bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endovascular treatment of coronary subclavian steal syndrome: a case series highlighting the diagnostic usefulness of a multimodality imaging approach
Authors: Real Carlos , Vivas David , Martínez Isaac , Ferrando-Castagnetto Federico , Reina Julio , Nava-Muñoz Ángel , Serrano Javier , Vilacosta Isidre 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Coronary subclavian steal syndrome (CSSS) is an uncommon complication observed in patients after coronary artery bypass surgery with left internal mammary artery (LIMA) grafts. It is defined as coronary ischaemia due to reversal flow from the LIMA to the left subclavian artery (SA) when a proximal left SA stenosis is present. In practice, the entire clinical spectrum of ischaemic heart disease, ranging from asymptomatic patients to acute myocardial infarction, may be encountered.

Case summary
Three cases of CSSS recently detected at our hospital are being described. Two patients presented with an acute coronary syndrome, so diagnosis was suspected based on coronary angiography findings, as retrograde blood flow from LIMA to the distal SA was present. Myocardial ischaemia was documented by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in one case. The third patient was asymptomatic and CSSS was suspected during physical examination and confirmed by computed tomography (CT). Endovascular intervention with balloon-expandable stent implantation of the stenotic SA was performed by vascular surgeons in all patients. No periprocedural complications occurred, and complete resolution of symptoms was achieved.

Discussion
In CSSS, subclavian angiography is the standard diagnostic test. However, other diagnostic techniques may be valuable to better clarify this challenging diagnosis. In the herein small series, the usefulness of a multimodality imaging approach including Doppler ultrasound, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, and CT is well demonstrated. Furthermore, this study endorses the safety and utility of endovascular treatment in different clinical scenarios, including asymptomatic patients.
Intensive care unit management of percutaneous mechanical circulatory supported patients: the role of imaging
Authors: Montisci Andrea , Bertoldi Letizia F , Price Susanna , Hassager Christian , Møller Jacob , Pappalardo Federico 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The clinical management of patients on Impella support requires multimodality monitoring and imaging. Upon intensive care unit admission, echocardiography is essential to ensure correct pump positioning/guide repositioning, to monitor acute myocardial infarction/device-related cardiac complications and to evaluate baseline left and right ventricular function. Over time, the echocardiographic assessment of myocardial viability has become an essential target for guiding mechanical circulatory support escalation and long-term strategies. The recognition and grading of any valvular dysfunction and damage in Impella patients are challenging, as the device interferes with the colour Doppler signal, and the loading conditions of the left ventricle are modified by the pump. Valvular disease in such patients is often secondary, and correct identification is pivotal for future therapeutic strategies. The emerging use of newer techniques, including speckle-tracking echocardiography, is of increasing interest in the imaging of critically ill patients.
The composition and function ofEnterococcus faecalismembrane vesicles
Authors: Afonina Irina , Tien Brenda , Nair Zeus , Matysik Artur , Lam Ling Ning , Veleba Mark , Jie Augustine Koh Jing , Rashid Rafi , Cazenave-Gassiot Amaury , Wenk Marcus , Wai Sun Nyunt , Kline Kimberly A 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACTMembrane vesicles (MVs) contribute to various biological processes in bacteria, including virulence factor delivery, antimicrobial resistance, host immune evasion and cross-species communication. MVs are frequently released from the surface of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria during growth. In some Gram-positive bacteria, genes affecting MV biogenesis have been identified, but the mechanism of MV formation is unknown. In Enterococcus faecalis, a causative agent of life-threatening bacteraemia and endocarditis, neither mechanisms of MV formation nor their role in virulence has been examined. Since MVs of many bacterial species are implicated in host–pathogen interactions, biofilm formation, horizontal gene transfer, and virulence factor secretion in other species, we sought to identify, describe and functionally characterize MVs from E. faecalis. Here, we show that E. faecalis releases MVs that possess unique lipid and protein profiles, distinct from the intact cell membrane and are enriched in lipoproteins. MVs of E. faecalis are specifically enriched in unsaturated lipids that might provide membrane flexibility to enable MV formation, providing the first insights into the mechanism of MV formation in this Gram-positive organism.
Administering Exclusion: Statelessness, Identity Papers and Narrative Strategy in B. Traven’s Das Totenschiff (1926)
Authors: Mandelbaum Melina Marie 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Once an international best-seller but largely unknown today, B. Traven’s novel Das Totenschiff (The Death Ship) of 1926 presents a scathing critique of state bureaucracy and raises questions about the nature of authority, identity, home, and belonging in communal life. Reading the novel alongside relevant texts from political theory, I examine Traven’s text in the light of the history of bureaucracy and statelessness that surrounded and drove its production. Traven will be shown to provide a compelling critique of modern structures of communal organization, both on the level of content and in his multi-layered, non-linear style which runs counter to the more confined consecutive exposition of traditional forms, such as the biographical novel. By disrupting established ways of narrating the dynamics of individualization and belonging, Das Totenschiff reveals some of the complex elements of bureaucratically administered exclusion, as carried forth in objects such as the passport.
Short Physical Performance Battery as a Crosswalk Between Frailty Phenotype and Deficit Accumulation Frailty Index
Authors: Jung Hee-Won , Baek Ji Yeon , Jang Il-Young , Guralnik Jack M , Rockwood Kenneth , Lee Eunju , Kim Dae Hyun 
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Background
Growing evidence supports the clinical importance of evaluating frailty in older adults, with its strong outcome relevance. We aimed to assess whether the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) correlates with frailty status according to phenotype and deficit accumulation models and can be used as a link between these models.

Methods
We analyzed records of 1064 individuals from the Aging Study of Pyeongchang Rural Area, a population-based, prospective cohort from South Korea. Frailty was determined using the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) phenotype (phenotype model), 26- and 34-item frailty indices (deficit accumulation model). Associations of SPPB score and frailty with a composite outcome of mortality or long-term institutionalization were assessed. Crosswalks for SPPB, the CHS frailty phenotype, and the frailty index were created.

Results
The mean age of the study population was 76.0 years, and 583 (54.8%) were women. According to the CHS phenotype, 26- and 34-item frailty indices, 242 (22.7%), 161 (15.1%), and 280 (26.3%) participants, respectively, had frailty. Sensitivities/specificities for classifying CHS phenotype, 26- and 34-item frailty indices were 0.93/0.55, 0.71/0.84, and 0.80/0.83 by SPPB cut points of ≤9, ≤6, and ≤7, respectively. C-index of SPPB score (0.78) showed a predictive ability for the composite outcome that was comparable to that of CHS frailty phenotype (0.79), 26- (0.78), and 34-item frailty indices (0.79).

Conclusions
We could create a crosswalk linking frailty phenotype and frailty index from correlations between SPPB and frailty models. This result may facilitate clinical adoption of the frailty concept in a broader spectrum of older adults.
Forecasting temporal variation of aftershocks immediately after a main shock using Gaussian process regression
Authors: Morikawa Kosuke , Nagao Hiromichi , Ito Shin-ichi , Terada Yoshikazu , Sakai Shin’ichi , Hirata Naoshi 
Published: March 2021

SUMMARYUncovering the distribution of magnitudes and arrival times of aftershocks is a key to comprehending the characteristics of earthquake sequences, which enables us to predict seismic activities and conduct hazard assessments. However, identifying the number of aftershocks immediately after the main shock is practically difficult due to contaminations of arriving seismic waves. To overcome this difficulty, we construct a likelihood based on the detected data, incorporating a detection function to which Gaussian process regression (GPR) is applied. The GPR is capable of estimating not only the parameters of the distribution of aftershocks together with the detection function, but also credible intervals for both the parameters and the detection function. The property that the distributions of both the Gaussian process and aftershocks are exponential functions leads to an efficient Bayesian computational algorithm to estimate hyperparameters. After its validation through numerical tests, the proposed method is retrospectively applied to the catalogue data related to the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake for the early forecasting of the aftershocks. The results show that the proposed method stably and simultaneously estimates distribution parameters and credible intervals, even within t ≤ 3 hr after the main shock.
A qualitative study on the health-seeking behavior and its determinants among carpet weavers in Kashmir
Authors: Khan Tanveer Ahmad , Farooqi Irfanullah , Swalehin Mohammad , Hamid Wasia 
Published: March 2021

SummaryWe conducted this study to examine the nature of treatment-seeking behavior among carpet weavers in Kashmir. We used a grounded theory approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 35 research participants recruited through purposive and theoretical sampling techniques. Based on the primary data, our study reveals that carpet weavers approached different agencies and used multiple methods for seeking treatment for their illness(es). The majority of the participants relied on spiritual healers, followed by traditional methods, Unani treatment, compounders and self-medication, while modern medicine was the last option for seeking treatment. We also found that participants base their choices about when and where to seek treatment on multiple socio-economic and cultural factors like financial constraints, perception towards illness, no provision for leave, costly and lengthy medical treatment, side effects of modern medicine, the nature of the disease, lack of infrastructure and insecurity due to conflict. These findings are relevant to employers and various government as well as non-government organizations. Additional implications of these findings for carpet weavers, public health, for practice and research are also discussed.
The effects of birth weight and estimated breeding value for protein deposition on nitrogen efficiency in growing pigs
Authors: Van der Peet-Schwering Carola M C , Verschuren Lisanne M G , Bergsma Rob , Hedemann Mette S , Binnendijk Gisabeth P , Jansman Alfons J M 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The effects of birth weight (BiW; low BiW [LBW] vs. high BiW [HBW]) and estimated breeding value (EBV) for protein deposition (low EBV [LBV] vs. high EBV [HBV]) on N retention, N efficiency, and concentrations of metabolites in plasma and urine related to N efficiency in growing pigs were studied. At an age of 14 wk, 10 LBW–LBV (BiW: 1.07 ± 0.09 [SD] kg; EBV: −2.52 ± 3.97 g/d, compared with an average crossbred pig with a protein deposition of 165 g/d), 10 LBW–HBV (BiW: 1.02 ± 0.13 kg; EBV: 10.47 ± 4.26 g/d), 10 HBW–LBV (BiW: 1.80 ± 0.13 kg; EBV: −2.15 ± 2.28 g/d), and 10 HBW–HBV (BiW: 1.80 ± 0.15 kg; EBV: 11.18 ± 3.68 g/d) male growing pigs were allotted to the experiment. The pigs were individually housed in metabolism cages and were subjected to an N balance study in two sequential periods of 5 d, after an 11-d dietary adaptation period. Pigs were assigned to a protein adequate (A) or protein restricted (R, 70% of A) regime in a change-over design. Pigs were fed 2.8 times the energy requirements for maintenance. Nontargeted metabolomics analyses were performed in urine and blood plasma samples. The N retention (in g/d) was higher in the HBW than in the LBW pigs (P &lt; 0.001). The N retention (in g/[kg metabolic body weight (BW0.75) · d]) and N efficiency, however, were not affected by the BiW of the pigs. The N retention (P = 0.04) and N efficiency (P = 0.04) were higher in HBV than in LVB pigs on the A regime but were not affected by EBV in pigs on the R regime. Restricting the dietary protein supply with 30% decreased the N retention (P &lt; 0.001) but increased the N efficiency (P = 0.003). Nontargeted metabolomics showed that a hexose, free amino acids (AA), and lysophosphatidylcholines were the most important metabolites in plasma for the discrimination between HBV and LBV pigs, whereas metabolites of microbial origin contributed to the discrimination between HBV and LBV pigs in urine. This study shows that BiW does not affect N efficiency in the later life of pigs. Nitrogen efficiency and N retention were higher in HBV than in LBV pigs on the A regime but similar in HBV and LBV pigs on the R regime. In precision feeding concepts aiming to further optimize protein and AA efficiency in pigs, the variation in EBV for protein deposition of pigs should be considered as a factor determining N retention, growth performance, and N efficiency.
Maternofetal inflammation induced for 2 wk in late gestation reduced birth weight and impaired neonatal growth and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism in lambs
Authors: Posont Robert J , Cadaret Caitlin N , Beard Joslyn K , Swanson Rebecca M , Gibbs Rachel L , Marks-Nelson Eileen S , Petersen Jessica L , Yates Dustin T 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Intrauterine stress impairs growth and metabolism in the fetus and offspring. We recently found that sustained maternofetal inflammation resulted in intrauterine growth-restricted (MI-IUGR) fetuses with asymmetric body composition, impaired muscle glucose metabolism, and β-cell dysfunction near term. These fetuses also exhibited heightened inflammatory tone, which we postulated was a fetal programming mechanism for the IUGR phenotype. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether poor growth and metabolism persisted in MI-IUGR lambs after birth. Polypay ewes received serial lipopolysaccharide or saline injections in the first 2 wk of the third trimester of pregnancy to produce MI-IUGR (n = 13) and control (n = 12) lambs, respectively. Lambs were catheterized at 25 d of age. β-Cell function was assessed at 29 d, hindlimb glucose metabolism at 30 d, and daily blood parameters from day 26 to 31. Glucose metabolism was also assessed in flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscle isolated at necropsy on day 31. Asymmetric body composition persisted in MI-IUGR neonates, as these lambs were lighter (P &lt; 0.05) than controls at birth and 31 d, but body and cannon bone lengths did not differ at either age. FDS muscles from MI-IUGR lambs were smaller (P &lt; 0.05) and exhibited reduced (P &lt; 0.05) glucose oxidation and Akt phosphorylation but similar glucose uptake compared with controls when incubated in basal or insulin-spiked media. Similarly, hindlimb glucose oxidation was reduced (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR lambs under basal and hyperinsulinemic conditions, but hindlimb glucose utilization did not differ from controls. Circulating urea nitrogen and cholesterol were reduced (P &lt; 0.05), and triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose-to-insulin ratios were increased (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR lambs. Glucose and insulin concentrations did not differ between groups during basal or hyperglycemic conditions. Although circulating monocyte and granulocyte concentrations were greater (P &lt; 0.05) in MI-IUGR lambs, plasma tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) was reduced (P &lt; 0.05). FDS muscle contained greater (P &lt; 0.05) TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and IκBα protein content. These findings indicate that maternofetal inflammation in late pregnancy results in fetal programming that impairs growth capacity, muscle glucose oxidation, and lipid homeostasis in offspring. Inflammatory indicators measured in this study appear to reflect heightened cytokine sensitivity in muscle and compensatory systemic responses to it.
Assessment of DNA Integrity From Trap-Captured Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for Use in a New PCR-Based Diagnostic Tool
Authors: Perkin L C , Oppert B , Duke S , Suh C P-C 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a major pest of commercial cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) in the southern United States and throughout Central and South America. Efforts are underway to develop a PCR-based diagnostic tool that can be used to rapidly and accurately differentiate boll weevils from other weevil species that are commonly captured in pheromone traps. However, the quantity and integrity of weevil DNA must be sufficient for a successful PCR assay. Currently, active eradication programs service traps weekly, but post-eradication programs service traps at 2- or 3-wk intervals. Consequently, captured weevils may be dead, dismembered, and exposed to environmental conditions for prolonged periods which may adversely affect the quantity and quality of weevil DNA. We documented DNA quantity and integrity in boll weevils and weevil body parts aged in traps over a 3-wk period under field conditions. The quantity of DNA extracted from whole weevils, heads, abdomens, and legs generally remained sufficient (&gt; 1 ng/μl) for successful PCR amplification throughout the 21-d period. The integrity (fragment length) of extracted DNA declined over time but generally was sufficient (&gt; 700 bp) for successful amplification. PCR amplification of three marker genes validated that the quality and integrity of DNA extracted from dead weevils and individual weevil body parts aged in traps up to 21 d remained at sufficient levels for the PCR-based assay. However, our data also suggested that rain events may accelerate degradation of weevil DNA.
Ending Impunity for Forced Marriage in Conflict Zones
Authors: Maloney Kathleen M 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
Countless women and girls have been abducted, raped, forcibly assigned as ‘wives’ to combatants and held captive within such forced marriages in conflict zones around the world. Forced marriage as an international crime remains controversial because it (i) is not codified in any international criminal statute, (ii) involves conduct overlapping with already-enumerated crimes against humanity and (iii) is inconsistently defined. Legal protections for girls in forced marriage reside in historical proscriptions against various forms of slavery — banned by jus cogens norms, international human rights and humanitarian law — including the crimes against humanity of sexual slavery and enslavement. Yet, despite similarities between forced marriage and numerous forms of slavery, international criminal courts have not yet prosecuted or convicted forced marriage as enslavement, and even its conviction as sexual slavery insufficiently captures the unique, multi-layered injuries its youngest victims suffer. International tribunals confronting evidence of very young girls captured as ‘wives’ and of female child soldiers serving as sex slaves have failed to adequately recognize or redress the egregious harms girl endure through forced marriage. Competing judicial and academic views on its proper classification have obscured courts’ oversight of forced marriage’s most vulnerable victims — female children. This article argues that, to advance justice for girls in conflict zones and end impunity for these atrocities, greater judicial emphasis is needed on the constellation of internationally recognized fundamental human rights of children violated by forced marriage, whether prosecuted as an ‘other inhumane act’ or slavery-related crime against humanity.
Regulation of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in neural development and disease
Authors: Lee Paul Jongseo , Yang Suzhou , Sun Yu , Guo Junjie U 
Published: March 2021

AbstractEukaryotes have evolved a variety of mRNA surveillance mechanisms to detect and degrade aberrant mRNAs with potential deleterious outcomes. Among them, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) functions not only as a quality control mechanism targeting aberrant mRNAs containing a premature termination codon but also as a posttranscriptional gene regulation mechanism targeting numerous physiological mRNAs. Despite its well-characterized molecular basis, the regulatory scope and biological functions of NMD at an organismal level are incompletely understood. In humans, mutations in genes encoding core NMD factors cause specific developmental and neurological syndromes, suggesting a critical role of NMD in the central nervous system. Here, we review the accumulating biochemical and genetic evidence on the developmental regulation and physiological functions of NMD as well as an emerging role of NMD dysregulation in neurodegenerative diseases.
Do New Romantic Couples Use More Similar Language Over Time? Evidence from Intensive Longitudinal Text Messages
Authors: Brinberg Miriam , Ram Nilam 
Published: March 2021

Abstract
The digital text traces left by computer-mediated communication (CMC) provide a new opportunity to test theories of relational processes that were originally developed through observation of face-to-face interactions. Communication accommodation theory, for example, suggests that conversation partners’ verbal (and non-verbal) behaviors become more similar as relationships develop. Using a corpus of 1+ million text messages that 41 college-age romantic couples sent to each other during their first year of dating, this study examines how linguistic alignment of new romantic couples’ CMC changes during relationship formation. Results from nonlinear growth models indicate that three aspects of daily linguistic alignment (syntactic—language style matching, semantic—latent semantic analysis, overall—cosine similarity) all exhibit exponential growth to an asymptote as romantic relationships form. Beyond providing empirical support that communication accommodation theory also applies in romantic partners’ CMC, this study demonstrates how relational processes can be examined using digital trace data.