bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic susceptibility, obesity and lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes: The ARIC study and Rotterdam Study
Authors: Ligthart Symen , Hasbani Natalie R. , Ahmadizar Fariba , van Herpt Thijs T. W. , Leening Maarten J. G. , Uitterlinden André G. , Sijbrands Eric J. G. , Morrison Alanna C. , Boerwinkle Eric , Pankow James S. , Selvin Elizabeth , Ikram M. Arfan , Kavousi Maryam , de Vries Paul S. , Dehghan Abbas
Published: July 2021

Aims

Both lifestyle factors and genetic background contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. Estimation of the lifetime risk of diabetes based on genetic information has not been presented, and the extent to which a normal body weight can offset a high lifetime genetic risk is unknown.

Methods

We used data from 15,671 diabetes‐free participants of European ancestry aged 45 years and older from the prospective population‐based ARIC study and Rotterdam Study (RS). We quantified the remaining lifetime risk of diabetes stratified by genetic risk and quantified the effect of normal weight in terms of relative and lifetime risks in low, intermediate and high genetic risk.

Results

At age 45 years, the lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes in ARIC in the low, intermediate and high genetic risk category was 33.2%, 41.3% and 47.2%, and in RS 22.8%, 30.6% and 35.5% respectively. The absolute lifetime risk for individuals with normal weight compared to individuals with obesity was 24% lower in ARIC and 8.6% lower in RS in the low genetic risk group, 36.3% lower in ARIC and 31.3% lower in RS in the intermediate genetic risk group, and 25.0% lower in ARIC and 29.4% lower in RS in the high genetic risk group.

Conclusions

Genetic variants for type 2 diabetes have value in estimating the lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes. Normal weight mitigates partly the deleterious effect of high genetic risk.
Managing collective creativity: Organizational variables to support creative teamwork
Authors: Cirella Stefano
Published: July 2021

This article explores the role of organizational variables in managing and supporting collective creativity, based on case studies developed through collaborative research projects in two industries: fashion textile design and design consultancy. The findings indicate that five distinct variables may support teams and groups in developing their (collective) creativity: a structured process, work‐related team diversity, boundary openness, adequate resources, and support of relevant technology. The results provide new scientific understanding of collective creativity in organizations, and suggest future research directions, with recommendations for creative companies seeking to support collective creativity.
International online survey of 1048 individuals with functional neurological disorder
Authors: Butler Matthew , Shipston‐Sharman Oliver , Seynaeve Mathieu , Bao Jianan , Pick Susannah , Bradley‐Westguard Abigail , Ilola Eveliina , Mildon Bridget , Golder Dawn , Rucker James , Stone Jon , Nicholson Timothy
Published: July 2021

Background and purpose

Functional neurological disorder (FND) is common, and symptoms can be severe. There have been no international large‐scale studies of patient experiences of FND.

Methods

A patient questionnaire was created to assess FND patient characteristics, symptom comorbidities and illness perceptions. Respondents were recruited internationally through an open access questionnaire via social media and patient groups over a month‐long period.

Results

In total, 1048 respondents from 16 countries participated. Mean age was 42 years (86% female). Median FND symptom duration was 5 years, and median time from first symptom to diagnosis was 2 years. Mean number of current symptoms (core FND and associated) was 9.9. Many respondents had associated symptoms, for example fatigue (93%), memory difficulties (80%) and headache (70%). Self‐reported psychiatric comorbidities were relatively common (depression, 43%; anxiety, 51%; panic, 20%; and post‐traumatic stress disorder, 22%). Most respondents reported that FND had multiple causes, including physical and psychological.

Conclusions

This large survey adds further evidence that people with FND typically have high levels of multiple symptom comorbidity with resultant distress. It also supports the notion that associated physical symptoms are of particular clinical significance in FND patients. Dualistic ideas of FND were not supported by respondents, who generally preferred to conceptualize the disorder as one at the interface of mind and brain. The need for a broad approach to this poorly served patient group is highlighted. Potential selection and response biases due to distribution of the survey online, mostly via FND patient groups, are a key limitation.
Nuclear speckles: dynamic hubs of gene expression regulation
Authors: Ilık İbrahim Avşar , Aktaş Tuğçe
Published: July 2021

Complex, multistep biochemical reactions that routinely take place in our cells require high concentrations of enzymes, substrates, and other structural components to proceed efficiently and typically require chemical environments that can inhibit other reactions in their immediate vicinity. Eukaryotic cells solve these problems by restricting such reactions into diffusion‐restricted compartments within the cell called organelles that can be separated from their environment by a lipid membrane, or into membrane‐less compartments that form through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). One of the most easily noticeable and the earliest discovered organelle is the nucleus, which harbors the genetic material in cells where transcription by RNA polymerases produces most of the messenger RNAs and a plethora of noncoding RNAs, which in turn are required for translation of mRNAs in the cytoplasm. The interior of the nucleus is not a uniform soup of biomolecules and rather consists of a variety of membrane‐less bodies, such as the nucleolus, nuclear speckles (NS), paraspeckles, Cajal bodies, histone locus bodies, and more. In this review, we will focus on NS with an emphasis on recent developments including our own findings about the formation of NS by two large IDR‐rich proteins SON and SRRM2.
Faster recovery of soil biodiversity in native species mixture than in Eucalyptus monoculture after 60 years afforestation in tropical degraded coastal terraces
Authors: Wu Wenjia , Kuang Luhui , Li Yue , He Lingfeng , Mou Zhijian , Wang Faming , Zhang Jing , Wang Jun , Li Zhi’an , Lambers Hans , Sardans Jordi , Peñuelas Josep , Geisen Stefan , Liu Zhanfeng
Published: July 2021

Afforestation is an effective method to restore degraded land. Afforestation methods vary in their effects on ecosystem multifunctionality, but their effects on soil biodiversity have been largely overlooked. Here, we mapped the biodiversity and functioning of multiple soil organism groups resulting from diverse afforestation methods in tropical coastal terraces. Sixty years after afforestation from bare land (BL), plant species richness and the abundance of plant litter (398 ± 85 g m−2) and plant biomass (179 ± 3.7 t ha−1) in native tree species mixtures (MF) were restored to the level of native forests (NF; 287 ± 21 g m−2 and 243.0 ± 33 t ha−1, respectively), while Eucalyptus monoculture (EP) only successfully restored the litter mass (388 ± 43 g m−2) to the level of NF. Soil fertility in EP and MF was increased but remained lower than in NF. For example, soil nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in MF (1.2 ± 0.2 g kg−1 and 408 ± 49 mg kg−1, respectively; p < 0.05) were lower than in NF (1.8 ± 0.2 g kg−1 and 523 ± 24 mg kg−1, respectively; p < 0.05). Soil biodiversity, abundance (except for nematodes), and community composition in MF were similar or greater than those in NF. In contrast, restoration with EP only enhanced the diversity of microbes and mites to the level of NF, but not for other soil biota. Together, afforestation with native species mixtures can end up restoring vegetation and most aspects of the taxonomic and functional biodiversity in soil whereas monoculture using fast‐growing non‐native species cannot. Native species mixtures show a greater potential to reach completely similar levels of soil biodiversity in local natural forests if they are received some more decades of afforestation. Multifunctionality of soil biotic community should be considered to accelerate such processes in future restoration practices.
Advancing children’s geographies through ‘grey areas’ of age and childhood
Authors: Khan Adrian A.
Published: July 2021

Children’s Geographies actively engages with critical understandings of age‐based research. However, the concept of age is an uncritical entity in these studies fueled by western concepts of childhood. Demarcating age numerically runs the risk of measuring childhoods in the Majority Worlds with Minority World concepts that are not culturally sensitive, but also forecloses any innovations. Researchers often spend so long debating definitions and boundaries when it is often in the grey areas of scholarship and life that the most exciting events and outcomes occur. This review begins with navigating ‘grey areas of age’ from how it is often measured in spaces of conceptual ambiguity with regards to experiences of being in between formal definitions of childhood or ‘Children’s Geographies.’ This is elaborated upon from Eurocentric linages that have shaped the subfield of Children’s Geographies, and in which the subfield should continue shifting from to further decolonize Eurocentric research related to age and childhood. The paper ends by presenting ways of further advancing the subfield of Children’s Geographies through (inter)generational positioning concepts and new interdisciplinary life course studies that further nuances the social variable of age as a grey area in the subfield.
“Here be dragons!” The gross under‐representation of the Global South on editorial boards in Geography
Authors: Hedding David William , Breetzke Gregory
Published: July 2021

One manifestation of the glaring lack of equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education relates to the underrepresentation of certain individuals and/or regions in the scholarly publication process. Here, we analyse the affiliations of editorial board members in 126 Geography journals. Specifically, we examine editorial board membership by region and determine the extent to which the regional representation of editorial board members is associated with journal impact factor as a measure of journal reach and quality. Of the 5,202 editorial board members examined, almost 80% are located in mainland Europe, North America, and the British Isles, while roughly five percent are located in Central America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa combined. Moreover, editorial board members located in these four regions from the Global South are most often editorial board members of journals in the lowest quartile (by impact factor). These findings highlight the outdated and exclusionary practices that pervade the scholarly publication process in science in general, and Geography specifically.
New Methods for the Chemical Isolation and Stable Isotope Measurement of Multiple Transition Metals, with Application to the Earth Sciences
Authors: Sun Mingzhao , Archer Corey , Vance Derek
Published: July 2021

Rapid advances in multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry have made the routine, precise and accurate measurement of metal stable isotope ratios feasible, providing an opportunity to investigate past and present geochemical processes using transition metal abundances, abundance ratios and stable isotope compositions. Many studies have stressed the matrix of different controls on different metals and highlight the potential utility of studies of multiple metals on the same samples. Here we describe a new, multi‐step chemical separation procedure that allows robust, and with blank contamination‐free, measurements of the isotope systems of the transition metals Mo, Cu, Fe, Zn and Ni at high precision from a single sample aliquot and from a range of sample types. We test the approach via the isotopic analysis of four USGS rock reference materials: two basalts (BCR‐2, BHVO‐2) and two Fe‐Mn nodules (Nod‐A1 and Nod‐P1) as well as a shale (SGR‐1). The good ‘reproducibility’, and the agreement between measured values and reference values where available, demonstrates the validity and efficacy of our multi‐step protocol. We also discuss in detail the key requirements of the approach, and the potential pitfalls that are encountered.
Including Vertical Fault Structures in Layered Groundwater Flow Models
Authors: McCallum James L. , Noorduijn Saskia L. , Simmons Craig T.
Published: July 2021

Accurate representation of groundwater flow and solute transport requires a sound representation of the underlying geometry of aquifers. Faults can have a significant influence on the structure and connectivity of aquifers, which may allow permeable units to connect, and aquifers to seal when juxtaposed against lower permeability units. Robust representation of groundwater flow around faults remains challenging despite the significance of faults for flow and transport. We present a methodology for the inclusion of faults utilizing the unstructured grid features of MODFLOW‐USG and MODFLOW 6. The method focuses on the representation of fault geometries using non‐neighbor connections between juxtaposed layers. We present an illustration of the method for a synthetic fluvial aquifer. The combined impact of the heterogeneous aquifer and fault offset is clearly visible where channel features at different depths in the aquifer were connected at the fault. These results highlight the importance of representing fault features in groundwater flow models.
Making connections: Harnessing the diversity of strategy‐as‐practice research
Authors: Kohtamäki Marko , Whittington Richard , Vaara Eero , Rabetino Rodrigo
Published: July 2021

Strategy‐as‐practice (SAP) has become one of the most vibrant areas of contemporary strategy research in the past two decades. As the field has grown significantly, we have witnessed an emergence of distinct streams of research within the SAP research community. Thus, it is time to take stock of this body of work to better understand the structure of the field and provide a refreshed agenda for future research. Our review is based on bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of 340 articles. As a result, we identify the following six clusters of research: praxis, sensemaking, discourse, sociomateriality, institutional and process. Co‐citation analysis shows significant disconnects between some of these clusters. Building on our review, we identify various ‘crossing strategies’ for connecting across four disconnects: (i) micro and macro; (ii) sociomaterial and discourse; (iii) critical and more mainstream; and (iv) practice and process perspectives. By harnessing diversity, these crossing strategies suggest rich agendas for future SAP research, ranging from digitalization to gender inequality.
Coping with precarity during COVID‐19: A study of platform work in Poland
Authors: MUSZYŃSKI Karol , PULIGNANO Valeria , DOMECKA Markieta , MROZOWICKI Adam
Published: July 2021

This article explores how the COVID‐19 pandemic has affected platform workers' work and life experiences in Poland and how they have responded. These workers have been exposed to substantial fluctuations in demand during the pandemic, magnifying the distortions existing in an unregulated asymmetrical employment relationship that diverges from the standard employment relationship. Findings illustrate how workers have attempted to reduce the disruptions underpinning this relationship by adopting different strategies, which resemble Hirschman's typology of exit, voice and loyalty. The authors explain workers' choice of strategy by different levels of access to resources and institutional capabilities, as well as by variations in workers' orientations.
What makes a hydrogel‐based dressing advantageous for the prevention of medical device‐related pressure ulcers
Authors: Grigatti Angela , Gefen Amit
Published: July 2021

The synergistic influences of geometrical, mechanical and thermal mismatches between a skin‐contacting medical device and the skin may cause tissue stress concentrations and sharp temperature gradients, both of which contribute to the risk for medical device‐related pressure ulcers. In this work, we developed an innovative, integrated experimental bioengineering approach encompassing mechanical stiffness, friction and thermal property studies for testing the biomechanical suitability of a hydrogel‐based dressing in prophylaxis of injuries caused by devices. We characterised the viscoelastic stress relaxation of the dressing and determined its long‐term elastic modulus. We further measured the coefficient of friction of the hydrogel‐based dressing at dressing‐device and skin‐dressing interfaces, using a tilting‐table tribometer. Lastly, we measured the thermal conductivity of the dressing, using a heat‐flow meter and infrared thermography‐based method. All measurements considered dry and moist conditions, the latter simulating skin perspiration effects. Our results revealed that the long‐term stiffness and the thermal conductivity of the hydrogel‐based dressing matched the corresponding properties of human skin for both dry and moist conditions. The dressing further demonstrated a relatively high coefficient of friction at its skin‐facing and device‐facing aspects, indicating minimal frictional sliding. All these properties make the above dressing advantageous for prevention of device‐related injuries.
Effect of interconnect pre‐oxidation on high‐temperature wettability and mechanical properties of glass seals in SOFC
Authors: Li Ruizhu , Tao Mengxuan , Wang Pan , Yang Jiajun , Ma Ben , Chi Bo , Pu Jian
Published: July 2021

Metallic interconnect oxidation has a significant influence on shear strength between interconnect and sealing glass in SOFC stack operation. This is attributed to high‐temperature mutual wettability. In this work, the glass having different crystallization kinetics was chosen to evaluate wettability and shear strength on Fe–16Cr alloy, which was heated treated at 750°C for 0, 50, and 100 h, forming oxide scale with a varying rough surface. Visual observation was used to quantify equilibrium contact angles between glass and substrates. The results illustrated that alloy oxidized for 50 h exhibited better wettability and shear strength, implying that thickness and roughness of the oxide scale are critical to enhancing interface joint strength. Long‐term testing indicated that thermally stable glass possesses higher joint shear strength and more consistent properties. It was found that precipitated crystalline phases limited improvement of glass wettability, resulting in interfacial delamination of the glass/alloy layer over long‐term operation.
Effect of alloying elements on stacking fault energies and twinnabilities in high‐entropy transition‐metal carbides
Authors: Ma Li , Wang Zhipeng , Huang Jinli , Huang Guohua , Xue Min , Tang Pingying , Fan Touwen
Published: July 2021

Twinning is a fundamental mechanism behind the simultaneous increase in the strength and ductility of high‐entropy alloys. Similar approaches may contribute to the remarkable improvements of the mechanical properties of high‐entropy ceramics. In this study, the stacking fault energies (SFEs) and twinnabilities of a novel category of ZrNbTa‐based high‐entropy transition‐metal carbides (HETMCs) are investigated in terms of their generalized stacking fault energy curves (γ‐curves) via first‐principle calculations. Theγ‐curves show that dislocation nucleation in ZrNbTa‐based HETMCs occurs more easily than that of unary transition metal (TM, TM = Zr, Nb, Ta, Hf, Ti, V) carbides. When a pre‐existing intrinsic stacking fault (ISF) is considered, C‐ vertices (TM‐ mirror) twinning fault (TF) more likely forms and TF may be more stable than ISF. The stable SFEs of C‐ vertices ISF and TF decrease with the addition of Hf, Ti, and V atoms to (ZrNbTa)C owing to the severe local lattice distortion. The calculated barrier energies and twinnabilities further indicate that twinning is possible for the selected ZrNbTa‐based HETMCs. Theoretical twinnabilities (τa) decrease in the following sequence: (ZrNbTa)C > (ZrNbTaHfTi)C > (ZrNbTaHf)C > (ZrNbTaHfTiV)C. Thus, the addition of Hf, Ti, and V atoms to (ZrNbTa)C may decrease the twinning probability. This study may be used as a guide for the design of twinning‐induced plasticity HETMCs with excellent mechanical properties.
Insights into fear: A phenomenological study of Black mothers
Authors: Dormire Sharon L. , Gary Jodie C. , Norman Jamil M. , Harvey Idethia Shevon
Published: July 2021

Aim

The aim of the study was to explore the lived experience of stress as described by Black childbearing women.

Design

A phenomenological approach was used.

Methods

Seven mothers who met inclusion criteria participated in both individual and group interviews between August 2018 and August 2019. Each session was audio recorded and professionally transcribed. Consistent with van Manen's phenomenological approach, three rounds of reflective transcript analysis were conducted over several months.

Results

Several stress themes were identified from the data. However, the most pervasive theme was the fear of having a son and keeping him safe. In this paper, the themes of Living in Fear and Living with Fear are detailed.

Conclusion

Previous research has found that Black populations in America fear for their safety. This study identified a pervasive and profound fear for their children, specifically sons who are at a higher risk of being killed in normal daily activities. Mothers also expressed fears about their responsibility to keep them safe by providing the right tools.

Impact

Although scientists have long studied poor pregnancy outcomes for Black American women, the disparity persists. This study sought to identify stressors acknowledged by Black mothers themselves. For the first time, Black mothers stated that their primary stress is fear for their children's lives. The role this fear has in adverse pregnancy outcomes, if any, is yet to be determined.
Pressure injuries and skin tone diversity in undergraduate nurse education: Qualitative perspectives from a mixed methods study
Authors: Oozageer Gunowa Neesha , Hutchinson Marie , Brooke Joanne , Aveyard Helen , Jackson Debra
Published: July 2021

Aims

To, firstly, explore student and academic nurse perceptions of classroom content about the assessment and identification of pressure injuries across skin tone diversity and, secondly, to describe the impact of classroom content on student nurse understanding of pressure injury in people with dark skin tones.

Design

Qualitative case study employing focus groups and semi‐structured interviews.

Methods

Five higher education institutions in the United Kingdom were purposively chosen. At each of the five‐case sites, one focus group with student nurses and one semi‐structured interview with a nurse academic were conducted between May 2018 and April 2019. The participants’ narratives were transcribed verbatim and analysed via thematic analysis.

Results

Classroom learning was predominately framed through a white lens with white normativity being strongly reinforced through teaching and learning activities. This reinforcement of white normativity was evidenced through two main themes: (i) dominance of whiteness in the teaching and learning of pressure injuries in undergraduate nurse education and (ii) the impact and implications for student nurses of whiteness as the norm in pressure injury teaching.

Conclusion

Nurses responsible for the design and delivery of teaching and learning experiences for nursing students need to ensure meaningful teaching and learning experiences. This learning should assist future nurses to interrogate their complicity in a system of white dominance.

Impact

Nurse education delivered today influences and shapes nurses of the future. Nurses are the cornerstone of healthcare and play a significant role in the delivery of equitable healthcare. Nurse academics have a duty of care to inform and highlight health inequities in nursing and ultimately to enhance equity in care.
Bedtime routines and objectively assessed sleep in infants
Authors: Tsai Shao‐Yu , Lee Chien‐Chang , Tsai Han‐Yi , Tung Yi‐Ching
Published: July 2021

Aims

To examine the association of the timing and consistency of parent bedtime routines with infant night‐time sleep duration and variability.

Design

This was a prospective observational study conducted between November 2012 and November 2016.

Methods

Three hundred and twenty healthy 6‐month‐old infants were recruited from the well‐child clinics of a university‐affiliated hospital in northern Taiwan. Participating families provided sociodemographic, health and bedtime routine information. Infants wore an actigraph on the ankle for a week. General linear model analysis was performed with the frequency and timing of bedtime routines treated as the primary predictor variables of interest.

Results

One hundred and ninety‐seven (61.6%) parents started the bedtime routine for infants after 9 PM, with 162 (50.6%) not having the exact same bedtime routine every night. In both crude and adjusted analyses, starting a bedtime routine after 9 PM was associated with shorter infant night‐time sleep duration (b = −23.55, p < 0.01). Infants with a bedtime routine of <3–4 nights per week were associated with more variable night‐time sleep duration than a bedtime routine of 5–6 nights per week (b = −7.81, p < 0.05) or every night (b = −8.47, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

A bedtime routine of at least 5 nights a week and initiated no later than 9 PM was associated with longer and less variable night‐time sleep in infancy. Findings suggest that a consistent bedtime routine implemented in accordance with age‐appropriate bedtimes should be addressed as part of anticipatory guidance in the well‐child clinics. Future studies should include infant sleep variability as an outcome in addition to the conventional mean‐level sleep variable analyses to more thoroughly characterize bedtime routine effects.
Application of weighted gene co‐expression network analysis to identify novel key genes in diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Wang Zheng , Chen Xiaolei , Li Chao , Tang Wanxin
Published: July 2021

Aims/Introduction

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is among the leading causes of end‐stage renal disease worldwide. DN pathogenesis remains largely unknown. Weighted gene co‐expression network analysis is a powerful bioinformatic tool for identifying key genes in diseases.

Materials and Methods

The datasets GSE30122, GSE104948, GSE37463 and GSE47185 containing 23 DN and 23 normal glomeruli samples were obtained from the National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus database. After data pre‐processing, weighted gene co‐expression network analysis was carried out to cluster significant modules. Then, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis‐based Gene Ontology analysis and visualization of network were carried out to screen the key genes in the most significant modules. The connectivity map analysis was carried out to find the significant chemical compounds. Finally, some key genes were validated in in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Results

A total of 454 upregulated and 392 downregulated genes were identified. A total of 16 modules were clustered, and the most significant modules (green, red and yellow modules) were determined. The green module was associated with extracellular matrix organization, the red module was associated with immunity reaction and the yellow module was associated with kidney development. We found several key genes in these three modules separately, and part of them were validated in vivo and in vitro successfully. We found the top 15 chemical compounds that could perturb the overall expression of key genes in DN.

Conclusion

Weighted gene co‐expression network analysis was applied to DN expression profiling in combination with connectivity map analysis. Several novel key genes and chemical compounds were screened out, providing new molecular targets for DN.
European guidelines (S3) on diagnosis and management of mucous membrane pemphigoid, initiated by the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology – Part I
Authors: Rashid H. , Lamberts A. , Borradori L. , Alberti‐Violetti S. , Barry R.J. , Caproni M. , Carey B. , Carrozzo M. , Caux F. , Cianchini G. , Corrà A. , Diercks G.F.H. , Dikkers F.G. , Di Zenzo G. , Feliciani C. , Geerling G. , Genovese G. , Hertl M. , Joly P. , Marzano A.V. , Meijer J.M. , Mercadante V. , Murrell D.F. , Ormond M. , Pas H.H. , Patsatsi A. , Prost C. , Rauz S. , van Rhijn B.D. , Roth M. , Schmidt E. , Setterfield J. , Zambruno G. , Zillikens D. , Horváth B.
Published: July 2021

This guideline on mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) has been elaborated by the Task Force for Autoimmune Blistering Diseases of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) with a contribution of physicians from all relevant disciplines and patient organizations. It is a S3 consensus‐based guideline encompassing a systematic review of the literature until June 2019 in the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. This first part covers methodology, the clinical definition of MMP, epidemiology, MMP subtypes, immunopathological characteristics, disease assessment and outcome scores. MMP describes a group of autoimmune skin and mucous membrane blistering diseases, characterized by a chronic course and by predominant involvement of the mucous membranes, such as the oral, ocular, nasal, nasopharyngeal, anogenital, laryngeal and oesophageal mucosa. MMP patients may present with mono‐ or multisite involvement. Patients’ autoantibodies have been shown to be predominantly directed against BP180 (also called BPAG2, type XVII collagen), BP230, laminin 332 and type VII collagen, components of junctional adhesion complexes promoting epithelial stromal attachment in stratified epithelia. Various disease assessment scores are available, including the Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid Disease Area Index (MMPDAI), the Autoimmune Bullous Skin disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS), the ‘Cicatrising Conjunctivitis Assessment Tool’ and the Oral Disease Severity Score (ODSS). Patient‐reported outcome measurements (PROMs), including DLQI, ABQOL and TABQOL, can be used for assessment of quality of life to evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions and monitor disease course.
Resources, methods, and data infrastructure to promote research in dementia care, caregiving, and services
Authors: Pike K. Joanne , Fazio Sam , Bynum Julie P. W. , Travison Thomas G. , Wendler David , Mor Vincent
Published: July 2021

Background

The National Institute on Aging, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the National Alzheimer's Project Act, hosted a 2020 Dementia Care, Caregiving, and Services Research Summit Virtual Meeting Series on August 13, 2020. This article reflects three presentations related to Theme 6: Research Resources, Methods, and Data Infrastructure. Dr. Bynum discussed the challenges of identifying people for population‐ and healthcare‐based research, including how definitions of dementia have changed over time, the opportunities and challenges inherent in the use of electronic data sources, and the need to fit data collection strategies to research goals and questions. Dr. Travison provided an overview on the growing use of embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) and how to enhance their impact in dementia research. Dr. Wendler presented on the ethical considerations relevant to consent for dementia research, including assessment of decisional capacity and the role of decisional surrogates.

Conclusions

The availability of claims data, electronic health records, and other sources of “existing” data has made the use and development of ePCTs both easier and more appealing. Among other things, they offer advantages in terms of lower cost and generalizability to real‐world settings. This is turn has necessitated the use of informatic and analytic approaches to account for some of the limitations and complexities of such data, including multilevel clustering and the need to link and jointly analyze data from the person with dementia and those of their care partner. As part of this process, it will be important to broaden the scope of who is assessed for decisional capacity, make those assessments more study specific, and assist surrogates in making decisions based on what the individual would have chosen for themselves if capacitated (i.e., substituted judgment).
Driving specialist's ratings of on‐road performance and naturalistic driving crashes and near‐crashes
Authors: Swain Thomas A. , McGwin Gerald , Antin Jonathan F. , Owsley Cynthia
Published: July 2021

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the association between a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist's (CDRS) ratings of on‐road driving performance by older drivers and at‐fault crash and near‐crash involvement using naturalistic driving techniques where crashes and near‐crashes are recorded in everyday driving through in‐vehicle instrumentation.

Methods

This is a cohort study of 144 drivers aged 70 years and over who were recruited due to a recent ophthalmology clinic visit at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Baseline measurements consisted of demographics, visual status, and other health variables. At‐fault crashes and near‐crashes over 6 months were identified through instrumentation placed in their personal vehicle that recorded vehicle kinematics and video. After 6 months, a CDRS completed an on‐road assessment and provided a composite rating on specific driving behaviors and a global score.

Results

Rate ratios examining the association between older drivers with worse CDRS composite scores and rates of at‐fault crashes, at‐fault near‐crashes, and combined at‐fault crashes and near‐crashes were significantly higher compared to drivers with better scores. Results were similar for the CDRS global score.

Conclusions

Motor vehicle administrations use CDRS ratings to make decisions about licensure, and in clinical programs such as those based at rehabilitation clinics use them to make recommendations about fitness to drive and rehabilitation. This study suggests that these decisions and recommendations are valid from a safety standpoint.
Ustilaginoidea virens modulates lysine 2‐hydroxyisobutyrylation in rice flowers during infection
Authors: Chen Xiaoyang , Xu Qiutao , Duan Yuhang , Liu Hao , Chen Xiaolin , Huang Junbin , Luo Chaoxi , Zhou Dao‐Xiu , Zheng Lu
Published: July 2021

The post‐translational modification lysine 2‐hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib) plays an important role in gene transcription, metabolism, and enzymatic activity. Khib sites have been identified in rice (Oryza sativa). However, the Khib status of proteins in rice flowers during pathogen infection remains unclear. Here, we report a comprehensive identification of Khib‐modified proteins in rice flowers, and the changes in these proteins during infection with the fungal pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens. By using a tandem mass tag‐based quantitative proteomics approach, we identified 2,891 Khib sites on 964 proteins in rice flowers. Our data demonstrated that 2‐hydroxyisobutyrylated proteins are involved in diverse biological processes. Khib levels were substantially reduced upon infection with U. virens. Chromatin immunoprecipitation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription quantitative PCR analyses revealed that histone Khib is involved in the expression of disease‐resistance genes. More importantly, most quantified sites on core histones H3 were downregulated upon U. virens infection. In addition, the histone deacetylases HDA705, HDA716, SRT1, and SRT2 are involved in the removal of Khib marks in rice. HDA705 was further confirmed to negatively regulate rice disease resistance to pathogens U. virens, Magnaporthe oryzae, and Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Our data suggest that U. virens could modulate Khib in rice flowers during infection.
Patients’ experiences of telenursing follow‐up care after bariatric surgery
Authors: Arnaert Antonia , Girard Alice , Craciunas Stephanie , Shang Zhida , Ahmad Hamza , Debe Zoumanan , Demyttenaere Sebastian
Published: July 2021

Aim

To explore the postsurgical management experiences of bariatric patients after receiving telenursing follow‐up care, using a telemonitoring platform for approximately 1 month.

Background

Obesity prevalence rates among adult Canadians are increasing, and as such the number of bariatric surgeries. Adapting to life following bariatric surgery is challenging, and patients are often experiencing difficulties to adhere to the postsurgical behavioural recommendations. The use of technology has been introduced in bariatric aftercare programmes, yet patients voiced a desire to communicate with a clinician between routine visits to improve continuity of care. To our knowledge, there is a lack of research on emerging practice of telenursing to provide monitoring, support and aftercare to bariatric patients remotely. Design: A qualitative descriptive design was used.

Methods

A total of 22 semi‐structured interviews were thematically analysed. The SRQR checklist was used.

Results

Participants embraced the idea of integrating telenursing care in bariatric aftercare programmes, as they viewed this novel approach to care as a way to overcome the current challenges of accessing bariatric services. The most salient benefit reported by participants was the timely advice and care provided by the telenurse. The provision of tailored nursing care and the accessibility to a first‐line professional empowered participants to exercise greater control over their recovery process, which promotes self‐management and enhances feelings of security and reassurance. Lastly, participants voiced areas of improvement to better the system and to render it most accessible and user‐friendly.

Conclusion

Despite its novelty in bariatric aftercare, our findings indicated that patients are eager to integrate telenursing in mainstream services. Discussions are needed regarding patient adherence to telemonitoring, and the need to develop clinical follow‐up protocols.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Results provide new insights into the importance of a telenurse in providing individualised care to bariatric patients.
Global caries experience in children and its relationship with government expenditures on education and health, sugar consumption, and years of schooling: An ecological study
Authors: Nazir Muhammad Ashraf , AlHumaid Jehan , Alhareky Muhanad
Published: July 2021

Objective

To evaluate the influence of gross domestic product (GDP), government expenditures on education and health (% of GDP), per capita sugar consumption, and years of schooling on caries experience (DMFT) in 12‐year‐old children globally.

Methods

The study analyzed global data of GDP, sugar consumption, years of schooling, expenditure on education and health, and DMFT from 69 countries. Information about DMFT and sugar consumption was retrieved from the World Health Organization while data of other study variables were available from the United Nations Development Program. Data were compared among low, middle, and high‐income countries.

Results

Sugar consumption (p = 0.005) and years of schooling increased progressively from low‐income to high‐income countries (p < 0.001). The greater percentage of GDP was spent on health (6.55 ± 2.94) than on education (3.48 ± 2.60). Upper‐middle‐income countries had the highest mean DMFT score (2.23 ± 1.23) and per capita sugar consumption (33.28 ± 14.06). High‐income countries spent 4.33% of their GDP on education followed by low‐income countries (3.92%) (p = 0.037). Similar trends were observed with regards to the percentage of GDP spent on health (p = 0.003). Univariate analysis showed a significant negative correlation between the percentage of GDP spent on education (r = −0.252, p = 0.037) and DMFT. Significant correlation remained in multivariate analysis; the percentage of GDP spent on education and DMFT in children (B = −0.128, p = 0.028).

Conclusion

Low, middle, and high‐income countries demonstrated significant inequalities regarding caries experience, sugar consumption, and share of GDP spent on health and education. Increasing the share of GDP on education may reduce caries burden in children globally.
Melt inclusions in chassignite NWA 2737: A link between processes recorded in Martian meteorites and rocks at Gale crater
Authors: Wu Peiyu , Gazel Esteban , Udry Arya , Setera Jacob B. , Ostwald Amanda
Published: July 2021

Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737, one of the only three discovered Martian chassignites, provides critical constraints on the evolution of the Martian mantle and crust. Because of chassignites’ cumulative nature, they contain abundant melt inclusions (MI). MI are small droplets of melts trapped by crystals during the cooling of magma. They are critical to the study of pre‐eruptive parental magma compositions, and thus, provide snapshots of the composition and evolution of Martian magmatic systems. Here, we present fractional crystallization models using parental magma composition calculated from NWA 2737 melt inclusions as starting compositions. We used the thermodynamic modeling software MELTS to model fractional crystallization of NWA 2737 parental magma compositions with a wide range of parameters (pressure, water content, oxygen fugacity). Our models show that the felsic compositions recently analyzed at the Martian surface in Gale crater, especially Sparkle and Angmaat, the two rocks thought to be analogous to the earliest continental crust on Earth, can be obtained by fractional crystallization of chassignite‐like parental melts. Our results suggest a link between the processes that resulted in chassignites and the rocks analyzed in situ at Gale crater. To assess the possible scenarios for Martian magma migration and storage processes, we compared chassignites to terrestrial analogs formed via various mechanisms and proposed two mechanisms that may explain the intrusive and effusive rocks found in situ at Gale crater: (1) emplacement and fractionation in a closed‐system crustal reservoir and (2) eruption of mafic to intermediate lavas of a relatively open system subject to constant replenishment.
CsrA enters Hfq's territory: Regulation of a base‐pairing small RNA
Authors: Stenum Thomas Søndergaard , Holmqvist Erik
Published: July 2021

Post‐transcriptional regulatory networks in Gammaproteobacteria are to a large extent built around the two globally acting RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) CsrA and Hfq. Both RBPs interact with small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), but the functional outcomes of these interactions are generally distinct. Whereas Hfq both stabilizes sRNAs and promotes their base‐pairing to target mRNAs, the sRNAs bound by CsrA act as sequestering molecules that titrate the RBP away from its mRNA targets. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Lai et al. reveal that CsrA interacts with the Hfq‐associated and base‐pairing sRNA Spot 42. In this case, CsrA increases Spot 42 stability by masking a cleavage site for endoribonuclease RNase E, thereby promoting Spot 42‐dependent regulation of srlA mRNA. Interestingly, the effect of CsrA on srlA expression is two‐fold. In addition to affecting Spot 42‐dependent regulation, CsrA directly inhibits translation of SrlM, an activator of srlA transcription. Together, this study reveals a new function for CsrA and indicates more intricate connections between the CsrA and Hfq networks than previously anticipated. Several recent studies have identified additional RBPs that interact with sRNAs. With new RBP identification methods at hand, it will be intriguing to see how many more sRNA‐binding proteins will be uncovered.
Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (VdSOD1) mediates reactive oxygen species detoxification and modulates virulence in Verticillium dahliae
Authors: Tian Li , Li Junjiao , Huang Caimin , Zhang Dandan , Xu Yan , Yang Xingyong , Song Jian , Wang Dan , Qiu Nianwei , Short Dylan P. G. , Inderbitzin Patrik , Subbarao Krishna V. , Chen Jieyin , Dai Xiaofeng
Published: July 2021

The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a widespread defence mechanism in higher plants against pathogen attack and sometimes is the cause of cell death that facilitates attack by necrotrophic pathogens. Plant pathogens use superoxide dismutase (SOD) to scavenge ROS derived from their own metabolism or generated from host defence. The significance and roles of SODs in the vascular plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae are unclear. Our previous study showed a significant upregulation of Cu/Zn‐SOD1 (VdSOD1) in cotton tissues following V. dahliae infection, suggesting that it may play a role in pathogen virulence. Here, we constructed VdSOD1 deletion mutants (ΔSOD1) and investigated its function in scavenging ROS and promoting pathogen virulence. ΔSOD1 had normal growth and conidiation but exhibited significantly higher sensitivity to the intracellular ROS generator menadione. Despite lacking a signal peptide, assays in vitro by western blot and in vivo by confocal microscopy revealed that secretion of VdSOD1 is dependent on the Golgi reassembly stacking protein (VdGRASP). Both menadione‐treated ΔSOD1 and cotton roots infected with ΔSOD1 accumulated more and less H2O2 than with the wildtype strain. The absence of a functioning VdSOD1 significantly reduced symptom severity and pathogen colonization in both cotton and Nicotiana benthamiana. VdSOD1 is nonessential for growth or viability of V. dahliae, but is involved in the detoxification of both intracellular ROS and host‐generated extracellular ROS, and contributes significantly to virulence in V. dahliae.
What influences rural women's choices in maternity care: A qualitative exploratory study
Authors: Russell Kristie , Manias Elizabeth , Nicholson Patricia
Published: July 2021

Rural women are likely to experience difficulties accessing maternity care that is readily available in metropolitan areas. This limited access can impede women's ability to make informed choices that enhance safety and minimize harm. This study explored the experiences of women who had given birth in a rural environment and the factors that influenced their choices regarding their maternity care. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 women for this qualitative, exploratory study. These women had birthed within rural areas of Victoria, Australia, between May 2016 and May 2017. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Three main themes emerged: (i) being influenced by previous childbirth experiences, (ii) feeling safe and supported with their maternity care provider, and (iii) being supported in their birthing choices. The availability of maternity care providers and travel time to facilities limited the choices of rural women. This study provided valuable insights into what was behind the decisions of rural women's choices regarding their maternity care. To assist with making informed decisions regarding their maternity care, all available models of maternity care should be presented to rural women.