bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Evaluation of Candidates for Solid Organ Transplantation
Authors: Bailey Pippa , Vergis Nikhil , Allison Michael , Riddell Amy , Massey Emma 
Published: March 2021

Transplant candidates should undergo an assessment of their mental health, social support, lifestyle, and behaviors. The primary aims of this “psychosocial evaluation” are to ensure that transplantation is of benefit to life expectancy and quality of life, and to allow optimization of the candidate and transplant outcomes. The content of psychosocial evaluations is informed by evidence regarding pretransplant psychosocial predictors of transplant outcomes. This review summarizes the current literature on pretransplant psychosocial predictors of transplant outcomes across differing solid organ transplants and discusses the limitations of existing research. Pretransplant depression, substance misuse, and nonadherence are associated with poorer posttransplant outcomes. Depression, smoking, and high levels of prescription opioid use are associated with reduced posttransplant survival. Pretransplant nonadherence is associated with posttransplant rejection, and nonadherence may mediate the effects of other psychosocial variables such as substance misuse. There is evidence to suggest that social support is associated with likelihood of substance misuse relapse after transplantation, but there is a lack of consistent evidence for an association between social support and posttransplant adherence, rejection, or survival across all organ transplant types.
Psychosocial evaluations should be undertaken by a trained individual and should comprise multiple consultations with the transplant candidate, family members, and healthcare professionals. Tools exist that can be useful for guiding and standardizing assessment, but research is needed to determine how well scores predict posttransplant outcomes. Few studies have evaluated interventions designed to improve psychosocial functioning specifically pretransplant. We highlight the challenges of carrying out such research and make recommendations regarding future work.
Secondary Endothelial Keratoplasty—A Narrative Review of the Outcomes of Secondary Corneal Endothelial Allografts
Authors: Moura-Coelho Nuno , Cunha João Paulo , Morral Merce , Gris Oscar , Manero Felicidad , Güell José Luis 
Published: March 2021

Background.
We review the literature on the efficacy and safety outcomes of secondary Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).

Methods.
Literature search of English-written publications up to September 27, 2020 in PubMed database, using the terms “endothelial keratoplasty” in combination with keywords “secondary” or “repeat.” In addition, we manually searched the references of the primary articles.

Results.
Twenty-seven studies (n = 651 eyes) were retained and reviewed, including 10 studies on repeat DSEK, 8 studies on repeat DMEK, 6 studies of DMEK following DSEK, and 3 studies of DSEK after failed DMEK. All studies reported significant improvement in visual acuity after secondary endothelial keratoplasty (EK). Twelve studies compared visual outcomes between primary and secondary EK, reporting conflicting findings. Sixteen studies reported endothelial cell loss rates after secondary EK, and only 1 study reported significantly increased endothelial cell loss rates compared with primary EK. Allograft rejection episodes occurred in 1.8% of eyes (range, 0%–50%). Six studies compared complication rates between primary and secondary EK eyes, and only 1 study found a higher median number of complications. However, 2 studies reported higher regraft failure rates compared with primary EK eyes.

Conclusions.
Secondary EK is surgically feasible and renders significant visual improvement after failed primary EK, although it is not clear whether visual outcomes and allograft survival are comparable with primary EK, raising the question of whether secondary EK eyes are “low risk” as primary EK eyes. Further larger, prospective studies are encouraged to obtain additional quality data on secondary corneal endothelial allotransplantation.
Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Mutations Over Time Reveals Increasing Prevalence of Variants in the Spike Protein and RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
Authors: Showers William M. , Leach Sonia M. , Kechris Katerina , Strong Michael 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAmid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly important to monitor the mutations that arise in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to prepare public health strategies and guide the further development of vaccines and therapeutics. The spike (S) protein and the proteins comprising the RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) are key vaccine and drug targets, respectively, making mutation surveillance of these proteins of great importance.Full protein sequences for the spike proteins and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase proteins were downloaded from the GISAID database, aligned, and the variants identified. Polymorphisms in the protein sequence were investigated at the protein structural level and examined longitudinally in order to identify sequence and strain variants that are emerging over time. Our analysis revealed a group of variants in the spike protein and the polymerase complex that appeared in August, and account for around five percent of the genomes analyzed up to the last week of October. A structural analysis also facilitated investigation of several unique variants in the receptor binding domain and the N-terminal domain of the spike protein, with high-frequency mutations occurring more commonly in these regions. The identification of new variants emphasizes the need for further study on the effects of these mutations and the implications of their increased prevalence, particularly as these mutations may impact vaccine or therapeutic efficacy.
Monitoring deep-tissue oxygenation with a millimeter-scale ultrasonic implant
Authors: Sonmezoglu Soner , Fineman Jeffrey R. , Maltepe Emin , Maharbiz Michel M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractDeep tissue oxygenation monitoring has many potential applications. Vascular complications after solid organ transplantation, for example, frequently lead to graft ischemia, dysfunction or loss, and can occur months after transplantation. While imaging approaches can provide intermittent assessments of graft perfusion, they require highly skilled practitioners, and fail to directly assess graft oxygenation. Existing tissue oxygen monitoring systems have many drawbacks, including the need for wired connections, the inability to provide real-time data, and, crucially, an operation that is limited to surface tissues. Here, we present the first wireless, minimally-invasive deep tissue oxygen monitoring system that provides continuous real-time data from centimeter-scale depths in a clinically-relevant large animal (sheep) model and demonstrates operation at great depths (up to 10 cm) throughex vivoporcine tissue. The system relies on a millimeter-sized, wireless, battery-free, implantable luminescence oxygen sensor that is powered by ultrasound and capable of bi-directional data transfer with an external transceiver. We present various aspects of system and sensor performance and demonstrate the operation of the systemin vitroin distilled water, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and undiluted human serum,ex vivothrough porcine tissue, andin vivoin a sheep model. We believe this technology represents a new class of diagnostic system particularly suitable for organ monitoring, as well as other surgical or critical care indications.
The ketogenic diet preserves skeletal muscle with aging in mice
Authors: Wallace Marita A. , Aguirre Nicholas W. , Marcotte George R. , Marshall Andrea G. , Baehr Leslie M. , Hughes David C. , Hamilton Karyn L. , Roberts Megan N. , Lopez‐Dominguez Jose Alberto , Miller Benjamin F. , Ramsey Jon J. , Baar Keith 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe causes of the decline in skeletal muscle mass and function with age, known as sarcopenia, are poorly understood. Nutrition (calorie restriction) interventions impact many cellular processes and increase lifespan and preserve muscle mass and function with age. As we previously observed an increase in life span and muscle function in aging mice on a ketogenic diet (KD), we aimed to investigate the effect of a KD on the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass with age and the potential molecular mechanisms of this action. Twelve‐month‐old mice were assigned to an isocaloric control or KD until 16 or 26 months of age, at which time skeletal muscle was collected for evaluating mass, morphology, and biochemical properties. Skeletal muscle mass was significantly greater at 26 months in the gastrocnemius of mice on the KD. This result in KD mice was associated with a shift in fiber type from type IIb to IIa fibers and a range of molecular parameters including increased markers of NMJ remodeling, mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative metabolism, and antioxidant capacity, while decreasing endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, protein synthesis, and proteasome activity. Overall, this study shows the effectiveness of a long‐term KD in mitigating sarcopenia. The diet preferentially preserved oxidative muscle fibers and improved mitochondrial and antioxidant capacity. These adaptations may result in a healthier cellular environment, decreasing oxidative and ER stress resulting in less protein turnover. These shifts allow mice to better maintain muscle mass and function with age.
Biological significance of KRAS mutant allele expression in ovarian endometriosis
Authors: Yachida Nozomi , Yoshihara Kosuke , Suda Kazuaki , Nakaoka Hirofumi , Ueda Haruka , Sugino Kentaro , Yamaguchi Manako , Mori Yutaro , Yamawaki Kaoru , Tamura Ryo , Ishiguro Tatsuya , Kase Hiroaki , Motoyama Teiichi , Enomoto Takayuki 
Published: March 2021

AbstractKRAS is the most frequently mutated in ovarian endometriosis. However, it is unclear whether the KRAS mutant allele's mRNA is expressed and plays a biological role in ovarian endometriosis. Here, we performed mutation‐specific RNA in situ hybridization to evaluate mutant allele expression of KRAS p.G12V, the most frequently detected mutation in ovarian endometriosis in our previous study, in formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded tissue (FFPE) samples of ovarian endometriosis, cancer cell lines, and ovarian cancers. First, we verified that mutant or wild‐type allele of KRAS were expressed in all 5 cancer cell lines and 9 ovarian cancer cases corresponding to the mutation status. Next, we applied this assay to 26 ovarian endometriosis cases, and observed mutant allele expression of KRAS p.G12V in 10 cases. Mutant or wild‐type allele of KRAS were expressed in line with mutation status in 12 available endometriosis cases for which KRAS gene sequence was determined. Comparison of clinical features between ovarian endometriosis with KRAS p.G12V mutant allele expression and with KRAS wild‐type showed that KRAS p.G12V mutant allele expression was significantly associated with inflammation in ovarian endometriosis. Finally, we assessed the spatial distribution of KRAS mutant allele expression in 5 endometriosis cases by performing multiregional sampling. Intratumor heterogeneity of KRAS mutant allele expression was observed in two endometriosis cases, whereas the spatial distribution of KRAS p.G12V mutation signals were diffuse and homogenous in ovarian cancer. In conclusion, evaluation of oncogene mutant expression will be useful for clarifying the biological significance of oncogene mutations in benign tumors.
Reciprocal microbiome transplants differentially rescue fitness in two syntopic dung beetle sister species (Scarabaeidae: Onthophagus)
Authors: Parker Erik S. , Moczek Armin P. , Macagno Anna L. M. 
Published: March 2021

1. Microbial symbionts play a crucial role in the development, health, and homeostasis of their hosts. However, the eco‐evolutionary conditions shaping these relationships and the evolutionary scale at which host–microbiome interactions may diverge warrant further investigation, especially in non‐model systems. This study examines the impact of reciprocal gut microbiome transplants between two ecologically very similar, sympatric, and syntopic dung beetle sister species.2. Onthophagus vacca and Onthophagus medius were specifically used to compare the growth, development, and fitness outcomes of individuals that were either (i) reared in the presence of a microbiome provided by a mother of the same species (“self‐inoculated”), (ii) forced to develop with a microbiome derived from a heterospecific mother (“cross‐inoculated”), or (iii) reared without a maternally transmitted microbiome.3. This study found that individuals reared in the absence of a maternally derived gut microbiome incur detrimental changes in survival, as well as in several metrics signalling normative development. Furthermore, such negative effects are only partly rescued through inoculation with a heterologous microbiome.4. Collectively, this study's results suggest that inoculation with a species‐specific, maternally transmitted microbiome is critical for normative development, that the significance of maternally derived microbiota for host survival differs across species, and that the phenotypic outcomes resulting from host–microbiome interactions may diverge even between closely related, ecologically similar host species.
Characterization of acute pain‐induced behavioral passivity in mice: Insights from statistical modeling
Authors: Yeung Sung Ching , Ganesan Kumar , Wong Stanley Sau Ching , Chung Sookja K. , Cheung Chi Wai 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAffective‐motivational disturbances are highly inconsistent in animal pain models. The reproducibility of the open‐field test in assessing anxiety, malaise or disability remains controversial despite its popularity. While traumatic, persistent or multiregional pain models are commonly considered more effective in inducing negative affect or functional impairment, the early psychobehavioral changes before pain chronification are often underexplored. Here, we aimed to clarify the fundamental relationship between hypernociception and passive distress‐like behavior using a model of transient inflammatory pain. To minimize latent confounders and increase data consistency, male C57BL/6N mice were habituated to the open‐field arena 6 times before receiving the unilateral intraplantar injection of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) or vehicle. Open‐field (40‐min exploration) and nociceptive behavior were evaluated repeatedly along the course of hypernociception in both wild‐type and transgenic mice with a known pronociceptive phenotype. To reduce subjectivity, multivariate open‐field behavioral outcomes were analyzed by statistical modeling based on exploratory factor analyses, which yielded a 2‐factor solution. Within 3 hr after PGE2 injection, mice developed significantly reduced center exploration (factor 1) and a marginally significant increase in their habituation tendency (factor 2), which were not apparent in vehicle‐injected mice. The behavioral passivity generally improved as hypernociception subsided. Therefore, transient inflammatory irritation is sufficient to suppress mouse open‐field exploratory activity. The apparent absence of late affective‐motivational changes in some rodents with prolonged hypernociception may not imply a lack of preceding or underlying neuropsychological alterations. Procedural pain after invasive animal experiments, however small, should be assessed and adequately controlled as a potential research confounder.
Speech auditory‐motor adaptation to formant‐shifted feedback lacks an explicit component: Reduced adaptation in adults who stutter reflects limitations in implicit sensorimotor learning
Authors: Kim Kwang S. , Max Ludo 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe neural mechanisms underlying stuttering remain poorly understood. A large body of work has focused on sensorimotor integration difficulties in individuals who stutter, including recently the capacity for sensorimotorlearning. Typically, sensorimotor learning is assessed with adaptation paradigms in which one or more sensory feedback modalities are experimentally perturbed in real time. Our own previous work on speech with perturbed auditory feedback revealed substantial auditory‐motor learning limitations in both children and adults who stutter (AWS). It remains unknown, however, which subprocesses of sensorimotor learning are impaired. Indeed, new insights from research on upper limb motor control indicate that sensorimotor learning involves at least two distinct components: (a) an explicit component that includes intentional strategy use and presumably is driven by target error and (b) an implicit component that updates an internal model without awareness of the learner and presumably is driven by sensory prediction error. Here, we attempted to dissociate these components for speech auditory‐motor learning in AWS versus adults who do not stutter (AWNS). Our formant‐shift auditory‐motor adaptation results replicated previous findings that such sensorimotor learning is limited in AWS. Novel findings are that neither control nor stuttering participants reported any awareness of changing their productions in response to the auditory perturbation and that neither group showed systematic drift in auditory target judgments made throughout the adaptation task. These results indicate that speech auditory‐motor adaptation to formant‐shifted feedback relies exclusively on implicit learning processes. Thus, limited adaptation in AWS reflects poor implicit sensorimotor learning. Speech auditory‐motor adaptation to formant‐shifted feedback lacks an explicit component: Reduced adaptation in adults who stutter reflects limitations in implicit sensorimotor learning.
Plantar flexor muscle stretching depresses the soleus late response but not tendon tap reflexes
Authors: Pulverenti Timothy S. , Trajano Gabriel S. , Kirk Benjamin J. C. , Bochkezanian Vanesa , Blazevich Anthony J. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate changes in muscle spindle sensitivity with early and late soleus reflex responses via tendon taps and transcranial magnetic stimulation, respectively, after an acute bout of prolonged static plantar flexor muscle stretching. Seventeen healthy males were tested before and after 5 min (5 × 60‐s stretches) of passive static stretching of the plantar flexor muscles. Maximal voluntary isometric torque and M wave‐normalized triceps surae muscle surface electromyographic activity were recorded. Both soleus tendon reflexes, evoked by percussion of the Achilles tendon during rest and transcranial magnetic stimulation‐evoked soleus late responses during submaximal isometric dorsiflexion were also quantified. Significant decreases in maximal voluntary isometric plantar flexion torque (−19.2 ± 13.6%, p = .002) and soleus electromyographic activity (−20.1 ± 11.4%, p < .001) were observed immediately after stretching, and these changes were highly correlated (r = 0.76, p < .001). No changes were observed in tendon reflex amplitude or latency or peak muscle twitch torque (p > .05). Significant reductions in soleus late response amplitudes (−46.9 ± 36.0%, p = .002) were detected, although these changes were not correlated with changes in maximal electromyographic activity, torque or tendon reflex amplitudes. No changes in soleus late response latency were detected. In conclusion, impaired neural drive was implicated in the stretch‐induced force loss; however, no evidence was found that this loss was related to changes in muscle spindle sensitivity. We hypothesize that the decrease in soleus late response indicates a stretch‐induced reduction in a polysynaptic postural reflex rather than spindle reflex sensitivity.
The evolutionary dynamics of biological invasions: A multi‐approach perspective
Authors: Sherpa Stéphanie , Després Laurence 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBiological invasions, the establishment and spread of non‐native species in new regions, can have extensive economic and environmental consequences. Increased global connectivity accelerates introduction rates, while climate and land‐cover changes may decrease the barriers to invasive populations spread. A detailed knowledge of the invasion history, including assessing source populations, routes of spread, number of independent introductions, and the effects of genetic bottlenecks and admixture on the establishment success, adaptive potential, and further spread, is crucial from an applied perspective to mitigate socioeconomic impacts of invasive species, as well as for addressing fundamental questions on the evolutionary dynamics of the invasion process. Recent advances in genomics together with the development of geographic information systems provide unprecedented large genetic and environmental datasets at global and local scales to link population genomics, landscape ecology, and species distribution modeling into a common framework to study the invasion process. Although the factors underlying population invasiveness have been extensively reviewed, analytical methods currently available to optimally combine molecular and environmental data for inferring invasive population demographic parameters and predicting further spreading are still under development. In this review, we focus on the few recent insect invasion studies that combine different datasets and approaches to show how integrating genetic, observational, ecological, and environmental data pave the way to a more integrative biological invasion science. We provide guidelines to study the evolutionary dynamics of invasions at each step of the invasion process, and conclude on the benefits of including all types of information and up‐to‐date analytical tools from different research areas into a single framework.
Changes in body composition and low blood urea nitrogen level related to an increase in the prevalence of fatty liver over 20 years: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Imamura Yasushi , Mawatari Seiichi , Oda Kohei , Kumagai Kotaro , Hiramine Yasunari , Saishoji Akiko , Kakihara Atsuko , Nakahara Mai , Oku Manei , Hosoyamada Kaori , Kanmura Shuji , Moriuchi Akihiro , Miyahara Hironori , Akio ido  
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimQualitative body composition (BC) change, characterized by the combination of visceral fat gain and muscle loss, is drawing attention as a risk factor for fatty liver (FL). The present study aimed to describe trends in BC change and its association with FL in the Japanese population.MethodsData from medical checkups carried out on 56 639 Japanese participants every 5 years from 1997 to 2017 were analyzed. Fat mass index (FMI) and fat‐free mass index (FFMI) were calculated using body mass index and body fat percentage. Subjects were divided into two groups according to deviations from the correlation line of FMI and FFMI as the reference: FMI‐predominant BC and FFM‐dominant BC. Fatty liver was determined using abdominal ultrasonography.ResultsThe prevalence of FL significantly increased from 27.3% to 42.7% in men and from 18.0% to 25.5% in women. The prevalence of FMI predominance significantly increased from 33.6% to 43.9% in men and from 29.1% to 47.0% in women. Fat mass index predominance was independently associated with FL in men and women (odds ratio: 1.96 and 1.94, respectively). Serum blood urea nitrogen level was inversely associated with FL in men and women (0.958 and 0.961, respectively) and significantly decreased from 15.8 to 14.9 mg/dl in men and from 15.1 to 14.0 mg/dl in women.ConclusionsIncreasing FMI‐predominant BC and decreasing serum blood urea nitrogen level could account for the increase in the prevalence of FL over 20 years. We believe that these factors stem from current lifestyle habits in Japan.