a control group (n= 40) receiving intravenous oxytocin for labor induction and a study group (n= 40) receiving oral administration of JWZSD. Additionally, 30 female Wistar pregnant rats were randomly assigned to the blank group, oxytocin group, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group to compare relevant indicators. In the clinical study, both groups showed significant increases in Bishop scores after treatment. However, the study group demonstrated significantly greater improvements compared to the control group. Moreover, the study group exhibited higher rates of clinical effectiveness and successful vaginal delivery than the control group. In the animal experiment, both the oxytocin and TCM groups displayed disorganized and relaxed cervical connective tissue with evident interstitial edema when compared to the blank group. Furthermore, rats in the TCM group exhibited significantly elevated serum levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) compared to those in the oxytocin group. The combination of JWZSD and perinatal midwifery holistic nursing care for labor induction can effectively enhance cervical ripening and reduce the incidence of cesarean section, potentially through the regulation of IL-8, MMP-9, COX-2, and PGE2 expression. However, further investigations are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Fatigue life analysis based on the groove angle reduction in the butt welding of excavator booms
Authors: Han Changwan , Doh Jaehyeok , Kim Sanghoon
Published: January 2024

This study analyzes the effect of changes in groove angle on the fatigue strength of the V-groove butt weld joint made of SM490A steel used in excavators. Butt-type specimens with different groove angles of 40° and 30° were manufactured by CO2 welding at a speed of 300 mm/min on a 13.5 mm thick steel plate. Four-point bending fatigue tests were conducted at room temperature with a frequency of 5 Hz and stress ratio of R = 0.1, and fatigue limits were set to 2 × 106 cycles. The high-cycle fatigue life of VG40 was approximately 7% higher than that of VG30. The stress concentration coefficient calculated using the effective notch stress method was 1.62 for the VG40, and 1.78 for the VG30, with an approximate difference of 9%. This decrease in fatigue life was caused by stress concentration due to the notch effect at the weld root, which was attributed to the adjacent backplate. Although the fatigue life decreased slightly owing to the improvement angle of the welded part, no difference was observed in microstructure and hardness. Therefore, it was confirmed that a sound weld was formed. The results of this study can be used as important basic data for determining the V-groove angle.
Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm discovered by pocket-sized ultrasound in a low resource setting: a case report
Authors: Alasasfeh Ihab , Abudawood Rawan , E.Hwidi Bayan , Al-Shami Raghad
Published: January 2024

Background

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening condition characterized by the weakening and dilation of the abdominal aorta. AAA primarily affects men, smokers, and the elderly, with rupture being a fatal complication. While point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is valuable in diagnosing AAA, the role of using pocket-sized ultrasound in a low resource setting remains less explored. This case report presents a unique instance of a suspected ruptured AAA diagnosed using pocket-sized ultrasound in an emergency department (ED) situated in a low resource setting where ultrasound machines are absent, and emergency physicians lack proficiency in ultrasound usage.

Case presentation

A 78-year-old man with a history of hypertension and bladder cancer presented to the ED with suprapubic pain. Initial evaluation showed no concerning findings. However, the next day, he collapsed, became unconscious, and experienced a cardiac arrest. Despite resuscitation efforts, the patient’s condition deteriorated. POCUS revealed an 8-cm dilated abdominal aorta with an intimal flap, indicative of a dissecting AAA and a substrate for AAA rupture. Unfortunately, the patient died despite resuscitation efforts.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of considering AAA in patients with risk factors and abdominal pain in a low resource setting. POCUS using a pocket-sized ultrasound can aid in early AAA detection, potentially preventing rupture through preemptive vascular intervention. Emergency departments should prioritize ultrasound availability, and emergency physicians should be proficient in its use.
COVID-19 detection from chest X-ray images using CLAHE-YCrCb, LBP, and machine learning algorithms
Authors: Prince Rukundo , Niu Zhendong , Khan Zahid Younas , Emmanuel Masabo , Patrick Niyishaka
Published: January 2024

Background

COVID-19 is a disease that caused a contagious respiratory ailment that killed and infected hundreds of millions. It is necessary to develop a computer-based tool that is fast, precise, and inexpensive to detect COVID-19 efficiently. Recent studies revealed that machine learning and deep learning models accurately detect COVID-19 using chest X-ray (CXR) images. However, they exhibit notable limitations, such as a large amount of data to train, larger feature vector sizes, enormous trainable parameters, expensive computational resources (GPUs), and longer run-time.

Results

In this study, we proposed a new approach to address some of the above-mentioned limitations. The proposed model involves the following steps: First, we use contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) to enhance the contrast of CXR images. The resulting images are converted from CLAHE to YCrCb color space. We estimate reflectance from chrominance using the Illumination–Reflectance model. Finally, we use a normalized local binary patterns histogram generated from reflectance (Cr) and YCb as the classification feature vector. Decision tree, Naive Bayes, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbor, and logistic regression were used as the classification algorithms. The performance evaluation on the test set indicates that the proposed approach is superior, with accuracy rates of 99.01%, 100%, and 98.46% across three different datasets, respectively. Naive Bayes, a probabilistic machine learning algorithm, emerged as the most resilient.

Conclusion

Our proposed method uses fewer handcrafted features, affordable computational resources, and less runtime than existing state-of-the-art approaches. Emerging nations where radiologists are in short supply can adopt this prototype. We made both coding materials and datasets accessible to the general public for further improvement. Check the manuscript’s availability of the data and materials under the declaration section for access.
Esketamine use is associated with shortened postoperative hospital stay in patients after knee arthroscopic surgery: a propensity score–matched cohort study
Authors: Liu Jing , Han Hong , Yang Shangze , Zhan Xiaoxuan , Cao Bingbing , Peng Yue
Published: January 2024

Background

Previous studies have examined anesthetics to improve postoperative prognosis after knee arthroscopic surgery. However, it is currently unknown whether perioperative anesthetics can influence postoperative hospital stay. We investigated the impact of esketamine after knee arthroscopic surgery on post-operative length of stay, fever and surgical site infection.

Methods

This study included 455 patients who underwent knee surgery between January2020 and August 2021at a tertiary hospital in China. Patient characteristics, preoperative laboratory values, intra-operative anesthetic data, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses with or without propensity score matching were performed to identify factors related to post-operative discharge within 3 days(PD3).

Results

A total of 297 cases met our inclusion criteria. The mean age of patients was 42 ± 14 years, mean body mass index, 24.1 ± 3.5 kg/m2, 157(53%) patients were male. Meniscus-related procedures accounted for the most part of all the procedures with a percentage of 40.4%, followed by combined procedures of 35.4%. After we adjusted for demographic and intraoperative characteristics with propensity score matching, esketamine use was significantly associated with PD3 with the highest odds ratio of 2.28 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18–4.41, p = 0.014).

Conclusion

Esketamine use was associated with PD3 in patients underwent knee arthroscopic surgery. The findings of this study will be useful to anesthesiologists in making informed decisions regarding the choice of anesthetics for knee joint diseases.

Trial registration

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee (Approval No.:2023-041-01) of the Eighth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University and retrospectively registered.
The effectiveness of allied health and nurse practitioner models-of-care in managing musculoskeletal conditions in the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Vella Simon P , Melman Alla , Coombs Danielle , Maher Christopher G , Swain Michael S , Monk Elizabeth , Machado Gustavo C
Published: January 2024

Background

Musculoskeletal conditions are the most common health condition seen in emergency departments. Hence, the most effective approaches to managing these conditions is of interest. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of allied health and nursing models of care for the management of musculoskeletal pain in ED.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and LILACS databases were searched from inception to March 2023 for published randomised trials that compared the effectiveness of allied health and nursing models of care for musculoskeletal conditions in ED to usual ED care. Trials were eligible if they enrolled participants presenting to ED with a musculoskeletal condition including low back pain, neck pain, upper or lower limb pain and any soft tissue injury. Trials that included patients with serious pathology (e.g. malignancy, infection or cauda equina syndrome) were excluded. The primary outcome was patient-flow; other outcomes included pain intensity, disability, hospital admission and re-presentation rates, patient satisfaction, medication prescription and adverse events. Two reviewers performed search screening, data extraction, quality and certainty of evidence assessments.

Results

We identified 1746 records and included 5 randomised trials (n = 1512 patients). Only one trial (n = 260) reported on patient-flow. The study provides very-low certainty evidence that a greater proportion of patients were seen within 20 min when seen by a physician (98%) than when seen by a nurse (86%) or physiotherapist (77%). There was no difference in pain intensity and disability between patients managed by ED physicians and those managed by physiotherapists. Evidence was limited regarding patient satisfaction, inpatient admission and ED re-presentation rates, medication prescription and adverse events. The certainty of evidence for secondary outcomes ranged from very-low to low, but generally did not suggest a benefit of one model over another.

Conclusion

There is limited research to judge the effectiveness of allied health and nursing models of care for the management of musculoskeletal conditions in ED. Currently, it is unclear as to whether allied health and nurse practitioners are more effective than ED physicians at managing musculoskeletal conditions in ED. Further high-quality trials investigating the impact of models of care on service and health outcomes are needed.
Seamless phase 2/3 design for trials with multiple co-primary endpoints using Bayesian predictive power
Authors: Yang Jiaying , Li Guochun , Yang Dongqing , Wu Juan , Wang Junqin , Gao Xingsu , Liu Pei
Published: January 2024

Seamless phase 2/3 design has become increasingly popular in clinical trials with a single endpoint. Trials that define success based on the achievement of all co-primary endpoints (CPEs) encounter the challenge of inflated type 2 error rates, often leading to an overly large sample size. To tackle this challenge, we introduced a seamless phase 2/3 design strategy that employs Bayesian predictive power (BPP) for futility monitoring and sample size re-estimation at interim analysis. The correlations among multiple CPEs are incorporated using a Dirichlet-multinomial distribution. An alternative approach based on conditional power (CP) was also discussed for comparison. A seamless phase 2/3 vaccine trial employing four binary endpoints under the non-inferior hypothesis serves as an example. Our results spotlight that, in scenarios with relatively small phase 2 sample sizes (e.g., 50 or 100 subjects), the BPP approach either outperforms or matches the CP approach in terms of overall power. Particularly, with n1 = 50 and ρ = 0, BPP showcases an overall power advantage over CP by as much as 8.54%. Furthermore, when the phase 2 stage enrolled more subjects (e.g., 150 or 200), especially with a phase 2 sample size of 200 and ρ = 0, the BPP approach evidences a peak difference of 5.76% in early stop probability over the CP approach, emphasizing its better efficiency in terminating futile trials. It’s noteworthy that both BPP and CP methodologies maintained type 1 error rates under 2.5%. In conclusion, the integration of the Dirichlet-Multinominal model with the BPP approach offers improvement in certain scenarios over the CP approach for seamless phase 2/3 trials with multiple CPEs.
Racial and ethnic differences in predictors of participation in an intergenerational social connectedness intervention for older adults
Authors: Adepoju Omolola E. , Ojinnaka Chinedum O. , Pieratt Jason , Dobbins Jessica
Published: January 2024

Background

Social connectedness is a key determinant of health and interventions have been developed to prevent social isolation in older adults. However, these interventions have historically had a low participation rate amongst minority populations. Given the sustained isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important to understand what factors are associated with an individual’s decision to participate in a social intervention. To achieve this, we used machine learning techniques to model the racial and ethnic differences in participation in social connectedness interventions.

Methods

Data were obtained from a social connectedness intervention that paired college students with Houston-area community-dwelling older adults (> 65 yo) enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. Eligible participants were contacted telephonically and asked to complete the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Scale. We used the following machine-learning methods to identify significant predictors of participation in the program: k-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, decision tree, gradient-boosted decision tree, and random forest.

Results

The gradient-boosted decision tree models yielded the best parameters for all race/ethnicity groups (96.1% test accuracy, 0.739 AUROC). Among non-Hispanic White older adults, key features of the predictive model included Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) score, Medicare prescription risk score, Medicare risk score, and depression and anxiety indicators within the FCI. Among non-Hispanic Black older adults, key features included disability, Medicare prescription risk score, FCI and Medicare risk scores. Among Hispanic older adults, key features included depression, FCI and Medicare risk scores.

Conclusions

These findings offer a substantial opportunity for the design of interventions that maximize engagement among minority groups at greater risk for adverse health outcomes.
Role of thymosin α1 in restoring immune response in immunological nonresponders living with HIV
Authors: Chen Chaoyu , Wang Jiangrong , Xun Jingna , Zhang Xinyu , Liu Li , Song Zichen , Zhang Renfang , Chen Jun , Lu Hongzhou
Published: January 2024

Background

Immunological nonresponders (INRs) living with HIV are at increased risk of co-infection and multiple tumors, with no effective strategy currently available to restore their T-cell immune response. This study aimed to explore the safety and efficacy of thymosin α1 in reconstituting the immune response in INRs.

Methods

INRs with CD4 + T cell counts between 100 and 350 cells/μL were enrolled and received two-staged 1.6 mg thymosin α1 subcutaneous injections for 24 weeks (daily in the first 2 weeks and biweekly in the subsequent 22 weeks) while continuing antiretroviral therapy. T cell counts and subsets, the expression of PD-1 and TIM-3 on T cells, and signal joint T cell receptor excision circles (sjTREC) at week 24 were evaluated as endpoints.

Results

Twenty three INRs were screened for eligibility, and 20 received treatment. The majority were male (19/20), with a median age of 48.1 years (interquartile range: 40.5–57.0) and had received antiretroviral therapy for 5.0 (3.0, 7.3) years. Multiple comparisons indicated that CD4 + T cell count and sjTREC increased after initiation of treatment, although no significant differences were observed at week 24 compared to baseline. Greatly, levels of CD4 + T cell proportion (17.2% vs. 29.1%, P < 0.001), naïve CD4 + and CD8 + T cell proportion (17.2% vs. 41.1%, P < 0.001; 13.8% vs. 26.6%, P = 0.008) significantly increased. Meanwhile, the proportion of CD4 + central memory T cells of HIV latent hosts (42.7% vs. 10.3%, P < 0.001) significantly decreased. Moreover, the expression of PD-1 on CD4 + T cells (14.1% vs. 6.5%, P < 0.001) and CD8 + T cells (8.5% vs. 4.1%, P < 0.001) decreased, but the expression of TIM-3 on T cellsremained unaltered at week 24. No severe adverse events were reported and HIV viral loads kept stable throughout the study.

Conclusions

Thymosin α1 enhance CD4 + T cell count and thymic output albeit as a trend rather than an endpoint. Importantly, it improves immunosenescence and decreases immune exhaustion, warranting further investigation.

Trial registration

This single-arm prospective study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04963712) on July 15, 2021.
Preoperative IL-8 levels as prognostic indicators of overall survival: an extended follow-up in a prospective cohort with colorectal liver metastases
Authors: Pecqueux Mathieu , Brückner Frederik , Oehme Florian , Hempel Sebastian , Baenke Franziska , Riediger Carina , Distler Marius , Weitz Jürgen , Kahlert Christoph
Published: January 2024

Introduction

CRC with liver metastases is a major contributor to cancer-related mortality. Despite advancements in liver resection techniques, patient survival remains a concern due to high recurrence rates. This study seeks to uncover prognostic biomarkers that predict overall survival in patients undergoing curative hepatic resection for CRC liver metastases.

Methods

Prospectively collected serum samples from a cohort of 49 patients who received curative hepatic resection for CRC liver metastases were studied. The patients are part of a cohort, previously analyzed for perioperative complications (see methods). Various preoperative serum markers, clinical characteristics, and factors were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to determine associations between these variables and disease-free survival as well as overall survival.

Results

For disease-free survival, univariate analysis highlighted the correlation between poor outcomes and advanced primary tumor stage, high ASA score, and synchronous liver metastases. Multivariate analysis identified nodal-positive primary tumors and synchronous metastases as independent risk factors for disease-free survival. Regarding overall survival, univariate analysis demonstrated significant links between poor survival and high preoperative IL-8 levels, elevated neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and presence of metastases in other organs. Multivariate analysis confirmed preoperative IL-8 and having three or more liver metastases as independent risk factors for overall survival. The impact of IL-8 on survival was particularly noteworthy, surpassing the influence of established clinical factors.

Conclusion

This study establishes preoperative IL-8 levels as a potential prognostic biomarker for overall survival in patients undergoing curative liver resection for CRC liver metastases. This study underscores the importance of incorporating IL-8 and other biomarkers into clinical decision-making, facilitating improved patient stratification and tailored treatment approaches. Further research and validation studies are needed to solidify the clinical utility of IL-8 as a prognostic marker.