bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The apparent loss of PRC2 chromatin occupancy as an artefact of RNA depletion
Authors: Healy Evan , Zhang Qi , Gail Emma H. , Agius Samuel C. , Sun Guizhi , Bullen Michael , Pandey Varun , Das Partha Pratim , Polo Jose M. , Davidovich Chen
Published: August 2023

RNA has been implicated in the recruitment of chromatin modifiers, and previous studies have provided evidence in favour and against this idea. RNase treatment of chromatin is a prevalent tool for the study of RNA-mediated regulation of chromatin modifiers, but the limitations of this approach remain unclear. RNase A treatment during chromatin immunoprecipitation (RNase-ChIP or rChIP) reduces chromatin occupancy of the H3K27me3 methyltransferase PRC2. This led to suggestions of an “RNA bridge” between PRC2 and chromatin. Here we show that RNase A treatment during chromatin immunoprecipitation leads to the apparent loss of all facultative heterochromatin, including both PRC2 and H3K27me3 genome wide. This phenomenon persists in mouse embryonic stem cells, human cancer cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells. We track this observation to a gain of DNA from non-targeted chromatin, sequenced at the expense of DNA from facultative heterochromatin, which reduces ChIP signals. Our results point to substantial limitations in using RNase A treatment for mapping RNA-dependent chromatin occupancy and invalidate conclusions that were previously established for PRC2 based on this assay.

Highlights

RNA degradation during ChIP-seq is insufficient to displace PRC2 from chromatin.

RNA degradation led to the artificial depletion of ChIP-seq signals in multiple cell lines.

Artificially reduced ChIP-seq signals are explained by a gain of non-targeted DNA.

RNA is critical in maintaining the solubility of chromatin during experimentation.
Distinct clades of TELOMERE REPEAT BINDING transcriptional regulators interplay to regulate plant development
Authors: Amiard Simon , Feit Léa , Simon Lauriane , Goff Samuel Le , Loizeau Loriane , Wolff Léa , Butter Falk , Bourbousse Clara , Barneche Fredy , Tatout Christophe , Probst Aline. V.
Published: August 2023

TELOMERE REPEAT BINDING proteins (TRBs) are plant-specific transcriptional regulators that combine two DNA-binding domains, the GH1 domain shared with H1 histones that binds to linker DNA and the Myb/SANT domain that specifically recognizes the telobox DNA binding site motif. TRB1, TRB2 and TRB3 proteins recruit the Polycomb group complex 2 (PRC2) to deposit H3K27me3 and JMJ14 to remove H3K4me3 at target genes containing telobox motifs in their promoters to repress transcription. Here, we characterize the function of TRB4 and TRB5, which belong to a separate TRB clade conserved in spermatophytes. TRB4 and TRB5 affect the transcriptional control of several hundred genes involved in developmental responses to environmental cues, the majority of which differ from differentially regulated genes intrb1 trb2 trb3,suggesting distinct modes of action at the chromatin level. Indeed, TRB4 binds to several thousand sites in the genome, mainly at TSS and promoter regions of transcriptionally active and H3K4me3-marked genes but is not enriched at H3K27me3-marked gene bodies. TRB4 physically interacts with the PRC2 component CURLY LEAF (CLF), but, unexpectedly, loss of TRB4 and TRB5 partially suppresses the developmental defects ofclfmutant plants, by acting as transcriptional activators of the key flowering genesSOC1andFT.We further show that TRB4 and TRB1 share multiple target genes and reveal physical and genetic interactions between TRBs of the two distinct clades, collectively unveiling that TRB proteins engage in both positive and negative interactions with other members of the family to regulate plant development through PRC2-dependent and independent mechanisms.
Highly multiplexed mRNA quantitation with CRISPR-Cas13
Authors: Kang Brian , Zhang Jiayu , Schwoerer Michael P. , Nelson Amy N. , Schoeman Emily , Guo Andrew , Ploss Alexander , Myhrvold Cameron
Published: August 2023

RNA quantitation tools are often either high-throughput or cost-effective, but rarely are they both. Existing methods can profile the transcriptome at great expense or are limited to quantifying a handful of genes by labor constraints. A technique that permits more throughput at a reduced cost could enable multi-gene kinetic studies, gene regulatory network analysis, and combinatorial genetic screens. Here, we introducequantitativeCombinatorialArrayedReactions forMultiplexedEvaluation ofNucleic acids (qCARMEN): an RNA quantitation technique which leverages the programmable RNA-targeting capabilities of CRISPR-Cas13 to address this challenge by quantifying over 4,500 gene-sample pairs in a single experiment. Using qCARMEN, we studied the response profiles of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) during interferon (IFN) stimulation and flavivirus infection. Additionally, we observed isoform switching kinetics during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. qCARMEN is a simple and inexpensive technique that greatly enhances the scalability of RNA quantitation for novel applications with performance similar to gold-standard methods.
Detecting altered hepatic lipid oxidation by MRI in an animal model of NAFLD
Authors: McLeod Marc , Ragavan Mukundan , Chang Mario , Mahar Rohit , Giacalone Anthony , Rushin Anna , Glanz Max , Malut Vinay , Graham Dalton , Sunny Nishanth E. , Merritt Matthew E.
Published: August 2023

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevalence is increasing annually and affects over a third of U.S. adults. NAFLD can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), characterized by severe inflammation and fibrosis. NASH is predicted to become the primary cause of liver transplant by 2030. Although the etiology of NAFLD/NASH is incompletely understood, dysregulated fatty acid oxidation is implicated in disease pathogenesis. Here, we developed a method for estimating hepatic β-oxidation from the metabolism of [D15]octanoate to deuterated water and detection with deuterium magnetic resonance methods. Application of this method to perfused liver from a mouse model of NAFLD revealed dysregulated hepatic β-oxidation, findings that we confirmed within vivoimaging. The high-fat diet–induced NAFLD mouse studies indicated that decreased β-oxidative efficiency in the fatty liver could serve as a prognostic indicator of NAFLD progression. Furthermore, our method provides a clinically translatable imaging approach for determining hepatic β-oxidation efficiency.
CDK activity at the centrosome regulates the cell cycle
Authors: Roberts Emma L. , Kapadia Nitin , Auchynnikava Tania , Basu Souradeep , Nurse Paul
Published: August 2023

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) complexed with cyclins drive progression through the eukaryotic cell cycle. From yeast to human cells, cyclin-CDK localises to the centrosome, but the importance of this localisation is unclear. The conserved ‘hydrophobic patch’ substrate docking site on human Cyclin B1 and on the equivalent fission yeast Cdc13 mediates their localisation to the centrosome and the spindle-pole body (SPB, yeast centrosome equivalent). A hydrophobic patch mutant (HPM) of Cdc13 cannot enter mitosis, but whether this mitotic defect is due to defective SPB localisation or defective cyclin-substrate docking is unknown. Here we show that artificially restoring Cdc13HPMSPB localisation in fission yeast partially rescues both mitosis and defective CDK substrate phosphorylation at both the SPB and within the cytoplasm. In addition, we found that an HPM of the S-phase cyclin Cig2 has defective SPB localisation but is still able to perform bulk DNA synthesis. Our results demonstrate that the hydrophobic patch mediates the SPB localisation of both S- and M-phase cyclins, and that Cdc13 SPB localisation is essential for mitotic entry and for full phosphorylation of CDK substrates, supporting the view that the centrosome plays a role as a signalling hub regulating CDK cell cycle control.
Long-term combination therapy with Metformin and Oxymetholone in a Fanconi Anemia mouse model
Authors: Dorrell Craig , Peters Alexander M , Zhang Qingshuo , Balaji Niveditha , Baradar Kevin , Mochizuki-Kashio Makiko , Major Angela , Finegold Milton , Liu Chih-Wei , Lu Kun , Grompe Markus
Published: August 2023

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a disease caused by defective DNA repair which manifests as bone marrow failure, cancer predisposition, and developmental defects. Mice containing inactivating mutations in one or more genes in the FA pathway partially mimic the human disease. We previously reported that monotherapy with either metformin (MET) or oxymetholone (OXM) improved peripheral blood (PB) counts and the number and functionality of bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs) number inFancd2-/-mice. To evaluate whether the combination treatment of these drugs has a synergistic effect to prevent bone marrow failure in FA, we treated cohorts ofFancd2-/-mice and wild-type controls with either MET alone, OXM alone, MET+OXM or placebo diet. Both male and female mice were treated from age 3 weeks to 18 months. The OXM treated animals showed modest improvements in blood parameters including platelet count (p=0.01) and hemoglobin levels (p<0.05). In addition, the percentage of quiescent HSC (LSK) was significantly increased (p=0.001) by long-term treatment with MET alone. However, the absolute number of progenitors, measured by LSK frequency or CFU-S, was not significantly altered by MET therapy. The combination of metformin and oxymetholone did not result in a significant synergistic effect on any parameter. Male animals on MET+OXM or MET alone were significantly leaner than controls at 18 months, regardless of genotype. Gene expression analysis of liver tissue from these animals showed that some of the expression changes caused byFancd2deletion were partially normalized by metformin treatment. Importantly, no adverse effects of the individual or combination therapies were observed, despite the long-term administration.

Highlights

-

Long-term coadministration of metformin in combination oxymetholone is well tolerated byFancd2-/-mice.

-

HSC quiescence in mutant mice was enhanced by treatment with metformin alone.

-

Metformin treatment caused a partial normalization of gene expression in the livers of mutant mice.
DifferentialRegulation: a Bayesian hierarchical approach to identify differentially regulated genes
Authors: Tiberi Simone , Meili Joël , Cai Peiying , Soneson Charlotte , He Dongze , Sarkar Hirak , Avalos-Pacheco Alejandra , Patro Rob , Robinson Mark D
Published: August 2023

Motivation

Although transcriptomics data is typically used to analyse mature spliced mRNA, recent attention has focused on jointly investigating spliced and unspliced (or precursor-) mRNA, which can be used to study gene regulation and changes in gene expression production. Nonetheless, most methods for spliced/unspliced inference (such as RNA velocity tools) focus on individual samples, and rarely allow comparisons between groups of samples (e.g., healthyvs. diseased). Furthermore, this kind of inference is challenging, because spliced and unspliced mRNA abundance is characterized by a high degree of quantification uncertainty, due to the prevalence of multi-mapping reads, i.e., reads compatible with multiple transcripts (or genes), and/or with both their spliced and unspliced versions.

Results

Here, we presentDifferentialRegulation, a Bayesian hierarchical method to discover changes between experimental conditions with respect to the relative abundance of unspliced mRNA (over the total mRNA). We model the quantification uncertainty via a latent variable approach, where reads are allocated to their gene/transcript of origin, and to the respective splice version. We designed several benchmarks where our approach shows good performance, in terms of sensitivity and error control, versus state-of-the-art competitors. Importantly, our tool is flexible, and works with both bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing data.

Availability and implementation

DifferentialRegulationis distributed as a Bioconductor R package.
Childhood experience of being forced to eat: focussing on its association with vegetable consumption among young adults
Authors: Kim So-young
Published: August 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the association of childhood experience of being forced to eat – where a particular person forced a child to eat a specific food item against one's will – on food consumption, especially vegetables later in young adulthood.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire survey was conducted from 19 to 24 February 2020 with 1,277 young Korean adults in their 20s. A total of 1,226 eligible responses were obtained, wherein 410 (33.4%) responses with forced-eating experiences in childhood were collected. To answer the survey questionnaire, the respondents were asked to recall one of the most memorable forced-eating episodes.

Findings

The results showed that forced-eating occurred mostly among lower grades or pre-schoolers, at home or in schools/childcare facilities, and by parents or homeroom teachers. Vegetables were the most common target food for forced-eating. The Forced-Eating-Experienced group with vegetables as the target food tended to have significantly lower preference for and acceptance of vegetables. Furthermore, among this group, those who had displayed unpleasant post-ingestion physical symptoms after forced-eating or refused to eat the target vegetables at all despite forced-eating, showed significantly lower acceptance of vegetables. Additionally, they were also less likely to eat the target vegetable at present, but more likely to agree that their current dietary habits were affected by their childhood experiences of forced-eating.

Originality/value

The study attempted to fill the knowledge gap on the association of negative childhood experiences of forced-eating with food consumption, especially vegetables, later in young adulthood.
Identifying factors determining the quality of mango: a design of experiments assessment
Authors: J. Krishna Manasvi , Matai Rajesh , Murthy Nagesh N.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Due to the recent disruptions caused by COVID-19, global supply chains are stress tested. The affected supply chains have interfered with market tonnage prices for the yield of perishable products like mangoes that are highly dependent on their quality. This research, through empirical findings, thus determines and comprehends the factors influencing mango quality (size).

Design/methodology/approach

A framework is developed for finding the potential factors of quality building on the previous literature and studies on the available topic. The data collection included face-to-face interviews comprising 240 farmers, hired managers and preharvest contractors in India's Jangaon, Rangareddy and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts of Telangana state. The data analysis is done using multiple regression, and the outcomes form the basis of the design of the experiments model.

Findings

The empirical insights support that the quality of mango is affected by factors such as the number of picking cycles, the cost of fertilizer, the variety of fertilizers used, the variety of pesticides used and pesticide application frequency. The direct implications are the benefit to farmers in improving mango quality and maximizing profit per yield cycle.

Research limitations/implications

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first research that has specifically focused on holistically improving the quality(size) of mangoes.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to the perishable supply chain literature, specifically to the mango study, to comprehensively showcase the factors impacting the quality of mangoes and provide guidance to farmers regarding orchard practices.
Against anticipation, or, camp reading as reparative to the trans feminine past: A microhistory in Nazi‐Era Vienna
Authors: Nunn Zavier
Published: August 2023

Whether trans people – especially trans women – were persecuted by the Nazi regime remains a contested yet under‐researched topic. But the wider political backdrop (including the culture wars and Holocaust memorialisation practices) steers this historical question with a monolithic value: victimisation. This hyper‐focus on victimisation is underpinned by a ‘paranoia’ that pre‐empts tragic historical narratives. Trans histories that do not neatly map onto tragic narration are therefore deemed unthinkable and remain absent from the nascent literature. In a move against paranoid anticipation, this article puts forward an argument for a ‘Camp reading’ practice that embraces ‘insincere’ and ironic material to recalibrate which trans stories are deigned to be given a history. The microhistory of Bella P. in Nazi‐era Vienna acts as a case study in divesting from the politics of victimhood, that challenges the historian's anticipatory impulses, offering the trans feminine past under National Socialism a ‘reparative’ entry into the historical canon on its own terms.
Profitability of Noisy Certification in the Presence of Loss Averse Buyers*
Authors: Huh Seung , Shapiro Dmitry A. , Ham Sung H.
Published: August 2023

We study how the inaccuracy of a costly certification technology affects a monopolistic seller's profitability. We compare three scenarios: no certification, a 100% accurate certification, and a 50% accurate certification that produces accurate evaluations half the time. The noisy certification environment is never the most profitable and, depending on the buyers' loss aversion, can be the least profitable. However, a noisy certification can be more profitable than an accurate one, as it discourages the over‐certification that occurs in an accurate certification environment. Experimentally, the noisy certification is shown to be the least profitable treatment, whereas the accurate certification is shown to be the most profitable.
Incidence, prevalence and risk factors of device‐related pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit: A meta‐analysis of 10,084 patients from 11 countries
Authors: Jia Yi‐Jie , Hu Fei‐Hong , Zhang Wan‐Qing , Tang Wen , Ge Meng‐Wei , Shen Wang‐Qin , Chen Hong‐Lin
Published: August 2023

Device‐related pressure injuries (DRPIs) prevail in the intensive care unit (ICU) and have much to do with medical devices and patients’ conditions. This meta‐analysis aims to systematically assess the incidence, prevalence and risk factors related to DRPIs among adults in ICU. Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PubMed and CINAHL were searched from inception to March 2023. Observational studies were included, and the Newcastle‐Ottawa scale (NOS) was used to assess literature quality. The primary outcomes were the incidence, prevalence and risk factors regarding DRPIs among adults in ICU. The 19 studies conformed to the criteria for inclusion in the review. The estimated pooled incidence of DRPIs was 14.7% (95% CI: 9.7%–19.6%) in 10 studies (4866 participants). The estimated pooled prevalence of DRPIs was 19.0% (95% CI: 13.6%–24.3%) in 9 studies (5218 participants). The most significant risk factor for DRPIs was using mechanical ventilation. The pooled analysis of the four studies showed that DRPIs were more likely to occur in patients who required mechanical ventilation compared with patients who did not use mechanical ventilation (OR: 9.67, 95% CI: 5.03–18.61, p < 0.001) and using vasopressors, age, length of ICU stays, APACHE II score, Braden score, fever, sex, oedema, diabetes and number of medical devices, SOFA score was also related to pressure injuries risk. The incidence and prevalence of DRPIs in adult ICU were high, and the most significant risk factor for DRPIs was using mechanical ventilation. It is imminent to identify patients of increased risk with DRPIs early.
In Science Journals
Authors: Smith Keith T. , Suleymanov Yury , Szuromi Phil , Smith H. Jesse , Maroso Mattia , Olingy Claire , Malo Courtney , Funk Michael A. , Vignieri Sacha , Scanlon Seth Thomas , Nusinovich Yevgeniya , Osborne Ian S. , Jiang Di , Lavine Marc S. , Foley John F. , Lempriere Sarah A.
Published: August 2023

Highlights from the
Science
family of journals
MyoD-family inhibitor proteins act as auxiliary subunits of Piezo channels
Authors: Zhou Zijing , Ma Xiaonuo , Lin Yiechang , Cheng Delfine , Bavi Navid , Secker Genevieve A. , Li Jinyuan Vero , Janbandhu Vaibhao , Sutton Drew L. , Scott Hamish S. , Yao Mingxi , Harvey Richard P. , Harvey Natasha L. , Corry Ben , Zhang Yixiao , Cox Charles D.
Published: August 2023

Piezo channels are critical cellular sensors of mechanical forces. Despite their large size, ubiquitous expression, and irreplaceable roles in an ever-growing list of physiological processes, few Piezo channel–binding proteins have emerged. In this work, we found that MyoD (myoblast determination)–family inhibitor proteins (MDFIC and MDFI) are PIEZO1/2 interacting partners. These transcriptional regulators bind to PIEZO1/2 channels, regulating channel inactivation. Using single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy, we mapped the interaction site in MDFIC to a lipidated, C-terminal helix that inserts laterally into the PIEZO1 pore module. These Piezo-interacting proteins fit all the criteria for auxiliary subunits, contribute to explaining the vastly different gating kinetics of endogenous Piezo channels observed in many cell types, and elucidate mechanisms potentially involved in human lymphatic vascular disease.
Bacteria stretch and bend oil to feed their appetite
Authors: McGenity Terry J. , Laissue Pierre Philippe
Published: August 2023

Microbes reshape oil droplets to speed biodegradation
Application of the CHIMERE-WRF Model Complex to Study the Radiative Effects of Siberian Smoke Aerosol in the Eastern Arctic
Authors: Konovalov I. B. , Golovushkin N. A. , Zhuravleva T. B. , Nasrtdinov I. M. , Uzhegov V. N. , Beekmann M.
Published: August 2023

We describe a computational technology for studying the effects of the aerosol-radiation interaction and calculating regional estimates of the direct (DRE) and semidirect radiative effects (SDRE) of biomass burning (BB) aerosol based on simulations with the CHIMERE chemistry transport model coupled with the WRF meteorological model. The technology was applied to numerical studying the radiative effects of Siberian biomass burning aerosol in the eastern Arctic in the period of July 16–31, 2016. The model simulations show that Siberian smokes, on the whole, had a significant cooling effect on the atmosphere in the eastern Arctic in that period due to the DRE, the value of which at top of the atmosphere was, on average, −6.0 W m−2, being minimal over the snow-ice cover of the ocean (−1.2 W m−2). At the same time, the contribution of the Siberian BB aerosol DRE to the radiative balance of the Arctic atmosphere is found to be offset to a certain extent by the SDRE, which is positive (2.0 W m−2), on average. The SDRE is formed as a result of the multihour aerosol effect on meteorological processes and plays the most important role over the snow-ice Arctic covers, where it exceeds the DRE in absolute value. It has been shown that the SDRE of Siberian BBA in our numerical experiments is mainly due to scattering (rather than absorption) of radiation by aerosol particles.
Recombinant SLURP-1 Inhibits Growth and Migration of U251 MG Glioma by Cell Cycle Arrest and Modulation of MAPK and AKT Signaling Pathways
Authors: Shulepko M. A. , Bychkov M. L. , Kirpichnikov M. P. , Lyukmanova E. N.
Published: August 2023

A recombinant analog of the human SLURP-1 protein, rSLURP-1, effectively inhibits the growth of carcinomas by interaction with the α7-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Recently, rSLURP-1 inhibition of glioma growth in vitro was shown by the authors; however, the action of rSLURP-1 was not studied. Here, we showed that rSLURP-1 selectively inhibits the growth of U251 MG glioma cells, but not of normal astrocytes, and controls glioma cell migration. In addition, rSLURP-1 induces cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in U251 MG glioma cells, but does not result in apoptosis. Incubation of U251 MG cells with rSLURP-1 causes inhibition of phosphorylation of ERK, p38 MAPK, and AKT kinases, whose activation contributes to the progression of gliomas. At the same time, rSLURP-1 does not affect the activity of JNK kinase. Thus, rSLURP-1 is an endogenous protein promising for the development of drugs based on it for the treatment of not only carcinomas but also gliomas.
Combined intrapleural alteplase and DNase therapy in complicated pleural infection arising from postsurgery oesophageal leak
Authors: Ng Boon Hau , Nik Abeed Nik Nuratiqah , Ban Andrea Yu-Lin , Abdul Hamid Mohamed Faisal
Published: August 2023

Managing a complicated pleural infection related to postsurgery can pose a clinical challenge, especially when initial interventions such as intercostal chest drain and antibiotics prove ineffective. We describe a man in his mid-60s who developed a recurrence of exudative pleural effusion caused by an oesophageal leak following laparoscopic total gastrectomy with Roux-y oesophagojejunostomy for gastric adenocarcinoma. Surgical repairs and oesophageal stenting were performed to address the oesophageal leak. Despite attempts at intercostal chest tube drainage, ultrasonography-guided targeted drainage of the locule and antibiotics, he did not show any improvement. He was unfit for surgical decortication. Due to the risk of bleeding, we chose a modified dose of intrapleural alteplase 5 mg and DNase 5 mg at 12-hour intervals for a total of three doses. This led to the complete resolution of the effusion. This case highlights that intrapleural tPA/DNase can be an adjunctive therapy in postsurgery-related complicated pleural effusion.
Core-binding factor abnormalities involving chromosome 16 in acute myeloid leukaemia: prognostic and therapeutic implications
Authors: Panigrahi Chinmayee , Tikare Nakul , Das Prabodha Kumar , Padhi Somanath
Published: August 2023

Core-binding factor (CBF) abnormality-associated myeloid neoplasms incorporate acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (CBF-AML) with translocation t(8;21)(q22;q22.1) (AML1/ETOfusion) and inv(16)(p13.1q22) or translocation t(16;16)(p13.1;q22) (CBFB/MYH11fusion) abnormalities which confer a favourable prognosis following cytarabine-based induction chemotherapy. Accumulating evidence from the molecular studies have stratified CBF-AML into favourable and unfavourable subgroups based on the associated cooperating mutations that impact the outcome. We describe a case of acute myelomonocytic leukaemia with abnormal eosinophils (M4Eo) in a woman in her 20s who was found to haveCBFβ/MYH11fusion along with mutatedc-KIT(exon 17) andKRAS(exon 2) genes by next-generation sequencing. She had an aggressive clinical course following initiation of cytarabine-based induction chemotherapy. The underlying mutational landscape may significantly influence the biological behaviour of otherwise favourable risk of CBF-AML cases.
WHO O2CoV2: oxygen requirements and respiratory support in patients with COVID-19 in low-and-middle income countries—protocol for a multicountry, prospective, observational cohort study
Authors: Relan Pryanka , Murthy Srinivas , Marshall John C , Annane Djillali , Chevret Sylvie , Arabi Yaseen M , Waweru-Siika Wangari , Dominguez Rodriguez Sara , Convocar Pauline , Diaz Janet ,   World Health Organization Respiratory Support Research Group
Published: August 2023

Introduction

SARS-CoV-2 has been identified as the cause of the disease officially named COVID-19, primarily a respiratory illness. COVID-19 was characterised as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. It has been estimated that approximately 20% of people with COVID-19 require oxygen therapy. Oxygen has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines List and Essential Medicines List for Children for almost two decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, more than ever, the acute need for scale-up of oxygen therapy. Detailed data on the use of oxygen therapy in low-and-middle income countries at the patient and facility level are needed to target interventions better globally.

Methods and analysis

We aim to describe the requirements and use of oxygen at the facility and patient level of approximately 4500 patients with COVID-19 in 30 countries. Our objectives are specifically to characterise type and duration of different modalities of oxygen therapy delivered to patients; describe demographics and outcomes of hospitalised patients with COVID-19; and describe facility-level oxygen production and support. Primary analyses will be descriptive in nature. Respiratory support transitions will be described in Sankey plots, and Kaplan-Meier models will be used to estimate probability of each transition. A multistate model will be used to study the course of hospital stay of the study population, evaluating transitions of escalating respiratory support transitions to the absorbing states.

Ethics and dissemination

WHO Ad Hoc COVID-19 Research Ethics Review Committee (ERC) has approved this global protocol. When this protocol is adopted at specific country sites, national ERCs may make require adjustments in accordance with their respective national research ethics guidelines. Dissemination of this protocol and global findings will be open access through peer-reviewed scientific journals, study website, press and online media.

Trial registration number

NCT04918875.
Interventions to improve perinatal outcomes among migrant women in high-income countries: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Stevenson Kerrie , Ogunlana K , Edwards Samuel , Henderson William G , Rayment-Jones Hannah , McGranahan Majel , Marti-Castaner Maria , Fellmeth Gracia , Luchenski Serena , Stevenson Fiona A , Knight Marian , Aldridge Robert W
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Women who are migrants and who are pregnant or postpartum are at high risk of poorer perinatal outcomes compared with host country populations due to experiencing numerous additional stressors including social exclusion and language barriers. High-income countries (HICs) host many migrants, including forced migrants who may face additional challenges in the peripartum period. Although HICs’ maternity care systems are often well developed, they are not routinely tailored to the needs of migrant women. The primary objective will be to determine what interventions exist to improve perinatal outcomes for migrant women in HICs. The secondary objective will be to explore the effectiveness of these interventions by exploring the impact on perinatal outcomes. The main outcomes of interest will be rates of preterm birth, birth weight, and number of antenatal or postnatal appointments attended.

Methods and analysis

This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Protocols guidelines. EMBASE, EMCARE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO, CENTRAL, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science, as well as grey literature sources will be searched from inception up to December 2022. We will include randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental and interventional studies of interventions, which aim to improve perinatal outcomes in any HIC. There will be no language restrictions. We will exclude studies presenting only qualitative outcomes and those including mixed populations of migrant and non-migrant women. Screening and data extraction will be completed by two independent reviewers and risk of bias will be assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. If a collection of suitably comparable outcomes is retrieved, we will perform meta-analysis applying a random effects model. Presentation of results will comply with guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the PRISMA statement.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required. Results will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication and presented at national and international conferences. The findings will inform the work of the Lancet Migration European Hub.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42022380678.
Learning to lead through the climate crisis
Authors: Yassaie Rammina
Published: August 2023

Background

The climate crisis is the biggest health crisis and social injustice of our time. The author critically reflects on the challenges of coming to terms with the realities of the climate crisis and what these mean for clinicians, educators and leaders in healthcare.

Methods

Using a framework of the personal, professional and the political, the author navigates what learning to lead through the climate crisis really means.

Conclusion

The author invites readers to explore their own circles of influence in this crucial arena, whilst emphasising the need for both action and hope in this space.
Combined settlement and clogging in drainage sand layer for suspended solids, colloids and inorganic salts
Authors: Ma Jiayu , Lu Haijun , Li Kaifan , Liu Mengyi
Published: August 2023

Blockage of leachate drainage facilities is a common engineering problem in landfill operation. The key factors that cause blockage of drainage facilities in landfill leachate are the deposition of suspended solids (SS) with colloids and the precipitation of inorganic salts. To determine the combined sedimentation law of SS, colloids and inorganic salts, a combined sedimentation test of suspended solids, colloids and inorganic salts was conducted. To further clarify the resulting clogging characteristics of the water-conducting sand layers, a sand column blocking test were conducted, and mineral composition and grain characteristics of sediments were determined. The experimental results shown that the colloids (silver iodide) and inorganic salts (calcium chloride or aluminum sulfate) increased the sedimentation rate of SS by 8 to18 times. Among them, the effect of AgI colloid was the most significant, followed by effect of calcium chloride, while effect of aluminum sulfate was the weakest. Compared with sand column clogging caused by SS, this combined migration shortened the sand column clogging time by more than half and reduced hydraulic conductivity by nearly two to three orders of magnitude. This study contributes to the accurate assessment of the service performance of landfill leachate drainage systems.
Distributed Graph Coloring Made Easy
Authors: Maus Yannic
Published: August 2023

In this article, we present a deterministic

\(\mathsf {CONGEST}\)

algorithm to compute an
O
(
k
Δ)-vertex coloring in
O
(Δ /
k
)+log
*
n
rounds, where Δ is the maximum degree of the network graph and
k
≥ 1 can be freely chosen. The algorithm is extremely simple: each node locally computes a sequence of colors and then it
tries colors
from the sequence in batches of size
k
. Our algorithm subsumes many important results in the history of distributed graph coloring as special cases, including Linial’s color reduction [Linial, FOCS’87], the celebrated locally iterative algorithm from [Barenboim, Elkin, Goldenberg, PODC’18], and various algorithms to compute defective and arbdefective colorings. Our algorithm can smoothly scale between several of these previous results and also simplifies the state-of-the-art (Δ +1)-coloring algorithm. At the cost of losing some of the algorithm’s simplicity we also provide a
O
(
k
Δ)-coloring algorithm in

\(O(\sqrt {\Delta /k})+\log ^{*} n\)

rounds. We also provide improved deterministic algorithms for ruling sets, and, additionally, we provide a tight characterization for one-round color reduction algorithms.
A Compact Tri-Band Penta-Polarization Reconfigurable Planar Antenna for Interference Management in 5G Ultra-Dense Network Environment
Authors: Pal Joydeep , Gupta Bhaskar
Published: August 2023

Interference and multipath are the most common issues in the wireless domain due to the coexistence of a large number of wireless nodes operating within the constraint spectrum. A compact planar antenna with five reconfigurable polarization states in three distinct operating bands is presented in this article. A square patch is enclosed by a square outer ring in the design, and these antennas are coupled-decoupled successively using switching diodes to excite three distinct operating bands. Coplanar microstrip lines are used to feed the orthogonal edges of the antenna. The diagonal corners of the inner and outer ring patches are truncated to realize dual circular polarization (CP) states with proper biasing. Switching diodes are placed at the etched corners to realize vertical (VP) and horizontal (HP) polarization. Both the orthogonal feed lines are activated simultaneously with identical phase and amplitude to realize 45° linear polarization. A low-profile, single-feed, compact prototype reconfigurable microstrip antenna (MSA) is finally designed, fabricated, and measured at 1.8 GHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5.8 GHz bands, respectively. Each operating band shows five distinct operating states. The simulation results for all fifteen states are found to be consistent with the measurement.
Complete Continuity of Composition-Differentiation Operators on the Hardy Space

H

1
Authors: Abkar Ali
Published: August 2023

We study composition-differentiation operators on the Hardy space

H

1

on the unit disk. We prove that if

φ

is an analytic self-map of the unit disk such that the composition-differentiation operator induced by

φ

is bounded on the Hardy space

H

1

, then it is completely continuous. This result is stronger than the similar result for composition operators which says that the composition operator induced by

φ

is completely continuous if and only if

φ

e

i
θ

<
1

almost everywhere on the unit circle.
Flexural Response of Prestressed FRP Strengthened Reinforced Concrete Beam under Static Load
Authors: Worabo Woju Utino , Ambachew Asres Biruk
Published: August 2023

The motive of building sustainable structures and strengthening the structural members is important to overcome the problems associated with poor initial design and/or construction, accidental events, and degradation related to the environment. This paper aims to assess the flexural behavior of a prestressed basaltic fiber-reinforced polymer- (FRP-) strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) beam under static load through the finite-element method using ABAQUS CAE that is validated with experimental results from relevant literature. To achieve the desired objective, 18 models were prepared based on prestressing level, thickness of basalt FRP (BFRP), width of BFRP, length of BFRP, bond between concrete and BFRP, and type of FRP as study parameters. The results indicate that the use of prestressed BFRP is efficient in strengthening the flexural strength of the RC beam. Compared to nonstrengthened specimens, the flexural capacity of the specimens strengthened with BFRP at prestressing levels of 0%, 15%, 35%, and 45% show enhancement of 6.09%, 9.17%, 13.89%, and 17.57%, respectively. While increasing the width, length, and thickness of the prestressed BFRP section, increased yielding and ultimate load capacity of the specimen have been obtained; however, the ductility has been reduced up to 13.87% with increasing the BFRP thickness. The result also shows that the specimen strengthened with prestressed BFRP has better ductility than the prestressed carbon FRP (CFRP)-strengthened specimen; however, the model strengthened with prestressed CFRP has shown higher load-carrying capacity. It is also noticed that a cohesive bond better suited the experimental specimen than the fixed interference of the concrete surface, and relative to the cohesive bond, the fixed interference has shown a 17.4% higher ultimate load carrying capacity.
Gestão do trabalho interprofissional no projeto terapêutico singular: proposta de modelo de processo de trabalho
Authors: Grande Marcia Mazzeo , Carretta Regina Yoneko Dakuzaku , Kronka Amanda Goshima , Inocenti Aline , Forster Aldaísa Cassanho
Published: August 2023

Objetivo: propor um modelo para organização das atividades de um Projeto Terapêutico Singular (PTS) no contexto da estratégia da Saúde da Família (ESF), facilitando a colaboração interprofissional. Método: Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa. Utilizou-se a estratégia de pesquisa-ação, envolvendo uma equipe multiprofissional de saúde e ações de colaboração interprofissional para aprimorar a prática. A pesquisa-ação foi escolhida por mostrar-se adequada para estudos em cenários sociais, em contextos diversos. Os pesquisadores e a equipe acordaram que a discussão do PTS ocorresse em reuniões amplas para favorecer a discussão, reflexão e propostas de ações para o caso. O trabalho de campo envolveu aproximadamente 20 reuniões com a equipe que geravam subsequentes momentos reflexivos da pesquisa. Essa dinâmica favoreceu a proposta do modelo. As etapas do trabalho da pesquisa foram reconhecimento do problema, planejamento, implementação e avaliação. Resultado: Nas reuniões do trabalho coletivo, a equipe pesquisadora percebeu problemas no processo do PTS, tais como: falta de clareza dos objetivos; planejamento e direcionamento das ações colaborativas interprofissionais pouco efetivos para envolver paciente e família no cuidado de saúde. Nesse contexto, propôs-se um modelo de PTS com quatro etapas: Discussão do caso, Designação, Execução e Encerramento ou nova abordagem do processo de atenção. Conclusão: O modelo proposto é uma contribuição teórica e necessita de mais estudos empíricos para validar sua aplicação no âmbito da ESF. Identificou-se, como limitante para a gestão do cuidado para o PTS, a falta de formação pré- e pós-graduada em educação interprofissional dos participantes. No entanto, o modelo se justifica na medida que ajuda a construir ações interprofissionais, recomendadas pelo Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) e órgãos internacionais da saúde (OMS e OPAS).
Revirando ruínas: miséria e arcaísmo em Sérgio Ferro
Authors: Nakahara Carolina Akemi Martins Morita
Published: August 2023

Contra as temporalidades e espacialidades do progresso e da modernização, Sérgio Ferro e o grupo Arquitetura Nova realizaram uma crítica ao desenho, à técnica e ao canteiro de obras, propondo uma ruptura espaço-temporal por meio de um retorno – o miserabilismo, a economia, a manufatura, a memória do gesto – de modo a reverberar os sentidos benjaminianos de ruína. Apesar de sua inegável importância histórica, as balizas econômicas de seu discurso refreiam o potencial de desvio da racionalidade teleológica vigente.
Cardiomyopathy in Asian Cohorts: Genetic and Epigenetic Insights
Authors: Tan Konstanze , Foo Roger , Loh Marie
Published: August 2023

Previous studies on cardiomyopathies have been particularly valuable for clarifying pathological mechanisms in heart failure, an etiologically heterogeneous disease. In this review, we specifically focus on cardiomyopathies in Asia, where heart failure is particularly pertinent. There has been an increase in prevalence of cardiomyopathies in Asia, in sharp contrast with the decline observed in Western countries. Indeed, important disparities in cardiomyopathy incidence, clinical characteristics, and prognosis have been reported in Asian versus White cohorts. These have been accompanied by emerging descriptions of a distinct rare and common genetic basis for disease among Asian cardiomyopathy patients marked by an increased burden of variants with uncertain significance, reclassification of variants deemed pathogenic based on evidence from predominantly White cohorts, and the discovery of Asian-specific cardiomyopathy-associated loci with underappreciated pathogenicity under conventional classification criteria. Findings from epigenetic studies of heart failure, particularly DNA methylation studies, have complemented genetic findings in accounting for the phenotypic variability in cardiomyopathy. Though extremely limited, findings from Asian ancestry–focused DNA methylation studies of cardiomyopathy have shown potential to contribute to general understanding of cardiomyopathy pathophysiology by proposing disease and cause-relevant pathophysiological mechanisms. We discuss the value of multiomics study designs incorporating genetic, methylation, and transcriptomic information for future DNA methylation studies in Asian cardiomyopathy cohorts to yield Asian ancestry-specific insights that will improve risk stratification in the Asian population.
Transcatheter Ductal Stents Versus Surgical Systemic‐Pulmonary Artery Shunts in Neonates With Congenital Heart Disease With Ductal‐Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow: Trends and Associated Outcomes From the Pediatric Health Information System Database
Authors: Valencia Eleonore , Staffa Steven J. , Kuntz Michael T. , Zaleski Katherine L. , Kaza Aditya K. , Maschietto Nicola , Nasr Viviane G.
Published: August 2023

Background

Surgical systemic‐to‐pulmonary artery shunts have been the standard approach to establish stable pulmonary blood flow in neonates with congenital heart disease with ductal‐dependent pulmonary blood flow. More recently, transcatheter ductal stents have been performed as an alternative, less invasive intervention. We aimed to characterize trends in the utilization of surgical shunts versus ductal stents and compare associated outcomes.

Methods and Results

Using data from the Pediatric Health Information System, we retrospectively analyzed neonates with congenital heart disease with ductal‐dependent pulmonary blood flow who underwent surgical shunt or ductal stent placement between January 2016 and December 2021. Patients were identified by
International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision
(
ICD‐10
) diagnosis and procedure codes. The primary outcome was length of hospital stay. Secondary outcomes were reintervention risk and adjusted hospital costs. Of 936 patients included, 65.2% underwent a surgical shunt over the 6‐year period. The proportion who underwent ductal stenting increased from 19% to 53.4% from 2016 to 2021. The median adjusted difference in postintervention length of hospital stay was 11 days greater for the surgical shunt cohort (95% CI, 7.2–14.8;
P
<0.001). The adjusted reintervention risks within 3 (odds ratio [OR], 3.37 [95% CI, 1.91–5.95],
P
<0.001) and 6 months (OR, 2.43 [95% CI, 1.62–3.64],
P
<0.001) were significantly greater in the ductal stent group. Median adjusted index hospital costs were $198 300 ($11 6400–$340 000) versus $120 400 ($81 800–$192 400) for the surgical shunt and ductal stent cohorts, respectively (
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

Ductal stenting has become an increasingly utilized palliative approach to secure pulmonary blood flow in neonates with congenital heart disease with ductal‐dependent pulmonary blood flow in the United States. Ductal stenting is associated with decreased length of hospital stay and reduced overall cost for the index hospitalization but with a greater reintervention risk than surgical shunting.
Moral Politics of Sidewalk Vending: The Struggle between the City Authorities and Sidewalk Vendors of the City of Manila
Authors: Agnes Reynold D.
Published: August 2023

This article used Kusaka’s moral politics framework in examining the struggle between the city authorities and the sidewalk vendors of the City of Manila. It explained the development of sidewalk vending from the perspectives of the authorities and the sidewalk vendors from the time of Mayor Gemeliano Lopez Jr. (1986–1992) to the time of Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada (2013–2019). It showed the moralization of the perceived problem of sidewalk vending in the city and the approach of the authorities in eradicating sidewalk vendors. This qualitative study is a product of interviews with city officials, employees, and the different types of sidewalk vendors. It revealed that authorities perceived the vendors as undisciplined and undesirable illegals, while the vendors see the authorities as corrupt and dishonest extortionists. This moral opposition remains a contributing factor to the unresolved problem of sidewalk vending in Manila. The approach of the authorities to the problem evaded the social injustices experienced by the vendors whose welfare is a mandated responsibility of local officials based on the Local Government Code of 1991. The article suggests the creation of a mechanism of engagement between the authorities and the vendors that will serve as an opportunity for sidewalk vendors’ participation in policymaking.