bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Which factors influence Demodex proliferation? A retrospective pilot study highlighting a possible role of subtle immune variations and sebaceous gland status
Authors: Forton Fabienne M. N. , De Maertelaer Viviane 
Published: May 2021

AbstractDemodex folliculorum and brevis are commensal mites that live in low densities in human pilosebaceous follicles as part of the normal adult microbiota, but that give rise to demodicosis and, possibly, rosacea, when they proliferate excessively. This proliferation is favored by various factors, including age, marked immunosuppression, sebaceous gland hyperplasia, and hypervascularization‐related factors. To study possible factors influencing mite proliferation, we explored the effects of different variables on Demodex densities (Dd) in a retrospective study of two groups of subjects selected on the basis of their clinical diagnosis: Demodex+, consisting of subjects with demodicosis or with centro‐facial papulopustules suggesting rosacea (n = 844, mean Dd 263.5 ± 8.9 D/cm2), and Demodex−, consisting of subjects with other facial dermatoses or healthy facial skin (n = 200, mean Dd 2.3 ± 0.4 D/cm2). Demodex densities were measured using two consecutive standardized skin surface biopsies (SSSB1 [superficial] and SSSB2 [deep]) taken from the same facial site on each subject. In the Demodex+ group: the SSSB1 decreased with age in women (p = 0.004), and the SSSB2 increased with age in men (p = 0.001) (the pattern was similar for SSSB1 + 2, but not statistically significant); Dds were lower in those who had received cortisone (either topically or systemically); 13 subjects (1.5%) had known immunosuppression, 62 (7.3%) had hypothyroidism, and in 20 (3.6% of the women) there was a reported link with pregnancy; 78 of the subjects (9.2%) were part of a pair from the same family or household; when associated bacterial infection was suspected, Staphylococcus epidermidis was often isolated. Our results suggest close interactions between the mite, sebaceous gland size and function, and subtle variations of immune status. Potential factors influencing Demodex proliferation should be further investigated, including hypothyroidism, pregnancy, corticosteroid administration, Staphylococcus epidermidis, contagiousity, and genetic background.
Spring phenological escape is critical for the survival of temperate tree seedlings
Authors: Lee Benjamin R. , Ibáñez Inés 
Published: May 2021

AbstractUnderstorey plants in deciduous forests often rely on access to ephemeral light availability before the canopy closes in spring and after the canopy reopens in fall, a strategy commonly referred to as phenological escape. Although there is evidence for a relationship between understorey plant phenology and demographic performance, a mechanistic link is still missing.In this study, we bridged this gap by estimating annual carbon assimilation as a function of foliar phenology and photosynthetic capacity for seedlings of two temperate tree species that commonly co‐occur across eastern North America. We then modelled the relationship between estimated carbon assimilation and observed seedling survival and growth.Our results indicate that seedlings of both species strongly depend on spring phenological escape to assimilate the majority of their annual carbon budget and that this mechanism significantly affects their likelihood of survival (but not growth). Foliar desiccation also played a strong role in driving patterns of seedling survival, suggesting that water availability will also help shape seedling recruitment dynamics. We found only weak associations between seedling senescence in fall and annual carbon assimilation, suggesting that phenological escape in fall plays a relatively minor role in seedling demographic performance.Our results indicate that spring phenological escape is critical for survival of these temperate tree species, and thus, any changes to this dynamic associated with climate change could strongly impact these species' recruitment.A freePlain Language Summarycan be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
A dormant amoeba species can selectively sense and predate on different soil bacteria
Authors: Shu Longfei , He Zhenzhen , Guan Xiaotong , Yang Xueqin , Tian Yuehui , Zhang Siyi , Wu Chenyuan , He Zhili , Yan Qingyun , Wang Cheng , Shi Yijing 
Published: May 2021

Abstract

Soil protists are the invisible majority of soil eukaryotes, which are essential but often forgotten parts of the soil ecosystem. They play key roles in microbial food webs by predating on other soil microbes. However, it is not clear how dormant soil protists sense, recognize and feed on diverse microbial prey.

In this study, we used a soil amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, to study selective discrimination and predation of 14 different bacteria. We found that discrimination and sensing of prey in D. discoideum started as early as resting spores. Dictyostelium discoideum had higher hatching rates, formed bigger amoeba plaques and preferred high nutritional value bacteria. The feeding speed of amoeba on various bacteria was constant and was not linked with sensing of prey or bacterial nutritional value. We also found that higher bacterial density decreased predation efficiency, and one species, P. fluorescens, induced a strong density‐dependent inhibition of amoeba spore production.

In conclusion, we find that dormant D. discoideum can selectively sense and predate on different soil bacteria, a process that is likely mediated through active amoeba preference as well as bacterial inhibition. This study provides new insights into the role of protists in shaping soil bacterial communities, and future study needs to assess this in natural soil environments.
Disentangling the influence of water limitation and simultaneous above and belowground herbivory on plant tolerance and resistance to stress
Authors: Mundim Fabiane M. , Vieira‐Neto Ernane H. M. , Alborn Hans , Bruna Emilio M. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract

Plants face multiple biotic and abiotic stressors simultaneously. Many species can tolerate and resist stress, but countermeasures differ between roots and leaves. Since herbivores and environmental conditions modulate costs and benefits of plant defence traits, stress responses are context‐dependent. We examined whole‐plant tolerance and resistance responses to individual and combined effects of above and belowground herbivory under variable water conditions.

We manipulated water availability and access by two common herbivores (Spodoptera exigua caterpillars and Meloidogyne incognita nematodes) to Solanum lycocarpum. Plants were either watered based on historical regional averages or the 30% reduction predicted by IPCC studies. Herbivory treatments included isolated above (AG) and belowground (BG) attacks, simultaneous (AGBG) attacks and no‐herbivory controls. We then parameterized generalized linear mixed‐effects models with data on plant survival, leaf and root biomass accumulation, root complexity and terpenoid concentration.

Foliar herbivory increased terpenoid concentrations in roots relative to no‐herbivory plants under control water but decreased concentrations in both roots and leaves under drought. Similarly, root feeders increased concentrations of terpenoids in leaves under control water but decreased concentrations only in roots under drought. Plants challenged with AGBG herbivory had greater whole‐plant biomass (i.e. tolerance) and lower total concentrations of defensive compounds (i.e. resistance) than plants exposed to no‐herbivore controls, regardless of water conditions. Importantly, the capacity of plants to grow or produce terpenoids changes when herbivory level is considered. In plants exposed to AGBG herbivory, greater nematode infection was related to decreases in whole‐plant biomass and marginal increases in total terpenoid concentration. Ultimately, accounting only for individual AG and BG responses would have led to different conclusions and underestimated the magnitude of S. lycocarpum's compensatory responses. A ‘whole‐plant’ approach revealed that belowground herbivory is the primary driver of tolerance in plants surviving moderate water stress.

Synthesis. Whole‐plant responses to stress in variable environments are complex, and their comprehensive understanding requires accounting for belowground herbivores and root responses.
Inequality and the Chinese elite: Between international convergence and national divergence
Authors: Segal Paul 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper considers the position of the Chinese elite in both national and international contexts. I show that the Chinese elite has converged with the global elite in terms of their incomes, and that many senior Chinese executives are at least as well paid as their counterparts in rich countries. Their insertion into the global elite is further demonstrated by their increasing participation in the World Economic Forum. But this international convergence has been mirrored by national divergence: economic inequality has risen within China, extending the distance between elites and the rest of the population. I show that for top income groups, the relative cost of employing a median wage worker for their personal service has plummeted, increasing their entitlements over labor and thus their capacity to dominate their compatriots. This has been accompanied by a dramatic rise in the reliance of the elite on domestic workers, a traditional symbol of social inequality. Thus the convergence of Chinese elites with their international counterparts has gone hand in hand with both rising economic inequality and rising social inequality within China.
Lives on track? Long‐term earnings returns to selective school placement in England and Denmark
Authors: Birkelund Jesper Fels , Capsada‐Munsech Queralt , Boliver Vikki , Karlson Kristian Bernt 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWe explore the influence of between‐school ability placement at lower secondary education on earnings across the life course in England and Denmark. We go beyond the mid‐career snapshot provided by previous studies by exploiting the availability of four decades worth of earnings data for individuals born in the mid‐1950s. Members of this cohort who were judged to be among the most academically able attended grammar schools in England (19%) and advanced secondary schools (Realskole) in Denmark (51%) prior to the start of comprehensivization. This key difference makes England and Denmark interesting cases for comparison, not least since pro‐selection policies have re‐emerged in England based on the claim that grammar schools lead to better educational and labor market outcomes. Our analysis of the influence of selective school placement on earnings finds little support for this contention. We find that those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were strikingly under‐represented in schools ear‐marked for higher ability pupils in both countries, even after taking into account social class differences in measured ability. Our analysis for England finds only modest earnings returns to attending a grammar school, totalling just £39,000 across the life course, while in Denmark the lifetime earnings returns to attending Realskole are somewhat larger (£194,000). Because those from advantaged backgrounds were substantially over‐represented at grammar schools and Realskoles, these returns accrue disproportionately to pupils from more advantaged backgrounds. Lower secondary school placement in Denmark accounts for 40% of the intergenerational reproduction of socioeconomic advantage and disadvantage, more than half of which is due to selection into school types based on socioeconomic background rather than measured ability. Our findings question the wisdom of expanding grammar schools when they appear to do little to improve individuals’ earnings or increase social mobility.
Acupuncture reduces cocaine psychomotor responses by activating the rostromedial tegmental nucleus
Authors: Chang Suchan , Fan Yu , Lee Soo Min , Ryu Yeonhee , Lee Bong Hyo , Kim Sang Chan , Bills Kyle B. , Steffensen Scott C. , Yang Chae Ha , Kim Hee Young 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons, has emerged as an integral player in both rewarding and nociceptive responses. While previous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture modulates DA transmission in the mesolimbic reward system originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and can reduce drug self‐administration, the central links between peripheral acupuncture signals and brain reward systems are not well‐characterized. Thus, we hypothesised that acupuncture would elicit inhibitory signals from RMTg neurons to brain reward systems. Acupuncture reduced acute cocaine‐induced locomotor activity and DA release in a point‐specific manner, which was blocked by optogenetic silencing or chemical lesion of the RMTg. The acupuncture effect was mimicked by chemical activation of the RMTg. Acupuncture activated RMTg GABA neurons. In addition, the inhibitory effects of acupuncture on acute cocaine‐induced locomotor activity were prevented by electrolytic lesions of the lateral habenula (LHb) or fasciculus retroflexus (FR), areas known to project to the RMTg. These findings suggest that acupuncture recruits the RMTg to reduce the psychomotor responses enhanced by acute cocaine.
Public availability of results of ClinicalTrials.gov‐registered expanded access studies
Authors: Borysowski Jan , Górski Andrzej 
Published: May 2021

AimsExpanded access is the use of investigational treatments outside of clinical trials. Results of expanded access studies provide insights into how investigational treatments work in real‐world settings. The objective of this study was to evaluate public availability of results of expanded access studies.MethodsEligible expanded access studies were identified in ClinicalTrials.gov (CT.gov). Publications matching records of individual studies were searched for in Medline and Embase. In addition, we assessed whether results of the included studies were publicly available from other sources including CT.gov, sponsor web sites and conference proceedings.ResultsAfter median time of 49.5 (interquartile range, 36.7–64.7) months from study completion, the results of 69 out of the 152 included studies (45.39%) were publicly available, either as a journal publication (53 studies; 34.87%) or from other source (16 studies; 10.52%). The percentage of studies whose results were available as a journal publication after 12, 24, 36 and 48 months from study completion was 13.2, 21.1, 33.1 and 35.7%, respectively. The percentage of studies whose results were publicly available from any source (including journal publications) at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months were 19.1, 29.6, 43.2 and 47.5%, respectively.ConclusionResults of a considerable proportion of expanded access studies are not publicly available. In view of the growing importance of real‐world data, sponsors and principal investigators of those studies should always consider making their findings public.
Collectively coping with coronavirus: Local community identification predicts giving support and lockdown adherence during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Stevenson Clifford , Wakefield Juliet R. H. , Felsner Isabelle , Drury John , Costa Sebastiano 
Published: May 2021

The role of shared identity in predicting both ingroup helping behaviour and adherence to protective norms during COVID‐19 has been extensively theorized, but remains largely under‐investigated. We build upon previous Social Identity research into community resilience by testing the role of pre‐existing local community (or ‘neighbourhood’) identity as a predictor of these outcomes, via the mediator of perceived social support. Community residents in the UK completed a longitudinal online survey four months before lockdown (T1;N = 253), one month before lockdown (T2;N = 217), and two months into lockdown (T3;N = 149). The cross‐lagged panel analysis shows that T1 community identification predicts T3 giving and receiving of pandemic‐related support, and that these effects occur via the perception of community support at the second time point (while the alternative pathway from T1 support via T2 identification is non‐significant). Moreover, we show that T1 community identification also directly predicts lockdown adherence at T3. Our findings point to the pivotal role played by community identity in effective behavioural responses to the pandemic, and the need to support and foster community development to facilitate local community resilience as the crisis continues to unfold.
Ferroptosis‐related gene signature predicts prognosis and immunotherapy in glioma
Authors: Wan Rong‐Jun , Peng Wang , Xia Qin‐Xuan , Zhou Hong‐Hao , Mao Xiao‐Yuan 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAimsGlioma is a highly invasive brain tumor, which makes prognosis challenging and renders patients resistant to various treatments. Induction of cell death is promising in cancer therapy. Ferroptosis, a recently discovered regulated cell death, can be induced for killing glioma cells. However, the prognostic prediction of ferroptosis‐related genes (FRGs) in glioma remains elusive.MethodsThe mRNA expression profiles and gene variation and corresponding clinical data of glioma patients and NON‐TUMOR control were downloaded from public databases. Risk score based on a FRGs signature was constructed in REMBRANDT cohort and validated in other datasets including CGGA‐693, CGGA‐325, and TCGA.ResultsOur results demonstrated that the majority of FRGs was differentially expressed among GBM, LGG, and NON‐TUMOR groups (96.6%). Furthermore, the glioma patients with low‐risk score exhibited a more satisfactory clinical outcome. The better prognosis was also validated in the glioma patients with low‐risk score no matter to which grade they were affiliated. Functional analysis revealed that the high‐risk score group was positively correlated with the enrichment scores for immune checkpoint blockade‐related positive signatures, indicating the critical role of glioma immunotherapy via risk score.ConclusionA novel FRGs‐related risk score can predict prognosis and immunotherapy in glioma patients.
Assessment of changes in the ichthyofauna in a tropical reservoir in south‐eastern Brazil: Consequences of global warming?
Authors: Araújo Francisco Gerson , de Azevedo Márcia Cristina Costa , Guedes Gustavo Henrique Soares , Uehara Wagner 
Published: May 2021

AbstractIncreases in temperatures over the last century, more intensively after the eighties, were recorded in several databases for the south‐eastern Brazil. These increases are likely to change fish communities in aquatic systems by decreasing abundances, biomass and sizes of some species more sensitive to climate change. Reservoirs may be particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change, as they isolate previously connected areas limiting fish dispersal and migration, as well as increasing water temperature and thermal stratification. We assessed temporal changes in the abundance and biomass of the ichthyofauna in an isolate reservoir (inflowing waters from small tributaries in a highland region) aiming to associate changes with climate effects over three decades (1990, 2000, 2010). Two abundant native species, a loricariid Loricariichthys castaneus (Castelnau, 1855) and a cichlid Geophagus brasiliensis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824), were selected to assess eventual response to climate changes in their geographical distribution in the Southeast Atlantic Hydrographic Region, considering different carbon emission scenarios using ecological niche models. A decrease in the densities and biomass of the ichthyofauna and of the two selected species were observed in both summer and winter over the three decades, coinciding with increases in temperatures. These decreases were correlated with increases in positive anomalies of temperature, which may be an indicator of climatic changes, although with low explanation of the data variation. The mean size of L. castaneus decreased between the nineties and 2010, whereas no significant trend was found for the size of G. brasiliensis. Our predictions of new area for future adequacy indicated a loss in the distribution area for both species (mainly for G. brasiliensis), considering the most pessimistic scenario for 2050 and 2070, possibly due to climatic changes. Both hydroelectric dams and global warming pose threats to freshwater fish diversity, and both will interact. Changes observed in the fish assemblage over the last decades were essential for an assessment of the consequences of global warming in this type of reservoir combining larger scale studies with future projections.
Astrocyte and glutamate involvement in the pathogenesis of epilepsy in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Dejakaisaya Hattapark , Kwan Patrick , Jones Nigel C. 
Published: May 2021

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) can increase the risk of epilepsy by up to 10‐fold compared to healthy age‐matched controls. However, the pathological mechanisms that underlie this increased risk are poorly understood. Because disruption in brain glutamate homeostasis has been implicated in both AD and epilepsy, this might play a mechanistic role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy in AD. Prior to the formation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, the brain can undergo pathological changes as a result of increased production of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Aβ oligomers. Impairments in the glutamate uptake ability of astrocytes due to astrogliosis are hypothesized to be an early event occurring before Aβ plaque formation. Astrogliosis may increase the susceptibility to epileptogenesis of the brain via accumulation of extracellular glutamate and resulting excitotoxicity. Here we hypothesize that Aβ oligomers and proinflammatory cytokines can cause astrogliosis and accumulation of extracellular glutamate, which then contribute to the pathogenesis of epilepsy in AD. In this review article, we consider the evidence supporting a potential role of dysfunction of the glutamate‐glutamine cycle and the astrocyte in the pathogenesis of epilepsy in AD.
Dynamics of immobility: Capability conversion among aspiring migrants in Pakistan
Authors: Karell Daniel 
Published: May 2021

AbstractWhat are the costs of attempting to migrate internationally for work but being deterred by unexpected changes in states’ policies? Building on recent insights into involuntary immobility, I examine immobility's financial consequences, including how these consequences vary across levels of household wealth. Drawing on an original panel survey of 70 aspiring Pakistani labour migrants and their heads of household, I find that poorer households more often expected to pay to migrate. They also lost the most in financing overseas employment attempts gone awry. I additionally use the findings to specify a dynamic of immobility: “capability conversion”, or the process by which migrants’ capability to migrate at one point in time crashes up against unexpected constraints, thereby affecting their future capability to migrate. Capability conversion helps explain how migratory attempts can lead individuals to becoming more “stuck” over time, and, more generally, helps develop the aspiration‐mobility framework for analysing (im)mobility.