bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Progressive left and right heart dysfunction in coronavirus disease-19: Prospective echocardiographic evaluation
Authors: Chaturvedi Hemant , Issac Rohan , Sharma Sanjeev Kumar , Gupta Rajeev 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Aims
Cardiac dysfunction in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has been reported during acute phase but serial changes have not been well studied. To determine serial changes in type and severity of echocardiographic left and right heart functions we performed a prospective study.

Methods and results
Successive COVID-19 patients at discharge from the hospital from June to December 2020 were enrolled. Clinical details were obtained and echocardiography was performed using Philips IE33X-Matrix. Follow-up evaluation was performed after 3 months. In total, 1789 COVID-19 patients were evaluated. Baseline echocardiography was performed in 1000 eligible patients (men 611, women 389). Mean age was 50.2 ± 15 years, hypertension was in 44.0%, diabetes in 49.4%, and coronary disease in 10.8%. COVID-19 was mild in 47.0%, moderate in 39.5%, and severe in 13.5%. Baseline cardiac parameters were more impaired in severe vs. moderate or mild COVID-19. At 3 months, in 632 patients where baseline and follow-up data were available, decline was observed in select left [left ventricular internal diameter in diastole +0.9 ± 0.2 mm, left atrial volume +7.6 ± 0.1 mL/m2, mitral E/e′ +4.8 ± 0.1, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) −3.7 ± 0.2%] and right [right ventricular internal diameter in diastole +2.1 ± 0.1 mm, right atrial internal dimension +1.6 ± 0.1 mm, tricuspid Vmax +1.0 ± 0.1 cm, and tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) −2.7 ± 0.2 mm] heart variables (P &lt; 0.001). Compared to mild COVID-19, decline was significantly greater in moderate/severe disease, LVEF −1.1 ± 0.3 vs. −3.8 ± 0.3%; mitral E/e′ +3.2 ± 0.1 vs. +4.8 ± 0.1, tricuspid Vmax +0.3 ± 0.1 vs. +1.0 ± 0.1 cm, and TAPSE −0.7 ± 0.2 vs. −2.7 ± 0.2 mm (P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusion
This study shows impaired cardiac functions in severe and moderate COVID-19 compared to mild at hospital discharge and progressive decline in left and right heart functions at 3 months. Impairment is significantly greater in patients with moderate to severe disease.
Scaling-up agricultural technologies: who should be targeted?
Authors: Mellon Bedi Shaibu , Azzarri Carlo , Hundie Kotu Bekele , Kornher Lukas , von Braun Joachim 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The effects of agricultural technology adoption on farm performance have been studied extensively but with limited information on who should be targeted during scaling-up. We adopt the newly defined marginal treatment effect approach in examining how farmers’ resource endowment and unobserved factors influence the marginal benefits of adopting sustainable intensification (SI) practices. We estimate both the marginal and average benefits of adopting SI practices and predict which marginal farm household entrants will benefit the most at scale. Findings indicate that farmers’ resource endowment and unobserved factors affect the marginal benefits of adopting SI practices, which also influence maize yield and net returns among adopters. Finally, results imply that scaling up SI practices will favour farm household entrants associated with the lowest probability of adoption based on observed socioeconomic characteristics.
Effect of Biochar and Manual Vegetation Control on Early Growth and Survival of Planted Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) Seedlings in Northern Minnesota
Authors: Slesak Robert A , Kelso Sara G , Windmuller-Campione Marcella A 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Survival of planted seedlings following a regeneration harvest can be challenging and early interventions through silvicultural treatments may be required for successful stand establishment. We tested the influence of soil amendment (biochar plus compost, compost-only, or control) and vegetation control (VC; applied either initially or annually for five years using brush saws) on the growth and survival of jack pine at three sites in northern Minnesota. Application of the biochar plus compost soil amendment increased seedling survival by 30% relative to the control in the first year, but there was no significant difference in survival among soil amendment treatments after five years. Both soil amendments increased diameter growth relative to the control (14% increase with biochar plus compost, 10% increase with compost only), with most of the biochar plus compost effect attributed to the compost. Annual VC increased diameter growth by 17% relative to initial VC, but overall effects on survival and growth were generally small relative to reported effects of VC via herbicide. The limited short-term influence of biochar and manual VC on growth and survival of jack pine indicates that these practices are likely not an effective means to increase jack pine establishment, but other benefits (e.g., increased carbon storage) may become apparent with time.
Massively parallel analysis of human 3′ UTRs reveals that AU-rich element length and registration predict mRNA destabilization
Authors: Siegel David A , Le Tonqueze Olivier , Biton Anne , Zaitlen Noah , Erle David J 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAU-rich elements (AREs) are 3′ UTR cis-regulatory elements that regulate the stability of mRNAs. Consensus ARE motifs have been determined, but little is known about how differences in 3′ UTR sequences that conform to these motifs affect their function. Here, we use functional annotation of sequences from 3′ UTRs (fast-UTR), a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA), to investigate the effects of 41,288 3′ UTR sequence fragments from 4653 transcripts on gene expression and mRNA stability in Jurkat and Beas2B cells. Our analyses demonstrate that the length of an ARE and its registration (the first and last nucleotides of the repeating ARE motif) have significant effects on gene expression and stability. Based on this finding, we propose improved ARE classification and concomitant methods to categorize and predict the effect of AREs on gene expression and stability. Finally, to investigate the advantages of our general experimental design we examine other motifs including constitutive decay elements (CDEs), where we show that the length of the CDE stem-loop has a significant impact on steady-state expression and mRNA stability. We conclude that fast-UTR, in conjunction with our analytical approach, can produce improved yet simple sequence-based rules for predicting the activity of human 3′ UTRs.
Single-nucleus transcriptomes reveal evolutionary and functional properties of cell types in theDrosophilaaccessory gland
Authors: Majane Alex C , Cridland Julie M , Begun David J 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMany traits responsible for male reproduction evolve quickly, including gene expression phenotypes in germline and somatic male reproductive tissues. Rapid male evolution in polyandrous species is thought to be driven by competition among males for fertilizations and conflicts between male and female fitness interests that manifest in postcopulatory phenotypes. In Drosophila, seminal fluid proteins secreted by three major cell types of the male accessory gland and ejaculatory duct are required for female sperm storage and use, and influence female postcopulatory traits. Recent work has shown that these cell types have overlapping but distinct effects on female postcopulatory biology, yet relatively little is known about their evolutionary properties. Here, we use single-nucleus RNA-Seq of the accessory gland and ejaculatory duct from Drosophila melanogaster and two closely related species to comprehensively describe the cell diversity of these tissues and their transcriptome evolution for the first time. We find that seminal fluid transcripts are strongly partitioned across the major cell types, and expression of many other genes additionally defines each cell type. We also report previously undocumented diversity in main cells. Transcriptome divergence was found to be heterogeneous across cell types and lineages, revealing a complex evolutionary process. Furthermore, protein adaptation varied across cell types, with potential consequences for our understanding of selection on male postcopulatory traits.
Disentangling genetic feature selection and aggregation in transcriptome-wide association studies
Authors: Cao Chen , Kossinna Pathum , Kwok Devin , Li Qing , He Jingni , Su Liya , Guo Xingyi , Zhang Qingrun , Long Quan 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe success of transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) has led to substantial research toward improving the predictive accuracy of its core component of genetically regulated expression (GReX). GReX links expression information with genotype and phenotype by playing two roles simultaneously: it acts as both the outcome of the genotype-based predictive models (for predicting expressions) and the linear combination of genotypes (as the predicted expressions) for association tests. From the perspective of machine learning (considering SNPs as features), these are actually two separable steps—feature selection and feature aggregation—which can be independently conducted. In this study, we show that the single approach of GReX limits the adaptability of TWAS methodology and practice. By conducting simulations and real data analysis, we demonstrate that disentangled protocols adapting straightforward approaches for feature selection (e.g., simple marker test) and aggregation (e.g., kernel machines) outperform the standard TWAS protocols that rely on GReX. Our development provides more powerful novel tools for conducting TWAS. More importantly, our characterization of the exact nature of TWAS suggests that, instead of questionably binding two distinct steps into the same statistical form (GReX), methodological research focusing on optimal combinations of feature selection and aggregation approaches will bring higher power to TWAS protocols.
The Physical, Mental, and Social Health of Middle-Aged and Older Adults Without Close Kin in Canada
Authors: Margolis Rachel , Chai Xiangnan , Verdery Ashton M , Newmyer Lauren 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Objectives
We examine whether adults aged 45 and older lacking a partner and children are disadvantaged in terms of physical, mental, and social aspects of health. Then we test whether the importance of family structure for these outcomes varies by age, gender, and educational attainment.

Methods
We examine aging and social network modules from the Canadian General Social Survey to estimate associations between family structure and physical, mental, and social health, with the last measured as communication with relatives and friends, civic participation, and loneliness.

Results
Results show that middle-aged and older adults without partners have lower levels of physical and mental health and higher levels of loneliness than those with partners. Those without partners and children (the “kinless”) interact less with relatives than those who have children but not partners, but more with friends, showing some substitution. In terms of civic participation, kinless middle-aged and older adults have significantly lower odds of this type of engagement than peers with close kin. Our interaction models find some differences by age, gender, and education, which vary by the outcome.

Discussion
Our results highlight some concerns about the well-being of kinless adults in Canada, especially as related to physical and mental health and two aspects of social health, loneliness, and civic participation. We find some substitution occurring, whereby middle-aged and older adults without family are interacting more with friends than comparable peers, but such substitution is marginal.
Safety of Immunizations for the Adult Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Desalermos Athanasios , Pimienta Michael , Kalligeros Markos , Shehadeh Fadi , Diamantopoulos Leonidas , Karamanolis George , Caldera Freddy , Farraye Francis A 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have low vaccination rates for vaccine-preventable diseases. Fear of adverse reactions (AEs) appear to negatively affect vaccination efforts. We aimed to systemically review the risks for AEs following immunization for patients with IBD.

Methods
We searched PubMed and Embase until April 15, 2020, for studies evaluating the safety of vaccinations among patients with IBD. The primary outcome was the incidence of systemic and local AEs among vaccinated patients. Secondary outcome was the rate of IBD flare following immunization. We utilized a random effects meta-analysis of proportions using the DerSimonian-Laird approach to estimate the safety of immunizations.

Results
A total of 13 studies with 2116 patients was included in our analysis after fulfilling our inclusion criteria. Seven studies examined the influenza vaccine, 4 the pneumococcal vaccine, 1 the recombinant zoster vaccine, and 1 the hepatitis B vaccine. Follow-up of patients was up to 6 months. The majority of AEs were local, with a pooled incidence of 24% (95% CI, 9%-42%) for all vaccines. Systemic AEs were mostly mild, without resulting in hospitalizations or deaths, with a pooled incidence of 16% (95% CI, 6%-29%) for all vaccines. Flare of inflammatory bowel disease after vaccination found with a pooled incidence of 2% (95% CI, 1%-4%) and we include in the analysis data from all immunizations examined.

Discussion
Our study demonstrated that AEs after vaccination are mainly local or mildly systemic and do not differ significantly from the expected AE after recommended immunizations for the general population. Thus, gastroenterologists should reinforce that vaccines are safe in patients with IBD.
Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Dementia: A Longitudinal Cohort Study
Authors: Sun Yuhao , Geng Jiawei , Chen Xuejie , Chen Hui , Wang Xiaoyan , Chen Jie , Li Xue , Hesketh Therese 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background
The association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and dementia remains uncertain. We aim to investigate whether IBD is associated with higher dementia risk.

Methods
Using multivariable Cox regression models, we analyzed the onset of all-cause dementia among 497,775 participants, including 5778 IBD patients in the UK Biobank as primary analysis. In secondary analysis, we further examined the difference in brain structure and cognitive function changes between IBD and non-IBD individuals. The diagnosis of IBD and dementia was confirmed with combination of primary care data, hospital inpatient data, death registry, and self-report data. Brain structure was measured by brain MRI as anatomic and tissue-specific volumes; cognitive function was tested in terms of reaction, visual episodic memory, verbal-numerical reasoning, and prospective memory.

Results
During a mean follow-up of 11.58 years, 100 and 6709 incident all-cause dementia with or without IBD were documented, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression model, hazard ratio for incident dementia among IBD patients was 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-1.39; P=.182) comparing with non-IBD participants; no statistically significant difference was observed in their brain MRI measures of anatomic and tissue-specific volumes, whereas IBD patients had a significantly increased reaction time (β=12.32; 95% CI, 1.97, 22.67; P = .020). Results of subgroup and sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main analysis.

Conclusions
Our study does not support a significant association between IBD and dementia. Further studies with better design and longer follow-up are needed to elucidate the association.
Detection of Nonenveloped Hepatitis E Virus in Plasma of Infected Blood Donors
Authors: Costafreda Maria Isabel , Sauleda Silvia , Rico Angie , Piron Maria , Bes Marta 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background
Transfusion-transmitted hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections have raised many concerns regarding the safety of blood products. To date, enveloped HEV particles have been described in circulating blood, whereas nonenveloped HEV virions have only been found in feces; however, no exhaustive studies have been performed to fully characterize HEV particles in blood.

Methods
Using isopycnic ultracentrifugation, we determined the types of HEV particles in plasma of HEV-infected blood donors.

Results
Nonenveloped HEV was detected in 8 of 23 plasma samples, whereas enveloped HEV was found in all of them. No association was observed between the presence of nonenveloped HEV and viral load, gender, or age at infection. However, samples with HEV-positive serology and/or increased levels of liver injury markers contained a higher proportion of nonenveloped HEV than samples with HEV-negative serology and normal levels of liver enzymes. These results were further confirmed by analyzing paired donation and follow-up samples of 10 HEV-infected donors who were HEV seronegative at donation but had anti-HEV antibodies and/or increased levels of liver enzymes at follow up.

Conclusions
The HEV-contaminated blood products may contain nonenveloped HEV, which may pose an additional risk to blood safety by behaving differently to pathogen inactivation treatments or increasing infectivity.
Case report of combined iliac crest and ASIS apophysis avulsion fracture in an adolescent footballer
Authors: Chan Chloe , Sohail Mohammed Zain , Buddhdev Pranai 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPelvic apophyseal avulsion fractures are uncommon injuries that typically occur in adolescents during sporting activities. Iliac crest (IC) apophyseal injuries represent a small percentage avulsion fracture around the pelvis with a reported incidence rate of 5%. We present a rare case of an adolescent boy who sustained a combined anterior superior iliac spine/iliac crest apophyseal avulsion fracture while playing football. With painful limited hip range of movement and inability to weight-bear, plain film and computed tomography scan illustrated a displaced fracture which was managed conservatively with an excellent clinical and radiological outcome. A review of apophyseal fractures around the pelvis, including incidence, mechanism of injury and treatment options regarding surgical versus conservative treatment, are discussed.
Bilateral papillary thyroid cancer with normal aberrant thyroid tissue
Authors: Huang Qingqing , Chen Dongdong , Ma Yi 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Ectopic thyroid tissue, 90% presenting in lingual zone, is often scanned by ultra-sonography or computed tomography. Most surgeons regard ectopic thyroid as metastatic foci from thyroid cancer, thus resection is recommended. Here, we reported a man with bilateral papillary thyroid cancer, accompany with normal ectopic thyroid tissue in right sternocleidomastoid muscle. In this case, we highlighted: (i) It is rarely reported that ectopic normal thyroid tissue presented in sternocleidomastoid muscle. (ii) The ectopic thyroid tissue may not always be metastatic foci even though bilateral thyroid tumors were confirmed to be papillary cancer. (iii) Contrary to radical excision of all ectopic thyroid tissue, we advocate that only patients who need to receive the radioactive iodine therapy after total thyroidectomy should remove the ectopic normal thyroid tissue.
Long-term persistence of antibodies and boostability after rabies intradermal pre-exposure prophylaxis
Authors: Mills Deborah J , Lau Colleen L , Mills Christine , Furuya-Kanamori Luis 
Published: December 2021

Abstract

Background
Currently, there is limited data on long-term persistence of antibodies and boostability of intradermal (ID) rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) schedules. This study investigated travellers who received a primary ID PrEP schedule at least 5 years previously to determine the persistence of antibodies and subsequent antibody response after one 0.1-ml ID booster dose.

Methods
Adults (age ≥ 18 years) who had previously received ID PrEP at a specialist travel medicine clinic in Brisbane, Australia were included. At Day 0, blood was collected for serology and one dose of 0.1-ml ID rabies vaccine (Verorab®) was administered. At Day 7, serology was repeated. At Day 14, participants were given results and enquired if they experienced adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). Antibodies were measured using Platelia Rabies II ELISA; levels ≥0.5 EU/mL were considered antibody-positive.

Results
158 participants were included [64.6% female, median age at enrolment 56.4 years, interquartile range (IQR) 42.4–65.2 years], and median time since the primary ID PrEP was 8.5 years (IQR 6.9–11.7 years). The majority of participants (82.3%) were antibody-positive at Day 0. The proportion of participants who were antibody-positive at Day 0 was higher among those who were younger at primary vaccination (87.0% if aged&lt;50 years, 75.8% of aged ≥50 years). The proportion of participants who were antibody-positive declined as median time since primary vaccination increased, though the trend was not statistically significant (p-trend = 0.187). All except one participant (99.4%) were antibody-positive after one ID booster dose. AEFIs were reported by 42.4% of participants and were mainly mild.

Conclusions
Rabies antibodies persist for many years after ID PrEP and can be rapidly boosted with a single ID dose. Future studies are needed to confirm that ID PrEP primes the immune system sufficiently so that boosters are not routinely needed, and only given in the event of a rabies-prone exposure.
Melnick 33Na: a very massive colliding-wind binary system in 30 Doradus
Authors: Bestenlehner Joachim M , Crowther Paul A , Broos Patrick S , Pollock Andrew M T , Townsley Leisa K 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACT
We present spectroscopic analysis of the luminous X-ray source Melnick 33Na (Mk 33Na, HSH95 16) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) 30 Doradus region (Tarantula Nebula), utilizing new time-series Very Large Telescope/Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph spectroscopy. We confirm Mk 33Na as a double-lined O-type spectroscopic binary with a mass ratio q = 0.63 ± 0.02, e = 0.33 ± 0.01, and orbital period of 18.3 ± 0.1 d, supporting the favoured period from X-ray observations obtained via the Tarantula – Revealed by X-rays survey. Disentangled spectra of each component provide spectral types of OC2.5 If* and O4 V for the primary and secondary, respectively. Unusually for an O supergiant the primary exhibits strong C  iv 4658 emission and weak N v 4603-20, justifying the OC classification. Spectroscopic analysis favours extreme physical properties for the primary (Teff = 50 kK, log L/L⊙ = 6.15) with system components of M1 = 83 ± 19 M⊙ and M2 = 48 ± 11 M⊙ obtained from evolutionary models, which can be reconciled with results from our orbital analysis (e.g. M1sin 3i = 20.0 ± 1.2 M⊙) if the system inclination is ∼38° and it has an age of 0.9–1.6 Myr. This establishes Mk 33Na as one of the highest mass binary systems in the LMC, alongside other X-ray luminous early-type binaries Mk34 (WN5h+WN5h), R144 (WN5/6h+WN6/7h), and especially R139 (O6.5 Iafc + O6 Iaf).