bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Repurposing statin and L-glutamine: replenishing β-cells in hyperlipidemic T2D mouse model
Authors: Palit Sayantani Pramanik , Patel Roma , Parmar Nishant , Rathwa Nirali , Dalvi Nilay , Ramachandran A. V. , Begum Rasheedunnisa 
Published: April 2021

AbstractWhile cases of obesity-induced type 2 diabetes (T2D) are on the upswing, current therapies help only manage the symptoms. Of late, L-glutamine has been implicated in the amelioration of T2D by virtue of its glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) secretagogue property. Alongside, there are mixed reports on adiponectin (insulin sensitizer) potentiating property of statins. We aimed to investigate the effect of pitavastatin (P) and L-glutamine (LG) combination on glycemic control and pancreatic β-cell regeneration in a high-fat diet (HFD)+Streptozotocin (STZ) induced T2D mouse model. C57BL6/J mice treated with HFD+STZ were randomly assigned into four groups: Diabetic control, L-glutamine, Pitavastatin and P+LG. Control group was fed with the chow diet. Significant amelioration in insulin resistance along with plasma glucose, lipid profile, adiponectin levels, and mitochondrial complexes I, II, III activities were observed in P+LG group as compared to HFD+STZ treated group. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, glucose 6-phophatase, glycogen phosphorylase, and GLUT2 transcript levels were reduced with increased glycogen synthase transcript levels in liver. Further, the protein levels of Insulin receptor 1-β, pAkt/Akt, and AdipoR1 were restored in the skeletal muscle and a significant increase in islet number as a result of β-cell regeneration and reduced β-cell death were also observed in the combination drug treated group. Thus, L-glutamine and pitavastatin in combination can induce β-cell regeneration and regulate glucose homeostasis to bring about amelioration of HFD+STZ induced T2D.
Pathophysiology of psoriasis: A review
Authors: Yamanaka Keiichi , Yamamoto Osamu , Honda Tetsuya 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPsoriasis is a complex chronic inflammatory skin disease caused by the dynamic interplay between multiple genetic risk foci, environmental risk factors, and excessive immunological abnormalities. Psoriasis affects approximately 2% of the population worldwide, and dramatic advances have been achieved in the understanding and treatment options for psoriasis. Recent progress in biological therapies has revealed the fundamental roles of tumor necrosis factor‐α, interleukin (IL)‐23p19, and the IL‐17A axis together with skin‐resident immune cells and major signal transduction pathways in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. In addition to IL‐17‐producing T helper17 cells, innate lymphoid cell (ILC)3 induces psoriasis rashes directly without T‐cell/antigen interaction in response to the released antimicrobial peptides from activated keratinocytes and inflammatory cytokines. ILC3 typically expresses retinoic acid receptor‐related orphan receptor gamma t in the nucleus, matures in the presence of IL‐7 and IL‐23, and produces IL‐17 and IL‐22. The number of ILC3s is increased in the blood, psoriasis rash, and even in nonrash areas of psoriatic skin. Psoriasis is significantly associated with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and inflammatory disorders, particularly the severe type. The similarity of enterobacteria in the psoriasis gut to that in diabetic patients may be related to its pathogenesis. In the current review, we focus on the pathophysiology of psoriasis in the accelerated immunological inflammatory loop, danger signal from keratinocytes, and cytokines, particularly IL‐17 and IL‐23p19. In addition, pathophysiological speculation with regard to morphology has been supplemented. Finally, the differences and similarities between psoriasis and atopic dermatitis are discussed.
Energetic constraints on mammalian distribution areas
Authors: Boratyński Zbyszek 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Energy is a universal resource essential for all life functions. The rate of transformation of energy into an organism, and the energetic investment into reproduction, determines population and ecological‐level processes.

Several hypotheses predicted that the ecological expansion and size of the geographic distribution of a species are shaped by, among other factors, metabolic performance. However, how organismal energetic characteristics contribute to species geographic range size is poorly understood.

With phylogenetic comparative methods whether energetic maintenance costs (basal metabolic rate, BMR), aerobic capacity (maximum exercise metabolic rate, VO2max), summit thermoregulation (summit metabolic rate, VO2sum) and the ability to sustain energy provisioning (daily energy expenditure, DEE) determine the distribution of mammalian species range sizes was tested.

Both basal and maximum exercise metabolic rates (accounting for body mass), but not summit thermogenic metabolic rate, were positively associated with species range sizes. Furthermore, daily energy expenditure (accounting for body mass) was positively associated with species ranges. Body mass (accounting for energetic maintenance) was negatively related to range sizes.

High aerobic exercise capacity, aiding mobility such as running and dispersal, and high sustained energy provisioning, aiding reproductive effort such as pregnancy, lactation and natal dispersal, can facilitate the establishment of large mammalian geographic ranges. Consequently, the pace of organismal physiological processes can shape important ecological and biodiversity patterns by setting limits to species’ range sizes.
Race/ethnicity, gender and the SES gradient in BMI: The diminishing returns of SES for racial/ethnic minorities
Authors: Ciciurkaite Gabriele 
Published: April 2021

AbstractUsing the 2013–2016 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study uses the case of obesity to examine whether and to what extent racial and ethnic minorities experience fewer benefits from higher SES relative to their white counterparts. Study results provide support for the diminishing returns in health hypothesis and add an intersectional dimension to this perspective by uncovering stark gendered racial/ethnic disparities in BMI. Specifically, research findings demonstrate that higher income and education is associated with lower BMI among white but not black or Mexican American adults. The most substantial decrease in BMI associated with increase in individual‐level SES was observed among white women. Taken together, empirical evidence from this study underscores difficulty in overcoming adverse health effects of lower ascribed status (i.e. gender or race/ethnicity) even with attainment of higher achieved social status (i.e. educational attainment or income) and offers promising avenues for future research on identifying complex hierarchies that shape population health outcomes.
Managing (im) patience of nurses and nurse's aides: Emotional labour and normalizing practices at geriatric facilities
Authors: Roitenberg Neta 
Published: April 2021

AbstractNurses and nurse's aides at geriatric facilities face demanding patients and challenging situations that trigger undesired emotions. The psychological implications of care workers' emotional labour have been extensively researched, but not so their emotional experiences and the regulation of these emotions aimed at normalizing the extraordinary situations that arise in the course of geriatric care. The present study is based on data collected in interviews with 36 nurses and nurse's aides, and nine health professionals and management‐level employees, on participant observations, and on field notes collected over a period of 14 months at two geriatric institutions in Israel. The data reveal the construction of patience and impatience as the pivotal emotional experience that needs regulation to cope successfully with extraordinary situations. The findings suggest that strict patience‐display rules were constructed as an occupational impetus that exacts a price by increasing emotional load. Patience was regulated continually by normalizing practices that were culturally embedded in the organizations, by reframing patients' abusive behaviours, and by diffusing undesired emotions using detachment and disengagement practices. The findings contribute to the scarce empirical research on emotional labour of nurse's aides, and to the conceptualization and empirical study of nurses' normalizing regulation practices as cultural‐organizational artefacts.
What is the best way to characterise the contributions of oral language to reading comprehension: listening comprehension or individual oral language skills?
Authors: Metsala Jamie L. , Sparks Erin , David Margaret , Conrad Nicole , Deacon S. Hélène 
Published: April 2021

Educators and researchers agree that oral language is fundamental to students' reading acquisition. It is not clear how best to conceptualise oral language within models of reading – as one's overall understanding of spoken language, or as individual skills, each with unique contributions to children's reading comprehension. In our longitudinal study of children in Grades 2 and 3, we examined the unique contributions of three oral language skills – vocabulary, syntactic awareness, and morphological awareness – to gains in reading comprehension assessed later that academic year (N = 116) and in the spring of the following academic year (N = 87). In our most conservative analyses, we controlled for children's listening comprehension in addition to prior reading achievement. Each language skill predicted variance in later reading comprehension beyond that accounted for by initial word reading and reading comprehension. In analyses with listening comprehension also controlled, each of syntactic awareness and morphological awareness retained their predictive power. Morphological awareness emerged as the most robust predictor and was associated with greater increases in reading comprehension for students in third versus second grade. Results support theoretical models that identify and differentiate contributions from individual oral language skills to reading comprehension. Our findings suggest that increasing each of these oral language skills within the elementary classroom may lead to advances in children's reading comprehension.
Voice of the Customers: Local Trust Culture and Consumer Complaints to the CFPB
Authors: HAYES RACHEL M. , JIANG FENG , PAN YIHUI 
Published: April 2021

ABSTRACTWe use complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to study the interplay between social norms and the effectiveness of consumer protection laws. We find that a higher level of trust in a given location is associated with a lower number of complaints filed against financial institutions in that location. Employing a difference‐in‐differences approach, we further find that, after the establishment of the CFPB, banks in low‐trust areas reduce fees charged to consumers more compared to banks in high‐trust areas. Our results suggest that the threat of consumer complaints to a government agency affects how banks treat their customers, and they shed light on the interaction between informal culture and formal institutions, as well as on stakeholders’ influence in corporate policies.
Insights into chemometric algorithms for quality attributes and hazards detection in foodstuffs using Raman/surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Wang Jingjing , Chen Quansheng , Belwal Tarun , Lin Xingyu , Luo Zisheng 
Published: April 2021

AbstractRaman spectroscopy and surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have been extensively explored in the design of accurate, transparent, and conclusive food safety and quality control assays. Its hyphenation with chemometric algorithms is instrumental in securing safe food campaigns. To provide valuable recommendations and meet the growing demands for food screening, the current study begins with a brief description of the Raman spectroscopy and SERS theory followed by a comprehensive overview of spectral preprocessing, qualitative algorithms, variable selection methods, and quantitative algorithms. The review emphasizes on the importance of food monitoring practices using multivariate regression models. The applicability of the distinct chemometrics modes toward monitoring pesticide, food and illicit additives, heavy metals, pathogens, and its metabolites in Raman spectroscopy and SERS is covered in dairy, poultry, oil, honey, beverages, and other selected food matrices. Its pertinence toward classification and/or discrimination in food quality and safety monitoring and authentication is examined. Finally, it also complies with the limitations, key challenges, and prospects. The chemometrics processing spectra implemented with simpler or no complicated sample pretreatment step make Raman spectroscopy/SERS technique a potential approach that is expected to achieve simultaneous and fast detection of multiple analytes in food matrices.
Testing for anabolic steroids in human nail clippings
Authors: Kintz Pascal , Gheddar Laurie , Raul Jean‐Sébastien 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAnabolic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone, and their abuse can have numerous health consequences. Identification of this group of drugs has found applications in forensic toxicology, clinical situations, psychiatric disorders, and of course, anti‐doping violations. Although anabolic steroids are generally tested in urine and very occasionally in head hair, collectors can face the lack of standard specimens, and therefore, nail clippings can be the unique alternative choice. Although there is no possibility to perform segmental analyses using nail clippings, the window of drug detection is generally much longer in nail when compared to head hair (particularly in male subjects), that is, 3–8 months and 4–12 months for finger and toenail clippings, respectively. A new method was developed, including nail pulverization in a ball mill, sonication for 90 min in methanol, and a combination of liquid–liquid and solid‐phase extractions, followed by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. To document the application of steroid testing in nail clippings, the authors present 6 authentic cases of abuse, involving stanozolol (7 and 24 pg/mg), nandrolone (6 pg/mg), trenbolone (26, 67, 81, and 89 pg/mg), drostanolone (8 and 11 pg/mg), and testosterone enanthate (14 pg/mg). Given concentrations were always in the low pg/mg range, the use of tandem mass spectrometry appears as a prerequisite.
Comparison of myoglobin clearance in three types of blood purification modalities
Authors: Suzuki Shinya , Moriyama Kazuhiro , Hara Yoshitaka , Hinoue Takuya , Kato Yu , Hasegawa Daisuke , Kuriyama Naohide , Nakamura Tomoyuki , Komatsu Satoshi , Yamashita Chizuru , Komura Hidefumi , Nishida Osamu 
Published: April 2021

AbstractMyoglobin, which can cause acute kidney injury, has a relatively high molecular weight and is poorly cleared by diffusion. We compared and examined myoglobin clearance by changing the blood purification membrane and modality in patients with a myoglobin blood concentration ≥ 1000 ng/ml. We retrospectively analyzed three patient groups based on the following three types of continuous hemofiltration (CHF): AN69ST membrane, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) membrane, and high‐flow hemodiafiltration (HDF) with increased dialysate flow rate using the PMMA membrane. There was no significant difference in clearance in CHF between AN69ST and PMMA membranes. However, the high‐flow HDF group showed the highest myoglobin clearance (p = 0.003). In the PMMA membrane, changing the treatment modality to high‐flow HDF increased clearance above the theoretical value, possibly due to internal filtration. To remove myoglobin by kidney replacement therapy from patients with hypermyoglobinemia, a modality such as high‐flow HDF would be desirable.
Adjustment by hematocrit level in calculation of removal rate in therapeutic apheresis
Authors: Sakurasawa Takatoshi , Ohkubo Atsushi , Hoshikawa Yuki , Yamauchi Daisuke , Yamamoto Hiroko , Seshima Hiroshi , Kurashima Naoki , Iimori Soichiro , Rai Tatemitsu , Uchida Shinichi , Naito Shotaro 
Published: April 2021

AbstractPlasma volume (PV) variation during therapeutic apheresis (TA) (such as plasma exchange [PE] and selective PE using albumin solution as replacement solution or immunoadsorption plasmapheresis) has been considered to be unignorable. It changes the concentration of the target molecule and might impact its removal rate (RR.) This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PV variation on the calculation of the RR of fibrinogen and immunoglobulin by categorizing the hematocrit (Ht) change during TA into two patterns, that is, increased group and decreased group. In all modalities of TA, the Ht level frequently changed during apheresis sessions. In calculating RR, RR calculated with Ht adjustment was significantly higher than that calculated without adjustment in the increased group and significantly lower than it in the decreased group. Therefore, RR might have been underestimated in the increased group and overestimated in the decreased group when RR was calculated without Ht adjustment. Ht adjustment is suggested to be crucial in calculating RR in TA.
Synergistic gelation in the hybrid gel of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonad hydrolysates and xanthan gum
Authors: Xue Shan , Yan Jia‐Nan , Du Yi‐Nan , Jiang Xin‐Yu , Xu Shi‐Qi , Wu Hai‐Tao 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis study evaluated the gel and microstructure properties of scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonads hydrolysates (SMGHs) combined with xanthan gum (XG). SMGHs/XG hydrogel matrix properties and structures were elucidated via different analysis tools such as rheometry, LF‐NMR, FTIR, AFM, and Cryo‐SEM. The addition of XG significantly improved the rheological properties of SMGHs, as indicated by 3.1‐fold G′ and 1.3‐fold melting temperature with increasing the XG dose to 5.6 mg/ml. The corresponding decrease in the T23 relaxation time from 450.3 to 365.6 ms also signified the strong binding between SMGHs and XG. SMGHs/XG also had a higher proton density (T1 and T2 weighted images) due to the higher bound and free water content of the hybrid gel systems, respectively. Additionally, the blueshift in the amide I and II bands in SMGHs/XG further indicated stronger electrostatic interactions between SMGHs and XG. Such scenarios resulted in a well‐distributed and compact network with a rougher surface of SMGHs/XG in comparison to pure SMGHs and XG, as assessed by AFM and SEM. These results suggest that SMGHs/XG gel could be a potential hybrid gel applied in the food industry.Practical ApplicationScallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) male gonads are edible, but are usually discarded during processing of scallop adductor. Because of its rich nutrition and gelation properties, scallop male gonads have a potential role in developing marine source‐protein as a functional food base. The SMGHs/XG binary gel would be potentially applied in delivery system in food and biological fields. Further study is undergoing to apply SMGHs/XG binary gel to embed bioactive compounds, such as curcumin and β‐carotene.
Effect of dexmedetomidine on evoked‐potential monitoring in patients undergoing brain stem and supratentorial cranial surgery
Authors: Pacreu Susana , Vilà Esther , Moltó Luis , Fernández‐Candil Juan , Fort Beatriz , Lin Yiyang , León Alba 
Published: April 2021

BackgroundDexmedetomidine is used as adjuvant in total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA), but there have been few studies concerning its effect on intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) during cranial surgery. Our aim was to study the effect of dexmedetomidine on IONM in patients undergoing brain stem and supratentorial cranial surgery.MethodsTwo prospective, randomized, double‐blind substudies were conducted. In substudy 1, during TIVA with an infusion of propofol and remifentanil, 10 patients received saline solution (SS) (PR group) and another 10 (PRD group) received dexmedetomidine (0.5 mcg/kg/h). Total dosage of propofol and remifentanil, intensity, latency and amplitude of motor‐evoked potentials following transcranial electrical stimulation (tcMEPs) as well as somatosensory‐evoked potentials (SSEP) were recorded at baseline, 15, 30, 45 minutes, and at the end of surgery. In order to identify differences in the same patient after dexmedetomidine administration, we designed substudy 2 with 20 new patients randomized to two groups. After 30 minutes with TIVA, 10 patients received dexmedetomidine (0.5 mcg/kg/h) and 10 patients SS. The same variables were recorded.ResultsIn substudy 1, propofol requirements were significantly lower (P = .004) and tcMEP intensity at the end of surgery was significantly higher in PRD group, but no statistically significant differences were observed for remifentanil requirements, SSEP and tcMEP latency or amplitude. In substudy 2, no differences in any of the variables were identified.ConclusionsThe administration of dexmedetomidine at a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg/h may reduce propofol requirements and adversely affect some neuromonitoring variables. However, it can be an alternative on IONM during cranial surgeries.REDEXEudraCT: 2014‐000962‐23
The associations between prenatal cannabis use disorder and neonatal outcomes
Authors: Shi Yuyan , Zhu Bin , Liang Di 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackground and AimsCannabis use disorder (CUD) during pregnancy has increased dramatically in the United States (US). This study examined the associations between prenatal CUD and adverse neonatal outcomes and heterogeneities in the associations by mothers’ tobacco use status and race/ethnicity.DesignPopulation‐based, retrospective cohort study.SettingCalifornia, USA.ParticipantsA total of 4.83 million mothers who delivered a live singleton birth during 2001 to 2012 and their paired infants. Data were obtained from mother–infant linked hospital discharge records and birth and death certificates. Identified by ICD‐9 codes recorded at delivery, 20 237 mothers had prenatal CUD.MeasurementsNeonatal outcomes included length of gestation, preterm birth, birth weight, admission into neonatal intensive care unit, hospitalization within 1 year of birth, and death within 1 year of birth. Propensity score matching was used to balance maternal, paternal, and infant characteristics in the comparisons between infants exposed and unexposed to prenatal CUD.FindingsCUD increased from 2.8 to 6.9 per 1000 deliveries during 2001 to 2012. Multivariable regressions in matched samples estimated that prenatal CUD was associated with greater odds of being small for gestational age (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.18), preterm birth (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.12), low birth weight (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.07, 1.20), and death within 1 year of birth (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.62). Compared with infants whose mothers were tobacco non‐users, infants whose mothers were tobacco users had greater odds of preterm birth, low birth weight, hospitalization, and death in association with prenatal CUD. Compared with infants whose mothers were non‐Hispanic White, infants whose mothers were Hispanic had greater odds of hospitalization and death and infants whose mothers were non‐Hispanic Black had greater odds of being small for gestational age in association with prenatal CUD.ConclusionPrenatal cannabis use disorder appears to be associated with escalated odds of major adverse neonatal outcomes, with heterogeneities in the associations by mothers’ tobacco use status and race/ethnicity.