bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novel placement method of a calibration‐free pH capsule for continuous wireless measurement of intragastric pH in horses
Authors: Hodgson Evelyn , Thirouin Marthe , Narayanan Pranav , Romano Tallia‐Rume , Wise Jessica , Bond Stephanie 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundCurrent methods to measure intragastric pH in horses have limitations. A wireless capsule has been designed for continuous esophageal pH monitoring in humans.ObjectivesTo (1) determine the feasibility and describe the methodology of measuring intragastric pH wirelessly in horses; and (2) determine attachment duration of the capsules.AnimalsEleven healthy adult horses.MethodsCapsules were attached to squamous and glandular gastric mucosa under gastroscopic guidance, using suture loops and 1 to 4 hemostasis clips. pH was continuously recorded using a wireless recorder in both fed and fasted states. Gastroscopy was performed daily to assess capsule attachment and any mucosal damage. Data were analyzed using commercially available software. Values are reported as median (interquartile range).ResultsCapsules were successfully placed and data obtained in squamous (n = 11) and glandular (n = 7) regions. The overall duration of squamous capsule attachment was 27 hours (15‐32); 1 clip (n = 4) was 15 hours (11‐20), 2 clips (n = 2) was 20 hours (16‐23), 3 clips (n = 4) was 32 hours (30‐32), and 4 clips (n = 1) was 33 hours. The overall duration of glandular capsule attachment was 10 hours (8‐21); 1 clip (n = 2) was 11 hours (10‐13), 2 clips (n = 2) was 19 hours (14‐23), 3 clips (n = 2) was 7 hours (7‐8), and 4 clips (n = 1) was 158 hours. There was no substantial damage to the gastric mucosa as a consequence of attachment.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThis novel technique enables the wireless measurement of intragastric pH in horses at known locations under fed and fasted conditions, providing a viable alternative for continuous monitoring in both research and clinical scenarios.
The role of macroautophagy in substance use disorders
Authors: Yu Zhaoying , Lin Shujun , Gong Xinshuang , Zou Zhiting , Yang Xiangdong , Ruan Yuer , Qian Liyin , Liu Yu , Si Zizhen 
Published: December 2024

AbstractMacroautophagy, a universal cellular process, sends cellular material to lysosomes for breakdown and is often activated by stressors like hypoxia or drug exposure. It is vital for protein balance, neurotransmitter release, synaptic function, and neuron survival. The role of macroautophagy in substance use disorders is dual. On one hand, substances like cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, and alcohol can activate macroautophagy pathways to degrade various neuroinflammatory factors in neuronal cells, providing a protective function. On the other hand, long‐term and excessive use of addictive substances can inhibit macroautophagy pathways, obstructing the fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes and losing the original protective function. This review first summarizes the key proteins and signaling pathways involved in macroautophagy, including mTORC1, AMPK, and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and suggests that the regulation of macroautophagy plays a central role in drug‐rewarding behavior and addiction. Second, we focus on the interactions between macroautophagy and neuroinflammation induced by drugs, evaluating the potential of macroautophagy modulators as therapeutic strategies for substance use disorder (SUD), and identifying autophagy‐related biomarkers that can be used for early diagnosis and monitoring of treatment response. Our review summarizes the important scientific basis involved in macroautophagy pathways for the development of new therapies for SUD.
PALAEOLITHIC MAP ENGRAVED FOR STAGING WATER FLOWS IN A PARIS BASIN SHELTER
Authors: Thiry Médard , Milnes Anthony 
Published: December 2024

SummaryThe Ségognole 3 shelter lies within a quartzitic sandstone megaclast in a lag deposit in the Paris Basin. It displays a female sexual configuration associated with a horse engraving, stylistically attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic. Recent studies have demonstrated that modifications to the natural features of the shelter had been undertaken to cause water to flow through what is seen as the vulva. New investigations reported here describe additional modifications to natural features in the shelter to direct rainwater infiltration to a network of channels engraved onto the shelter floor to form a functioning representation of watercourses. The carved motifs and their relationship with natural features in the sandstone of the shelter can be compared with major geomorphological features in the surrounding landscape. The engraved floor is not quite a map but more like a model in miniature of the surrounding landscape, potentially a world‐first 3D‐model of a Palaeolithic territory.
Lacanian realism: Literatura de la crisis and Ángel Zapata's aesthetic of failure
Authors: Veiga‐Expósito Alejandro 
Published: December 2024

AbstractSince Spain's socio‐economic crisis of the 2010s, critical approaches have analysed the surge in literature which addresses the crisis's political and socio‐economic consequences. These approaches have largely assessed literature by its capacity to raise readers' awareness of capitalist exploitation. However, if we follow Slavoj Žižek's claim that capitalist ideology operates not by hiding its exploitation process but by cynically disavowing it, this raises the question: how can the role of literature be to raise readers' awareness if they are already cynically aware of capitalist exploitation? To explore whether this question of cynicism is applicable to Spanish politics and literature, I contend that Ángel Zapata's book Luz de tormenta (2018) proposes an aesthetic experience in which no awareness is raised. Rather, following a Lacanian theory of subjectivity, I argue that through Zapata's book readers experience subjectivity as inherently lacking, thereby interrupting the process by which capitalism perpetuates itself (its promise to fill that lack).
New Immunosuppressants in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation: What's in the Pipeline for Kids?
Authors: Tönshoff Burkhard , Patry Christian , Fichtner Alexander , Höcker Britta , Böhmig Georg A. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTThe 1‐ and 5‐year patient and graft survival rates of pediatric kidney transplant recipients have improved considerably in recent years. Regardless of early success, kidney transplantation is challenged by suboptimal long‐term allograft and patient survival. Many kidney transplants are lost due to immune (rejection) and nonimmune allograft injuries, and patient survival is limited from cardiovascular disease, infection, and malignancy. Many of these co‐morbidities are due to side effects of the currently available immunosuppressive drugs, especially calcineurin inhibitors and glucocorticoids, which are associated with long‐term toxicity. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop new, more specific and less toxic immunosuppressive drugs. Unfortunately, there have also been no new drug approvals for adult kidney transplant recipients since belatacept in 2012, leaving the immunosuppressive drug armamentarium unchanged for more than 20 years. As a consequence of the lack of innovation in adult kidney transplant recipients, the pipeline of novel immunosuppressive agents for pediatric solid organ transplant recipients is also limited. The most promising agent in the near future, at least for adolescent patients, appears to be belatacept, despite its many limitations. In this review article, we report on three areas that appear to be the most relevant topics at this time: (i) extended‐release tacrolimus, (ii) costimulation blockade with belatacept, and (iii) treatment of antibody‐mediated rejection. Improved synergies between the pharmaceutical industry and the transplant community are needed to achieve the ultimate goal of improving long‐term outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation.
Subjective health complaints and life satisfaction in older adults: the predictive role of geriatric depression
Authors: Başcıllar Mehmet , Karakaya Cihangir 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundGiven the growing number of older adults, it is crucial to understand geriatric depression and to determine the impact of depression on well‐being and health. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive effect of geriatric depression on subjective health complaints and life satisfaction in older adults.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study was carried out in two family health centres in a city centre in the northwest of Türkiye. The sample consisted of 257 older adults. Structural equation modelling path analysis was utilised to examine the extent to which geriatric depression predicted subjective health complaints and life satisfaction among older adults.ResultsThe study found that geriatric depression was a predictor of both subjective health complaints and life satisfaction. Results showed that as geriatric depression scale score increased, subjective health complaints also increased (Std. β = 0.470, P < 0.001), while life satisfaction decreased (Std. β = −0.573, P < 0.001).ConclusionGeriatric depression is a complex health issue that biopsychosocially affects older adults. The findings of this study highlight the importance of identifying, diagnosing, and treating depression in older adults.
Understanding the Crucial Role of Seminal Plasma Exosomes in Bull Fertility: A Review
Authors: Sethi Manisha , Mohanty Tushar Kumar , Shah Nadeem , Bhakat Mukesh , Kumar Nishant , Baithalu Rubina Kumari 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTBull fertility is a multi‐factorial trait and is affected by many factors, such as nutrition, genetics, and epigenetics. Superior quality male germplasm with high genetic merit helps to improve the livestock production trait. To achieve the target of livestock production, the availability of superior male germplasm is a great concern. In developing countries, there is a gap between the highly fertile frozen semen doses produced and the highly fertile frozen semen doses required. Improving the quality of existing low‐fertile semen from high genetic merit bulls seems to play a promising role in filling this gap. Seminal exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by the epithelial cells of the testis, epididymis, and accessory sex glands such as the prostate gland. They contain a cargo of bioactive molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids and various metabolites. These molecules are transferred to the spermatozoa during its maturation and help in sperm capacitation, maturation, acrosome reaction, and fertilisation. Studies reveal that seminal exosomes help to improve the sperm functionality of low‐quality sperm. Identification of the molecular profile of exosomes of bulls with proven fertility and their addition in an extender containing low‐fertile semen may help to ameliorate the sperm quality of low‐fertile semen, which may eventually aid in generating quantities of highly fertile ejaculates.
Influence of HLA‐G 3′ Untranslated Region Haplotypes and SNP +3422 Gene Variants as Host Genetic Factors on the Outcomes of SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection During Acute and Post‐Acute Phases in a German Cohort
Authors: Rohn Hana , Elischer Fynn , Larbig Louisa , Jansen Sarah , Schramm Sabine , Otte Mona , Konik Margarethe , Paniskaki Krystallenia , Weber Peter , Reinold Johanna , Gäckler Anja , Krawczyk Adalbert , Wilde Benjamin , Trilling Mirko , Michita Rafael T. , Möhlendick Birte , Siffert Winfried , Brenner Thorsten , Dinse Hannah , Skoda Eva M. , Horn Peter A. , Witzke Oliver , Rebmann Vera 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTHLA‐G, an important immune‐checkpoint (IC) molecule that exerts inhibitory signalling on immune effector cells, has been suggested to represent a key player in regulating the immune response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Type 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). Since specific single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the HLA‐G 3′untranslated region (UTR), which arrange as haplotypes, are crucial for the regulation of HLA‐G expression, we analysed the contribution of these genetic variants as host factors in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection during acute and post‐acute phases. HLA‐G gene polymorphisms in the 3′UTR were investigated by sequencing in an unvaccinated Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) cohort during acute SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (N = 505) and in the post‐acute phase (N = 253). The HLA‐G 3′UTR haplotype known as UTR‐3 (p = 0.002) and the variant rs17875408 (also known as +3422) T variant (p = 0.004) are independent prognostic risk factors for fatal COVID‐19. The +3422T variant (p = 0.006) predicted also the early loss of neutralising SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies. In addition, the HLA‐G 3′UTR haplotype UTR‐7 (p = 0.023) emerged as an independent prognostic factor for increased susceptibility to Long‐COVID symptoms after SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Our study highlights that due to the variability of the 3′UTR genetic background, HLA‐G has the potential to contribute to the progression of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, extending to the development of Long‐COVID symptoms, despite the likely alterations in the microenvironment and associated HLA‐G‐specific regulatory elements over the course of the disease. By spotlighting HLA‐G, the importance of the genetic background of IC and their pivotal role in modulating immune responses during and after COVID‐19 are emphasised.
Experiences of Simulated Phone Death Notification
Authors: Murtha Tanya D. , Johnson Rachel R. , Ellman Matthew S. , Martin Andrés S. , Morrison Laura J. , Talwalkar Jaideep S. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundPhysicians perform many difficult skills, but notifying loved ones about the death of a family member is a particularly challenging skill that requires specific training. Descriptions of such training are lacking in the literature. We developed a formative standardised patient encounter on death notification over the telephone for fourth‐year medical students and evaluated their qualitative perspectives, including emotional safety.ApproachEmbedded within a fourth‐year advanced communication skills workshop in 2019, a case was introduced to practice telephone death notification. Students had a preparatory didactic lesson, received formative peer feedback, and participated in faculty‐led debriefs.EvaluationEighty‐eight medical students at one medical school in the United States participated in debriefing sessions after a communication skills workshop during the fourth‐year capstone course. The debriefing sessions were audio‐recorded and transcribed. Fifty‐seven of those students completed postsession surveys. Transcripts and surveys were qualitatively analysed using content analysis to code responses, extract salient categories, and distil into themes. Three general themes emerged: communication challenges, emotional responses, and appreciation for the experience. Communication challenges included using language about death, experiences of silence, complications of distance and driving, and communication by phone. Students described the case as “challenging,” “uncomfortable,” “intense,” and “emotional.” Despite these strong feelings, students expressed appreciation for the experience, noting appropriateness of the preparation and debrief, a sense of safety, and realistic encounters.ImplicationsTelephone death notification training was a valued, realistic, and emotionally safe experience. Students felt appropriately challenged, but adequately supported. These skills can be included in formative communication skills curricula.
How to … Overcome Challenges in Implementing Escape Rooms in Medical Education
Authors: Lim Iris 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTEscape rooms have emerged as a dynamic educational tool in medical education, offering immersive experiences that foster critical thinking, teamwork and practical skills. Despite their potential, the implementation of escape rooms faces significant challenges, including resource limitations, curricular integration and ensuring educational effectiveness. This paper presents practical tips to address these challenges, covering aspects such as securing resources, designing scalable and inclusive activities, leveraging technology and evaluating educational outcomes. These tips provide educators with a comprehensive guide to navigate the complexities of integrating escape rooms into medical curricula successfully. By adopting these strategies, educators can enhance the learning experience, making escape rooms a valuable component of medical education that prepares students for the complexities of healthcare practice.
Can I Phone a Friend? Exploring the Use of Digital Devices in Clinical Exams
Authors: Gillespie Hannah , Reid Helen , Cullen Kathy 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundObjective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are used globally to assess health professional learners' clinical skills and applied knowledge. Despite innovations with simulated participants, manikin technology and real patient involvement, there remains a gap between ‘real‐life’ practice and ‘OSCE experience’. For example, although mobile phone use is increasingly common in clinical practice; however, it would represent a significant disruption to established assessment practices in OSCEs. We aimed to explore student use of mobile phones during OSCE assessment, with a focus on exam security, equity and relevance to practice.MethodsCultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) allows us to conceptualise and analyse complex systems such as those of OSCE assessment. We recruited a range of stakeholders in a UK medical school setting to participate in focus group interviews exploring our stated aim. Transcripts were analysed using CHAT as a theoretical lens to construct an activity system of assessment and identify emerging tensions around the use of a potentially disruptive technology: students' own mobile phones.FindingsSeven examiners, 13 medical students, and two simulated participants participated in three focus groups. Three sources of tension were identified: between the tools of assessment and practice, of exam security and exam relevance, and of medical students as people and professionals.Discussion and ConclusionThis study exemplifies how a seemingly small disruption in a complex system (introducing a mobile phone—a tool used in everyday practice) can help us understand and describe the unwritten rules of assessment.
Mathematical modelling of polyvinyl chloride embedded tin tungsto phosphate composite membrane for industrial water separation
Authors: Siddiqui Salman , Khan Mohammad Mujahid Ali , Rafiuddin  
Published: December 2024

AbstractA novel tin tungstophosphate (TTP) composite ion‐exchange membrane was made with casting a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) by co‐precipitation method. The electrochemical characterization and intermolecular interactions between the components in composite membranes are established by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX), X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) and thermogravimetry differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The membrane potential has been used to characterize the ion‐transport processes across a charged membrane and follow the order: NaCl>KCl > NaNO3 > KNO3.The fixed‐charge density is the primary determinant of transport phenomena in membranes, although additional electrochemical factors augment membrane efficiency. The electrolytes' capacity to transmit charges in a membrane in a certain sequence is influenced by the counterions. The experimental results and the theoretical prediction for membrane potential agree very well. The membrane mentioned above is excellent for separating industrial water.
Pharmacokinetics of ethambutol and weight banded dosing in South African adults newly diagnosed with tuberculosis and HIV
Authors: Ndzamba Bonginkosi , Denti Paolo , McIlleron Helen , Smith Peter , Mthiyane Thuli , Rustomjee Roxana , Onyebujoh Philip , Reséndiz-Galván Juan Eduardo 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT

Ethambutol is used to treat tuberculosis (TB) in individuals living with HIV. Low concentrations of ethambutol have been reported in patients dosed with the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended first-line regimen. We analyzed the pharmacokinetics of ethambutol in 61 HIV-positive individuals diagnosed with drug-sensitive TB enrolled in the tuberculosis and highly active antiretroviral therapy (TB-HAART) study. Participants started on TB treatment and were randomized to early or later introduction of efavirenz-based antiretroviral treatment. We explored potential covariate effects and evaluated the current WHO dosing recommendations for ethambutol in drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB. A two-compartment model with first-order elimination allometrically scaled by fat-free mass and transit compartment absorption best described the pharmacokinetics of ethambutol. Clearance was estimated to be 40.3 L/h for a typical individual with a fat-free mass (FFM) of 42 kg. The Antib-4 formulation had 26% higher bioavailability and slower mean transit time by 37% compared with Rifafour. Simulations showed that individuals in the lower weight bands (<55 kg) who were administered ethambutol at WHO-recommended doses had relatively low drug exposures. These individuals would need doses of 825 mg if their body weight is <37.9 kg and 1,100 mg if it is between 38 and 54.9 kg to achieve the reference maximum concentrations of 2–6 mg/L and an area under the concentration-time curve (0–24) of 16–29 mg·h/L. To achieve these targets in MDR-TB treatment, a dose increment of 400 mg (extra tablet) would be required for individuals in the lower weight band (<46 kg). Our dose adjustments are consistent with the literature and can be recommended for consideration by the WHO for first-line drug-susceptible and MDR-TB treatment.