bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between homograft tissue exposure and allosensitization prior to heart transplant in patients with congenital heart disease
Authors: Donovan Denis J. , Richmond Marc E. , Bacha Emile A. , Addonizio Linda J. , Zuckerman Warren A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundSurgical repair for patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) often incorporates homograft tissue or other foreign material that can lead to allosensitization. We sought to identify the relationship between pre‐sensitization prior to heart transplant and exposure to homograft tissue in CHD patients.MethodsRetrospective chart review of all CHD patients who underwent heart transplant at a major pediatric transplant center between 1/1/2011‐3/31/18. Operative records determined use of homograft tissue or foreign material. Panel reactive antibody (PRA) and LuminexTM single‐antigen bead (SAB) testing results were reviewed. Statistical analysis determined odds of pre‐sensitization in patients exposed to homograft tissue.ResultsFifty‐six CHD patients underwent transplant during the review period. Thirteen patients (23%) were pre‐sensitized by PRA>10%. By SAB testing, 33 patients (59%) developed any anti‐HLA antibody >0 MFI, 30 patients (54%) >2000 MFI, and 19 patients (34%) >6000 MFI. Patients with homografts were more likely to be pre‐sensitized by PRA (OR = 7.31, p = .007), and to have developed any anti‐HLA antibody at various levels, >0 (OR = 4.52, p = .034), >2000 (OR = 8.59, p = .003), and >6000 (OR = 8.50, p = .004). Of patients with homografts, those pre‐sensitized by PRA had longer exposure times (9.80 vs 4.96 years, p = .025). There was no difference in exposure time with relation to pre‐sensitization by SAB testing.ConclusionsPrevious exposure to homograft tissue appears to increase the odds of pre‐sensitization by either the PRA or SAB testing. Longer exposure time to homograft tissue prior to transplant is associated with increased pre‐sensitization at transplant as determined by PRA, though not by SAB testing.
Designing a mobile health intervention for preterm home care: Application of conceptual framework
Authors: Phagdol Tenzin , Nayak Baby S , Lewis Leslie Edward , Margaret Binu , George Anice 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMobile health (mHealth) solutions are being widely explored in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) due to its scope in reducing the healthcare access gap and improving health outcomes. The fit of mHealth solutions to specific users and their viability in a particular setting plays a significant role in the successful adoption and sustainable implementation. This article describes the process of designing a sustainable mHealth application for delivering preterm home care to babies discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in India. Intended end‐users are the parents, who are primary caregivers at home, especially mothers of preterm babies and healthcare providers who cared for them at the hospital. This mHealth application is designed to facilitate continuity of care for these preterm babies transitioning from an intensive healthcare setting to home with unique and complex health care needs. It is equipped to remotely monitor the growth and development for early detection of growth impairment and developmental delay often seen in preterm babies in their early years. Therefore, a mHealth application was designed applying a relevant conceptual framework for successful adoption and an ecological model for sustainability in the Indian setting.
‘Savages’ and ‘exploiters’: Exploring anti‐colonial violence in the time of war and revolution
Authors: Chokobaeva Aminat , Akulov Mikhail 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe paper explores the nature of inter‐ethnic, anti‐colonial violence during the First World War and the Russian Revolution (1914–1921). It adopts a comparative approach by juxtaposing the 1916 uprising in Russian Central Asia – specifically, in the Semirech’e oblast – against the anti‐Mennonite pogroms carried out by the Ukrainian peasantry in 1919. The analysis demonstrates that the imperial state, although a significant factor, exercises a highly ambiguous influence: in one case it becomes an enabler of violence, whereas in another it poses an obstacle to it. Furthermore, the paper questions the conventional wisdom of presenting Russia’s long crisis as a two‐part process of state disintegration and subsequent state reconstitution; regional dynamics, especially the power relations between the colonized and the colonizers, need to be taken into account if one intends to construct a more comprehensive history of that period.
Opening out ageing: On the entropy of all things
Authors: Andrews Gavin J. , Duff Cameron 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAcross the social sciences the predominant engagement with ageing is through the study of human ageing, this also the exclusive concern of the “geography of ageing”. With the aim of advancing scholarship substantially, in this paper we (re)turn to science and consider how a broader, more fundamental understanding of ageing is found in the process of increasing entropy that all entities/systems are eventually subject to and contributors towards. Based on this theoretical foundation – but cognisant of the need for a contemporary posthumanist sensibility – we challenge geographers and others to extend the study of ageing to encompass all entities/systems at all possible levels of scale and complexity, highlighting pockets of partial precedent for this extension in different literatures. We argue that, through accepting this “all‐world ageing” challenge, a more fulsome appreciation of the ageing macrocosm might be arrived at.
Background rate of low‐level HCV RNA in anti‐HCV confirmed‐positive and minipool nucleic acid test‐nonreactive blood donations
Authors: Groves Jamel A. , Y. Dodd Roger , Zhu Xiaomei , Linnen Jeffrey M. , Stramer Susan L. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundIn 2019, the Food and Drug Administration revised the requirement for further testing of anti‐HCV‐reactive donations testing nucleic acid (NAT)‐nonreactive via routine mini‐pool (MP)‐NAT. Individual donation (ID)‐HCV NAT was required as a supplemental test prior to a second FDA‐licensed anti‐HCV assay; if ID‐HCV‐NAT is reactive, no further testing is required. This study investigated the rate of low‐level RNA in anti‐HCV‐reactive donation samples prior to and following the implementation of supplemental ID‐HCV NAT.Study Design/MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on frozen plasma unit samples from 1161 anti‐HCV confirmed‐positive/HCV‐NAT‐nonreactive donations collected from December 2014 to January 2020. Samples were tested by multiple replicates on the Grifols Procleix Ultrio Elite (UE) assay and corresponding discriminatory HCV (dHCV) assay on the Procleix Panther System. Prospectively, the prevalence of low‐level RNA in 2912 anti‐HCV‐reactive donations detected through routine screening from April 2020 through March 2021 was determined.ResultsIn retrospective analyses, 10 (0.86%) of 1161 plasma samples were UE reactive, of which four (0.34%) were dHCV reactive (in all replicates of UE and dHCV). Of 2912 anti‐HCV‐reactive donation samples testing NAT‐nonreactive via routine MP‐NAT, three (0.1%; 95% CI: 0.04‐0.30) were dHCV reactive; 37% of the remaining samples were reactive by a second anti‐HCV assay and thus serologically confirmed.ConclusionsRetrospective and prospective analysis in comparison to earlier studies revealed that low‐level HCV‐RNA reactivity is decreasing over time. The very low HCV‐RNA rates may be due to the widespread use of highly effective, direct‐acting anti‐viral treatments for those diagnosed with HCV infection.
The effect of 8 weeks of physical training on muscle performance and maximal fat oxidation rates in patients treated with simvastatin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation
Authors: Kuhlman Anja Birk , Mikkelsen Lise Bluhme , Regnersgaard Signe , Heinrichsen Sophie , Nielsen Frederikke Hyldahl , Frandsen Jacob , Orlando Patrick , Silvestri Sonia , Larsen Steen , Helge Jørn Wulff , Dela Flemming 
Published: December 2021

AbstractStatins are prescribed for the treatment of elevated cholesterol, but they may negatively affect metabolism, muscle performance, and the response to training. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation may alleviate these effects. Combined simvastatin and CoQ10 treatment during physical training has never been tested. We studied the response to 8 weeks training (maximal oxygen uptake (), fat oxidation (MFO), the workload at which MFO occurred, and muscle strength) in statin naive dyslipidaemic patients who received simvastatin (40 mg/day) with (S + Q, n = 9) or without (S + Pl, n = 10) CoQ10 supplementation (2 × 200 mg/day) or placebo (Pl + Pl, n = 7) in a randomized, double‐blind placebo‐controlled study. and maximal workload increased with training (main effect of time, P < 0.05). MFO increased from 0.29 ± 0.10, 0.26 ± 0.10, and 0.38 ± 0.09 to 0.42 ± 0.09, 0.38 ± 0.10 and 0.48 ± 0.16 g/min in S + Q, S + Pl, and Pl + Pl, respectively (main effect of time, P = 0.0013). The workload at MFO increased from 75 ± 25, 56 ± 23, and 72 ± 17 to 106 ± 25, 84 ± 13 and 102 ± 31 W in S + Q, S + Pl, and Pl + Pl, respectively (main effect of time, P < 0.0001). Maximal voluntary contraction and rate of force development were unchanged. Exercise improved aerobic physical capacity and simvastatin with or without CoQ10 supplementation did not inhibit this adaptation. The similar increases in MFO and in the workload at which MFO occurred in response to training shows that the ability to adapt substrate selection and oxidation rates is preserved with simvastatin treatment, despite the potential negative impact of simvastatin at the mitochondrial level. CoQ10 supplementation does not augment this adaptation.Key points
Simvastatins are prescribed for treatment of elevated cholesterol, but they may negatively affect metabolism, muscle performance and the response to training.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation may alleviate some of these effects.
We found that simvastatin treatment does not negatively affect training‐induced adaptations of substrate oxidation during exercise.
Likewise, maximal oxygen uptake increases with physical training also in patients in treatment with simvastatin.
CoQ10 supplementation in simvastatin‐treated patients presents no advantage in the adaptations to physical training
Simvastatin treatment decreases plasma concentrations of total CoQ10, but this can be alleviated by simultaneous supplementation with CoQ10
Neurotransmitter regulation rather than cell‐intrinsic properties shapes the high‐pass filtering properties of olfactory bulb glomeruli
Authors: Zak Joseph D. , Schoppa Nathan E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractGABAergic periglomerular (PG) cells in the olfactory bulb are proposed to mediate an intraglomerular ‘high‐pass’ filter through inhibition targeted onto a glomerulus. With this mechanism, weak stimuli (e.g. an odour with a low affinity for an odourant receptor) mainly produce PG cell‐driven inhibition but strong stimuli generate enough excitation to overcome inhibition. PG cells may be particularly susceptible to being activated by weak stimuli due to their intrinsically small size and high input resistance. Here, we used dual‐cell patch‐clamp recordings and imaging methods in bulb slices obtained from wild‐type and transgenic rats with labelled GABAergic cells to test a number of predictions of the high‐pass filtering model. We first directly compared the responsiveness of PG cells with that of external tufted cells (eTCs), which are a class of excitatory cells that reside in a parallel but opposing position in the glomerular circuitry. PG cells were in fact found to be no more responsive than eTCs at low levels of sensory neuron activity. While PG cells required smaller currents to be excited, this advantage was offset by the fact that a given level of sensory neuron activity produced much smaller synaptic currents. We did, however, identify other factors that shaped the excitation/inhibition balance in a manner that would support a high‐pass filter, including glial glutamate transporters and presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors. We conclude that a single glomerulus may act as a high‐pass filter to enhance the contrast between different olfactory stimuli through mechanisms that are largely independent cell‐intrinsic properties.Key points
GABAergic periglomerular (PG) cells in the olfactory bulb are proposed to mediate a ‘high‐pass’ filter at a single glomerulus that selectively blocks weak stimulus signals. Their efficacy may reflect their intrinsically small size and high input resistance, which allows them to be easily excited.
It was found that PG cells were in fact no more likely to be activated by weak stimuli than excitatory neurons. PG cells fired action potentials more readily in response to a fixed current input, but this advantage for excitability was offset by small synaptic currents.
Glomeruli nevertheless display an excitation/inhibition balance that can support a high‐pass filter, shifting from unfavourable to favourable with increasing stimulus strength. Factors shaping the filter include glial glutamate transporters and presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors.
It is concluded that a single glomerulus may act as a high‐pass filter to enhance stimulus contrast through mechanisms that are largely independent of cell‐intrinsic properties.
Control epigenético en la transición epiteliomesénquima
Authors: Bernal Camila , Otálora Beatriz Andrea , González Daniel Mauricio , Bermúdez Litzy Gisella , Montoya Christian Fernando , Valderrama Andrea , Cristina Oñate , Castillo Ana Cathalina , Niederbacher Nicolás , Pinzón María José , Camero Carlos , García Francisco Javier , Grajales Diana Marcela , Cañas Alejandra , Rojas Adriana Patricia , Sánchez Velásquez Paula Andrea 
Published: December 2021

El proceso transición epitelio mesénquima (TEM) permite que una célula epitelial de manera temporal, adquiera un fenotipo mesenquimal como respuesta a un estímulo interno o externo. Este proceso se caracteriza por la activación y represión de genes involucrados en diferentes vías de señalización asociadas con migración, invasión y apoptosis, entre otros. En este proceso la epigenética cumple un papel fundamental. La epigenética comprende cuatro mecanismos: metilación de ADN, modificación covalente de histonas, ARN no codificantes (ARNnc) y complejos remodeladores de la cromatina, que regulan la expresión de un gen sin alterar su secuencia. En esta revisión de tema los autores describen los principales mecanismos epigenéticos involucrados en la regulación de la expresión de genes que se activan y reprimen concomitantemente en las tres fases del proceso TEM: fase no migratoria, fase premigratoria y fase migratoria.
Use of antibiotics and colorectal cancer risk: a primary care nested case–control study in Belgium
Authors: Van der Meer Johannes , Mamouris Pavlos , Nassiri Vahid , Vaes Bert , van den Akker Marjan 
Published: December 2021

ObjectivesTo examine the association between the use of oral antibiotics and subsequent colorectal cancer risk.DesignMatched case–control study.SettingGeneral practice centres participating in the Integrated Computerised Network database in Flanders, Belgium.ParticipantsIn total, 1705 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed between 01 January 2010 and 31 December 2015 were matched to 6749 controls by age, sex, comorbidity and general practice centre.Primary outcome measureThe association between the number of prescriptions for oral antibiotics and the incidence of colorectal cancer over a period of 1–10 years, estimated by a conditional logistic regression model.ResultsA significantly increased risk of colorectal cancer (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.44) was found in subjects with one or more prescriptions compared with those with none after correction for diabetes mellitus. No dose-response relationship was found.ConclusionsThis study resulted in a modestly higher risk of having colorectal cancer diagnosed after antibiotic exposure. The main limitation was missing data on known risk factors, in particular smoking behaviour. This study did not allow us to examine the causality of the relationship, indicating the need of further investigation.
Severity of COVID-19 and adverse long-term outcomes: a retrospective cohort study based on a US electronic health record database
Authors: Jovanoski Nick , Chen Xin , Becker Ursula , Zalocusky Kelly , Chawla Devika , Tsai Larry , Borm Michelle , Neighbors Margaret , Yau Vincent 
Published: December 2021

ObjectiveTo identify potential risk factors for adverse long-term outcomes (LTOs) associated with COVID-19, using a large electronic health record (EHR) database.DesignRetrospective cohort study. Patients with COVID-19 were assigned into subcohorts according to most intensive treatment setting experienced. Newly diagnosed conditions were classified as respiratory, cardiovascular or mental health LTOs at >30–≤90 or >90–≤180 days after COVID-19 diagnosis or hospital discharge. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify any association of treatment setting (as a proxy for disease severity) with LTO incidence.SettingOptum deidentified COVID-19 EHR dataset drawn from hospitals and clinics across the USA.ParticipantsIndividuals diagnosed with COVID-19 (N=57 748) from 20 February to 4 July 2020.Main outcomesIncidence of new clinical conditions after COVID-19 diagnosis or hospital discharge and the association of treatment setting (as a proxy for disease severity) with their risk of occurrence.ResultsPatients were assigned into one of six subcohorts: outpatient (n=22 788), emergency room (ER) with same-day COVID-19 diagnosis (n=11 633), ER with COVID-19 diagnosis≤21 days before ER visit (n=2877), hospitalisation without intensive care unit (ICU; n=16 653), ICU without ventilation (n=1837) and ICU with ventilation (n=1960). Respiratory LTOs were more common than cardiovascular or mental health LTOs across subcohorts and LTO incidence was higher in hospitalised versus non-hospitalised subcohorts. Patients with the most severe disease were at increased risk of respiratory (risk ratio (RR) 1.86, 95% CI 1.56 to 2.21), cardiovascular (RR 2.65, 95% CI 1.49 to 4.43) and mental health outcomes (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.91) up to 6 months after hospital discharge compared with outpatients.ConclusionsPatients with severe COVID-19 had increased risk of new clinical conditions up to 6 months after hospital discharge. The extent that treatment setting (eg, ICU) contributed to these conditions is unknown, but strategies to prevent COVID-19 progression may nonetheless minimise their occurrence.
Nitrogen management strategies on plant growth and severities of Sclerotinia stem rot of canola in eastern Canada
Authors: Gao Fen , Chen Yuanhong , Lim SeaRa , Xue Allen G. , Ma Bao-Luo 
Published: December 2021

Effective nitrogen (N) management strategies are important for ensuring a balance between optimizing plant growth and minimizing disease damage. A field experiment was conducted for three years to (i) assess the effects of N fertilizer application on the growth and seed yield of canola and severities of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), and (ii) to determine a reasonable N-rate for optimizing plant growth and minimizing the loss from SSR in eastern Canada. The experiment was designed with factorial combinations of eight N treatments and two canola hybrids. All N treatments reduced canola emergence with increasing preplant N application rates above 100 kg ha−1, but had a positive impact on plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and seed yield. The development of SSR showed differential responses to N application rates. Of all the treatments, the split application (50 kg N ha−1 at preplant plus 100 kg N ha−1 side-dressed at the 6-leaf stage) increased canola growth and often produced the highest or similar seed yields to those of equivalent N rate applied as preplant. At the 150 kg ha−1 N rate, no severe development of SSR was observed in either preplant-only or split application. Overall, this study demonstrates that the split-N management strategy (50 + 100 kg ha−1) maintained a balance between enhancing plant growth and mitigating the negative impacts of SSR on canola.
Deforming convex bodies in Minkowski geometry
Authors: Rovenski V. , Walczak P. 
Published: December 2021

We introduce and study certain deformation of Minkowski norms in [Formula: see text] determined by a set of [Formula: see text] linearly independent 1-forms and a smooth positive function of [Formula: see text] variables. In particular, the deformation of a Euclidean norm [Formula: see text] produces a Minkowski norm defined in our recent work; its indicatrix is a rotation hypersurface with a [Formula: see text]-dimensional axis passing through the origin. For [Formula: see text], our deformation generalizes the construction of [Formula: see text]-norms which form a rich class of “computable” Minkowski norms and play an important role in Finsler geometry. We characterize such pairs of a Minkowski norm and its image that Cartan torsions of the two norms either coincide or differ by a [Formula: see text]-reducible term. We conjecture that for [Formula: see text] any Minkowski norm can be approximated by images of a Euclidean norm.
Differentiable time-gated rendering
Authors: Wu Lifan , Cai Guangyan , Ramamoorthi Ravi , Zhao Shuang 
Published: December 2021

The continued advancements of time-of-flight imaging devices have enabled new imaging pipelines with numerous applications. Consequently, several forward rendering techniques capable of accurately and efficiently simulating these devices have been introduced. However, general-purpose differentiable rendering techniques that estimate derivatives of time-of-flight images are still lacking. In this paper, we introduce a new theory of differentiable time-gated rendering that enjoys the generality of differentiating with respect to arbitrary scene parameters. Our theory also allows the design of advanced Monte Carlo estimators capable of handling cameras with near-delta or discontinuous time gates.
We validate our theory by comparing derivatives generated with our technique and finite differences. Further, we demonstrate the usefulness of our technique using a few proof-of-concept inverse-rendering examples that simulate several time-of-flight imaging scenarios.
DNA-PKcs: A Targetable Protumorigenic Protein Kinase
Authors: Dylgjeri Emanuela , Knudsen Karen E. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is a pleiotropic protein kinase that plays critical roles in cellular processes fundamental to cancer. DNA-PKcs expression and activity are frequently deregulated in multiple hematologic and solid tumors and have been tightly linked to poor outcome. Given the potentially influential role of DNA-PKcs in cancer development and progression, therapeutic targeting of this kinase is being tested in preclinical and clinical settings. This review summarizes the latest advances in the field, providing a comprehensive discussion of DNA-PKcs functions in cancer and an update on the clinical assessment of DNA-PK inhibitors in cancer therapy.