bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An association between electronic nicotine delivery systems use and a history of stroke using the 2016 behavioral risk factor surveillance system
Authors: Bricknell Ryan A.T. , Ducaud Christobal , Figueroa Alejandra , Schwarzman Logan S. , Rodriguez Pura , Castro Grettel , Zevallos Juan Carlos , Barengo Noël C. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are growing in use and many of the health implications with these devices remain unknown. This study aims to assess, using a survey representative of the USA general population, if an association exists between a history of ENDS use and a history of stroke.
This cross-sectional study was a secondary data analysis using the 2016 behavioral risk factor surveillance system survey. The main exposure variable of the study was a self-reported history of ENDS use. The main outcome was a self-reported history of stroke. Covariates included sex, race, traditional cigarette use, smokeless tobacco use, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and coronary artery disease. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses were done. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.
Of the 486,303 total behavioral risk factor surveillance system survey participants, 465,594 met the inclusion criteria for this study of ENDS use and stroke. This study shows that current ENDS use was positively associated with a history of stroke. AOR of some daily ENDS use with stroke was 1.28 (95% CI: 1.02–1.61) and AOR of current daily ENDS use with stroke was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.18–2.31). The majority (55.9%) of current daily ENDS users reported former traditional cigarette smoking. Female sex, non-white ethnicity, elderly age, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and traditional cigarette use characteristics were all also associated with increased odds of reporting a stroke.
This study found a statistically significant and positive association between ENDS use and a history of stroke. Further research is warranted to investigate the reproducibility and temporality of this association. Nevertheless, this study contributes to the growing body of knowledge about the potential cardiovascular concerns related to ENDS use and the need for large cohort studies.
The Role of Cognitive Impairment on Physical Therapy Attendance and Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Gomes Kayla E. , Ruiz Jennifer A. , Raskin Sarah A. , Turner Aaron P. , DelMastro Heather M. , Neto Lindsay O. , Gromisch Elizabeth S. 
Published: September 2021

Background and Purpose:
Many persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience cognitive impairments, which may affect their ability to engage in physical therapy. There is limited information on how cognitive impairments are associated with PwMS' ability to participate and improve their functional outcomes. This study aimed to assess the relationship between cognitive functioning and PwMS' attendance, total goal attainment, and functional improvement following physical therapy intervention.

Methods:
Participants (n = 45) were PwMS who participated in a larger self-management study and enrolled in physical therapy within the past 2 years. Objective cognitive functioning was examined using tests of prospective memory, retrospective memory, working memory, and processing speed, along with a self-report measure. Bivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between cognitive functioning and each physical therapy outcome (session attendance, attaining goals, and changes in functional outcome measures), followed by logistic regressions with age, education, gender, and disability level as covariates.

Results:
Difficulty learning new verbal information was associated with a greater likelihood of “no showing” one or more of their physical therapy sessions. Reductions in working memory and processing speed were associated with PwMS not meeting all their rehabilitation goals. Despite deficits in new learning, memory, and processing speed, 85.2% of those with pre-/postscores showed improvements in at least one functional outcome measure following physical therapy intervention.

Discussion and Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate the ability for PwMS to make functional motor gains despite the presence of cognitive impairments and highlight the potential contributions of cognitive functioning on attendance and goal attainment of physical therapy intervention.

Video Abstract available for more insights from the authors (see the Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, available at: http://links.lww.com/JNPT/A362, which includes background, methods, results, and discussion in the authors' own voices).
When Anger Remains Unspoken: Anger and Accelerated Epigenetic Aging Among Stress-Exposed Black Americans
Authors: McKenna Brooke G. , Mekawi Yara , Katrinli Seyma , Carter Sierra , Stevens Jennifer S. , Powers Abigail , Smith Alicia K. , Michopoulos Vasiliki 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Objective
Race-related lifetime stress exposure (LSE) including racial discrimination, trauma, and stressful life events have been shown to contribute to racial health disparities. However, little is known about associations between race-related stressors and premature biological aging that confer the risk of adverse health outcomes. Even less is known about the mechanisms through which race-related stressors may be associated with accelerated aging. Early evidence suggests psychological processes such as anger, and particularly the internalization of anger, may play a role.

Methods
In a community sample of predominantly low-income Black adults (n = 219; age = 45.91 [12.33] years; 64% female), the present study examined the association of race-related LSE (as defined by exposure to racial discrimination, trauma, and stressful life events) and epigenetic age acceleration through anger expression.

Results
Internalized and externalized anger expression were each significantly associated with LSE and age acceleration. Although LSE was not directly associated with age acceleration (ΔR
2 = 0.001, p = .64), we found that greater LSE was indirectly associated with age acceleration through increases in internalized, but not externalized, anger (indirect effect: β = 0.03, standard error = 0.02, 95% confidence interval = 0.003 to 0.08; total effect: β = 0.02, 95% confidence interval = −0.25 to 0.31).

Conclusions
These results suggest race-related LSE may elicit the internalization of anger, which, along with the externalization of anger, may initiate detrimental epigenetic alterations that confer the risk of adverse health outcomes. These findings lay the groundwork for longitudinal studies of the association between race-related stress and racial health disparities.
β-Adrenergic Contributions to Emotion and Physiology During an Acute Psychosocial Stressor
Authors: MacCormack Jennifer K. , Armstrong-Carter Emma L. , Gaudier-Diaz Monica M. , Meltzer-Brody Samantha , Sloan Erica K. , Lindquist Kristen A. , Muscatell Keely A. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Objective
β-Adrenergic receptor signaling, a critical mediator of sympathetic nervous system influences on physiology and behavior, has long been proposed as one contributor to subjective stress. However, prior findings are surprisingly mixed about whether β-blockade (e.g., propranolol) blunts subjective stress, with many studies reporting no effects. We reevaluated this question in the context of an acute psychosocial stressor with more comprehensive measures and a larger-than-typical sample. We also examined the effects of β-blockade on psychophysiological indicators of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system reactivity, given that β-blockade effects for these measures specifically under acute psychosocial stress are not yet well established.

Methods
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 90 healthy young adults received 40 mg of the β-blocker propranolol or placebo. Participants then completed the Trier Social Stress Test, which involved completing an impromptu speech and difficult arithmetic in front of evaluative judges. Self-reported emotions and appraisals as well as psychophysiology were assessed throughout.

Results
Propranolol blunted Trier Social Stress Test preejection period reactivity (b = 9.68, p = .003), a marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, as well as salivary α-amylase reactivity (b = −0.50, p = .006). Critically, propranolol also blunted negative, high arousal emotions in response to the stressor (b = −0.22, p = .026), but cognitive appraisals remained intact (b values < −0.17, p values > .10).

Conclusions
These results provide updated experimental evidence that β-adrenergic blockade attenuates negative, high arousal emotions in response to a psychosocial stressor while also blunting sympathetic nervous system reactivity. Together, these findings shed light on the neurophysiological mechanisms by which stressors transform into the subjective experience we call “stress.”

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02972554.
Ambulatory Heart Rate Variability Monitoring: Comparisons Between the Empatica E4 Wristband and Holter Electrocardiogram
Authors: Van Voorhees Elizabeth E. , Dennis Paul A. , Watkins Lana L. , Patel Tapan A. , Calhoun Patrick S. , Dennis Michelle F. , Beckham Jean C. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACT

Objective
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful index of psychological and physiological stress. Although several wristband devices have purported to measure HRV, none have demonstrated reliability when compared with the criterion-standard Holter monitor. We evaluated the reliability of HRV readings from the Empatica E4 wristband compared with a Holter monitor over a 24-hour period of simultaneous monitoring.

Methods
Agreement between the monitors was assessed by examining correlations and intraclass correlations (ICCs) for fixed sets in 13 individuals in a treatment trial for posttraumatic stress disorder (4 women; mean [standard deviation] age = 51.92 [6.17] years). Agreement was calculated at 1-second and 5-minute intervals for interbeat intervals (IBIs) and for 5-minute intervals of the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD) and standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals (SDNN). Agreement across the entire 24-hour observation period was also measured. Frequency-domain measures of HRV could not be calculated because of too much missing data from the E4.

Results
Although high interdevice correlations and ICCs were observed between the E4 and Holter monitors for IBIs at 1-second (median r = 0.88; median ICC = 0.87) and 5-minute (median r = 0.94; median ICC = 0.94) intervals, reliabilities for 5-minute RMSSD (median r = −0.09; median ICC = −0.05) and 5-minute SDNN (median r = 0.48; median ICC = 0.47) were poor. Agreement between the devices on 24-hour measures of HRV was satisfactory (IBI: r = 0.97, ICC = 0.97; RMSSD: r = 0.77, IBI = 0.76; SDNN: r = 0.92, IBI = 0.89).

Conclusions
Findings suggest that the low reliability of Empatica E4 as compared with the Holter monitor does not justify its use in ambulatory research for the measurement of HRV over time periods of 5 minutes or less.
A Case of Brown Tumor on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Yao Xilan , Ou Xiaohong 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
A 50-year-old man presented with right chest pain and persistent increased parathyroid hormone after parathyroidectomy for parathyroid carcinoma. 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT were performed consecutively for restaging to determine subsequent treatment strategy. An osteolytic lesion on the right sixth rib showed increased uptake on both 68Ga-DOTATATE and 18F-FDG PET/CT. Subsequent biopsy confirmed it to be a brown tumor.
68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/CT Imaging for Fibrous Dysplasia of the Bone
Authors: Wang Yingwei , Wu Junhao , Liu Lin , Peng DengSai , Chen Yue 
Published: September 2021

Abstract

68Ga-labeled quinoline-based fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (68Ga-FAPIs) are promising agents for tumor imaging. However, some nonneoplastic lesions can also cause increased FAPI uptake. We report a case of a patient with polyostotic fibrous dysplasia who showed widespread and intense metabolic activity on 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT. Physicians should be aware that fibrous dysplasia can also cause elevated FAPI activity.
Pattern of variation in DNA methylation during pregnancy among mothers who delivered preterm in the GARBH-Ini cohort
Authors: Das Jagyashila , Bagchi Indranil , Ghosh Shekhar , Wadhwa Nitya , Nachu Uma Chadramouli , Thiruvengadam Ramachandran , Kshetrapal Pallavi , Bhatnagar Shinjini , Majumder Partha P. , Maitra Arindam ,   GARBH-Ini Team
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundDNA methylation (DNAm) may play an important role in birth outcomes.Material and MethodsGenome wide DNAm was analysed in peripheral blood DNA of women at multiple time points during gestation. A novel empirical method was used to identify CpG sites with high temporal variance in methylation associating with preterm birth.ResultsHigh variability at 1296 CpG sites from the promoter regions of 1197 genes significantly associated with PTB. These genes belonged to pathways involved in signalling by platelet derived growth factor, platelet homeostasis, collagen degradation, extracellular matrix and circadian clock.ConclusionsThe findings provide novel information which might help in development of predictive biomarkers of preterm birth outcome.
Antenatal care policy in high-income countries with a universal health system: a scoping review
Authors: Goncalves Andreia Soares , Ferreira Isabel Maria , Pestana-Santos Márcia , McCourt Christine , Prata Ana Paula 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe availability, effectiveness, and access to antenatal care are directly linked with good maternal and neonatal outcomes, making antenatal care an important determinant in health. But to be effective, care must always be appropriate, not excessive, not insufficient. Perinatal outcomes vary within and between countries, raising questions about practices, the use of best evidence in clinical decisions and the existence of clear and updated guidance.Through a scoping review methodology, this study aimed to map the available antenatal care policies for low-risk pregnant women in high-income countries with a universal health system founded on the Beveridge Model.Following searches on the main databases and grey literature, the authors identified and analysed ten antenatal care policies: Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Some policies were over 10 years old, some recommendations did not present a rationale or context, others were outdated, or were simply different approaches in the absence of strong evidence. Whilst some recommendations were ubiquitous, others differed either in the recommendation provided, the timing, or the frequency. Similarly, we found wide variation in the methods/strategy used to support the recommendations provided. These results confirms that best evidence is not always assimilated into policies and clinical guidance. Further research crossing these differences with perinatal outcomes and evaluation of cost could be valuable to optimise guidance on antenatal care. Similarly, some aspects of care need further rigorous studies to obtain evidence of higher quality to inform recommendations.
Urgency disrupts cognitive control of human action
Authors: Poth Christian H. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIntelligent behavior requires cognitive control, the ability to act directed by goals despite competing action tendencies triggered by stimuli in the environment. For eye movements, it has recently been discovered that cognitive control is briefly disrupted in urgent situations (Salinas et al., 2019). In a time-window before an urgent response, participants could not help but look at a suddenly appearing visual stimulus, even though their goal was to look away from it. Urgency seemed to provoke a new visual-oculomotor phenomenon: A period in which saccadic eye movements are dominated by external stimuli, and uncontrollable by current goals. This period was assumed to arise from brain mechanisms controlling eye movements and spatial attention, such as those of the frontal eye field. Here, we show that the phenomenon is more general than previously thought. We found that urgency disrupted cognitive control also in well-investigated manual tasks, so that responses were dominated by goal-conflicting stimulus features. This dominance of behavior followed established trial-to-trial signatures of cognitive control that replicate across a variety of tasks. Thus together, these findings reveal that urgency temporarily impairs cognitive control in general, not only at brain mechanisms controlling eye movements.
A new framework for analysis of three-dimensional shape and architecture of human skeletal muscles
Authors: Bolsterlee Bart 
Published: September 2021

AbstractA new framework is presented for comprehensive analysis of the three-dimensional shape and architecture of human skeletal muscles from magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging data. The framework comprises three key features: (1) identification of points on the surface of and inside a muscle that have a correspondence to points on and inside another muscle, (2) reconstruction of average muscle shape and average muscle fibre orientations, and (3) utilization of data on between-muscle variation to visualize and make statistical inferences about changes or differences in muscle shape and architecture. The general use of the framework is demonstrated by its application to three datasets. Analysis of data obtained before and after eight weeks of strength training revealed there was little regional variation in hypertrophy of the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis, and no systematic change in pennation angle. Analysis of passive muscle lengthening revealed heterogeneous changes in shape of the medial gastrocnemius, and confirmed the ability of the methods to detect subtle changes in muscle fibre orientation. Analysis of the medial gastrocnemius of children with unilateral cerebral palsy showed that muscles in the more-affected limb were shorter, thinner and less wide than muscles in the less-affected limb, and had slightly more pennate muscle fibres in the central and proximal part of the muscle. Amongst other applications, the framework can be used to explore the mechanics of muscle contraction, investigate adaptations of muscle architecture, build anatomically realistic computational models of skeletal muscles, and compare muscle shape and architecture between species.
Durable Immunity to Ricin Toxin Elicited by a Thermostable, Lyophilized Subunit Vaccine
Authors: Novak Hayley , Doering Jennifer , Ehrbar Dylan , Donini Oreola , Mantis Nicholas J. 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTThe development of vaccines against biothreat toxins like ricin (RT) is considered an integral component of the United States national security efforts. RiVax® is a thermostable, lyophilized RT subunit vaccine adsorbed to aluminum salt adjuvant intended for use by military personnel and first responders. Phase 1 studies indicated that RiVax is safe and immunogenic, while a three dose, intramuscular vaccination regimen in non-human primates elicited protection against lethal dose RT challenge by aerosol. Here we investigated, in a mouse model, the durability of RiVax-induced antibody responses and corresponding immunity to lethal dose RT challenge. Groups of mice were subcutaneously administered 3 or 1 μg of RiVax on days 0 and 21 and challenged with 10 × LD50 RT by injection at six different intervals over the course of twelve months. Serum antibody titers and epitope-specific competition assays were determined prior to each challenge. We report that the two-dose, 3 μg regimen conferred near complete protection against RT challenge on day 35 and complete protection thereafter (challenge days 65, 95, 125, 245, and 365). The two-dose, 3 μg regimen was superior to the 1 μg regimen as revealed by slight differences in survival and morbidity scores (e.g., hypoglycemia, weight loss) on challenge days 35 and 365. In separate experiments, a single 3 μg RiVax vaccination proved only marginally effective at eliciting protective immunity to RT, underscoring the necessity of a prime-boost regimen to achieve full and long-lasting protection against RT.IMPORTANCERicin toxin (RT) is a notorious biothreat, as exposure to even trace amounts via injection or inhalation can induce organ failure and death within a matter of hours. In this study, we advance the preclinical testing of a candidate RT vaccine known as RiVax®. RiVax is a recombinant non-toxic derivative of RT’s enzymatic subunit that has been evaluated for safety in Phase I clinical trials and efficacy in a variety of animal models. We demonstrate that two doses of RiVax is sufficient to protect mice from lethal dose RT challenge for up to one year. We describe kinetics and other immune parameters of the antibody response to RiVax and discuss how these immune factors may translate to humans.
Cortical dopamine reduces the impact of motivational biases governing automated behaviour
Authors: Scholz Vanessa , Hook Roxanne W. , Kandroodi Mojtaba Rostami , Algermissen Johannes , Ioannidis Konstantinos , Christmas David , Valle Stephanie , Robbins Trevor W. , Grant Jon E. , Chamberlain Samuel R. , den Ouden Hanneke EM 
Published: September 2021

AbstractMotivations shape our behaviour: the promise of reward invigorates, while in the face of punishment, we hold back. Abnormalities of motivational processing are implicated in clinical disorders characterised by excessive habits and loss of top-down control, notably substance and behavioural addictions. Striatal and frontal dopamine have been hypothesised to play complementary roles in the respective generation and control of these motivational biases. However, while dopaminergic interventions have indeed been found to modulate motivational biases, these previous pharmacological studies used regionally non-selective pharmacological agents. Here, we tested the hypothesis that frontal dopamine controls the balance between Pavlovian, bias-driven automated responding and instrumentally learned action values. Specifically, we examined whether selective enhancement of cortical dopamine either (i) enables adaptive suppression of Pavlovian control when biases are maladaptive; or (ii) non-specifically modulates the degree of bias-driven automated responding. Healthy individuals (n=35) received the catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design, and completed a motivational Go NoGo task known to elicit motivational biases. In support of hypothesis (ii), tolcapone globally decreased motivational bias. Specifically, tolcapone improved performance on trials where the bias was unhelpful, but impaired performance in bias-congruent conditions. These results indicate a non-selective role for cortical dopamine in the regulation of motivational processes underpinning top-down control over automated behaviour. The findings have direct relevance to understanding neurobiological mechanisms underpinning addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorders, as well as highlighting a potential trans-diagnostic novel mechanism to address such symptoms.