bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Atrial natriuretic peptide does not degrade the endothelial glycocalyx: A secondary analysis of a randomized porcine model
Authors: Damén Tor , Kolsrud Oscar , Dellgren Göran , Hesse Camilla , Ricksten Sven‐Erik , Nygren Andreas 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundThe atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) released from the heart regulates intravascular volume and is suspected to increase capillary permeability. Contradictory results regarding ANP and glycocalyx degradation have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate if an infusion of ANP causes degradation of the endothelial glycocalyx.MethodsTwenty pigs, pretreated with 250 mg methylprednisolone, were randomized to receive an infusion of either ANP (50 ng/kg/min) (n = 10) or 0.9% NaCl (n = 10) during 60 min. Endothelial glycocalyx components (heparan sulphate proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid), Hct, calculated plasma volume and colloid osmotic pressure were measured from baseline to 60 min.ResultsThere was no difference between the control and intervention groups for heparan sulphate proteoglycan and hyaluronic acid corrected for the change in plasma volume (P = .333 and 0.197). Hct increased with 1.8 ± 2.2% in the intervention group (P = .029) with no change −0.5 ± 2.3% in the control group (P = .504). The plasma volume decreased in the intervention group with −8.4 ± 10% (P = .034) with no change in the control group 3.1 ± 12% (P = .427). Median changes in colloid osmotic pressures in the control and intervention group were −0.39 [95% CI, −1.88‐0.13] and 0.9 [95% CI, 0.00‐1.58], respectively (P = .012).ConclusionsIn this randomized porcine study, an ANP infusion did not cause endothelial glycocalyx degradation but decreased the plasma volume most probably due to precapillary vasodilation and increased filtration.
Clinical and radiographic outcome of the root canal treatment of infected teeth with associated sinus tract: A retrospective study
Authors: Artaza Liliana , F. Campello Andrea , Soimu Giuliana , Alves Flávio R. F. , Rôças Isabela N. , Siqueira José F. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis retrospective study evaluated the outcome of the endodontic treatment/retreatment of teeth with intraoral sinus tracts. Seventy‐two teeth from 70 individuals were included. One operator treated all teeth over about 20 years. Time for the sinus tract to heal was recorded. Treatment outcome was evaluated after at least 1 year and classified as healed, healing or diseased. The overall healed rate of periradicular lesions was 73.6% (74.1% for treatment and 72.2% for retreatment). In 6 (8.3%) teeth, lesions were healing. Thirteen teeth (18.1%) exhibited persistent disease. In 68/72 (94.4%) cases, the sinus tract healed in less than 1 month. No preoperative/intraoperative variable affected the outcome (P > 0.05). Missing restorations had a negative impact (P < 0.05). Healing of both the sinus tract quickly after treatment and the periradicular lesion later were usually achieved. Closure of the sinus tract in the first month was a good predictor of lesion healing.
Pattern of seedling emergence and early growth in Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora racemosa along an experimental salinity gradient
Authors: Sinsin Corine Bitossessi Laurenda , Salako Kolawolé Valère , Fandohan Adandé Belarmain , Zanvo Mahoutin Gildas Serge , Kouassi Konan Edouard , Glèlè Kakaï Romain Lucas 
Published: May 2021

AbstractSalinity is a major driver of emergence and early growth of mangrove propagules. The magnitude of salinity effects may vary across mangrove ecotypes. Using a randomised complete block design in a semi‐controlled experiment, this study assessed the effect of salinity (low: 3–5, moderate: 15–17 and high: 34–36 Practical Salinity Unit) on the emergence and early growth of Rhizophora racemosa (G.) Meyer and Avicennia germinans (L.) L., two common mangrove species in West Africa. Per cent emergence, total height and number of leaves were recorded daily for 30 days. Data were analysed using a three‐parameter log‐logistic distribution and linear mixed models. For both species, results showed significant effects of salinity on per cent emergence and growth variables. There was a negative correlation between salinity and per cent emergence of A. germinans and between salinity and height and number of leaves during the early growth phase of both species. However, the per cent emergence of R. racemosa was significantly higher for moderate salinity. To avoid the risk of dieback from osmotic shock after transplantation, we recommend the use of water of low or moderate salinity in nursery, depending on whether the soil salinity is low or high where the seedlings will be transplanted.
An updated review on the effects of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate on the mucosal biology of the female genital tract
Authors: Ayele Hossaena , Perner Michelle , McKinnon Lyle R. , Birse Kenzie , Farr Zuend Christina , Burgener Adam 
Published: May 2021

AbstractBackgroundAccess to safe, effective, and affordable contraception is important for women’s health and essential to mitigate maternal and fetal mortality rates. The progestin‐based contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is a popular contraceptive choice with a low failure rate and convenient administration schedule.AimIn this review, we compiled observational data from human cohorts that examine how DMPA influences the mucosal biology of the female genital tract (FGT) that are essential in maintaining vaginal health, including resident immune cells, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, epithelial barrier function, and the vaginal microbiomeMaterials and MethodsThis review focused on the recent published literature published in 2019 and 2020.ResultsRecent longitudinal studies show that DMPA use associates with an immunosuppressive phenotype, increase in CD4+CCR5+ T cells, and alterations to growth factors. In agreement with previous meta‐analyses, DMPA use is associated with minimal effects of the composition of the vaginal microbiome. Cross‐sectional studies associate a more pro‐inflammatory relationship with DMPA, but these studies are confounded by inherent weaknesses of cross‐sectional studies, including differences in study group sizes, behaviors, and other variables that may affect genital inflammation.Discussion & ConclusionThese recent results indicate that the interactions between DMPA and the vaginal mucosa are complex emphasizing the need for comprehensive longitudinal studies that take into consideration the measurement of multiple biological parameters.
Microglia‐leucocyte axis in cerebral ischaemia and inflammation in the developing brain
Authors: Rayasam Aditya , Fukuzaki Yumi , Vexler Zinaida S. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDevelopment of the Central Nervous System (CNS) is reliant on the proper function of numerous intricately orchestrated mechanisms that mature independently, including constant communication between the CNS and the peripheral immune system. This review summarizes experimental knowledge of how cerebral ischaemia in infants and children alters physiological communication between leucocytes, brain immune cells, microglia and the neurovascular unit (NVU)—the “microglia‐leucocyte axis”—and contributes to acute and long‐term brain injury. We outline physiological development of CNS barriers in relation to microglial and leucocyte maturation and the plethora of mechanisms by which microglia and peripheral leucocytes communicate during postnatal period, including receptor‐mediated and intracellular inflammatory signalling, lipids, soluble factors and extracellular vesicles. We focus on the “microglia‐leucocyte axis” in rodent models of most common ischaemic brain diseases in the at‐term infants, hypoxic‐ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and focal arterial stroke and discuss commonalities and distinctions of immune‐neurovascular mechanisms in neonatal and childhood stroke compared to stroke in adults. Given that hypoxic and ischaemic brain damage involve Toll‐like receptor (TLR) activation, we discuss the modulatory role of viral and bacterial TLR2/3/4‐mediated infection in HIE, perinatal and childhood stroke. Furthermore, we provide perspective of the dynamics and contribution of the axis in cerebral ischaemia depending on the CNS maturational stage at the time of insult, and modulation independently and in consort by individual axis components and in a sex dependent ways. Improved understanding on how to modify crosstalk between microglia and leucocytes will aid in developing age‐appropriate therapies for infants and children who suffered cerebral ischaemia.
Photography, composition, and the ephemeral city
Authors: Arnold Emma 
Published: May 2021

AbstractPhotography is ultimately concerned with the ephemeral – with capturing and preserving transient moments. As a place in constant flux, full of ephemera and the ephemeral, the city has long been an important site for photographers. Those who study the city are increasingly incorporating photography into their research thanks to changing and more accessible technologies and epistemological shifts across the social sciences. Photographs are taking on new roles and are not only adjuncts or images that serve to illustrate or support text; they are integral to varied methodologies that centre the creation of images, from participatory methods using photo‐voice to visual urban ethnographies. This paper considers how a move from illustrative and documentary style to more creative and evocative photography is changing the ways geographers compose images. Geographers are not just taking images but making them, involving themselves in a form of hybrid geographic and artistic practice. This shift involves a move from more objective to subjective framings and, in some cases, from more passive to active techniques. Taking graffiti photography as a departure, this paper explores how a hybrid geographic and artistic approach influences the composition and aesthetic qualities of images. The paper takes the reader through five compositions emerging from a study on the politics of graffiti in Norway: 1. Documentation; 2. Obstruction; 3. Abstraction; 4. Reflection; and 5. Negation. These compositions are useful in understanding the place of graffiti, one of the most contested and quintessentially ephemeral features of the urban landscape. This analysis demonstrates how a divergence from more typical representations is important in conducting critical urban photographic research, how an artistic eye is about the analytic as well as the aesthetic.
Capturing a moving target: Interviewing fintech experts via LinkedIn
Authors: Robinson Gary 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper explores possible responses to some of the main challenges associated with conducting elite and expert interviews as part of qualitative research in human geography. Drawing on the example of the dynamic fintech industry, the paper outlines some similarities and differences between elite and expert interviews and uses this to identify and discuss possible responses. Against this backdrop, the paper also reflects on advantages and disadvantages of using the professional social networking site LinkedIn as a research aid for sampling and contacting interviewees as well as for interview preparation. The paper is anticipated to be of interest to those conducting qualitative research involving limited size sample subjects who are potentially difficult to find.
Afterword: Towards a political ecology of labour?
Authors: Coe Neil M. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIn this brief afterword, I reflect on the contributions to the Area special section on the “Geographies of Labour in a Changing Climate.” I argue that there is an urgent need to develop a research agenda under this theme and that, with its focus on multi‐scalar dynamics and the constrained agency of workers, labour geography already has a toolkit that is well attuned to the task. In conclusion, the case is made for developing an approach that might be characterised as a “political ecology of labour.”
Cybersecurity’s grammars: A more‐than‐human geopolitics of computation
Authors: Dwyer Andrew C. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractOn one June afternoon in 2017, during an autoethnography of a malware analysis and detection laboratory, NotPetya quickly caused destruction. This malware has since been characterised as a key geopolitical event in cybersecurity, causing billions of dollars in damage as it rendered inoperable computers across the world. The hunt to identify those who had written NotPetya occurred almost immediately. However, this paper rearticulates this event through grammar, in a close reading of computation, to urge for a more‐than‐human reading of cybersecurity. By exploring the written propositions of the hackers, various computational materials – including hardware, code, and machine learning algorithms – as well as their ecologies, cybersecurity is understood to be part of an ecology of language‐practice. Engaging with N. Katherine Hayles’ study of non‐human cognition and choice, computation has an ability to read, interpret, and act, and thus intervene. NotPetya is thus not only a tool of hackers but is a political actor which, alongside others, transformed the contours of the geopolitics of cybersecurity. By focusing on grammars, geopolitics does not wholly derive from the (white, male, rational) hacker, analyst, or intelligence agent, but rather from a distributed set of actors that speak to one another. Grammars permit a nuanced appreciation of cyber‐attacks, the hacker's handling of computational cognition and choice, as well as conceptualising the relation between author and computation and the risks of machine learning. Cybersecurity, through grammar, then becomes one of co‐authorship where security is not only performed by humans but is contorted by an alien politics of computation.
Legislating political space for LGBT families: The 2018 referendum on the definition of family in Romania
Authors: Voiculescu Sorina , Groza Octavian 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAs marriage is defined in post‐socialist Romania as the union of two spouses and not specifically between a man and a woman, the legalisation of homosexuality in 2002 created the possibility for legal same‐sex marriage and for a more inclusive sexual citizenship. By 2018, a political alliance mobilised a referendum to redefine marriage in a way that would make families headed by same‐sex couples impossible. LGBT rights organisations and others who promote a more tolerant society urged Romanian citizens to boycott the vote. Eventually, due to a missing quorum the referendum was invalidated leaving the definition of marriage as it was – between two spouses. With a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, we analyse the way that this referendum functioned as a test of the re‐definition of family within the post‐socialist Romanian political space. The failure of this legislation then leads to our central question – were Romanians acting to promote a more tolerant and inclusive definition of family or were they merely reacting against the politicians, religious, and other influential groups who initiated the referendum? First, discourse analysis presents the various sets of ideas employed by actors involved for and against the referendum. Then we conduct a spatial analysis to reveal the territorial articulations of obedience to vote (voter turn‐out) and the results of voting along with other demographic characteristics. Even though the majority of the population with the right to vote preferred to boycott the referendum, our research demonstrates the spatial articulation of attitudes towards LGBT families showing that in Romania there are five overlapping discourses: the tolerant, the politically conformant, the homophobic, the passive rural, and the homosexual.
Safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TAK‐418, a novel inhibitor of the epigenetic modulator lysine‐specific demethylase 1A
Authors: Yin Wei , Arkilo Dimitrios , Khudyakov Polyna , Hazel Jim , Gupta Saurabh , Quinton Maria S. , Lin Jie , Hartman Deborah S. , Bednar Martin M. , Rosen Laura , Wendland Jens R. 
Published: May 2021

AimsDysregulation of histone methylation epigenetic marks may result in intellectual and developmental disability, as seen in Kabuki syndrome. Animal data suggest that increasing histone methylation by inhibiting lysine‐specific demethylase 1A (LSD1) may improve cognitive outcomes in a model of Kabuki syndrome. TAK‐418 is a novel LSD1 inhibitor, developed as a potential therapeutic agent for central nervous system disorders such as Kabuki syndrome. Here, we report safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of single and multiple doses of TAK‐418 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03228433, NCT03501069).MethodsTwo randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, phase 1 studies of oral TAK‐418 were performed, a first‐in‐human single‐rising‐dose (SRD) study (5–60 mg) in healthy adult male and female volunteers (placebo, n = 10; TAK‐418, n = 30), and an SRD (120–160 mg) and multiple‐rising‐dose (MRD) study (20–160 mg once daily for 10 days) in healthy female volunteers (placebo, n = 2 [SRD] and n = 6 [MRD]; TAK‐418, n = 6 [SRD] and n = 18 [MRD]).ResultsTAK‐418 was well tolerated. No clinically significant changes in laboratory test results or vital signs were observed and no serious adverse events were reported. TAK‐418 had a nearly linear pharmacokinetic profile, with rapid absorption and short terminal half‐life across the evaluated dose range. No obvious accumulation was observed after daily administration for 10 days. Administration with food delayed peak plasma concentrations but overall exposure was unaffected. TAK‐418 rapidly crossed the blood–brain barrier and generally showed a dose‐dependent response in the peripheral pharmacodynamic biomarker formyl‐flavin adenine dinucleotide.ConclusionThe brain‐penetrant LSD1 inhibitor TAK‐418 was well tolerated, with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects that support further investigation.
Current and emerging pharmacological targets for medical expulsive therapy
Authors: Lim Iris , Sellers Donna J. , Chess‐Williams Russ 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe primary goals of medical expulsive therapy are to increase the rate of stone expulsion along the ureter to avoid ureteral obstruction and reduce ureteral colic and thus avoid the need for surgical and more invasive interventions. This review focussed on the findings from in vivo and in vitro animal and human studies that have investigated the pharmacological mechanisms controlling ureteral motility and their translation to current and potentially new clinically used drugs for increasing the rate of stone expulsion along the ureter. The complicated contractility profile of the ureter, which alters with age, tissue segment region, orientation and species contributes to the difficulty of interpreting studies on ureteral pharmacology, which translates to the complexity of discovering ideal drug targets for medical expulsive therapy. Nevertheless, the current drug classes clinically used for patients with stone lodgement include α1‐adrenoceptor antagonists, calcium channel blockers and NSAIDS, whilst there are promising targets for drug development that require further clinical investigations including the phosphodiesterase type 5 enzyme, β‐adrenoceptors and 5‐HT receptors.
Incidence, characteristics and clinical profile of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection in patients with pre‐existing primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in Spain
Authors: Mingot‐Castellano María E. , Alcalde‐Mellado Patricia , Pascual‐Izquierdo Cristina , Perez Rus Gloria , Calo Pérez Aida , Martinez María P. , López‐Jaime Francisco J. , Abalo Perez Lorena , Gonzalez‐Porras José R. , López Fernández Fernanda , Caparrós Miranda Isabel S. , González‐López Tomás J. , Moreno Beltrán María E. , Rubio Escuin Rebeca , Jimenez Bárcenas Reyes ,   on behalf GEPTI (Grupo Español de Trombocitopenia Inmune)
Published: May 2021

SummaryInfections are one of the well‐known precipitating factors for relapses in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection can sometimes lead to or be associated with thrombocytopenia due to an increase in peripheral platelet destruction from inflammatory hyperactivation. Currently, we do not know if SARS‐CoV‐2 infection modifies the natural evolution of chronic or persistent ITP or if previous immunosuppression of patients with ITP influences the incidence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) in this group. The present study was an observational, multicentre, national series of 32 adult patients with pre‐existing ITP and subsequent SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, collected by the Spanish ITP Group [Grupo Español de Trombocitopenia Inmune (GEPTI)].
Altered hippocampal kynurenine pathway metabolism contributes to hyperexcitability in human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy–hippocampal sclerosis
Authors: Dey Soumil , Banerjee Dixit Aparna , Tripathi Manjari , Doddamani Ramesh Sharanappa , Sharma Mehar Chand , Lalwani Sanjeev , Chandra Poodipedi Sarat , Banerjee Jyotirmoy 
Published: May 2021

Background and PurposeGlutamate receptor‐mediated enhanced excitatory neurotransmission is typically associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE‐HS). Kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid are two important tryptophan–kynurenine pathway metabolites that modulate glutamate receptor activity. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that alteration in metabolism of tryptophan–kynurenine pathway metabolites in the hippocampus of patients with MTLE‐HS contributes to abnormal glutamatergic transmission.Experimental ApproachLevels of tryptophan–kynurenine pathway metabolites were determined using HPLC and LC–MS/MS in hippocampal samples from patients with MTLE‐HS, compared with autopsy and non‐seizure control samples. mRNA and protein expressions of tryptophan–kynurenine pathway enzymes were determined by qPCR and Western blot. Spontaneous glutamatergic activities were recorded from pyramidal neurons in the presence of kynurenine and kynurenic acid, using whole‐cell patch clamp.Key ResultsLevels of kynurenic acid were reduced and quinolinic acid levels were raised in hippocampal samples from MTLE‐HS patients, whereas kynurenine levels remained unaltered, compared with levels in non‐seizure controls. Spontaneous glutamatergic activity in MTLE‐HS hippocampal samples was higher than that in non‐seizure controls. Treatment with kynurenine inhibited glutamatergic activity in non‐seizure control samples but not in MTLE‐HS samples. However, exogenously applied kynurenic acid inhibited glutamatergic activity in both non‐seizure control and MTLE‐HS hippocampal samples. Also, levels of kynurenine aminotransferase II and its cofactor pyridoxal phosphate were reduced in MTLE‐HS samples.Conclusion and ImplicationsOur findings indicate that altered metabolism of tryptophan–kynurenine pathway metabolites in hippocampus could contribute to hyperglutamatergic tone in patients with MTLE‐HS.