bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prenatal tobacco exposure and psychiatric outcomes in adolescence: is the effect mediated through birth weight?
Authors: Brannigan R. , Healy C. , Cannon M. , Leacy F. P. , Clarke M. C. 
Published: July 2020

ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the associations between prenatal exposure to maternal smoking, birth weight and persistent offspring psychiatric symptoms. Additionally, we aim to examine whether the relationship between prenatal maternal smoking and persistent offspring psychiatric symptoms is mediated by offspring birth weight.MethodsThis study used the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) longitudinal cohort. The GUI is a nationally representative longitudinal study of children which consisted of three data collection waves, at ages 9, 13, and 17 years. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between prenatal tobacco exposure, and offspring psychiatric symptoms. Linear regression was used to examine associations between prenatal tobacco exposure and offspring birth weight. We conducted a mediation analysis examining potential etiological pathways linking maternal smoking during pregnancy, offspring birth weight, and later offspring psychiatric symptoms. All analyses were adjusted for confounders including household income, maternal level of education, and family psychiatric history. Additionally, examination of birth weight and subsequent psychiatric symptoms also was controlled for prematurity.ResultsWe found that the association between prenatal tobacco exposure and later psychiatric symptoms is mediated by birth weight.ConclusionsThis work provides further evidence that maternal smoking during pregnancy is an important modifiable lifestyle factor that has an impact not just on the physical health of offspring but also their mental wellbeing. Supporting women with structured smoking cessation programs at the earliest stages of pregnancy should be a public health priority.
NCAPH is upregulated in endometrial cancer and associated with poor clinicopathologic characteristics
Authors: Qiu Xiaofeng , Gao Zhaoying , Shao Jun , Li Hong 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundRecently, NCAPH (non‐SMC condensin I complex subunit H), a regulatory subunit of the condensin complex, has captured our attention in various cancer studies. However, the function of NCAPH in endometrial cancer (EC) remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate the role of NCAPH in EC.MethodsThe expression of NCAPH in EC tissues and normal tissues was predicted by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of NCAPH expression on EC patients’ survival. Logistic regression was used to study the correlation of NCAPH expression with clinicopathologic characteristics. Molecular mechanisms behind NCAPH in EC were evaluated by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, genetic mutations, copy number variation, and DNA methylation level.ResultsNCAPH was significantly upregulated in EC (p = 1e−24), and its expression level was significantly related to the more advanced International Federation of Gynecology & Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (stage IV vs. stage I: odd ratio.[OR] = 3.7), higher grade (poor vs. well & moderate: OR = 5.3), serous histology subtype (SEA vs. EEA: OR = 8.5), myometrial invasion (≥50 vs. < 50 invasion: OR = 1.8), metastasis (vs. no metastasis: OR = 2.5), and with‐tumor status (vs. free of tumor: OR = 2.3) (all p were less than .05). The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis method indicated that MITOTIC_SPINDLE, G2M_CHECKPOINT, MYC_TARGETS_V1, E2F_TARGETS, MYC_TARGETS_V2, and MTORC1_SIGNALING were involved in the upregulated NCAPH group. NCAPH hypomethylation, amplified copy number variations and genetic mutations; all played a contributive role in NCAPH upregulation.ConclusionsThese results reveal NCAPH functions as oncogene and promote the development of EC.
Media Influence on Vote Choices: Unemployment News and Incumbents' Electoral Prospects
Authors: Garz Marcel , Martin Gregory J. 
Published: July 2020

AbstractHow does news about the economy influence voting decisions? We isolate the effect of the information environment from the effect of change in the underlying economic conditions themselves by taking advantage of left‐digit bias. We show that unemployment figures crossing a round‐number “milestone” cause a discontinuous increase in the amount of media coverage devoted to unemployment conditions, and we use this discontinuity to estimate the effect of attention to unemployment news on voting, holding constant the actual economic conditions on the ground. Milestone effects on incumbent U.S. governor vote shares are large and notably asymmetric: Bad milestone events hurt roughly twice as much as good milestone events help.
Four phase 1 trials to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of single and repeated dosing of SCO‐101 in adult male and female volunteers
Authors: Bergmann Troels K. , Stage Tore B. , Stenvang Jan , Christophersen Palle , Jacobsen Thomas A. , Roest Nicklas L. , Vestlev Peter M. , Brünner Nils 
Published: July 2020

AbstractSCO‐101 (Endovion) was discontinued 20 years ago as a new drug under development against sickle cell anaemia. Data from the phase 1 studies remained unpublished. New data indicate that SCO‐101 might be efficacious as add‐on therapy in cancer. Thus, we report the results from the four phase 1 trials performed between 2001 and 2002. Adult volunteers received SCO‐101 or placebo in four independent trials. Adverse events were recorded, and SCO‐101 was determined for pharmacokinetic analysis. Ninety‐two volunteers completed the trials. The most remarkable adverse effect was a transient and dose‐dependent increase in unconjugated bilirubin. Plasma SCO‐101 elimination was approximately log linear, with apparent oral clearances of between 315 and 2103 mL/h for single doses, and between 121 and 2433 mL/h at steady state following oral administration. There was a marked decrease in clearance with increasing dose, and for repeated dose versus single dose. Tmax was greater, and Cmax and AUC∞ were lower in the fed state compared to the fasted state. Exposure was equivalent in males and females and for African Americans and Caucasians. In conclusion, SCO‐101 appears to be a safe drug with a predictable PK profile. Its efficacy as add‐on to standard anticancer drugs has yet to be defined.
Changing our perspective: Is there a government obligation to promote autonomy through the provision of public prenatal screening?
Authors: Enzo Aya , Okita Taketoshi , Asai Atsushi 
Published: July 2020

AbstractIn many countries, prenatal testing for certain fetal abnormalities is offered via publicly funded screening programs. The concept of reproductive autonomy is regarded as providing a justificatory basis for many such programs. The purpose of this study is to re‐examine the normative basis of public prenatal screening for fetal abnormalities by changing our perspective from that of autonomy to obligation. After clarifying the understanding of autonomy adopted in the justification for public prenatal screening programs, we identify two problems concerning this justification: first, the extent to which the government is obliged to meet this demand is not evident; and, second, it is not clear whether the provision of public screening is the most appropriate way to promote autonomy. Next, to tackle these problems, we focus on Onora O’Neill’s argument of rights and obligations. Drawing on this argument, we show that, in addressing the problems above, it is important to change our normative perspective from rights or autonomy to obligation. Our argument will show that since the government does not have an incontrovertibly fundamental obligation to promote autonomy, this obligation needs to be constrained in terms of compatibility with other fundamental obligations. In addition, even if a government is obliged to promote autonomy to some degree, there could be more appropriate means to achieve it than providing public prenatal screening; therefore, it is not necessary for government obligations to extend to the provision of public prenatal screening.
Structural factor equation models for causal network construction via directed acyclic mixed graphs
Authors: Zhou Yan , Song Peter X.‐K. , Wen Xiaoquan 
Published: July 2020

AbstractDirected acyclic mixed graphs (DAMGs) provide a useful representation of network topology with both directed and undirected edges subject to the restriction of no directed cycles in the graph. This graphical framework may arise in many biomedical studies, for example, when a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of interest is contaminated with undirected edges induced by some unobserved confounding factors (eg, unmeasured environmental factors). Directed edges in a DAG are widely used to evaluate causal relationships among variables in a network, but detecting them is challenging when the underlying causality is obscured by some shared latent factors. The objective of this paper is to develop an effective structural equation model (SEM) method to extract reliable causal relationships from a DAMG. The proposed approach, termed structural factor equation model (SFEM), uses the SEM to capture the network topology of the DAG while accounting for the undirected edges in the graph with a factor analysis model. The latent factors in the SFEM enable the identification and removal of undirected edges, leading to a simpler and more interpretable causal network. The proposed method is evaluated and compared to existing methods through extensive simulation studies, and illustrated through the construction of gene regulatory networks related to breast cancer.
Semiparametric estimation of cross‐covariance functions for multivariate random fields
Authors: Qadir Ghulam A. , Sun Ying 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe prevalence of spatially referenced multivariate data has impelled researchers to develop procedures for joint modeling of multiple spatial processes. This ordinarily involves modeling marginal and cross‐process dependence for any arbitrary pair of locations using a multivariate spatial covariance function. However, building a flexible multivariate spatial covariance function that is nonnegative definite is challenging. Here, we propose a semiparametric approach for multivariate spatial covariance function estimation with approximate Matérn marginals and highly flexible cross‐covariance functions via their spectral representations. The flexibility in our cross‐covariance function arises due to B‐spline–based specification of the underlying coherence functions, which in turn allows us to capture nontrivial cross‐spectral features. We then develop a likelihood‐based estimation procedure and perform multiple simulation studies to demonstrate the performance of our method, especially on the coherence function estimation. Finally, we analyze particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5) and wind speed data over the West‐North‐Central climatic region of the United States, where we illustrate that our proposed method outperforms the commonly used full bivariate Matérn model and the linear model of coregionalization for spatial prediction.
Estimation of incubation period and generation time based on observed length‐biased epidemic cohort with censoring for COVID‐19 outbreak in China
Authors: Deng Yuhao , You Chong , Liu Yukun , Qin Jing , Zhou Xiao‐Hua 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe incubation period and generation time are key characteristics in the analysis of infectious diseases. The commonly used contact‐tracing–based estimation of incubation distribution is highly influenced by the individuals' judgment on the possible date of exposure, and might lead to significant errors. On the other hand, interval censoring–based methods are able to utilize a much larger set of traveling data but may encounter biased sampling problems. The distribution of generation time is usually approximated by observed serial intervals. However, it may result in a biased estimation of generation time, especially when the disease is infectious during incubation. In this paper, the theory from renewal process is partially adopted by considering the incubation period as the interarrival time, and the duration between departure from Wuhan and onset of symptoms as the mixture of forward time and interarrival time with censored intervals. In addition, a consistent estimator for the distribution of generation time based on incubation period and serial interval is proposed for incubation‐infectious diseases. A real case application to the current outbreak of COVID‐19 is implemented. We find that the incubation period has a median of 8.50 days (95% confidence interval [CI] [7.22; 9.15]). The basic reproduction number in the early phase of COVID‐19 outbreak based on the proposed generation time estimation is estimated to be 2.96 (95% CI [2.15; 3.86]).
Heterologous expression of concatenated nicotinic ACh receptors: Pros and cons of subunit concatenation and recommendations for construct designs
Authors: Liao Vivian Wan Yu , Kusay Ali Saad , Balle Thomas , Ahring Philip Kiær 
Published: July 2020

Background and PurposeConcatenation of Cys‐loop receptor subunits is a commonly used technique to ensure experimental control of receptor assembly. However, we recently demonstrated that widely used constructs did not lead to the expression of uniform pools of ternary and more complex receptors. The aim was therefore to identify viable strategies for designing concatenated constructs that would allow strict control of resultant receptor pools.Experimental ApproachConcatenated dimeric, tetrameric, and pentameric α4β2‐containing nicotinic ACh (nACh) receptor constructs were designed with successively shorter linker lengths and expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Resulting receptor stoichiometries were investigated by functional analysis in two‐electrode voltage‐clamp experiments. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to investigate potential effects of linkers on the 3D structure of concatemers.Key ResultsDimeric constructs were found to be unreliable and should be avoided for expression of ternary receptors. By introducing two short linkers, we obtained efficient expression of uniform receptor pools with tetrameric and pentameric constructs. However, linkers should not be excessively short as that introduces strain on the 3D structure of concatemers.Conclusion and ImplicationsThe data demonstrate that design of concatenated Cys‐loop receptors requires a compromise between the desire for control of assembly and avoiding introduction of strain on the resulting protein. The overall best strategy was found to be pentameric constructs with carefully optimised linker lengths. Our findings will advance studies of ternary or more complex Cys‐loop receptors as well as enabling detailed analysis of how pharmacological agents interact with stoichiometry‐specific binding sites.
Pathways From Childhood Sociomoral Sensitivity in Friendship, Insecurity, and Peer Rejection to Adult Friendship Quality
Authors: Steinhoff Annekatrin , Keller Monika 
Published: July 2020

Across the life span, friendship is an important component of people’s support networks. This article explores the developmental roots of adult friendship intimacy and satisfaction, taking into consideration the early interplay between sociomoral sensitivity in friendship, insecurity in peer contexts, and peer rejection. Data (N = 176) came from the longitudinal study “Individual Development and Social Structure.” Respondents were surveyed repeatedly from age 7 to 37 years. Autoregressive cross‐lagged panel models show that sociomoral sensitivity in friendship protects adolescents from peer rejection and is reciprocally associated with insecurity. Childhood and adolescent sociomoral sensitivity antecede early adult friendship intimacy, which, in turn, antecedes friendship satisfaction in mid‐adulthood. The findings indicate a sequence of pathways from sociomoral sensitivity developed early in life to friendship quality in adulthood.
Perceived influences on smoking behaviour and perceptions of dentist‐delivered smoking cessation advice: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Holliday Richard , McColl Elaine , Bauld Linda , Preshaw Philip M. , Sniehotta Falko F. , McDonald Suzanne 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectivesMany factors lead to the commencement and maintenance of smoking, and better understanding of these is relevant in the management of oral health, particularly as smoking cessation advice (SCA) from the dental team is a key component of patient care. Whereas most previous research has focused on dental professionals’ perceptions of providing SCA, and identified facilitators and barriers to its provision, there has been more limited research focusing on patients’ perceptions of receiving SCA in the dental context. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore the views of smokers with periodontitis receiving dentist‐delivered SCA.MethodsOne‐to‐one, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 28 adults who smoked tobacco and had recently received SCA during dentist‐delivered periodontal therapy. Participants were sampled to reflect a range of ages and smoking behaviours. The interview schedule was based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to explore perceived influences on smoking behaviour. Interviews also elicited participants’ views on dentist‐delivered SCA. Interviews were audio‐recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically, drawing on the TDF.ResultsA broad range of perceived influences on smoking behaviour emerged from the data. Influences were allocated into seven prominent TDF domains: (i) social influences (family and friends, social pressures); (ii) social/professional role and identity (secret smoking); (iii) knowledge (experiences/perceptions of smoking cessation medications); (iv) environmental context and resources (social, home and workplace environment, cost of smoking, resentment towards authority); (v) emotions (stress management, pleasure of smoking and fear of quitting); (vi) nature of the behaviour (habitual nature, link to other behaviours, smell); and (vii) beliefs about consequences (health). With regard to views on dentist‐delivered SCA, five main themes emerged: (i) opportunistic nature; (ii) personal impact and tangible prompts; (iii) positive context of cessation attempt; (iv) lack of previous support; and (v) differences between dentist‐delivered SCA and other setting SCA.ConclusionsSmokers with periodontitis consider that a wide range of factors influence their smoking behaviour. Dentist‐delivered SCA was supported and positively received. Important aspects included the opportunistic nature, personal impact, use of tangible prompts and positive context (of the quit attempt). Future research should focus on optimizing dentist‐led smoking cessation intervention based on the themes identified.
Are category labels primary? Children use similarities to reason about social groups
Authors: Jordan Ashley , Dunham Yarrow 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWhile interpersonal similarities impact young children's peer judgments, little work has assessed whether they also guide group‐based reasoning. A common assumption has been that category labels rather than ‘mere’ similarities are unique constituents of such reasoning; the present work challenges this. Children (ages 3–9) viewed groups defined by category labels or shared preferences, and their social inferences were assessed. By age 5, children used both types of information to licence predictions about preferences (Study 1, n = 129) and richer forms of coalitional structure (Study 2, n = 205). Low‐level explanations could not account for this pattern (Study 3, n = 72). Finally, older but not younger children privileged labelled categories when they were pitted against similarity (Study 4, n = 51). These studies show that young children use shared preferences to reason about relationships and coalitional structure, suggesting that similarities are central to the emergence of group representations.
Pursuit to Post: Ethical issues of social media use by international medical volunteers
Authors: Tabb Zachary , Hyle Laurel , Haq Heather 
Published: July 2020

AbstractMedical volunteers from high‐income countries seek short‐term global health experiences in low‐ and middle‐income countries to learn and practice medicine, complete service‐learning projects, conduct research, and burnish their curricula vitae. The uniqueness and poignancy of these global health experiences frequently compel medical volunteers to not only capture visual reminders of their experience but to share them online through social media. Prioritizing image creation and sharing, which center on the volunteer’s priorities over patient‐centered priorities, risks failing to acknowledge the ethical issues inherent in power imbalances between the medical volunteers, patients, hosts, organizational partners and others, and bypasses the values of the host community. Using social media as an example of an emerging ethical challenge in the context of short‐term experiences in global health, the authors examine potential consequences for patients, host communities, and international partnerships and discuss important pre‐posting considerations.
Transition welfare gaps: One closed, another to follow?
Authors: Obrizan Maksym 
Published: July 2020

AbstractRespondents from post‐communist countries have been found to systematically report lower levels of happiness and self‐rated health. While the first welfare gap in happiness has closed recently, the second transition gap in self‐perceived health only started to close. Specifically, this paper shows that treating all transition countries as a homogeneous group may be misleading and therefore divides 28 transition countries into three groups. As a result, in the most recent 2016 round of the ‘Life in Transition’ survey, transition countries in Southern Europe are no longer found to be different from non‐transition nations in terms of their self‐rated health. Although the gap in self‐perceived health for transition nations in Eastern Europe is present in a basic model, it becomes less statistically and economically significant when subjective beliefs and macro‐level variables are added. Countries from the former Soviet Union and Mongolia remain the only group in which respondents report 16.5%–29.1% lower probability of ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’ health compared to other transition and non‐transition countries. Controlling for communist party membership, ideological beliefs and macro‐level variables somewhat reduces the gap for the former Soviet Union and Mongolia but it remains significant in multiple robustness checks. Although the gap in self‐rated health now applies to only one group of transition countries, it remains an important empirical puzzle with far‐reaching implications for health policy, demand for healthcare and the process of transition.