bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Relationship between lean tools and operational and environmental performance by integrated ISM–Bayesian network approach
Authors: Liu Chaochao , Niu Zhanwen , Li Qinglin 
Published: April 2021

PurposeExisting studies suggested that there is a nonlinear relationship between lean production adoption and organizational performance. Lean production adoption is a gradual process, and the application status of lean tools will affect enterprise performance. The existing literature has insufficiently explored the nonlinear relationship of the lean tools application status on operational performance and environmental performance using the same theoretical framework. A combination approach of interpretative structural modeling (ISM) and Bayesian networks was proposed in this paper, which was used to analyze the complex relationship between lean tools application status with operational and environmental performance.Design/methodology/approachISM was used to analyze the inter-relationship of 17 lean tools identified from the lean literature and construct the lean tools structure model providing reference for building Bayesian network. By calculating the prior and conditional probabilities within the lean tools and between the lean tools with the operational and environmental performance, a Bayesian simulation model was constructed and used to analyze the performance outcomes under different lean tools application status.FindingsThe performance simulation result – representing by the probability of three performance levels as good, average and poor – shows inconsistent changes with the changing of lean tools application status. By comparing the changes of operational performance and environmental performance, it can be found that environmental performance is less sensitive to the change of lean tools application status than operational performance.Originality/valueUsing the integrated ISM–Bayesian network approach, the results indicated a nonlinear relationship between lean tools with operational and environmental performance and provided a reference for the exploration of the nonlinear relationship between lean tools and performance. This research further calls for exploring the S-curve relationship between lean tools and environmental performance.
Enthesis lesions are associated with X‐ray progression in psoriatic arthritis
Authors: Macía‐Villa Cristina , Cruz Valenciano Ana , De Miguel Eugenio 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectiveTo analyze the relationship among enthesis ultrasound (US) lesions and radiological structural damage in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients.MethodsConsecutive PsA patients with swelling of at least 1 of the 2nd to 5th metacarpophalangeal joints were included. Clinical and demographic data were collected. The Madrid Sonographic Enthesitis Index (MASEI) was selected to evaluate the enthesis, with its total score and MASEI‐activity and MASEI‐structural damage subscores. The modified Sharp van der Heijde method for PsA and the New York criteria for sacroiliitis were selected to evaluate cumulative bone damage on X‐rays.ResultsTwenty‐seven patients were included. Male gender, older age, longer PsA duration and acute reactant factors were associated with greater bone cumulative damage. Enthesis tendon thickening, enthesophytes, total MASEI and the MASEI‐structural damage subscore showed significant correlations with radiographic peripheral and sacroiliac damage scores. Tendon thickening and enthesophytes were the enthesis lesions more frequently associated with radiographic damage in PsA.ConclusionThe enthesis MASEI score was associated with axial and articular radiographic structural damage in PsA patients. The MASEI‐structural damage subscore correlated better with cumulative bone damage in PsA than the MASEI‐activity subscore.
Infant gut microbiome is enriched with Bifidobacterium longumssp. infantis in Old Order Mennonites with traditional farming lifestyle
Authors: Seppo Antti E. , Bu Kevin , Jumabaeva Madina , Thakar Juilee , Choudhury Rakin A. , Yonemitsu Chloe , Bode Lars , Martina Camille A. , Allen Maria , Tamburini Sabrina , Piras Enrica , Wallach David S. , Looney R. John , Clemente Jose C. , Järvinen Kirsi M. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundGrowing up on traditional, single‐family farms is associated with protection against asthma in school age, but the mechanisms against early manifestations of atopic disease are largely unknown. We sought determine the gut microbiome and metabolome composition in rural Old Order Mennonite (OOM) infants at low risk and Rochester, NY urban/suburban infants at high risk for atopic diseases.MethodsIn a cohort of 65 OOM and 39 Rochester mother‐infant pairs, 101 infant stool and 61 human milk samples were assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbiome composition and qPCR to quantify Bifidobacterium spp. and B. longum ssp. infantis (B. infantis), a consumer of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Fatty acids (FAs) were analyzed in 34 stool and human 24 milk samples. Diagnoses and symptoms of atopic diseases by 3 years of age were assessed by telephone.ResultsAt a median age of 2 months, stool was enriched with Bifidobacteriaceae, Clostridiaceae, and Aerococcaceae in the OOM compared with Rochester infants. B. infantis was more abundant (p < .001) and prevalent, detected in 70% of OOM compared with 21% of Rochester infants (p < .001). Stool colonized with B. infantis had higher levels of lactate and several medium‐ to long/odd‐chain FAs. In contrast, paired human milk was enriched with a distinct set of FAs including butyrate. Atopic diseases were reported in 6.5% of OOM and 35% of Rochester children (p < .001).ConclusionA high rate of B. infantis colonization, similar to that seen in developing countries, is found in the OOM at low risk for atopic diseases.
Targeting 2‐arachidonoylglycerol signalling in the neurobiology and treatment of depression
Authors: Silveira Kennia M. , Wegener Gregers , Joca Sâmia R. L. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe endocannabinoid 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG) is an atypical neurotransmitter synthesized on demand in response to a wide range of stimuli, including exposure to stress. Through the activation of cannabinoid receptors, 2‐AG can interfere with excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission in different brain regions and modulate behavioural, endocrine and emotional components of the stress response. Exposure to chronic or intense unpredictable stress predisposes to maladaptive behaviour and is one of the main risk factors involved in developing mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD). In this review, we describe the molecular mechanisms involved in 2‐AG signalling in the brain of healthy and stressed animals and discuss how such mechanisms could modulate stress adaptation and susceptibility to depression. Furthermore, we review preclinical evidence indicating that the pharmacological modulation of 2‐AG signalling stands as a potential new therapeutic target in treating MDD. Particular emphasis is given to the pharmacological augmentation of 2‐AG levels by monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) inhibitors and the modulation of CB2 receptors.
Exploiting D2 receptor β‐arrestin2‐biased signalling to suppress tumour growth of pituitary adenomas
Authors: Tan Zhoubin , Lei Zhuowei , Yan Zisheng , Ji Xuetao , Chang Xiaoai , Cai Zhi , Lu Liang , Qi Yiwei , Yin Xiumei , Han Xiao , Lei Ting 
Published: April 2021

Background and PurposeDopamine agonists targeting D2 receptor have been used for decades in treating pituitary adenomas. There has been little clear evidence implicating the canonical G protein signalling as the mechanism by which D2 receptor suppresses the growth of pituitary tumours. We hypothesize that β‐arrestin2‐dependent signalling is the molecular mechanism dictating D2 receptor inhibitory effects on pituitary tumour growth.Experimental ApproachThe involvement of G protein and β‐arrestin2 in bromocriptine‐mediated growth suppression in rat MMQ and GH3 tumour cells was assessed. The anti‐growth effect of a β‐arrestin2‐biased agonist, UNC9994, was tested in cultured cells, tumour‐bearing nude mice and primary cultured human pituitary adenomas. The effect of G protein signalling on tumour growth was also analysed by using a G protein‐biased agonist, MLS1547, and a Gβγ inhibitor, gallein, in vitro.Key Resultsβ‐arrestin2 signalling but not G protein pathways mediated the suppressive effect of bromocriptine on pituitary tumour growth. UNC9994 inhibited pituitary tumour cell growth in vitro and in vivo. The suppressive function of UNC9994 was obtained by inducing intracellular reactive oxygen species generation through downregulating mitochondrial complex I subunit NDUFA1. The effects of Gαi/o signalling and Gβγ signalling via D2 receptor on pituitary tumour growth were cell‐type‐dependent.Conclusion and ImplicationsGiven the very low expression of Gαi/o proteins in pituitary tumours and the complexity of the responses of pituitary tumours to G protein signalling pathways, our study reveals D2 receptor β‐arrestin2‐biased ligand may be a more promising choice to treat pituitary tumours with improved therapeutic selectivity.
COVID‐19 in heart transplant recipients—A seroprevalence survey
Authors: Patel Snehal R. , Gjelaj Christiana , Fletcher Rena , Luke Anne , Paschenko Alexandra , Farooq Muhammad , Saeed Omar , Vukelic Sasa , Jorde Ulrich P. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe clinical spectrum of COVID‐19 in heart transplant recipients has not been fully defined, because asymptomatic and sub‐clinical cases are difficult to capture. Seroprevalence surveys are an important tool to identify not just cases that have come to clinical attention, but all previously infected recipients. We performed a seroprevalence survey of the adult heart transplant program at a large New York City Hospital System. A total of 232 (87% of recipients being followed) subjects were tested, of whom 37 (15.9%) were found to be previously infected. This is comparable to the overall rate of prior infection in the NYC metro area. Disease course tended to be more severe than in the general population; however, this was at least partially driven by traditional risk factors of age and comorbidities. Lastly, 9 of 10 recipients who were initially found to be PCR positive subsequently tested positive for antibodies, confirming the ability of this population to mount a humoral response. In conclusion, prevalence of COVID‐19 in heart transplant recipients on immunosuppression was comparable to that in the general population of NYC, and 90% of those with an initially positive viral swab developed antibodies. In those who are infected, disease course tends to be more severe.
Clinicopathological factors and tumor microenvironment markers predicting watch‐and‐wait discontinuation in 82 patients with follicular lymphoma
Authors: Yuda Sayako , Miyagi Maeshima Akiko , Taniguchi Hirokazu , Ito Yuta , Hatta Shunsuke , Suzuki Tomotaka , Makita Shinichi , Fukuhara Suguru , Munakata Wataru , Suzuki Tatsuya , Maruyama Dai , Izutsu Koji 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to determine the clinicopathological factors influencing the treatment‐free period in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) using a watch‐and‐wait (WW) strategy.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed histopathological parameters of 82 patients with FL.ResultsThe median time from diagnosis to WW discontinuation was 62 months (range, 3‐138), and median follow‐up was 86 months (range, 3‐183). Intermediate or high‐risk Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score (P = .012), non‐duodenal‐type (P = .011), higher numbers of interfollicular CD4+ (P = .038) and intrafollicular FOXP3+ cells (P = .024) in the tumor microenvironment, and Ki‐67 index ≥10% (P = .031) were significant adverse factors for WW discontinuation in univariate analyses.ConclusionPatients with adverse factors for WW discontinuation should be carefully observed during follow‐up.
Prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection in Wuwei, a high‐risk area for gastric cancer in northwest China: An all‐ages population‐based cross‐sectional study
Authors: Wang Xiaofeng , Shu Xiaochuang , Li Qiang , Li Youpeng , Chen Zhaofeng , Wang Yuping , Pu Ke , Zheng Ya , Ye Yuwei , Liu Min , Ma Lijun , Zhang Zhiyi , Wu Zhengqi , Zhang Fuhua , Guo Qinghong , Ji Rui , Zhou Yongning 
Published: April 2021

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Helicobacter pylori infection across all age groups in Wuwei City, a high‐risk area for gastric cancer in Northwest China.MethodsWe conducted this study from 2016 to 2017 in an urban and a rural community in Wuwei City. Stool antigen tests targeted individuals aged 0 to 3 years old, and 13C‐urea breath tests targeted individuals aged above 3 years. We selected participants based on hierarchical cluster sampling. We assessed the association between variables and H. pylori infection based on logistic regression models.ResultsUltimately, the results of 2,163 participants (age: 0 to 77 years old) were included (1,238 minors and 925 adults) in the analysis. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 35.6%. It increased with age, reaching the peak in the 30 to 39 age group, and then began to decline. In multivariate analysis, age was positively associated with prevalence of H. pylori infection, and factors negatively associated with the prevalence were drinking running water, the frequency of yoghurt consumption, and an annual household income of Renminbi (¥) 30,000–100,000 or 100,000 above. In the subgroup analyses, however, the same variables associated differently in different age groups. Additionally, we interestingly noticed that boarding, eating at school cafeterias over six times per week, and frequently drinking untreated water were independent predictors of H. pylori infection in junior and senior high school students.ConclusionThe prevalence of H. pylori infection is moderate and closely associated with the socioeconomic conditions of Wuwei City, as well as the sanitary situations and dietary habits of the participants in the city. Boarding, eating at school, and drinking untreated water are the main factors explaining the rising infection rate in junior‐senior high school students.
Precocious sexual maturation: Unravelling the mechanisms of pubertal onset through clinical observations
Authors: Soriano‐Guillén Leandro , Tena‐Sempere Manuel , Seraphim Carlos E. , Latronico Ana C. , Argente Jesús 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPuberty is a crucial biological process normally occurring at a specific time during the lifespan, during which sexual and somatic maturation are completed, and reproductive capacity is reached. Pubertal timing is not only determined by genetics, but also by endogenous and environmental cues, including nutritional and metabolic signals. During the last decade, we have learned much regarding the essential roles of kisspeptins and the neuropeptide pathways that converge on these neurones to modulate kisspeptin signalling, as well as neurokinin B and dynorphin, the co‐transmitters of Kiss1 neurones in the arcuate nucleus, and the effects of melanocortins on puberty. Indeed, melanocortins are involved in transmitting the regulatory actions of metabolic cues on pubertal maturation. Intracellular metabolic sensors, such as the AMP‐activated protein kinase and the fuel‐sensing deacetylase SIRT1, have been shown to contribute to puberty. Further understanding of these signals and regulatory circuits will help uncover the intimacies of the central control of puberty, as well as how alterations in metabolic status, ranging from undernutrition to obesity, affect the pubertal process. Precocious puberty is rare and has a clear female predominance. Central precocious puberty (CPP) is diagnosed when premature activation of the hypothalamic‐pituitary axis occurs. Its causes are heterogeneous, with alterations of the central nervous system being of special interest, and with environmental factors also playing a role in some cases. During the last decade, several mutations in different genes (including KISS1, KISS1R, MKRN3 and DLK1) that cause CPP have been discovered. Loss‐of‐function mutations in MKRN3 are the most common monogenic cause of CPP known to date. Here, we review and update what is known regarding the genotype‐phenotype relationship in patients with CPP.
Reinvestment Risk and the Equity Term Structure
Authors: GONÇALVES ANDREI S. 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACTThe equity term structure is downward sloping at long maturities. I estimate an Intertemporal Capital Asset Pricing Model (ICAPM) to show that the trade‐off between market and reinvestment risk explains this pattern. Intuitively, while long‐term dividend claims are highly exposed to market risk, they are good hedges for reinvestment risk because dividend prices rise as expected returns decline, and longer‐term claims are more sensitive to discount rates. In the estimated ICAPM, reinvestment risk dominates at long maturities, inducing relatively low risk premia on long‐term dividend claims. The model is also consistent with the equity term structure cyclicality and the upward‐sloping bond term structure.
The Impact of Surgical Guide Fixation and Implant Location on Accuracy of Static Computer‐Assisted Implant Surgery
Authors: Pessoa Roberto , Siqueira Rafael , Li Junying , Saleh Islam , Meneghetti Priscila , Bezerra Fábio , Wang Hom‐Lay , Mendonça Gustavo 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the accuracy of static computer‐assisted implant surgery (sCAIS) for tooth‐supported free‐end dental implantation with the aid/and without the aid of fixation pins to secure the surgical template through comparison between planned, 3D printed guide position and placement implant position.Materials and MethodsThirty‐two duplicated maxillary resin models were used in the present in vitro study. Digital planning was performed and fabrication of a surgical template that allowed implant placement on the distal extension edentulous site of the model (maxillary left side). A first optical scan was performed after fitting the surgical template on the model to assess the deviation at the surgical guide level. After placing implants in the model using the surgical guide, scan bodies were attached to the implants, and a second scan was performed to record the position of placed implants. The digital representations were later superimposed to the pre‐operative scan and measurements of implant deviations were performed. Global (coronal and apical), horizontal (coronal and apical), depth and angular deviations were recorded between planned implant position, guide position, and placement implant position. Three‐way ANOVA was used to compare implant location (#13, 14, and 15), fixation pin (with or without pin), and guide comparison (planned, guided, and placement).ResultsFinal implant placement based on the digital plan and based on the 3D printed guide were very similar except for depth deviation. Use of fixation pin had a statistically significant effect on the depth and angular deviation. Overall, without fixation pins and based on guide versus placement, mean global coronal (0.88 ± 0.36 mm), horizontal coronal (0.55 ± 0.32 mm), and apical (1.44 ± 0.75 mm), and angular deviations (4.28 ± 2.01°) were similar to deviations with fixation pins: mean global coronal (0.88 ± 0.36 mm); horizontal coronal (0.67 ± 0.22 mm) and apical (1.60 ± 0.69 mm); and angular deviations (4.53 ± 2.04°). Horizontal apical without pins (1.63 ± 0.69 mm) and with fixation pins (1.72 ± 0.70 mm) was statistically significant (p = 0.044). Depth deviation without pins (–0.5 ± 0.5 mm) and with fixation pins (–0.16 ± 0.62 mm) was also statistically significant (p = 0.005). Further analysis demonstrated that the final sleeve position on the 3D printed guide was on average 0.5 mm more coronal than the digital plan.ConclusionsThe use of surgical guides with or without fixation pins can provide clinically acceptable outcomes in terms of accuracy in implant position. There was a statistically significant difference in the accuracy of implant position when utilizing fixation pins only for horizontal apical and depth deviation. Additionally, a statistically significant difference between the planned and the 3D printed surgical guide when considering the sleeve position was detected.
Critical review of sensory texture descriptors: From pureed to transitional foods for dysphagia patients
Authors: Guénard‐Lampron Valérie , Masson Marine , Blumenthal David 
Published: April 2021

AbstractDysphagic people need to change their diet to avoid pain or risk of choking. For example, they can eat texture modified foods (including pureed and transitional foods, that is, food that start with one texture and change into another because of moisture or heating). Simple testing methods proposed by the IDDSI initiative can be performed to characterize texture modified food but these methods are not always relevant for understanding oral texture and mouthfeel properties. Sensory characterization is essential to develop or optimize a food product and to meet consumer's expectations and needs especially for dysphagic persons. However, sensory methods and texture descriptors are complex to target and evaluate for different severity of dysphagia. Sensory texture descriptors can be determined by different methods and assessed in different ways. This review is useful for listing the sensory methods used to generate sensory descriptors to characterize the oral texture of cereal and pureed foods. We found that 55% of the reviewed publications used specific oral texture descriptors and that 17 descriptors could be identified as the most used and relevant for all the products studied (sticky), for pureed (e.g., cohesiveness, floury, and soft) and for cereal‐based foods (e.g., hard, fatty, and crispy). These results should be considered to facilitate the choice of sensory texture descriptors in future studies on pureed and transitional foods such as cereal‐based foods according to the IDDSI level. This review also demonstrates that it is difficult to find a consensus between studies using different evaluation methods for the same descriptor.
The curious case of case study research
Authors: Cleland Jennifer , MacLeod Anna , Ellaway Rachel Helen 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe conceptualisation of ‘good’ medical education research as hypothesis testing to identify universal truths that are generalisable across contexts has been challenged. Joining this conversation, the field of health professions education research is complex and contextual and there are ways of examining and reporting locally based activities and innovations, which can be of general value. This position leads to a focus on case study research (CSR), inquiry bound in time and place that generates thick descriptions and close interpretations to reach explanations. CSR has grown in sophistication in recent years and can inform practice and advance the science of medical and health professions education. The authors evaluated the current state of the science of CSR in the medical education literature by identifying and reviewing 160 papers. Most articles presented as ‘case studies’ were not in fact CSR. Moreover, most articles failed to go beyond a ‘we did this’ account. The authors explore definitions of CSR, and they examine dominant CSR methodologists, Yin, Stake and Merriam, and their respective approaches to CSR. They then set out some of the basic tenets of CSR (case definition, methods of data collection and analysis) and consider the logics of CSR (its structures, purposes, assumptions and symbols). CSR challenges are considered next (such as emic and etic perspectives; ethical complexities; generalisability; quality; and reporting and reflexivity). The authors conclude that context is a mechanism, which needs to be understood, and rigorous CSR provides the structures and criticality to do so, opening up new areas of understanding and inquiry.