bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self-reported word-finding complaints are associated with cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid and atrophy in cognitively normal older adults
Authors: Montembeault Maxime , Stijelja Stefan , Brambati Simona M. ,   For the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesSelf-reported language complaints, and more specifically word-finding difficulties, are among the most frequent cognitive complaints in cognitively normal older adults (CN). The clinical significance of elevated self-reported word-finding complaints in CN is still a matter of debate. The present study aims at characterizing word-finding complaints in CN, establish their sociodemographic and psychological correlates, determine if they are predictive of lower levels of cerebrospinal fluid Aβ levels and finally, investigate if they are associated with brain atrophy in regions associated with naming impairments.MethodsIn this observational case-control study, 239 CN from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database were selected. All participants completed the self-reported version of the Everyday Cognition (ECog) questionnaire, as well as a lumbar puncture for Aβ and a MRI.ResultsWord-finding complaints were rated equally severe as a few other memory items and significantly more severe compared to all the other cognitive complaints. Ecog-Lang1 (Forgetting the names of objects) was not related to any demographic (age, sex, years of education) or psychological variable (depression-related symptoms, anxiety-related symptoms), while Ecog-Lang3 (Finding the right words to use in a conversation) was significantly negatively associated with years of education and positively associated with depression-related symptoms. Ecog-Lang1 severity significantly predicted CSF Aβ levels in CN, and this result remained significant even when controlling for all demographic and psychological variables as well as general level of cognitive complaint. Individuals with high Ecog-Lang1 complaints showed atrophy in the left fusiform gyrus and the left rolandic operculum in comparison to CN with no or low Ecog-Lang1 complaints.DiscussionOverall, our results support the fact that word-finding complaints are significant in CN and should be taken seriously. They have the potential to identify CN at risk of AD and support the need to include other cognitive domains in the investigation of subjective cognitive decline.
Modulation of a Stable Neurobehavioral Trait Using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: A Preregistered Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Faerman Afik , Bishop James H. , Stimpson Katy H. , Phillips Angela , Gülser Merve , Amin Heer , Nejad Romina , DeSouza Danielle D. , Geoly Andrew D. , Kallioniemi Elisa , Jo Booil , Williams Nolan R. , Spiegel David 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTHypnotizability, one’s ability to experience cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical changes in response to suggestions in the context of hypnosis, is a highly stable trait associated with increased functional connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). We conducted a preregistered, triple-blinded, randomized controlled trial to test the ability of continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) over a personalized neuroimaging-based L-DLPFC target to temporarily enhance hypnotizability. We tested our hypothesis in 78 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), a functional pain disorder for which hypnosis has consistently been shown to be beneficial as a nonpharmacological treatment option. Pre-to-post cTBS change in Hypnotic Induction Profile scores (HIP; a standardized measure of hypnotizability) was significantly greater in the Active versus Sham group. Our findings suggest a causal relationship between L-DLPFC and dACC function and hypnotizability. Dose-response optimization should be further examined to formalize guidelines for future clinical utilization.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT02969707
Rivaroxaban is Comparable to Warfarin in Prevention of Thromboembolism in Patients with Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrillation with Valvular Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Baral Nischit , Katel Anjan , Adhikari Govinda , Khan Mahin R. , Khan Hafiz M. W. , Rauniyar Rohit , Akanbi Maxwell , Malik Bilal , Ahmad Muhammad , Khan Ashiya , Abdelazeem Basel , Savarapu Pramod , Isa Sakiru O. , Kunadi Arvind , Sud Parul , Changezi Hameem U. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractObjectivesWhile the use of novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) has been approved in the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), we are lacking studies on individual NOACs in NVAF with valvular heart disease (VHD) including bio-prosthetic valve and valve repair. We aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban compared to warfarin in prevention of thromboembolism in patients with NVAF with VHD.MethodsWe searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE including only RCTs and Cohort studies from inception till April 2021. Eligible studies compared rivaroxaban with warfarin in patients with NVAF with VHD. We excluded patients with valvular AF. We used Review Manager (version 5.4, Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK) applying the Mantel-Haenszel test and followed PRISMA guidelines. Risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a random-effects method and heterogeneity using I squared test.ResultsWe had total of 23136 participants in both groups. Our results showed stroke and systemic thromboembolism in 88 of 4258 (2.06%) patients in the rivaroxaban group compared to 351 of 18878 (1.85%) patients in the warfarin group (RR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.55, 1.06; heterogeneity I2 = 35%, P = 0.10), major bleeding in 247 of 4258 (5.8%) patients in the rivaroxaban group compared to 270 of 18879 (1.4%) patients in the warfarin group (HR 1.68; 95% CI, 0.59, 4.77; heterogeneity I2 = 97%) and intracranial hemorrhage in 24 out of 2583 (0.9%) patients in the rivaroxaban group compared to 35 of 2160 (1.6%) in warfarin group (HR 0.49; 95% CI, 0.16, 1.56; heterogeneity I2 = 70%).ConclusionsOur results show that rivaroxaban is comparable to warfarin in prevention of stroke and systemic thromboembolism in patients with NVAF with VHD. Rivaroxaban is also comparable to warfarin in bleeding risks in these patients.REGISTRATION NUMBERCRD42021222490
Confidence in government and rumors amongst international migrant workers involved in dormitory outbreaks of COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey
Authors: Tan Edina YQ , Albarazi Dalia , Saw Young Ern , Buvanaswari P , Doshi Kinjal , Liu Jean CJ 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, confidence in the government and access to accurate information have been critical to the control of outbreaks. Although outbreaks have emerged amongst communities of international migrant workers worldwide, little is known about how they perceive the government’s response or their exposure to rumors.MethodsBetween 22 June to 11 October 2020, we surveyed 1011 low-waged migrant workers involved in dormitory outbreaks within Singapore. Participants reported their confidence in the government; whether they had heard, shared, or believed widely-disseminated COVID-19 rumors; and their socio-demographics. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with confidence and rumor exposure.Results1 in 2 participants (54.2%, 95% CI: 51.1-57.3%) reported that they believed at least one COVID-19 rumor. This incidence was higher than that observed in the general population for the host country (Singapore). Nonetheless, most participants (90.0%, 95% CI: 87.6-91.5%) reported being confident that the government could control the spread of COVID-19. Age was significantly associated with belief in rumors, while educational level was associated with confidence in government.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that language and cultural differences may limit the access that migrant workers have to official COVID-19 updates. Correspondingly, public health agencies should use targeted messaging strategies to promote health knowledge within migrant worker communities.
Comparing genome-based estimates of relatedness for use in pedigree-based conservation management
Authors: Hauser Samantha , Galla Stephanie J. , Putnam Andrea S. , Steeves Tammy E. , Latch Emily K. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractResearchers have long debated which estimator of relatedness best captures the degree of relationship between two individuals. In the genomics era, this debate continues, with relatedness estimates being sensitive to the methods used to generate markers, marker quality, and levels of diversity in sampled individuals. Here, we compare six commonly used genome-based relatedness estimators (kinship genetic distance (KGD), Wang Maximum Likelihood (TrioML), Queller and Goodnight (Rxy), Kinship INference for Genome-wide association studies (KING-robust), and Pairwise Relatedness (RAB), allele-sharing co-ancestry (AS)) across five species bred in captivity–including three birds and two mammals–with varying degrees of reliable pedigree data, using reduced-representation and whole genome resequencing data. Genome-based relatedness estimates varied widely across estimators, sequencing methods, and species, yet the most consistent results for known first order relationships were found using Rxy, RAB, and AS. However, AS was found to be less consistently correlated with known pedigree relatedness than either Rxy or RAB. Our combined results indicate there is not a single genome-based estimator that is ideal across different species and data types. To determine the most appropriate genome-based relatedness estimator for each new dataset, we recommend assessing the relative: (1) correlation of candidate estimators with known relationships in the pedigree and (2) precision of candidate estimators with known first-order relationships. These recommendations are broadly applicable to conservation breeding programs, particularly where genome-based estimates of relatedness can complement and complete poorly pedigreed populations. Given a growing interest in the application of wild pedigrees, our results and are also applicable to in-situ wildlife management.
Discovery of a simple two-gene expression biomarker in whole blood predictive of the need for treatment escalation in inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Nowak Jan K. , Kalla Rahul , Adams Alex T. ,   IBD-Character Consortium, Halfvarson Jonas , Satsangi Jack 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackground and aimsThe IBD-Character consortium has recruited large internationally based inception cohorts of treatment-naïve inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, providing a unique resource to derive a simple transcriptome signature in the field of prognostication.MethodsThe discovery cohort (n=160) was recruited in Norway, Sweden and Spain. The replication inception cohort from the United Kingdom (n=97) was followed-up for a mean (±SD) of 350±228 days. Treatment escalation was formally defined as the need for a biologic agent, ciclosporin and/or surgery, instituted for disease flare after initial remission, or colectomy during the index admission for ulcerative colitis. Whole blood RNA was subject to paired-end sequencing. In the discovery cohort a simple procedure was applied, which exploited differences of transcript ratios. The ten top performing ratios were tested using Cox regression models in the validation cohort.ResultsNewly diagnosed IBD patients with high CACNA1E/LRRC42 expression ratio had an increased risk of treatment intensification (validation cohort: HR=19.3, 95%CI 2.6–143.9, p=0.000005; AUC 0.76, 95%CI 0.66–0.86). In 51 patients with CRP < 3.5 mg/L, CACNA1E/LRRC42 still predicted escalation (HR=10.4; 95%CI 1.2-86.5, p=0.007). The second best performing transcript ratio was CACNA1E/CEACAM21 yielding a HR of 10.9 (95%CI 2.5-46.7, p=0.00002) and an AUC of 0.76 (95%CI 0.65-0.86) in the validation cohort.ConclusionTranscriptomic profiling of an IBD inception cohort identified gene expression ratios CACNA1E/LRRC42 and CACNA1E/CEACAM21 as prognostic biomarkers. These were validated in a replication cohort as strongly associated with short- and long-term risk of treatment intensification and may provide valuable information in clinical decision-making.
A Rapid Saliva Test for Monitoring Immune Protection against SARS -CoV-2 and its Variants
Authors: Momyer Victoria SA. , Dixon Samantha , Liu Q. John , Wee Brian , Chen Tiffany Y. , Petropoulos Anna , Sang L. Jessica 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTGiven the ongoing transmission and emergence of SARS-Cov-2 variants globally, it is critical to have a timely assessment on individuals’ immune responses as well as population immunity. Important questions such as the durability of COVID-19 immunity or the efficacy of vaccines require large datasets to generate meaningful insights. However, due to the complexity and relatively high-cost of many immunity assays and the needs for blood-drawing specialists, these assays were mostly limited to small-scale clinical studies. Our work demonstrated the potential of a non-invasive, inexpensive and data-driven solution for large-scale immunity surveillance and for predictive modeling of vaccine efficacy. Combining a proprietary saliva processing method and an ultra-sensitive digital detection technology, we were able to rapidly gather information regarding personalized immune response following infection or vaccination, monitor temporal evolution, and optimize predictive models for variant protection.
WHY SOME HESITATE MORE: CROSS-CULTURAL VARIATION IN CONSPIRACY BELIEFS, BELIEF IN SCIENCE, AND VACCINE ATTITUDES
Authors: Salali Gul Deniz , Uysal Mete Sefa 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundCountries differ in their levels of vaccine hesitancy (a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines), trust in vaccines, and acceptance of new vaccines. In this paper, we examine the factors contributing to the cross-cultural variation in vaccine attitudes, measured by levels of 1) general vaccine hesitancy, 2) trust in vaccines, and 3) COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.MethodsWe examined the relative effect of conspiracy mentality, belief in COVID-19 conspiracies, and belief in science on the above-mentioned vaccine attitudes in the UK (n= 1533), US (n= 1550), and Turkey (n= 1567) through a quota-sampled online survey to match the population for age, gender, ethnicity, and education level.ResultsWe found that belief in COVID-19 conspiracies and conspiracy mentality were the strongest predictors of general vaccine hesitancy across all three countries. Belief in science had the largest positive effect on general vaccine trust and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Although participants in Turkey demonstrated the lowest level of vaccine trust, their belief in science score was significantly higher than participants in the US, suggesting that belief in science cannot explain the cross-cultural variation in vaccine trust. The mean levels of conspiracy mentality and agreement with COVID-19 conspiracies were consistent with the country-level differences in general and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes. Demographic variables did not predict vaccine attitudes as much as belief in conspiracies and science.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that cross-cultural variation in vaccine hesitancy, vaccine trust, and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates are mainly driven by differences in the prevalence of conspiratorial thinking across countries.
Pandemic trends in health care use: From the hospital bed to the general practitioner with COVID-19
Authors: Methi Fredrik , Hernæs Kjersti Helene , Skyrud Katrine Damgaard , Magnusson Karin 
Published: July 2021

AimTo explore whether the acute 30-day burden of COVID-19 on health care use has changed from the beginning to the end of the pandemic.MethodsIn all Norwegians (N=122 699) who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in three pandemic waves (March 1st-July 31st 2020 (1st wave), August 1st-December 31st 2020 (2nd wave), and January 1st-May 31st 2021 (3rd wave)), we studied the age- and sex-specific share of patients (by age groups 1-19, 20-67, and 68 or more) who had: 1) Relied on self-care, 2) used primary care, and 3) used specialist care.ResultsWe find that a remarkably high and stable share (70-80%) of patients with COVID-19 exclusively had contact with primary care in the acute phase, both in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd wave. The mean number of primary care visits ranged between 2 and 4. We also show that the use of specialist care in the acute 30-day phase of COVID-19 has decreased, from 14% being hospitalized at least once during spring 2020, to 4% during spring 2021. The mean number of hospital bed-days decreased significantly for men from the 1st to the 2nd wave (from 13 days, 95% CI=11.5-14.5 to 10 days (9-11) for men aged ≥68 years, and from 11 days (10-12) to 9 days (8-10) for men aged 20-67 years), but not for women.ConclusionCOVID-19 places a continued high demand on the primary care services, and a decreasing demand on the specialist care services.
Gender-Specific Long-Term Prognostic Values of QRS Duration, QT Interval, and QTc from Automated ECG Analysis for Mortality and Adverse Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure
Authors: Zhou Jiandong , Hothi Sandeep S , Kai Chan Jeffery Shi , Lee Sharen , Wong Wing Tak , Kit Leung Keith Sai , Chung Wai Abraham Ka , Jeevaratnam Kamalan , Liu Tong , Tse Gary , Zhang Qingpeng 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundGender-specific prognostic values of electrocardiographic (ECG) measurements in patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) are lacking, which we hence investigated in this study.MethodsPatients admitted to a single tertiary center for HF between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2016 without atrial fibrillation and with at least one baseline ECG were included. Automated ECG measurements were performed. The primary outcomes were all-cause and cardiovascular (CAD) mortality, and the secondary outcomes were stroke, and ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (VA/SCD). The prognostic values of the heart rate, PR segment, QRS duration, PT interval, QT interval, and QTc were assessed. Gender-specific optimal cutoffs of the above measurements were identified with the maximally selected rank statistics approach.ResultsIn total, 2718 patients (median age 77 years; 1302 males) were included with a median follow-up of 4.8 years; the females were significantly older (p<0.0001). Females had higher rates of all-cause (p=0.04) and CAD mortality (p=0.02), while males had higher rates of VA/SCD (p=0.02). Higher heart rate, longer PT interval, wider QRS, and longer QT interval and QTc predicted all-cause mortality in males, while only shorter PR segment, longer QRS duration and QTc predicted the same in females. Longer QRS duration, QT interval, and QTc predicted CAD mortality in males, while longer PT interval, wider QRS and longer QTc predicted the same in females. ECG measurements also predicted the secondary outcomes to different extents depending on genders.ConclusionsSelected ECG measurements have significant gender-specific prognostic value in patients admitted for heart failure.
Markers of immune activation and inflammation in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Peluso Michael J. , Lu Scott , Tang Alex F. , Durstenfeld Matthew S. , Ho Hsi-en , Goldberg Sarah A. , Forman Carrie A. , Munter Sadie E. , Hoh Rebecca , Tai Viva , Chenna Ahmed , Yee Brandon C. , Winslow John W. , Petropoulos Christos J. , Greenhouse Bryan , Hunt Peter W. , Hsue Priscilla Y. , Martin Jeffrey N. , Kelly J. Daniel , Glidden David V. , Deeks Steven G. , Henrich Timothy J. 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDThe biological processes associated with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) are unknown.METHODSWe measured soluble markers of inflammation in a SARS-CoV-2 recovery cohort at early (<90 days) and late (>90 days) timepoints. We defined PASC as the presence of one or more COVID-19-attributed symptoms beyond 90 days. We compared fold-changes in marker values between those with and without PASC using mixed effects models with terms for PASC and early and late recovery time periods.RESULTSDuring early recovery, those who went on to develop PASC generally had higher levels of cytokine biomarkers including TNF-alpha (1.14-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.28, p=0.028) and IP-10 (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 1.01-1.62, p=0.038). Among those with PASC, there was a trend toward higher IL-6 levels during early recovery (1.28-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI 0.98- 1.70, p=0.07) which became more pronounced in late recovery (1.44-fold higher mean ratio, 95%CI: 1.11-1.86, p<0.001). These differences were more pronounced among those with a greater number of PASC symptoms.CONCLUSIONSPersistent immune activation may be associated with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19. Further characterization of these processes might identify therapeutic targets for those experiencing PASC.
Language models enable zero-shot prediction of the effects of mutations on protein function
Authors: Meier Joshua , Rao Roshan , Verkuil Robert , Liu Jason , Sercu Tom , Rives Alexander 
Published: July 2021

AbstractModeling the effect of sequence variation on function is a fundamental problem for understanding and designing proteins. Since evolution encodes information about function into patterns in protein sequences, unsupervised models of variant effects can be learned from sequence data. The approach to date has been to fit a model to a family of related sequences. The conventional setting is limited, since a new model must be trained for each prediction task. We show that using only zero-shot inference, without any supervision from experimental data or additional training, protein language models capture the functional effects of sequence variation, performing at state-of-the-art.
An energy-dissipative state of the major antenna complex of plants
Authors: Bru Pierrick , Steen Collin J. , Park Soomin , Amstutz Cynthia L. , Sylak-Glassman Emily J. , Lam Lam , Fekete Agnes , Mueller Martin J. , Longoni Fiamma , Fleming Graham R. , Niyogi Krishna K. , Malnoë Alizée 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPlants and algae are faced with a conundrum: harvesting sufficient light to drive their metabolic needs while dissipating light in excess to prevent photodamage, a process known as non-photochemical quenching. A slowly relaxing form of energy dissipation, termed qH, is critical for plants’ survival under abiotic stress. Here, we tested whether we could isolate photosynthetic subcomplexes (from plants in which qH was induced) that would remain in an energy-dissipative state. Interestingly chlorophyll fluorescence lifetimes were decreased by qH in isolated major trimeric antenna complexes, providing a natively quenched complex with physiological relevance to natural conditions. Next, we monitored the changes in thylakoid pigment, protein or lipid content of antenna with active or inactive qH, and no evident differences were detected. Finally, we investigated whether specific antenna subunits of the major antenna were required for qH but found it insensitive to trimer composition. Because qH can occur in the absence of specific xanthophylls, and no changes in pigments were detected, we propose that the energy-dissipative state reported here may stem from chlorophyll-chlorophyll excitonic interaction.