bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Posthumanism and Childhood Studies
Authors: Murris Karin , Reynolds Rose-Anne
Published: January 2023

The current move in childhood studies toward posthumanism, new materialism, and agential realism articulates a broader transdisciplinary paradigm shift in the academy. Philosophically reconfiguring who and what counts as (fully) human, challenges dominant views of child as an economic resource and education as an individualizing, teleologically humanizing project. The ontological turn away from the individualized human allows other than dominant psycho-socio-cultural-linguistic and biomedical perspectives to be included in childhood studies and argues why this matters epistemologically, ethically, and politically. Posthumanist childhood studies engages affirmatively with research that challenges the limited and exclusionary focus on representational language, the discursive and the culture-nature binary that keeps the world at an ontological distance and has brought deficit figurations of child into existence. Moving away from attempts to define the essence of what an entity is (including “child”), new materialists engage with the materiality of a world that does not sit still; they focus on what bodies (including human ones) can do. In their nonrepresentationalist theories and methodologies, posthumanists and new materialists draw mainly on Western philosophers (e.g., Latour, Massumi) and feminist thinkers (e.g., Bennett, Braidotti, Manning), whose anti-Cartesian project includes troubling the heteronormative, ableist, classist, racist humanist subject. Instead, they reconfigure subjectivity, voice, intentionality, and agency inspired by the philosophies of Descartes’ contemporary Spinoza, and 20th-century French philosophers Deleuze and Guattari. Agential realism is mainly attributed to Karen Barad who diffracts through quantum physicist Niels Bohr, French philosophers Derrida and Foucault, and American feminist colleagues Donna Haraway, Judith Butler, and others. Agential realists focus on phenomena (not bodies) as basic ontological units for material-discursive analyses involving a different relationship with space and time (“hauntology”). Methodologically distinct from other posthumanist approaches to child/hood studies, agential realists acknowledge that the human is entangled with/in all research relations and cannot be “decentered.” Instead, what counts as “human” or “child” is a central part of the analysis and cannot be assumed as given. The exclusive sourcing of Western thinkers has been called into question by Black, antiracist, and Indigenous childhood scholars. Moreover, the primary sources posthumanist childhood studies’ scholars draw on are also remarkably silent about child/hood and age, and many claims made about the (White, male, able-bodied, hetero-sexual) “human” assume the “adult human.” This adult-centrism resonates with the invisibility of Indigenous peoples—a connection more recently taken up by child/hood studies scholars.
Rabbinic Exegesis (Midrash) and Literary Theory
Authors: Catlin Samuel
Published: January 2023

In the early 1980s, the academic study of rabbinic exegetical literature—chiefly midrash and some talmudic texts—underwent a drastic shift as a direct result of the field’s exposure to structuralist and poststructuralist literary theory. A generation of rabbinicists challenged the hegemony of philological methods in their field, producing a number of publications that treated rabbinic literature qua literature by applying new methods drawn from literary studies. Around the same time, a small group of mostly American literary theorists became interested in the same rabbinic corpora, which they regarded either as analogous to or historically related to their own literary theories. The result was an exemplary instance of interdisciplinary encounter at a moment in American academic history when interdisciplinarity, enabled by the phenomenal ascendancy of “theory,” was at the vanguard of humanities research. This “midrash-theory connection,” as it was retrospectively named by David Stern, was temporarily solidified by a major two-year research symposium convening scholars from American, Israeli, and French institutions at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. However, despite the initial burst of excitement from both Jewish studies and literary studies about the midrash-theory connection, it was marked early on by persistent and serious methodological and thematic differences between rabbinics and literary theory. Namely, rabbinicists tended to regard literary theory as instrumental, a means to the end of better understanding rabbinic texts and hermeneutics using the most up-to-date methods, whereas literary theorists were more invested in articulating similarities and continuities between midrash and “theory.” Consequently, by the mid-1990s, publication at the intersection of rabbinics and literary theory declined significantly, with literarily-inclined rabbinicists turning toward the methods of “the New Historicism,” cultural studies, and gender and sexuality studies, while literary critics moved on from the poststructuralist “theory” popularized in the 1970s–80s and, with it, the rabbinic texts to which “theory” had been linked. To review the midrash-theory connection bibliographically is thus not only to consider the major publications resulting from this interdisciplinary encounter as scholarly accounts of their respective objects (rabbinic literature and literary theory), but also to consider these publications as illustrating the historical rise and decline of the encounter itself. Note that, because of the peculiarly American milieu in which the midrash-theory connection took place—see the section Historical Overviews—the majority of sources in this bibliography are in English; a bibliography tracking related interdisciplinary intersections in, e.g., Modern Hebrew- or French-language scholarship would look rather different.
Clinical and Public Health Considerations for HPV Vaccination in Midadulthood: A Narrative Review
Authors: King Laura M , Lewnard Joseph A , Niccolai Linda M
Published: January 2023

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important cause of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers, anogenital warts, and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Beginning in 2019, US guidelines recommended shared clinical decision-making (SCDM) for HPV vaccination among midadults (27–45 years). We conducted a narrative review of existing literature on HPV vaccination in midadults. The available evidence demonstrates that HPV vaccination in midadults is safe, efficacious, and likely to benefit both HPV-naïve midadults and those with previous infections. However, gaps in knowledge related to HPV vaccination have been identified among clinicians and midadult patients. Universal midadult HPV vaccination in the United States could avert 20 934–37 856 cancer cases over 100 years, costing $141 000–$1 471 000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Wide variation in these estimates reflects uncertainties in sexual behavior, HPV natural history, and naturally acquired immunity. Greater awareness among clinicians and midadult patients and broad implementation of SCDM may accelerate progress toward eliminating HPV-associated cancers and other diseases.
Love and Human Rights
Authors: Douglas Benedict
Published: January 2023

This article explains and critiques the protection of love within judgments concerning relationships under the Human Rights Act 1998. Using theory of emotion to conduct doctrinal analysis of the protection of love within international human rights laws and under the Human Rights Act 1998, it reveals a shift in the conception of love underlying the domestic judicial application of huamn rights. Whereas previously the law was underpinned by values of duty and property, judgments concerning relationships now protect the capacity of individuals to choose how to live. However, the protection of this modern conception of love is limited by judicial deference, allowing the values underpinning the historical conception of love to continue to influence the law.
Planning for the majorities: are the charging needs and preferences of electric vehicle early adopters similar to those of mainstream consumers?
Authors: Lavieri Patricia Sauri , de Oliveira Gabriel Jurado Martins
Published: January 2023

The mass deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) may bring significant challenges to the electricity sector. However, many of these challenges can be converted into opportunities depending on how and when consumers decide to charge their vehicles. While there are currently multiple efforts worldwide investigating EV charging behaviour, these efforts measure the behaviour of EV early adopters and may not represent the actual behaviour of the mainstream consumer. The current study uses data from a survey with near a thousand Australian consumers to shed light on the potential similarities and differences between the charging needs and preferences of EV early adopters and mainstream consumers. We find that consumer groups vary in terms of charging needs, perceived access to residential charging, and acceptance of direct charging control and management by suppliers. Our conclusions point to (i) the need for campaigns that increase the awareness and understanding of residential EV charging by mainstream consumers; (ii) the significant interest across all consumer groups in free workplace charging, which could together with residential demand management strategies leverage the use of solar energy for charging; and (iii) the need for utility plans and management strategies that enhance the mainstream consumer sense of control over charging together with their perceived monetary savings.
Exploring the perspective of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and care providers on the use of immunomodulatory drugs in infections: an interview study
Authors: Opdam Merel A A , Vriezekolk Johanna E , Broen J , den Broeder Alfons A , Verhoef Lise M
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Immunomodulatory agents are safe and effective as treatment for various immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), but are associated with a slightly increased infection risk. It is uncertain whether, in the event of an infection, continuation or temporary interruption of immunomodulatory agents leads to better outcomes. Owing to this uncertainty, it is of importance to explore the perspectives of health-care providers (HCPs) and patients on this topic. In this study, we set out to identify and provide an overview of reasons for both treatment strategies.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCPs involved in the pharmacological treatment of IMIDs and with IMID patients using one or more immunomodulatory agent. Purposive sampling was used to enrich data variation. Interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached and subsequently analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

In total, 13 HCPs and 19 IMID patients were interviewed. A wide range of reasons for both treatment strategies were identified, categorized into 10 overarching themes, including IMID characteristics, infection characteristics and the patient–HCP relationship.

Conclusion

In this interview study, we identified various reasons for continuation or temporary interruption of immunomodulatory agents during infections for both IMID patients and HCPs. We found overlapping themes, such as IMID characteristics; however, the content and interpretation of these themes might differ between HCPs and patients. Both HCPs and patients mentioned that the decision for a treatment strategy is often about weighing benefits against risks (e.g. infection severity vs disease flare).
COVID-19-related anxiety trajectories in children, young people and adults with rheumatic diseases
Authors: Shoop-Worrall Stephanie J W , Verstappen Suzanne M M , Costello Wendy , Angevare Saskya P , Uziel Yosef , Wouters Carine , Wulffraat Nico , Beesley Richard
Published: January 2023

Objectives

Uncertainty regarding the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its complications and the safety of immunosuppressive therapies may drive anxiety among adults and parents of children and young people (CYP) with rheumatic diseases. This study explored trajectories of COVID-related anxiety in adults and parents of CYP with rheumatic diseases.

Methods

Adults and parents of CYP participating in the international COVID-19 European Patient Registry were included in the current study if they had enrolled in the 4 weeks following 24 March 2020. COVID-related anxiety scores (0–10) were collected weekly for up to 28 weeks.

Group-based trajectory models explored COVID-related anxiety clusters in adult and parent populations, with optimal models chosen based on model fit, parsimony and clinical plausibility. Demographic, clinical and COVID-19 mitigation behaviours were compared between identified clusters using univariable statistics.

Results

In 498 parents of CYP and 2640 adults, four common trajectory groups of COVID-related anxiety were identified in each cohort: persistent extreme anxiety (32% and 17%), persistent high anxiety (43% and 41%), improving high anxiety (25% and 32%) and improving moderate anxiety (11% and 10%), respectively. Few characteristics distinguished the clusters in the parent cohort. Higher and more persistent anxiety clusters in the adult cohort were associated with higher levels of respiratory comorbidities, use of immunosuppressive therapies, older age and greater self-isolation.

Conclusions

COVID-19-related anxiety in the rheumatic disease community was high and persistent during the COVID-19 pandemic, with four common patterns identified. In the adult cohort, higher COVID-related anxiety was related to perceived risk factors for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
Assessment of the mode of action underlying development of liver lesions in mice following oral exposure to HFPO-DA and relevance to humans
Authors: Heintz Melissa M , Haws Laurie C , Klaunig James E , Cullen John M , Thompson Chad M
Published: January 2023

HFPO-DA (ammonium, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propanoate) is a short-chain polyfluorinated alkyl substance (PFAS) used in the manufacture of some types of fluorinated polymers. Like many PFAS, toxicity studies with HFPO-DA indicate the liver is the primary target of toxicity in rodents following oral exposure. Due to the structural diversity of PFAS, the mode of action (MOA) can differ between PFAS for the same target tissue. There is significant evidence for involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) activation based on molecular and histopathological responses in the liver following HFPO-DA exposure, but other MOAs have also been hypothesized based on limited evidence. The MOA underlying the liver effects in mice exposed to HFPO-DA was assessed in the context of the Key Events (KEs) outlined in the MOA framework for PPARα activator-induced rodent hepatocarcinogenesis. The first 3 KEs (ie, PPARα activation, alteration of cell growth pathways, and perturbation of cell growth/survival) are supported by several lines of evidence from both in vitro and in vivo data available for HFPO-DA. In contrast, alternate MOAs, including cytotoxicity, PPARγ and mitochondrial dysfunction are generally not supported by the scientific literature. HFPO-DA-mediated liver effects in mice are not expected in humans as only KE 1, PPARα activation, is shared across species. PPARα-mediated gene expression in humans produces only a subset (ie, lipid modulating effects) of the responses observed in rodents. As such, the adverse effects observed in rodent livers should not be used as the basis of toxicity values for HFPO-DA for purposes of human health risk assessment.
Effects of Intermittent Temperature and Humidity Regulation on Tomato Gray Mold
Authors: Li Tianzhu , Liu Ruyi , Liu Zhaoyu , Chang Jiayue , Li Jianming
Published: January 2023

Temperature and humidity play an important role in plant–pathogen interactions. However, regulating the temperature and humidity specifically to inhibit the development of plant diseases remains unclear. In this study, we explored the influence of intermittent temperature and humidity variation on tomato gray mold. Intermittent regulation of temperature and humidity (increasing temperature with decreasing humidity for different periods within 24 h) inhibited the disease severity of plants and the infection process of Botrytis cinerea. The 4-h treatment (increasing temperature accompanied by decreasing humidity for 4 h and recovering for 4 h, and so on) effectively inhibited the development of tomato gray mold, reduced the biomass of B. cinerea, delayed the differentiation time of mycelia, and inhibited the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in tomato leaves at the later stage of infection. The increased expressions of heat-shock protein (HSP) genes HSP20, HSP70, HSP90, BAG6, and BAG7 in tomato were mainly caused by environmental changes and environment–plant–pathogen interactions, and the increased expression of the latter was greater than that of the former in the 2-h (increasing temperature accompanied by decreasing humidity for 2 h and recovering for 2 h, and so on) and 4-h treatments. Pathogen infection induced the expression of defense-related genes in tomato, and the increase in the expressions of FLS2, FEI1, PI2, Pti5, and WRKY75 induced by B. cinerea in the 4-h treatment was greater than that under unregulated temperature and humidity conditions. In general, intermittent temperature and humidity variation can effectively inhibit the development of tomato gray mold, and the 4-h treatment had the best inhibitory effect.
Immediate Hypersensitivity to Chlorhexidine: Experience from an Allergy Center in China
Authors: Xiao Hao , Zhang Hongting , Jia Qiaoru , Xu Feng , Meng Juan
Published: January 2023

Background

Chlorhexidine generally has a good safety profile. However, allergic reactions are reported with increasing frequency. In China, it is rarely reported, and its characteristics are unknown. The purpose of this study was to summarize the experience of a Chinese allergy center with chlorhexidine allergy.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent chlorhexidine allergy testing in the Allergy Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University (Chengdu, China), in the period February 2018 to May 2022 (n = 43 patients) and included the patients diagnosed with chlorhexidine allergy for analysis.

Results

Ten patients who were diagnosed by skin prick and serum-specific immunoglobulin E tests were included. They experienced a total of 30 allergic reactions to chlorhexidine (mean ± SD, 3.0 ± 1.3). Five patients experienced six allergic reactions (6 of 30, 20%) during general or local anesthesia, and they may have been exposed to chlorhexidine via different routes. Only one allergic reaction (1 of 30, 3%) was recorded with exposure via a mouthwash. The other 23 allergic reactions (23 of 30, 77%) were caused via a skin disinfectant; the route of exposure was IV cannulation in 22 allergic reactions (22 of 23, 96%) and broken skin in one allergic reaction (1 of 23, 4%). The symptoms included a quick onset and great severity. Two patients (2 of 10, 20%) had been accidentally re-exposed to chlorhexidine after diagnosis.

Conclusions

This study conducted in China showed that the majority of reactions to chlorhexidine were attributed to skin disinfectants, and IV cannulation was the most common exposure route; in general, however, chlorhexidine allergy was easily overlooked. The potential allergenicity of chlorhexidine used for skin preparation before IV cannulation or should be considered in patients who develop allergic reactions perioperatively.

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Hearing Thresholds, Speech Recognition, and Audibility as Indicators for Modifying Intervention in Children With Hearing Aids
Authors: Wiseman Kathryn B. , McCreery Ryan W. , Walker Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2023

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to determine if traditional audiologic measures (e.g., pure-tone average, speech recognition) and audibility-based measures predict risk for spoken language delay in children who are hard of hearing (CHH) who use hearing aids (HAs). Audibility-based measures included the Speech Intelligibility Index (SII), HA use, and auditory dosage, a measure of auditory access that weighs each child’s unaided and aided audibility by the average hours of HA use per day. The authors also sought to estimate values of these measures at which CHH would be at greater risk for delayed outcomes compared with a group of children with typical hearing (CTH) matched for age and socioeconomic status, potentially signaling a need to make changes to a child’s hearing technology or intervention plan.

Design:

The authors compared spoken language outcomes of 182 CHH and 78 CTH and evaluated relationships between language and audiologic measures (e.g., aided SII) in CHH using generalized additive models. They used these models to identify values associated with falling below CTH (by > 1.5 SDs from the mean) on language assessments, putting CHH at risk for language delay.

Results:

Risk for language delay was associated with aided speech recognition in noise performance (<59% phonemes correct, 95% confidence interval [55%, 62%]), aided Speech Intelligibility Index (SII < 0.61, 95% confidence internal [.53,.68]), and auditory dosage (dosage < 6.0, 95% confidence internal [5.3, 6.7]) in CHH. The level of speech recognition in quiet, unaided pure-tone average, and unaided SII that placed children at risk for language delay could not be determined due to imprecise estimates with broad confidence intervals.

Conclusions:

Results support using aided SII, aided speech recognition in noise measures, and auditory dosage as tools to facilitate clinical decision-making, such as deciding whether changes to a child’s hearing technology are warranted. Values identified in this article can complement other metrics (e.g., unaided hearing thresholds, aided speech recognition testing, language assessment) when considering changes to intervention, such as adding language supports, making HA adjustments, or referring for cochlear implant candidacy evaluation.
Perspective of SGLT2i in the Treatment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms
Authors: Jin Zhongtiao , Deng Hongping , Xiong Sizheng , Gao Ling
Published: January 2023

The incidence of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the elderly is increasing year by year with high mortality. Current treatment is mainly through surgery or endovascular intervention, which is not sufficient to reduce future risk. Therefore, we still need to find an effective conservative measure as an adjunct therapy or early intervention to prevent AAA progression. Traditional therapeutic agents, such as β-receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers, and statins, have been shown to have limited effects on the growth of AAA. Recently, sodium–glucose cotransport proteins inhibitors (SGLT2is), a new class hypoglycemic drug, have shown outstanding beneficiary effects on cardiovascular diseases by plasma volume reduction, vascular tone regulation, and various unidentified mechanisms. It has been demonstrated that SGLT2i is abundantly expressed in the aorta, and some studies also showed promising results of SGLT2i in treating animal AAA models. This article aims to summarize the recent progress of AAA studies and look forward to the application of SGLT2i in AAA treatment for early intervention or adjunct therapy after surgical repair or stent graft.
Unreasonable Expectations: A Call for Training and Educational Transparency in Gender-affirming Surgery
Authors: Boskey Elizabeth R. , Kant Jessica D.
Published: January 2023

Although in most areas of practice, there is a reasonable expectation that doctors are sufficiently trained to offer care, this is not true in the case of gender-affirming procedures, which are not required learning in any surgical residency. At the current time, the field of gender surgery is too rapidly evolving, with available resources too scarce for fellowship or residency training to be a realistic requirement for offering these procedures, as the demand already outstrips the available workforce. However, patients are currently given too little information about surgeons’ history with these procedures to provide truly informed consent. There is, as such, an ethical mandate to mold the culture of gender-affirming surgery such that surgeons are expected to routinely disclose relevant information about their training, experience, and outcomes to facilitate patient decision-making about care.
Investment in Prevention Health Care Delivery Research by the National Institutes of Health
Authors: Ganoza Luis F. , Villani Jennifer , Klabunde Carrie N.
Published: January 2023

Background:

Research assessing the delivery of preventive health care has considerable potential for improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs for the United States population.

Objective:

To characterize the prevention health care delivery research grant portfolio supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Materials and Methods:

A random sample of 14,523 NIH research projects funded during 2012–2019 was selected and coded for various study topics using a structured taxonomy. We analyzed the subset of prevention research projects, for which health care delivery was identified as an independent or dependent variable, including study characteristics and funding trends.

Results:

Overall, 11.2% of NIH-funded prevention research projects were relevant to health care delivery. Of these projects, 68.6% assessed access to care, 53.4% examined quality, and 27.1% assessed costs. Over the study period, the percentage of funded prevention research projects involving health care delivery increased from 10.9%–15.1%. Over half of the projects assessed research related to the prevention of a new health condition, identification of risk factors, or health promotion (55.5%), whereas < half addressed prevention of disease progression/recurrence (40.4%), screening for early disease (20.2%), or screening for risk factors (1.4%). human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, cancer, and substance use were the most prevalent health topics studied, whereas other topics—such as lung diseases and Alzheimer disease—were less frequently studied.

Conclusions:

Health care delivery research comprises a modest portion of the NIH prevention research portfolio and is mostly focused on access and quality of care; cost-related analyses are less prevalent.

human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, cancer, and substance use are frequently studied health topics in this portfolio.
Point-of-Care Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Improves HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Initiation in Pregnant Women in Antenatal Care in Cape Town, South Africa, 2019 to 2021
Authors: de Voux Alex , Mvududu Rufaro , Happel Anna , Jaspan Heather B. , Nyemba Dorothy Chiwoniso , Mashele Nyiko , Myer Landon , Davey Dvora Leah Joseph
Published: January 2023

A study of HIV-uninfected pregnant women in South Africa found that women offered point-of-care sexually transmitted infection testing had higher odds of initiating HIV preexposure prophylaxis than women offered laboratory-based testing.

Background

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programs present a platform for diagnostic sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing in low- and middle-income countries, and availability of targeted STI testing has been hypothesized to influence PrEP use. We evaluated the association of STI testing modality and PrEP uptake among pregnant women in antenatal care.

Methods

We enrolled pregnant, HIV-uninfected women (16 years or older) at their first antenatal visit with follow-up through 12 months postpartum. Women were offered oral PrEP and tested for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae using a point-of-care (POC; Cepheid, August 2019–November 2020) or laboratory-based (Thermofisher, December 2020–October 2021) test. We compared the proportion of women initiating and continuing PrEP by STI test adjusting for confounders.

Results

We evaluated 1194 women (median age, 26 years [interquartile range, 22–31 years]) with an STI result (46% POC and 54% laboratory-based). The prevalence of any STI was the same in POC-tested (28%) and laboratory-tested (28%) women—25% versus 23% for C. trachomatis (P = 0.35) and 7% versus 9% for N. gonorrhoeae (P = 0.11). Mean time from testing to result was 0 day for POC and 26 days for laboratory testing, and mean time from testing to treatment was 3 days for POC and 38 days for laboratory testing. Receiving a POC STI test was associated with higher PrEP initiation compared with women receiving a laboratory-based test (90% vs. 78%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.5–2.9), controlling for age, gravidity, STI diagnosis, intimate partner violence, gestational age, employment, HIV risk perception, and cohabiting status.

Conclusions

Point-of-care STI testing, offering same-day results and treatment initiation, may increase PrEP initiation among pregnant women in antenatal care.
HIV Diagnoses Through Partner Services in the United States in 2019 and Opportunities for Improvement
Authors: Williams Weston O. , Song Wei , Huang Taoying , Mulatu Mesfin S. , Uhl Gary , Rorie Michele
Published: January 2023

HIV partner services in 2019 resulted in 1214 diagnoses (3.5% of diagnoses in the United States) with 22.7% new positivity among partners without prior diagnosis. Areas for improvement are identified.

Background

HIV partner services (HIV PS) is an effective strategy for diagnosing HIV infection. Sex/needle-sharing partners of individuals diagnosed with HIV are notified about potential exposure and offered HIV testing and other services. We assessed the HIV PS contribution to HIV diagnoses in the United States and assessed priority areas for improvements.

Methods

National HIV Monitoring and Evaluation Partner Services and case surveillance data reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2019 were used for this analysis. The percentage of all new diagnoses that HIV PS programs reported is described nationally and by state. Linkage to HIV medical care among newly diagnosed partners is described. Potential increases in diagnosing HIV infection are assessed by HIV PS step to identify priority areas for improvement.

Results

HIV PS contributed 1214 of 35,164 (3.5%) of all diagnoses nationally in 2019, and contributions ranged from 0% to 31.8% by state. Of partners tested with nonmissing data, 22.7% were newly diagnosed. An estimated 1692 new partner diagnoses were lost during HIV PS steps. Steps resulting in the highest losses included index patients not being interviewed, partners not being tested for HIV, and index patients not being located. Seventy-two percent of partners newly diagnosed with HIV were linked to HIV medical care.

Conclusions

HIV PS is an effective strategy for diagnosing HIV, and a high percent of sex/needle-sharing partners was newly diagnosed with HIV. Expanded HIV PS in some states and targeted improvements in HIV PS steps can enhance the contribution of HIV PS toward achieving national goals.
Extragenital Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Among Louisiana Parish Health Units, 2016–2019
Authors: Rahman Mohammad M. , Johnson Chaquetta , Taylor Stephanie N. , Peterman Thomas A. , Bennett Tammy S. , Haydel Danielle , Newman Daniel R. , Furness Bruce W.
Published: January 2023

Background

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that men who have sex with men (MSM) get tested annually for urethral and rectal chlamydia (CT) and gonorrhea (NG), and pharyngeal NG. There are no national recommendations to screen women and heterosexual men at extragenital sites. We assessed extragenital CT/NG screening among men and women at Louisiana's Parish Health Units (PHU).

Methods

The Louisiana STD/HIV/Hepatitis Program piloted extragenital screening at 4 PHUs in February 2016 and expanded to 11 PHUs in 2017. Sexual histories were used to identify gender of sex partners and exposed sites. Because of billing restrictions, up to 2 anatomical sites were tested for CT/NG.

Results

From February 2016 to June 2019, 70,895 urogenital and extragenital specimens (56,086 urogenital, 13,797 pharyngeal, and 1,012 rectal) were collected from 56,086 patients. Pharyngeal CT positivity was 160 of 7,868 (2.0%) among women, 54 of 4,838 (1.1%) among men who have sex with women (MSW) and 33 of 1,091 (3.0%) among MSM. Rectal CT positivity was 51 of 439 (11.6%) among women and 95 of 573 (16.6%) among MSM. Pharyngeal NG positivity was 299 of 7,868 (3.8%) among women, 222 of 4,838 (4.6%) among MSW, and 97 of 1,091 (8.9%) among MSM. Rectal NG positivity was 20 of 439 (4.6%) among women and 134 of 573 (23.4%) among MSM.

Urogenital-only screening would have missed: among women, 173 of 3,923 (4.4%) CT and 227 of 1,480 (15.3%) NG infections; among MSW, 26 of 2,667 (1%) CT and 149 of 1,709 (8.7%) NG infections; and among MSM, 116 of 336 (34.5%) CT and 127 of 413 (42.1%) NG infections.

Conclusions

Many CT/NG infections would have been missed with urogenital-only screening. Men who have sex with men had much higher extragenital infection rates than women and MSW.
Effect of Electrical Stimulation on Disuse Muscular Atrophy Induced by Immobilization: Correlation with Upregulation of PERK Signal and Parkin-Mediated Mitophagy
Authors: Zhang Quan-Bing , Liu A-Ying , Fang Qiao-Zhou , Wang Feng , Wang Hua , Zhou Yun
Published: January 2023

Objective

To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation on disuse muscular atrophy induced by immobilization, and to explore the role of PERK signal and Parkin-dependent mitophagy in this process.

Design

In the first sub-experiment, 24 rabbits were divided into four groups which underwent different periods of immobilization. In the second sub-experiment, 24 rabbits were divided into four groups on average in accordance with different kinds of interventions. To test the time-dependent changes of rectus femoris after immobilization, and to evaluate the effect of electrical stimulation, the wet weights, CSA and fat deposition of rectus femoris were assessed in this study, along with the protein levels of atrogin-1, p-PERK, Parkin and COXIV.

Results

The wet weights and CSA decreased, and the fat deposition increased in rectus femoris following immobilization, along with the elevated protein levels of atrogin-1, p-PERK, Parkin and decreased protein levels of COXIV. The above histomorphological and molecular changes can be partially ameliorated by electrical stimulation.

Conclusions

Immobilization of unilateral lower limb could induce rectus femoris atrophy which can be partially rectified by electrical stimulation. PERK signal and Parkin-mediated mitophagy may be the mechanisms by which electrical stimulation can play a significant role.
Use of Leukocyte-rich and Platelet-rich Fibrin (L-PRF) Adjunct to Surgical Debridement in the Treatment of Stage 2 and 3 Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
Authors: Yalcin-Ülker Gül Merve , Duygu Gonca , Tanan Gamze , Cakir Merve , Meral Deniz Gökce
Published: January 2023

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is characterized by exposed necrotic bone persisting for more than 8 weeks in the maxillofacial region in patients using antiresorptive or antiangiogenetic drugs for several treatment options like bone metastasis or osteoporosis. There are several treatment options studied in scientific literature, and one of them with promising results is using platelet concentrates adjunct to surgical therapy. The aim of this study is to examine the therapeutic effect of leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) on patients with MRONJ. This 2-centered study investigated patients referred to oral and maxillofacial surgery departments of 2 university clinics between the years 2014 and 2020 with the diagnosis of MRONJ. Demographic data, the indication of the drug usage, drug type, duration, administration route, and systemic comorbidities of the patients were recorded. L-PRF was applied to 20 osteonecrotic lesions of 19 patients following surgical debridement. The male/female ratio was 5/14. Except 1 of the patients, all of the indications of medication were neoplasia-related. The mean follow-up period of patients was 27.9±9.2 months. Most common antirezorptive drug was zoledronate (84.2%). Complete resolution was observed in 16 necrosis sites (80%). It could be concluded that the use of L-PRF may represent an important adjunct in the surgical management of MRONJ.
High Lymphocyte Count as a Significant Risk Factor for Incisional Hernia After Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery
Authors: Tamai Koki , Okamura Shu , Kamakura Yu , Koh Masahiro , Hayashi Koji , Hara Akio , Katsura Yoshiteru , Hirose Hajime , Tanaka Natsumi , Ebisui Chikara , Yokouchi Hideoki , Yano Masahiko
Published: January 2023

Background:

In the era of laparoscopic surgery, incisional hernia (IH) remains a common complication of colorectal surgery. Various risk factors for IH have been evaluated to reduce the incidence, but the impact of nutrition on IH has not been well discussed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and the development of IH after laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Materials and Methods:

We retrospectively evaluated 342 colorectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy or proctectomy between January 2012 and December 2018. Postoperative computed tomography was used to diagnose the IH. Patient characteristics, including preoperative albumin and lymphocyte counts, were evaluated for the risk of development of IH. Further investigations were conducted regarding the impact of nutritional status on the development of IH in each patient of body mass index (BMI) under and over 25.0 kg/m2.

Results:

IH was observed in 37 patients (10.8%), with a median follow-up period of 48.5 months. Female [odds ratio (OR)=3.43, P<0.01], BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (OR=2.9, P<0.01), lymphocyte count ≥1798/µL (OR=3.37, P<0.01), and operative time ≥254 minutes (OR=3.90, P<0.01) had statistically significant relationships to IH in multivariate analysis. Low albumin was related to IH in BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (P=0.02), but was not in BMI<25 kg/m2 (P=0.21). On the other hand, a high lymphocyte count was related to IH regardless of BMI (BMI ≥25 kg/m2: P=0.01, BMI<25 kg/m2: P=0.04).

Conclusions:

A high preoperative lymphocyte count is an independent risk factor for IH, whereas a low albumin count is limited regarding predicting IH.
The unbearable uncertainty of panarthropod relationships
Authors: Wu Ruolin , Pisani Davide , Donoghue Philip C. J.
Published: January 2023

Panarthropoda, the clade comprising the phyla Onychophora, Tardigrada and Euarthropoda, encompasses the largest majority of animal biodiversity. The relationships among the phyla are contested and resolution is key to understanding the evolutionary assembly of panarthropod bodyplans. Molecular phylogenetic analyses generally support monophyly of Onychophora and Euarthropoda to the exclusion of Tardigrada (Lobopodia hypothesis), which is also supported by some analyses of morphological data. However, analyses of morphological data have also been interpreted to support monophyly of Tardigrada and Euarthropoda to the exclusion of Onychophora (Tactopoda hypothesis). Support has also been found for a clade of Onychophora and Tardigrada that excludes Euarthropoda (Protarthropoda hypothesis). Here we show, using a diversity of phylogenetic inference methods, that morphological datasets cannot discriminate statistically between the Lobopodia, Tactopoda and Protarthropoda hypotheses. Since the relationships among the living clades of panarthropod phyla cannot be discriminated based on morphological data, we call into question the accuracy of morphology-based phylogenies of Panarthropoda that include fossil species and the evolutionary hypotheses based upon them.
Poroelastic modelling reveals the cooperation between two mechanisms for albuminuria
Authors: Xu Zelai , Yue Pengtao , Feng James J.
Published: January 2023

Albuminuria occurs when albumin leaks abnormally into the urine. Its mechanism remains unclear. A gel-compression hypothesis attributes the glomerular barrier to compression of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) as a gel layer. Loss of podocyte foot processes would allow the gel layer to expand circumferentially, enlarge its pores and leak albumin into the urine. To test this hypothesis, we develop a poroelastic model of the GBM. It predicts GBM compression in healthy glomerulus and GBM expansion in the diseased state, essentially confirming the hypothesis. However, by itself, the gel compression and expansion mechanism fails to account for two features of albuminuria: the reduction in filtration flux and the thickening of the GBM. A second mechanism, the constriction of flow area at the slit diaphragm downstream of the GBM, must be included. The cooperation between the two mechanisms produces the amount of increase in GBM porosity expected
in vivo
in a mutant mouse model, and also captures the two
in vivo
features of reduced filtration flux and increased GBM thickness. Finally, the model supports the idea that in the healthy glomerulus, gel compression may help maintain a roughly constant filtration flux under varying filtration pressure.
Biodegradation of cefalexin by two bacteria strains from sewage sludge
Authors: Tian Jichen , Chen Chong , Lartey-Young George , Ma Limin
Published: January 2023

Bioremediation has been used as an environmentally-friendly, energy-saving and efficient method for removing pollutants. However, there have been very few studies focusing on the specific antibiotic-degrading microorganisms in the activated sludge and their degradation mechanism. Two strains of cefalexin-degrading bacteria (
Rhizobium
sp. (CLX-2) and
Klebsiella
sp. (CLX-3)) were isolated from the activated sludge in this study. They were capable of rapidly eliminating over 99% of cefalexin at an initial concentration of 10 mg l
−1
within 12 h. The exponential phase of cefalexin degradation happened a little earlier than that of bacterial growth. The first-order kinetic model could elucidate the biodegradation process of cefalexin. The optimized environmental temperature and pH values for rapid biodegradation by these two strains were found to be 30°C and 6.5–7, respectively. Furthermore, two major biodegradation metabolites of CLX-3, 7-amino-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acid and 2-hydroxy-3-phenyl pyrazine were identified using UHPLC-MS and the biodegradation pathway of cefalexin was proposed. Overall, the results showed that
Rhizobium
sp. (CLX-2) and
Klebsiella
sp. (CLX-3) could possibly be useful resources for antibiotic pollution remediation.
Acquisition of novel muscles enabled protruding and retracting mechanisms of female penis in sex-role reversed cave insects
Authors: Cheng Zixin , Kamimura Yoshitaka , Ferreira Rodrigo L. , Lienhard Charles , Yoshizawa Kazunori
Published: January 2023

Brazilian sex-role reversed cave insects (genus
Neotrogla
) have a striking structure called the gynosome (or female penis), which deeply penetrates male vagina-like genitalia during copulation to receive nutritious semen. However, the protruding and retracting mechanisms of the female penis, including their evolutionary origin, are poorly understood. By using micro-computed tomography (µCT), we compared the genital morphology and musculature between species with a gynosome and others lacking this structure. As a result, we discovered two groups of muscles related to the protrusion and retraction of gynosomes. These muscles were also observed in species with non-protrusible prepenis. This suggests that evolution of these muscles preceded the acquisition of the protruding function of the gynosome, originally having a putative stimulatory function to receive nutritious semen. This intermediate stage probably allowed for the reversal of genital functions.
Stochastic compartmental models of the COVID-19 pandemic must have temporally correlated uncertainties
Authors: Mamis Konstantinos , Farazmand Mohammad
Published: January 2023

Compartmental models are an important quantitative tool in epidemiology, enabling us to forecast the course of a communicable disease. However, the model parameters, such as the infectivity rate of the disease, are riddled with uncertainties, which has motivated the development and use of stochastic compartmental models. Here, we first show that a common stochastic model, which treats the uncertainties as white noise, is fundamentally flawed since it erroneously implies that greater parameter uncertainties will lead to the eradication of the disease. Then, we present a principled modelling of the uncertainties based on reasonable assumptions on the contacts of each individual. Using the central limit theorem and Doob’s theorem on Gaussian Markov processes, we prove that the correlated Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) process is the appropriate tool for modelling uncertainties in the infectivity rate. We demonstrate our results using a compartmental model of the COVID-19 pandemic and the available US data from the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 database. In particular, we show that the white noise stochastic model systematically underestimates the severity of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, whereas the OU model correctly forecasts the course of this variant. Moreover, using an SIS model of sexually transmitted disease, we derive an exact closed-form solution for the final distribution of infected individuals. This analytical result shows that the white noise model underestimates the severity of the pandemic because of unrealistic noise-induced transitions. Our results strongly support the need for temporal correlations in modelling of uncertainties in compartmental models of infectious disease.
Whitham shocks and resonant dispersive shock waves governed by the higher order Korteweg–de Vries equation
Authors: Baqer Saleh , Smyth Noel F.
Published: January 2023

The addition of higher order asymptotic corrections to the Korteweg–de Vries equation results in the extended Korteweg–de Vries (eKdV) equation. These higher order terms destabilize the dispersive shock wave solution, also termed an undular bore in fluid dynamics, and result in the emission of resonant radiation. In broad terms, there are three possible dispersive shock wave regimes: radiating dispersive shock wave (RDSW), cross-over dispersive shock wave (CDSW) and travelling dispersive shock wave (TDSW). While there are existing solutions for the RDSW and TDSW regimes obtained using modulation theory, there is no existing solution for the CDSW regime. Modulation theory and the associated concept of a Whitham shock are used to obtain this CDSW solution. In addition, it is found that the resonant wavetrain emitted by the eKdV equation with water wave coefficients has a minimal amplitude. This minimal amplitude is explained based on the developed Whitham modulation theory.