bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Apremilast in a Japanese subgroup with Behçet’s syndrome: Results from a Phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Authors: Takeno Mitsuhiro , Dobashi Hiroaki , Tanaka Yoshiya , Kono Hajime , Sugii Shouji , Kishimoto Mitsumasa , Cheng Sue , McCue Shannon , Paris Maria , Chen Mindy , Ishigatsubo Yoshiaki 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT

Objectives
Apremilast efficacy and safety was assessed in a prespecified subgroup of Japanese patients with oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s syndrome from a Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of apremilast (RELIEF).

Methods
The primary end point was area under the curve for number of oral ulcers during the 12-week placebo-controlled phase (AUCWk0–12). Key secondary end points were change from baseline in oral ulcer pain, complete oral ulcer resolution, and measures of disease activity and quality of life (QoL).

Results
Thirty-nine Japanese patients were randomised (apremilast 30 mg BID: n = 19; placebo: n = 20). Improvements at Week 12 were observed for apremilast vs. placebo in AUCWk0–12 for the number of oral ulcers (115.9 vs. 253.3; nominal P = 0.0168); 57.9% vs. 25.0% achieved complete oral ulcer resolution, 47.4% vs. 0.0% achieved oral ulcer resolution by Week 6 and maintained oral ulcer-free status for ≥6 additional weeks; mean change from baseline in BSAS was −10.5 vs. 0.5. Favourable effects were observed for apremilast vs. placebo in other secondary end points, including QoL. Clinical benefits were sustained over 28 weeks of continued apremilast treatment. Adverse events were consistent with apremilast’s known safety profile.

Conclusions
Apremilast reduced the number of oral ulcers and overall disease activity in this Japanese subgroup with Behçet’s syndrome.
Correction of rheumatoid swan-neck deformity of the finger using the modified Thompson–Littler method
Authors: Kakutani Rika , Ishikawa Hajime , Abe Asami , Funamura Kei , Sudo Masanori , Sakai Shunsuke , Otani Hiroshi , Ito Satoshi , Nakazono Kiyoshi , Murasawa Akira , Kondo Naoki , Kawashima Hiroyuki 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT

Objectives
To investigate the outcomes of the modified Thompson–Littler (m-TL) method, a corrective surgical method utilising a dynamic tenodesis, in patients with rheumatoid swan-neck deformity.

Methods
Twenty-seven fingers in 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) underwent surgical correction. The mean age at the time of surgery was 60.3 (45–77) years, the mean duration of RA was 19.3 (4–34) years, and the mean postoperative follow-up period was 2.4 (0.5–6) years.

Results
The deformity was corrected and the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint pain disappeared in all operated fingers. The mean pinch power between the thumb and the operated finger increased. The active extension decreased, the active flexion increased, and the total arc of motion decreased. Comparing the range of motion by Nalebuff’s type classification, the postoperative arc of motion decreased as the type advanced.

Conclusions
The m-TL method provided a favourable outcome in cases of Type ≤III rheumatoid swan-neck deformity without severe joint deterioration at the PIP joint. Aesthetic and functional improvements were observed and the patients were satisfied with the operation.
Clinical significance of HScore and MS score comparison in the prognostic evaluation of anti-MDA5-positive patients with dermatomyositis and interstitial lung disease
Authors: Zhao Shengnan , Ma Xiaolei , Zhang Xin , Jin Ziyi , Hu Wei , Hua Bingzhu , Wang Hong , Feng Xuebing , Sun Lingyun , Chen Zhiyong 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT

Objectives
To evaluate the clinical significance of the HScore and MS score in the prognosis of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) positive patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Methods
The clinical features as well as HScore and MS score were compared between the survivors (n = 61) and nonsurvivors (n = 36) among 97 anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD patients. Potential prognostic factors were analysed.

Results
Compared with survivors, nonsurvivors had significantly older age, tended to be male, and had a significantly higher frequency of fever at disease onset, higher levels of aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, and serum ferritin, as well as higher values of HScore and MS score but had a significantly lower frequency of arthritis at disease onset. Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥50 years [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.70, p = .040, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–6.97)], male gender (HR = 3.20, p = .017, 95% CI 1.23–8.28), and higher HScore (HR = 3.72, p = .003, 95% CI 1.56–8.86) were independent risk factors for mortality. Patients with more risk factors had significantly poorer survival (p &lt; .001).

Conclusions
Older age, high HScore, and male gender are risk factors for poor survival among anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD patients, suggesting the potential role of macrophage activation in the pathogenesis.
How reliable is assessment of joint swelling and tenderness over socks or stockings in patients with established rheumatoid arthritis?
Authors: Yano Koichiro , Tobimatsu Haruki , Ikari Katsunori , Okazaki Ken 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT

Objectives
Physicians tend to omit examinations of the foot and ankle in routine practice because it consumes a lot of time when working within tight time constraints. Although barefoot examination is critical to assess disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we think occasional examination of foot over socks or stockings is better than not examining foot at all. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of foot examinations over socks or stockings in patients with RA.

Methods
Sixty patients with RA were enrolled in this study. A rheumatologist and a senior resident performed foot examinations on each patient over socks, over stockings, and on bare foot to assess swelling and tenderness. Concordance rates between the barefoot examination and the examinations over socks or stockings by each examiner were investigated.

Results
The rheumatologist had a concordance rate of 94.4% over socks and 98.8% over stockings. The senior resident had a concordance rate of 95.6% over socks and 98.5% over stockings.

Conclusions
Foot examinations over socks and stockings had high concordance rates with the barefoot examination, and it may be an option for decreasing foot and ankle examination time in RA patients.
Protocol for mapping the variability in cell wall mechanical bending behavior in living leaf pavement cells
Authors: Li Wenlong , Keynia Sedighe , Belteton Samuel A , Afshar-Hatam Faezeh , Szymanski Daniel B , Turner Joseph A 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Mechanical properties, size and geometry of cells, and internal turgor pressure greatly influence cell morphogenesis. Computational models of cell growth require values for wall elastic modulus and turgor pressure, but very few experiments have been designed to validate the results using measurements that deform the entire thickness of the cell wall. New wall material is synthesized at the inner surface of the cell such that full-thickness deformations are needed to quantify relevant changes associated with cell development. Here, we present an integrated, experimental–computational approach to analyze quantitatively the variation of elastic bending behavior in the primary cell wall of living Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) pavement cells and to measure turgor pressure within cells under different osmotic conditions. This approach used laser scanning confocal microscopy to measure the 3D geometry of single pavement cells and indentation experiments to probe the local mechanical responses across the periclinal wall. The experimental results were matched iteratively using a finite element model of the experiment to determine the local mechanical properties and turgor pressure. The resulting modulus distribution along the periclinal wall was nonuniform across the leaf cells studied. These results were consistent with the characteristics of plant cell walls which have a heterogeneous organization. The results and model allowed the magnitude and orientation of cell wall stress to be predicted quantitatively. The methods also serve as a reference for future work to analyze the morphogenetic behaviors of plant cells in terms of the heterogeneity and anisotropy of cell walls.
Sleep talking versus sleep moaning: electrophysiological patterns preceding linguistic vocalizations during sleep
Authors: Mangiaruga Anastasia , D’Atri Aurora , Scarpelli Serena , Alfonsi Valentina , Camaioni Milena , Annarumma Ludovica , Gorgoni Maurizio , Pazzaglia Mariella , De Gennaro Luigi 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStudy ObjectivesSleep talking (ST) has been rarely studied as an isolated phenomenon. Late investigations over the psycholinguistic features of vocal production in ST pointed to coherence with wake language formal features. Therefore, we investigated the EEG correlates of Verbal ST as the overt manifestation of sleep-related language processing, with the hypothesis of shared electrophysiological correlates with wake language production.MethodsFrom a sample of 155 Highly frequent STs, we recorded 13 participants (age range 19–30 years, mean age 24.6 ± 3.3; 7F) via vPSG for at least two consecutive nights, and a total of 28 nights. We first investigated the sleep macrostructure of STs compared to 13 age and gender-matched subjects. We then compared the EEG signal before 21 Verbal STs versus 21 Nonverbal STs (moaning, laughing, crying, etc.) in six STs reporting both vocalization types in Stage 2 NREM sleep.ResultsThe 2 × 2 mixed analysis of variance Group × Night interaction showed no statistically significant effect for macrostructural variables, but significant main effects for Group with lower REM (%), total sleep time, total bedtime, sleep efficiency index, and greater NREM (%) for STs compared to controls. EEG statistical comparisons (paired-samples Student’s t-test) showed a decrement in power spectra for Verbal STs versus Nonverbal STs within the theta and alpha EEG bands, strongly lateralized to the left hemisphere and localized on centro-parietal-occipitals channels. A single left parietal channel (P7) held significance after Bonferroni correction.ConclusionsOur results suggest shared neural mechanisms between Verbal ST and language processing during wakefulness and a possible functional overlapping with linguistic planning in wakefulness.
A Simple and Rather Tender Thing? Laurence Housman’s Victoria Regina in 1930s Britain and America
Authors: Chernock Arianne 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
From 1935 to 1939, audiences on both sides of the Atlantic thronged theatres to see Laurence Housman’s play Victoria Regina, a series of vignettes about the life of Queen Victoria. Those unable to purchase tickets were able to read about the show in magazines and newspapers, listen to a radio production, and purchase clothing and home furnishings that reflected the revival of interest in the Victorian era. Yet to the extent that scholars have discussed this incredibly popular play and the Victorian revival that it spawned, they tend to ascribe its success to a nostalgic impulse, or what Alison Light has described as the phenomenon of ‘conservative modernity’. This article reframes Victoria Regina, by treating it as a site of provocation and meaning-making in a charged transatlantic context. As I show, Housman (1865–1959)—a free speech advocate, Quaker pacifist, committed internationalist, anti-imperialist, feminist, and nascent gay rights activist—wanted to use Victoria to goad, intentionally so. His Victoria may have been romantic and feminine, but she was still intended as a vehicle of dissent. Housman wrote Victoria Regina primarily to protest censorship laws in Britain, but also to provide a more woman-centered version of the nation’s past, and to promote conciliation over the conflict between Germany and Britain. It was in its capacity as a cultural bridge between the UK and the USA, however, that Victoria Regina ended up making its most sizeable impact. This article thus offers an important meditation not only on the relationship between theatre and politics in the interwar period but also on the Victorian inheritance and its continuing and sometimes surprising applications in the twentieth century—especially in facilitating the Anglo-American ‘special relationship’.
Using marine cargo traffic to identify countries in Africa with greatest risk of invasion by Anopheles stephensi
Authors: Ahn Jordan , Sinka Marianne , Irish Seth , Zohdy Sarah 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAnopheles stephensi is an efficient malaria vector commonly found in South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, but in recent years it has established as an invasive species in the Horn of Africa (HoA). In this region, An. stephensi was first detected in a livestock quarantine station near a major seaport in Djibouti in 2012, in Ethiopia in 2016, in Sudan in 2018 and Somalia in 2019. Anopheles stephensi often uses artificial containers as larval habitats, which may facilitate introduction through maritime trade as has been seen with other invasive container breeding mosquitoes. If An. stephensi is being introduced through maritime traffic, prioritization exercises are needed to identify locations at greatest risk of An. stephensi introduction for early detection and rapid response, limiting further invasion opportunities. Here, we use UNCTAD maritime trade data to 1) identify coastal African countries which were most highly connected to select An. stephensi endemic countries in 2011, prior to initial detection in Africa, 2) develop a ranked prioritization list of countries based on likelihood of An. stephensi introduction for 2016 and 2020 based on maritime trade alone and maritime trade and habitat suitability, and 3) use network analysis to describe intracontinental maritime trade and eigenvector centrality to determine likely paths of further introduction on the continent if An. stephensi is detected in a new location. Our results show that in 2011, Sudan and Djibouti were ranked as the top two countries with likelihood of An. stephensi introduction based on maritime trade alone, and these were indeed the first two coastal countries in the HoA where An. stephensi was detected. Trade data from 2020 with Djibouti and Sudan included as source populations identify Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Morocco as the top five countries with likelihood of An. stephensi introduction. When factoring in habitat suitability, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, and Libya are ranked highest. Network analysis revealed that the countries with the highest eigenvector centrality scores, and therefore highest degrees of connectivity with other coastal African nations were South Africa (0.175), Mauritius (0.159), Ghana (0.159), Togo (0.157), and Morocco (0.044) and therefore detection of An. stephensi in any one of these locations has a higher potential to cascade further across the continent via maritime trade than those with lower eigenvector centrality scores. Taken together, these data could serve as tools to prioritize efforts for An. stephensi surveillance and control in Africa. Surveillance in seaports of countries at greatest risk of introduction may serve as an early warning system for the detection of An. stephensi, providing opportunities to limit further introduction and expansion of this invasive malaria vector in Africa.
Electrically Controlling and Optically Observing the Membrane Potential of Supported Lipid Bilayers
Authors: Yudovich Shimon , Marzouqe Adan , Kantorovitsch Joseph , Teblum Eti , Chen Tao , Enderlein Jörg , Miller Evan W. , Weiss Shimon 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSupported lipid bilayers are a well-developed model system for the study of membranes and their associated proteins, such as membrane channels, enzymes, and receptors. These versatile model membranes can be made from various components, ranging from simple synthetic phospholipids to complex mixtures of constituents, mimicking the cell membrane with its relevant physiochemical and molecular phenomena. In addition, the high stability of supported lipid bilayers allows for their study via a wide array of experimental probes. In this work, we describe a platform for supported lipid bilayers that is accessible both electrically and optically. We show that the polarization of the supported membrane can be electrically controlled and optically probed using voltage-sensitive dyes. Membrane polarization dynamics is understood through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and the analysis of the equivalent electrical circuit. We also describe the effect of the conducting electrode layer on the fluorescence of the optical probe through metal-induced energy transfer. We conclude with a discussion on possible applications of this platform for the study of voltage-dependent membrane proteins and other processes in membrane biology and surface science.
Cognitive experience alters cortical involvement in navigation decisions
Authors: Arlt Charlotte , Barroso-Luque Roberto , Kira Shinichiro , Bruno Carissa A. , Xia Ningjing , Chettih Selmaan N. , Soares Sofia , Pettit Noah L. , Harvey Christopher D. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe neural correlates of decision-making have been investigated extensively, and recent work aims to identify under what conditions cortex is actually necessary for making accurate decisions. We discovered that mice with distinct cognitive experiences, beyond sensory and motor learning, use different cortical areas and neural activity patterns to solve the same task, revealing past learning as a critical determinant of whether cortex is necessary for decision-making. We used optogenetics and calcium imaging to study the necessity and neural activity of multiple cortical areas in mice with different training histories. Posterior parietal cortex and retrosplenial cortex were mostly dispensable for accurate decision-making in mice performing a simple navigation-based decision task. In contrast, these areas were essential for the same simple task when mice were previously trained on complex tasks with delay periods or association switches. Multi-area calcium imaging showed that, in mice with complex-task experience, single-neuron activity had higher selectivity and neuron-neuron correlations were weaker, leading to codes with higher task information. Therefore, past experience sets the landscape for how future tasks are solved by the brain and is a key factor in determining whether cortical areas have a causal role in decision-making.
Detection of Motor-Evoked Potentials Below the Noise Floor: Rethinking the Motor Threshold
Authors: Li Zhongxi , Peterchev Angel V. , Rothwell John C. , Goetz Stefan M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundMotor-evoked potentials (MEP) are one of the most prominent responses to brain stimulation, such as supra-threshold transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electrical stimulation. Understanding of the neurophysiology and the determination of the lowest stimulation strength that evokes responses requires the detection of even smaller responses, e.g., from single motor units. However, available detection and quantization methods suffer from a large noise floor.ObjectiveThis paper develops a detection method that extracts MEPs hidden below the noise floor. With this method, we aim to estimate excitatory activations of the corticospinal pathways well below the conventional detection level.MethodsThe presented MEP detection method presents a self-learning matched-filter approach for improved robustness against noise. The filter is adaptively generated per subject through iterative learning. For responses that are reliably detected by conventional detection, the new approach is fully compatible with established peak-to-peak readings and provides the same results but extends the dynamic range below the conventional noise floor.ResultsIn contrast to the conventional peak-to-peak measure, the proposed method increases the signal-to-noise ratio by more than a factor of 5. The first detectable responses appear to be substantially lower than the conventional threshold definition of 50 μV median peak-to-peak amplitude.ConclusionThe proposed method shows that stimuli well below the conventional 50 μV threshold definition can consistently and repeatably evoke muscular responses and thus activate excitable neuron populations in the brain. As a consequence, the IO curve is extended at the lower end, and the noise cut-off is shifted. Importantly, the IO curve extends so far that the 50 μV point turns out to be closer to the center of the logarithmic sigmoid curve rather than close to the first detectable responses. The underlying method is applicable to a wide range of evoked potentials and other biosignals, such as in electroencephalography.
On the money: characterizing banking and lending in the California cannabis industry
Authors: Plakias Zoë , Jodlowski Margaret , Giamo Taylor , Kavousi Parisa , Taylor Keith 
Published: December 2021

PurposeDespite 2016 legalization of recreational cannabis cultivation and sale in California with the passage of Proposition 64, many cannabis businesses operate without licenses. Furthermore, federal regulations disincentivize financial institutions from banking and lending to licensed cannabis businesses. The authors explore the impact of legal cannabis business activity on California financial institutions, the barriers to banking faced by cannabis businesses, and the nontraditional sources of financing used by the industry.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a mixed methods approach. The authors utilize call data for banks and credit unions headquartered in California and state cannabis licensing data to estimate the impact of the extensive and intensive margins of licensed cannabis activity on key banking indicators using difference-and-difference and fixed effects regressions. The qualitative data come from interviews with industry stakeholders in northern California's “Emerald Triangle” and add important context.FindingsThe quantitative results show economically and statistically significant impacts of licensed cannabis activity on banking indicators, suggesting both direct and spillover effects from cannabis activity to the financial sector. However, cannabis businesses report substantial barriers to accessing basic financial services and credit, leading to nontraditional financing arrangements.Practical implicationsThe results suggest opportunities for cannabis businesses and financial institutions if regulations are eased and important avenues for further study.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to the nascent literature on cannabis economics and the literature on banking regulation and nontraditional finance.
Systems methodologies for handling problem complexity
Authors: Kogetsidis Harry 
Published: December 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how holistic thinking and the use of systems methodologies can help organisations handle increased problem complexity. The paper provides a critical discussion of the development of applied systems thinking and examines how its main strands can deal with problem complexity, multiple perceptions of reality and the unequal access to power resources in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses social theory and a systems meta-theoretical framework to examine the different ontological and epistemological assumptions that each strand of applied systems thinking makes about the nature of problems and the way in which an intervention will be made.

Findings
Complex problems require joined-up thinking and the use of systems ideas. Viewing the problem situation from a holistic perspective and applying appropriate systems methodologies and tools can help managers handle the complexities that their organisations face.

Originality/value
The paper makes a clear link between systems approaches and social theory and emphasises the need to understand the different assumptions that theories, methodologies or people make when they intervene in complex problem situations.