bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Immune infiltration profiling in gastric cancer and their clinical implications
Authors: Ren Feifei , Zhao Qitai , Zhao Minghai , Zhu Shaogong , Liu Bin , Bukhari Ihtisham , Zhang Kai , Wu Wanqing , Fu Yuming , Yu Yong , Tang Youcai , zheng Pengyuan , Mi Yang 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe abundance and type of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influence immunotherapy and tumor progression. However, the role of immune cells in the TME of gastric cancer (GC) is poorly understood. We studied the correlations, proportion, and infiltration of immune and stromal cells in GC tumors. Data analyses showed a significant association of infiltration levels of specific immune cells with the pathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of GC. Furthermore, based on the difference in infiltration levels of immune and stromal cells, GC patients were divided into two categories, those with “immunologically hot” (hot) tumors and those with “immunologically cold” (cold) tumors. The assay for transposase‐accessible chromatin using sequencing and RNA sequencing analyses revealed that the hot and cold tumors had altered epigenomic and transcriptional profiles. Claudin‐3 (CLDN3) was found to have high expression in the cold tumors and negatively correlated with CD8+ T cells in GC. Overexpression of CLDN3 in GC cells inhibited the expression of MHC‐I and CXCL9. Finally, the differentially expressed genes between hot and cold tumors were utilized to generate a prognostic model, which predicted the overall survival of GC as well as patients with immunotherapy. Overall, we undertook a comprehensive analysis of the immune cell infiltration pattern in GC and provided an accurate model for predicting the prognosis of GC patients.
Toward climate change refugia conservation at an ecoregion scale
Authors: Balantic Cathleen , Adams Andrea , Gross Shana , Mazur Rachel , Sawyer Sarah , Tucker Jody , Vernon Marian , Mengelt Claudia , Morales Jennifer , Thorne James H. , Brown Timothy M. , Athearn Nicole , Morelli Toni Lyn 
Published: July 2021

AbstractClimate change uncertainty poses serious challenges to conservation efforts. One emerging conservation strategy is to identify and conserve climate change refugia: areas relatively buffered from contemporary climate change that enable persistence of valued resources. This management paradigm may be pursued at broad scales by leveraging existing resources and placing them into a tangible framework to stimulate further collaboration that fosters management decision‐making. Here, we describe a framework for moving toward operationalizing climate change refugia conservation at an ecoregion scale with an analysis for the Sierra Nevada ecoregion (CA, USA). Structured within the Climate Change Refugia Conservation Cycle, we identify a preliminary suite of conservation priorities for the ecoregion, and demonstrate how existing mapping, data, and applications could be used for identifying, prioritizing, managing, and monitoring refugia. We focus on six stakeholder‐identified conservation priorities, including two process‐based refugial priorities (snow and fire), and four ecosystem‐based refugial priorities (meadows, giant sequoia, old growth forests, and alpine communities). This pilot overview of concepts and resources provides a foundation for both near‐term implementation and further discussion in moving from science to conservation practice. Such an approach may provide new practical insights for ecosystem management at ecoregion scales in the face of climate change.
Pill testing policy: A comparative analysis using the Advocacy Coalition Framework
Authors: Sommerville Kylie , Ritter Alison , Stephenson Niamh 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIntroductionPill testing is regarded as a controversial harm reduction intervention and provides an ideal case study for examining how policy change comes about. Two Australian jurisdictions were analysed to explore factors that may account for policy change by comparing the ACT which allowed a pill testing trial, and NSW where pill testing has not been permitted.MethodsThe analysis was conducted using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). Data sources were first coded to establish the subsystem actors beliefs and advocacy coalitions; then coded using a deductive approach and classified against core dimensions of the ACF. An inductive approach was then applied to generate and link themes in the data.ResultsA dominant and minority coalition was identified in each jurisdictions' policy subsystem. The results show how in the ACT a dominant ‘harm reduction’ coalition shifted their secondary beliefs and introduced a pill testing policy. Whereas in NSW, a shift in both the secondary and policy core beliefs of the dominant ‘law enforcement’ coalition was required, something which rarely occurs according to the ACF.Discussion and ConclusionsThe analysis supports the ACF's assertion that advocacy coalitions will respond to pressures for change by restricting change to secondary beliefs, while keeping policy core beliefs intact. It also demonstrates that secondary and policy core beliefs matter in the context of minority and dominant coalitions. Further research is needed to explore whether a minority coalition's strategic re‐framing of an issue to align with the policy core beliefs of their opponents would have more success than advocating from their own belief paradigm.
Personality predicts innovation and social learning in children: Implications for cultural evolution
Authors: Rawlings Bruce S. , Flynn Emma G. , Kendal Rachel L. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractInnovation and social learning are the pillars of cultural evolution, allowing cultural behaviours to cumulatively advance over generations. Yet, little is known about individual differences in the use of social and asocial information. We examined whether personality influenced 7‐11‐year‐old children's (N = 282) propensity to elect to observe others first or independently generate solutions to novel problems. Conscientiousness was associated with electing for no demonstrations, while agreeableness was associated with opting for demonstrations. For children receiving demonstrations, openness to experience consistently predicted deviation from observed methods. Children who opted for no demonstrations were also more likely than those opting for demonstrations to exhibit tool manufacture on an innovation challenge and displayed higher creativity, as measured by an alternate uses task. These results highlight how new cultural traditions emerge, establish and advance by identifying which individuals generate new cultural variants in populations and which are influential in the diffusion of these variants, and help reduce the apparent tension within the ‘ratchet’ of cumulative culture.
Motives for studying dental medicine in Germany
Authors: Herz Marco M. , ElAyouti Ashraf 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIntroductionAim of this study was to investigate the motives for studying dental medicine of pupils and students accepted for first semester.MethodsMotives of pupils from secondary schools (grades 10–12) around Tübingen and accepted students at the Dental School Tübingen were evaluated using a five‐level Likert scale. Information about age, gender, family, apprenticeship and university enrolment was also included in the assessment.ResultsA total of 402 out of 409 participants filled out the questionnaires. Of these, 390 (280 females and 110 males) could be evaluated; the mean age was 17.4 years. Sixty‐one planned an apprenticeship and 64 already completed it; 93 were readily accepted at university. All participants highly rated the motives “help patients” and “good career prospects.” As next, women chose “diversified activity” and men “scientific interest.” Participants who planned an apprenticeship rated “help patients” significantly higher than the other participants, whilst the motive “high responsibility of the dental profession” amongst interviewees with completed apprenticeship was highly significant in comparison with the rest.ConclusionEmpathy for patients and high responsibility of the dental profession are more important than prestige or social standing. An apprenticeship seems to greatly influence the career choice by giving more weight to “high responsibility of the dental profession.” In future, such results can help universities design selection tests to target specific groups. The high proportion of female dentists and the attitude towards work and family of the generations Y and Z may bring change to the traditional practice model in Germany.
Adult onset epilepsy is defined by phenotypic clusters with unique comorbidities and risks of death
Authors: Josephson Colin B. , Engbers Jordan D. T. , Sajobi Tolulope T. , Wiebe Samuel 
Published: July 2021

AbstractObjectiveThis study was undertaken to identify clusters of adult onset epilepsy with distinct comorbidities and risks of early and late death.MethodsThis was a retrospective open cohort study that included all adults meeting a case definition for epilepsy after the Acceptable Mortality Recording date in the Health Improvement Network database for the years 2000–2012 inclusive. Unsupervised agglomerative hierarchical clustering was performed to identify unique clusters of patients based on their predicted risk of early (<4 years of epilepsy diagnosis) and late (≥4 years from diagnosis) mortality and patient‐level clinical characteristics.ResultsWe identified 10 499 presumed incident cases of epilepsy from 11 194 182 patients. Four phenotypic clusters were identified in the early and late risk periods. Early clusters include older adults with cardiovascular disease and a high risk of death (median predicted risk = 20%, interquartile range [IQR] = 9%–31%), a group with moderate risk of death and cancer (median predicted risk = 6%, IQR = 2%–15%), a group with psychiatric disease/substance use and few somatic comorbidities (median predicted risk = 5%, IQR = 2%–9%), and one with a younger age at onset and few comorbidities (median predicted risk = 4%, IQR = 1%–11%). There was minimal movement of individuals between clusters for those surviving the early risk period. Age‐ and sex‐standardized 3‐year mortality ratios were more than sixfold higher than the general population for every cluster, even those primarily comprised of healthy younger adults.SignificanceAdult onset epilepsy is marked by unique clusters of comorbid conditions and elevated risks of death that form discrete populations for targeted therapeutic interventions. These clusters remain relatively stable between the early and late mortality risk periods. Of particular interest are the clusters marked by young and otherwise healthy adults whose standardized mortality ratio is sixfold higher than general population despite few conventional risk factors for premature death.
Neuropilin‐1 is required for endothelial cell adhesion to soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1
Authors: Colotti Gianni , Failla Cristina Maria , Lacal Pedro Miguel , Ungarelli Mariangela , Ruffini Federica , Di Micco Patrizio , Orecchia Angela , Morea Veronica 
Published: July 2021

Neuropilin‐1 (NRP‐1) is a semaphorin receptor involved in neuron guidance, and a co‐receptor for selected isoforms of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. NRP‐1 binding to several VEGF‐A isoforms promotes growth factor interaction with VEGF receptor (VEGFR)‐2, increasing receptor phosphorylation. Additionally, NRP‐1 directly interacts with VEGFR‐1, but this interaction competes with NRP‐1 binding to VEGF‐A165 and does not enhance VEGFR‐1 activation. In this work, we investigated in detail the role of NRP‐1 interaction with the soluble isoform of VEGFR‐1 (sVEGFR‐1) in angiogenesis. sVEGFR‐1 acts both as a decoy receptor for VEGFs and as an extracellular matrix protein directly binding to α5β1 integrin on endothelial cells. By combining cell adhesion assays and surface plasmon resonance experiments on purified proteins, we found that sVEGFR‐1/NRP‐1 interaction is required both for α5β1 integrin binding to sVEGFR‐1 and for endothelial cell adhesion to a sVEGFR‐1‐containing matrix. We also found that a previously reported anti‐angiogenic peptide (Flt2‐11), which maps in the second VEGFR‐1 Ig‐like domain, specifically binds NRP‐1 and inhibits NRP‐1/sVEGFR‐1 interaction, a process that likely contributes to its anti‐angiogenic activity. In view of potential translational applications, we developed a five‐residue‐long peptide, derived from Flt2‐11, which has the same ability as the parent Flt2‐11 peptide to inhibit cell adhesion to, and migration towards, sVEGFR‐1. Therefore, the Flt2‐5 peptide represents a potential anti‐angiogenic compound per se, as well as an attractive lead for the development of novel angiogenesis inhibitors acting with a different mechanism with respect to currently used therapeutics, which interfere with VEGF‐A165 binding.
A Voice Within: An Autoethnographic Account of Moving from Closed to Open Prison Conditions by a Life‐Sentenced Prisoner
Authors: MICKLETHWAITE DANIEL , EARLE ROD 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis article explores the lived experience of transitioning from closed to open prison conditions by a mandatory life‐sentenced prisoner. Using autoethnographic methodology the lead author's experience of this significant life‐sentence event forms the basis of a wider discussion. Research around this process is lacking. This article examines the phenomena around prisoner identity, prison culture and prisoner adaptation; it explores what impact of years spent in the closed prison estate can have on how open prison conditions are experienced. The authors identify important social and ontological obstacles to successful transition to open conditions and reflect on how it exposes the enduring harms resultant from serving a life sentence.
IMPROVING THE MEASUREMENT OF EARNINGS DYNAMICS
Authors: Daly Moira , Hryshko Dmytro , Manovskii Iourii 
Published: July 2021

AbstractEmpirically, earnings at the start or end of earnings spells are lower and more volatile than in the interior of earnings histories, reflecting mainly the effects of working less than the full year. Ignoring these properties leads to a mismeasurement of the permanent and transitory shock variances and induces the large and widely documented divergence in the estimates of those variances based on fitting the earnings moments in levels or growth rates. Accounting for these effects enables more accurate analysis using quantitative models with permanent and transitory earnings risk and improves empirical estimates of consumption insurance against permanent earnings shocks.
Sexuality amongst heterosexual women with morbid obesity in a bariatric surgery programme: A qualitative study
Authors: Granero‐Molina José , Torrente‐Sánchez María José , Ferrer‐Márquez Manuel , Hernández‐Padilla José Manuel , Sánchez‐Navarro María , Ruiz‐Muelle Alicia , Ruiz‐Fernández María Dolores , Fernández‐Sola Cayetano 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAimsThe objective of this study is to describe and understand the experiences of sexuality amongst heterosexual women with morbid obesity (MO) who are in a bariatric surgery program.BackgroundMorbid obesity is a chronic, metabolic disease that affects women's physical, psychological and sexual health. MO is associated with anxiety, depression and body image disorders. Bariatric surgery is a reliable method for weight loss in people with MO.DesignA qualitative descriptive study research design was adopted.MethodsTwenty‐one heterosexual women with MO in a bariatric surgery program were recruited through purposive sampling. Data collection included individual semi‐structured interviews conducted between November 2018 and May 2019. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a computer‐assisted qualitative data.FindingsThree main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) trapped in a body that limits my sexuality; (2) between neglect and hope and (3) the partner as a source of support for sexuality in women with MO.ConclusionWomen hide a body that they do not accept and ignore their own sexuality, focusing on that of their partner. Although the women have doubts about their partners’ desire for them, they share the decision‐making process with them whilst waiting for bariatric surgery, on which they place all of their hopes for improved sexuality and quality of life.ImpactThe findings highlight the importance of exploring the experiences and sexual issues faced by heterosexual women with MO in a bariatric surgery program. Bariatric nurses have a privileged position to assess these women's sexuality, recommend alternatives to sexual intercourse or refer them to sexologists. As part of the multidisciplinary team, nurses can contribute to managing the expectations of women with MO and their partners in relation to the improvement of their sex lives following bariatric surgery.
Pathogenesis of Erysipelothrix piscisicarius infection in tiger barbs (Puntigrus tetrazona)
Authors: Chang Ri K. , Camus Alvin C. , Pomaranski Eric , Yazdi Zeinab , Soto Esteban 
Published: July 2021

AbstractErysipelothrix piscisicarius is an emerging bacterial pathogen and the aetiologic agent of piscine erysipelosis, a recently recognized disease of ornamental fish. However, little is known regarding the dynamics of infection in fish. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of piscine erysipelosis in the tiger barb (Puntigrus tetrazona) by investigating tissue tropisms and responses to bacterial dissemination following immersion challenge with a virulent strain recovered from diseased fish. The challenge resulted in 83% mortality by day 16. Erysipelothrix piscisicarius DNA was first detected in the skin using quantitative PCR, and bacteria were visualized in association with microscopic lesions on day 4. By day 8, E. piscisicarius DNA was further detected in intestines, hearts, spleens, gills and skin; parenchymal organs were largely spared. The data suggest a primary cutaneous portal of entry and tropism for collagenous tissues, particularly those within vascular walls. Initial spread occurs directly from the dermis into interstitial areas of skeletal muscle, then centrally to the peritoneum and coelomic cavity following collagenous tissue pathways. Although histopathology revealed widespread bacterial dissemination over time, the severity of skin and muscle lesions with high levels of bacterial DNA identifies these tissues as primary targets of infection.
Positive GABAA receptor modulating steroids and their antagonists: Implications for clinical treatments
Authors: Bäckström Torbjörn , Das Roshni , Bixo Marie 
Published: July 2021

AbstractGABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and GABAergic transmission has been shown to be of importance for regulation of mood, memory and food intake. The progesterone metabolite allopregnanolone (Allo) is a positive GABAA receptor modulating steroid with potent effects. In humans, disorders such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), hepatic encephalopathy and polycystic ovarian syndrome are associated with elevated Allo levels and increased negative mood, disturbed memory and increased food intake in some individuals. This is surprising because Allo shares many properties with benzodiazepines and is mainly considered to be anxiolytic and anti‐depressant. However, it is well established that, in certain individuals, GABAA receptor activating compounds could have paradoxical effects and thus be anxiogenic in low physiological plasma concentrations but anxiolytic at high levels. We have demonstrated that isoallopregnanolone (Isoallo), the 3β‐OH sibling of Allo, functions as a GABAA receptor modulating steroid antagonist (GAMSA) but without any effects of its own on GABAA receptors. The antagonistic effect is noted in most GABAA subtypes investigated in vitro to date. In vivo, Isoallo can inhibit Allo‐induced anaesthesia in rats, as well as sedation or saccadic eye velocity in humans. Isoallo treatment has been studied in women with PMDD. In a first phase II study, Isoallo (Sepranolone; Asarina Pharma) injections significantly ameliorated negative mood in women with PMDD compared with placebo. Several GAMSAs for oral administration have also been developed. The GAMSA, UC1011, can inhibit Allo induced memory disturbances in rats and an oral GAMSA, GR3027, has been shown to restore learning and motor coordination in rats with hepatic encephalopathy. In humans, vigilance, cognition and pathological electroencephalogram were improved in patients with hepatic encephalopathy on treatment with GR3027. In conclusion GAMSAs are a new possible treatment for disorders and symptoms caused by hyperactivity in the GABAA system.
Risk factors associated with frailty in older adults with type 2 diabetes: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Lin Chia‐Ling , Yu Neng‐Chun , Wu Hsueh‐Ching , Liu Yuan‐Ching 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAims and objectivesThe aims of the study were to (i) estimate the prevalence of frailty among older adults with type 2 diabetes, and (ii) investigate risk factors associated with frailty in the study group.BackgroundThe high prevalence of frailty among older adults and its adverse health impacts including higher risks for physical disabilities and a higher mortality rate is quickly evolving to become an important public health issue.DesignA cross‐sectional design.MethodsData were collected from the Clinical Diabetes Centre of our study group. Frailty was assessed using the Chinese version of the Tilburg frailty indicator. Other questionnaires included Activities of Daily Living, Mini‐Mental State Examination, Taiwan Geriatric Depression Scale and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. Multivariable logistic regression was established to identify factors associated with frailty. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology checklist was used preparing the manuscript.ResultsA total of 248 subjects were recruited in this study, a total of 66 participants had frailty (26.6%). Our results showed that factors including age, number of chronic diseases, cerebrovascular accident, renal diseases, frequency of falling, frequency of hyperglycaemia, Activities of Daily Living, depression, Mini‐Mental State Examination, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living ≧1 task disability were correlated with frailty in older adults with type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses showed a significant increase in the probability of frailty by 1.72‐times when comparing type 2 diabetes subjects with depression to those without depression.ConclusionThis study revealed that depression is a significant factor associated with the occurrence of frailty among older adults with type 2 diabetes.Relevance to clinical practiceOur results provided strong clinical evidence showing depression as an important factor associated with the risk of frailty in older individuals with type 2 diabetes. We recommend early detection via routine screenings for symptoms of depression during diabetes care to achieve early prevention or the delay of frailty and its implicated adverse health consequences.