bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the mare colostral immunoglobulins on the expression of TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7 in foals
Authors: Migdał Anna , Migdał Łukasz , Oczkowicz Maria , Tombarkiewicz Barbara , Okólski Adam 
Published: November 2024

AbstractColostrum contains substances such as hormones, enzymes, polyamides, nucleic acid derivatives, and amino acid derivatives and also includes immunomodulating substances, proline‐rich polypeptides, immunoglobulins (Ig) as well as bacteriostatic compounds. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of colostral Ig on the level of expression of selected Toll‐like receptor genes (TLR3, TLR4, and TLR7). The experiments were conducted on 25 Polish Pony foals. Blood samples were collected according to the following scheme: before first suckling, at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th, day of age. Colostrum was obtained before the first suckling, 24 hr, and 3 days after the delivery. Gene expression analyses were performed on Illumina Eco using a commercial kit TaqMan®MGB probes. The quality of colostrum was assessed via refractometer and BRIX value. The total Ig level was calculated from the spectrophotometric method. IgG levels were measured using ELISA assay. The quality of colostrum significantly correlated with TLR4 and TLR7 expression. Foals that ingested colostrum with low Ig content displayed a higher level of TLR4 gene expression, while in the case of TLR7 the opposite trend was shown. This result indicates that colostrum may play an important role in shaping the mechanisms of building the immune system's response to bacterial pathogens.
Autonomy and prevention: From conflicting to complementary aims of prenatal screening
Authors: Dondorp Wybo , de Wert Guido , Becking Ellis C. , Scheffer Peter G. , Bekker Mireille , Henneman Lidewij 
Published: November 2024

AbstractFrom an ethical point of view, there is an important distinction between two types of prenatal screening. The first of these targets maternal or foetal conditions (e.g., infectious diseases, blood group sensitization) where early detection allows for interventions that improve the chances of a healthy pregnancy outcome. The second screens for foetal conditions such as Down syndrome, where a timely diagnosis in most cases only allows for a choice between preparation for a child with special needs or termination of the pregnancy. Whereas the former makes an easy fit with the prevention aim of most other population screening programmes, the latter does not. In order to steer clear from a possible eugenic reading of its aim, a wide international consensus has emerged for the view that prenatal screening of this type should have the atypical aim of helping women (couples) to make autonomous reproductive choices, rather than reducing the birth prevalence of the relevant disorders. However, keeping these types of prenatal screening apart may become increasingly difficult given the development of tests, such as the Non‐Invasive Prenatal Test, which cannot only be used for both types of screening but may also lead to interconnected findings on both sides of the divide. This makes it an urgent question: What the aim or aims of this new hybrid screening should be? As neither ‘prevention’ nor ‘autonomy’ will do, we argue for a normative framework that gives both aims their due, while recognizing the tensions between them.
Hydroxy‐wybutosine tRNA modifications as indicators of disease progression and therapeutic targets in leukaemia
Authors: Chen Xu , Gong Rui‐Ze , Mo Liu‐Ying , Cheng Ya‐Ting , Ma Yu , Qi Yi‐Tao , Yan Tong‐Meng , Jiang Zhi‐Hong 
Published: November 2024

SummaryTherapeutic approaches for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) differ due to distinct diagnostic criteria and treatment strengths. However, reliable biomarkers to differentiate AML from MDS are needed. This study investigated transfer RNA (tRNA) modifications, particularly hydroxy‐wybutosine (OHyW), in the transition from MDS to AML. We found a significant decrease in OHyW and its biosynthetic enzyme leucine carboxyl methyltransferase 2 (LCMT2, alias symbol is TYW4) levels in AML compared to MDS. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed distinct tRNA modification patterns, with AML showing decreased OHyW and increased precursor levels, indicating a disrupted biosynthetic pathway. Lower LCMT2 expression correlated with reduced drug sensitivity and limited differentiation potential in AML cell lines. The results highlight the pivotal role of tRNA modifications in the progression from MDS to AML and suggest that targeting LCMT2 may enhance therapeutic outcomes in AML. By understanding these molecular mechanisms, we can develop new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies, potentially transforming the clinical management of AML and improving patient outcomes.
The underlying causes of differential migration: assumptions, hypotheses, and predictions
Authors: Paprocki Neil , Conway Courtney J. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTMechanisms governing the migratory decisions of birds have long fascinated ecologists and sparked considerable debate. Identifying factors responsible for variation in migration distance, also known as differential migration, has been a popular approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying migratory behaviour more generally. However, research progress has been slowed by the continued testing of overlapping, non‐mechanistic, and circular predictions among a small set of historically entrenched hypotheses. We highlight the body size hypothesis and suggest that the predictions commonly tested have impeded progress because body size relationships with migration distance are predictions made by several distinct hypotheses with contrasting mechanisms. The cost of migration itself has not been adequately accounted for in most hypotheses, and we propose two flight efficiency hypotheses with time‐ and energy‐minimizing mechanisms that allow individuals to mitigate the risks inherent to longer migrations. We also advance two conceptual versions of the social dominance hypothesis based on two distinct underlying mechanisms related to distance minimization and food maximization that will help clarify the role of competition in driving migratory decisions. Overall, we describe and refine 12 mechanistic hypotheses proposed to explain differential migration (along with several other special‐case hypotheses), seven of which have underlying mechanisms related to food limitation as past research has identified this to be an important driver of differential migration. We also thoroughly reviewed 145 publications to assess the amount of support for 10 critical assumptions underlying alternative hypotheses for differential migration in birds. Our review reveals that surprisingly few studies explicitly evaluate assumptions within a differential migration context. Generating and testing strong predictions and critical assumptions underlying mechanisms of alternative hypotheses will improve our ability to differentiate among these explanations of differential migration. Additionally, future intraspecific progress will be greatest if investigators continue to focus on mechanisms underlying variation in migration distance within rather than among demographic classes, as previous research has found differing mechanisms to be responsible for differential migration among demographic classes. Interspecifically, a thorough comparative analysis that seeks to explain variation in migration distance among species would broaden both our understanding of the mechanisms regulating current differential migration patterns and those that led to the evolution of migration more generally. Collectively, we provide a framework that, together with advances in animal‐borne tracking and other technology, can be used to advance our understanding of the causes of differential migration distance, and migratory decisions more generally.
Children's perspectives of learning through play in the majority world: Findings from Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda
Authors: D'Sa Nikhit , Robson Sue , Pyle Angela , Zosh Jennifer M. , Pavel Kazi Ferdous , Maldonado‐Carreno Carolina , Largacha Eduardo Escallon , Ariapa Martin , Giacomazzi Mauro , Hatch Rachel , Omoeva Carina 
Published: November 2024

AbstractAs efforts to use learning through play (LtP) expand globally, it is important to explore how children's perspectives impact the efficacy and experience of this pedagogical approach. LtP has been conceptualized as a spectrum from free play to guided play to teacher‐directed play. This spectrum describes different ways in which play happens—with varying levels of adult support—and acknowledges that children's agency is characterized by choice and the ability to direct, participate in, and/or initiate play. Previous research has primarily focused on adult perceptions of LtP for preschool children in high‐resource contexts. We present the perspectives on LtP of children (3–12 years) in Bangladesh, Colombia and Uganda. We photographed learning activities in community centres and schools that incorporated play‐based practices. In group discussions, we used these photographs to elicit children's perspectives on the difference between play and learning in the classroom, the factors that influence their construction of play and learning, and the role that teachers play in these activities. Conceptualizations across the three research sites and ages were similar: Children associated learning with play if the activity was fun and social; distinctions between play and learning were defined by content, modality, materials and location; and teachers were seen as involved in play under limited conditions. We discuss the implications of our findings for the implementation of LtP in majority‐world contexts. By moving teachers from a primarily teacher‐directed approach to more guided‐play approaches, we are not only asking teachers to give up some control but are also asking children to think about adults in fundamentally different ways. This research highlights that we may need to couple professional development for teachers with approaches that support children to change their perceptions of agency and choice in the classroom.
Optimal development for the children of prisoners? How children with a parent in prison are supported and why it matters
Authors: Payler Jane , Cooper Victoria , Bennett Stephanie 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThis article examines the need and types of support for children with a parent in prison, the measures in place to know who they are and the consequences of associated policies for their development. These are discussed within a cultural‐historical child development framework and, within that, questions are raised about optimal development and children's rights. The article is grounded in a mixed‐methods study of a support service for children of prisoners in Worcestershire. Parental imprisonment can impact negatively on societal, institutional and personal aspects of children's development. However, when children are supported through family‐centred, relationship‐focused, strengths‐based services, they can engage more fully in the institutions and social situations of their daily lives.
Thalamic Volumes and Functional Networks Linked With Self‐Regulation Dysfunction in Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Ling Zhang , Cancan He , Xinyi Liu , Dandan Fan , Haisan Zhang , Hongxing Zhang , Chunming Xie 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTAimsSelf‐regulation (SR) dysfunction is a crucial risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, neural substrates of SR linking MDD remain unclear.MethodsSixty‐eight healthy controls and 75 MDD patients were recruited to complete regulatory orientation assessments with the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (RFQ) and Regulatory Mode Questionnaire (RMQ). Nodal intra and inter‐network functional connectivity (FC) was defined as FC sum within networks of 46 thalamic subnuclei (TS) or 88 AAL brain regions, and between the two networks separately. Group‐level volumetric and functional difference were compared by two sample t‐tests. Pearson's correlation analysis and mediation analysis were utilized to investigate the relationship among imaging parameters and the two behaviors. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was conducted to explore the inter‐network FC mode of TS related to behavioral subscales. Network‐based Statistics with machine learning combining powerful brain imaging features was applied to predict individual behavioral subscales.ResultsMDD patients showed no group‐level volumetric difference in 46 TS but represented significant correlation of TS volume and nodal FC with behavioral subscales. Specially, inter‐network FC of the orbital part of the right superior frontal gyrus and the left supplementary motor area mediated the correlation between RFQ/RMQ subscales and depressive severity. Furthermore, CCA identified how the two behaviors are linked via the inter‐network FC mode of TS. More crucially, thalamic functional subnetworks could predict RFQ/RMQ subscales and psychomotor retardation for MDD individuals.ConclusionThese findings provided neurological evidence for SR affecting depressive severity in the MDD patients and proposed potential biomarkers to identify the SR‐based risk phenotype of MDD individuals.
The Political Economy of Variations in Energy Debt Financing by Two Chinese Policy Banks in Africa
Authors: Wu Tianyi 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTThis article examines the puzzle of why China's two policy banks, China Development Bank (CDB) and the Export‐Import Bank of China (Eximbank), have lending portfolios for power‐generation projects in Africa that have drastically different levels of carbon dioxide emissions. From the supplier side, Eximbank balances two imperatives: Beijing's ideational ambition as a new development provider to African recipients with sustainability commitments, and China's industrial goal to offshore non‐renewable capacity. In contrast, the CDB prioritizes its commercial interests, which results in the bank lending solely for coal projects. On the demand side, Eximbank's concessional capital has emerged as a second‐best option among international financial sources for renewable and hydropower generation projects. Conversely, CDB's market‐rate lending makes it the fiscal last resort for host countries seeking financial support for thermal‐power projects which are shunned by other financiers. This divergence can be understood through the polycentric development finance model, which captures the parallel decision‐making institutions governing Chinese energy financing in Africa. Specifically, the lending decisions of Eximbank are linked with institutionalized policy processes, translating priorities of Chinese and African state actors. Meanwhile, the loan origination processes of CDB are more independent of state actors, allowing greater autonomy for the financier to pursue commercial interests.
Early movement restriction impairs the development of sensorimotor integration, motor skills and memory in rats: Towards a preclinical model of developmental coordination disorder?
Authors: Khalki Hanane , Lacerda Diego Cabral , Karoutchi Corane , Delcour Maxime , Dupuis Orlane , Kochmann Marine , Brezun Jean‐Michel , Dupont Erwan , Amin Mamta , Darnaudéry Muriel , Canu Marie‐Hélène , Barbe Mary F. , Coq Jacques‐Olivier 
Published: November 2024

AbstractChildren with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD), exhibit gross to fine sensorimotor impairments, reduced physical activity and interactions with the environment and people. This disorder co‐exists with cognitive deficits, executive dysfunctions and learning impairments. Previously, we demonstrated in rats that limited amounts and atypical patterns of movements and somatosensory feedback during early movement restriction manifested in adulthood as degraded postural and locomotor abilities, and musculoskeletal histopathology, including muscle atrophy, hyperexcitability within sensorimotor circuitry and maladaptive cortical plasticity, leading to functional disorganization of the primary somatosensory and motor cortices in the absence of cortical histopathology. In this study, we asked how this developmental sensorimotor restriction (SMR) started to impact the integration of multisensory information and the emergence of sensorimotor reflexes in rats. We also questioned the enduring impact of SMR on motor activities, pain and memory. SMR led to deficits in the emergence of swimming and sensorimotor reflexes, the development of pain and altered locomotor patterns and posture with toe‐walking, adult motor performance and night spontaneous activity. In addition, SMR induced exploratory hyperactivity, short‐term impairments in object‐recognition tasks and long‐term deficits in object‐location tasks. SMR rats displayed minor alterations in histological features of the hippocampus, entorhinal, perirhinal and postrhinal cortices yet no obvious changes in the prefrontal cortex. Taken all together, these results show similarities with the symptoms observed in children with DCD, although further exploration seems required to postulate whether developmental SMR corresponds to a rat model of DCD.
Linking Unlinkable Tests: A Step Forward
Authors: Testa Silvia , Miceli Renato , Miceli Renato 
Published: November 2024

AbstractRandom Equating (RE) and Heuristic Approach (HA) are two linking procedures that may be used to compare the scores of individuals in two tests that measure the same latent trait, in conditions where there are no common items or individuals. In this study, RE—that may only be used when the individuals taking the two tests come from the same population—was used as a benchmark for evaluating HA, which, in contrast, does not require any distributional assumptions. The comparison was based on both simulated and empirical data. Simulations showed that HA was good at reproducing the link shift connecting the difficulty parameters of the two sets of items, performing similarly to RE under the condition of slight violation of the distributional assumption. Empirical results showed satisfactory correspondence between the estimates of item and person parameters obtained via the two procedures.
Small fiber neuropathy associated with COVID‐19 infection and vaccination: A prospective case–control study
Authors: Donadio Vincenzo , Incensi Alex , Furia ALessandro , Parisini Sara , Colaci Francesco , Giannoccaro Maria Pia , Morelli Luana , Ricciardiello Fortuna , Di Stasi Vitoantonio , De Maria Andrea , Rizzo Giovanni , Liguori Rocco 
Published: November 2024

AbstractBackgroundSmall fiber neuropathy (SFN) after both COVID‐19 infection or vaccination has been reported in sporadic cases, but a detailed description and comparison are missing. We aimed to screen a large cohort of patients complaining of pain and autonomic symptoms after COVID‐19 natural infection or vaccination to ascertain the presence of SFN and its correlation with autoimmune diseases.MethodsWe prospectively recruited for this case–control study 66 patients: 33 developing sensory and autonomic symptoms after a natural COVID‐19 infection (P‐COVID) and 33 after a mRNA vaccination against COVID‐19 (P‐VAC). We also used 33 matched healthy controls (HC) collected before 2019 when the COVID‐19 virus appeared. Patients underwent neurological examination and clinical scales, an extensive serum screening, and skin biopsy to detect small nerve fiber involvement.ResultsClinical scales showed higher scores for autonomic symptoms in P‐COVID patients than in P‐VAC patients, but the other scales did not differ. P‐COVID and P‐VAC patients showed a significant decrease in somatic small nerve fibers compared with HC, whereas autonomic innervation did not differ. SFN was more frequent in P‐COVID patients (94%) than in P‐VAC patients (79%). Epidermal innervation was correlated with clinical scales for pain and autonomic dysfunctions. Autoimmune abnormalities were frequent in both groups but importantly they were not correlated with SFN.ConclusionsSomatic SFN was frequently found in both P‐COVID and P‐VAC patients, with a higher incidence in the former group. Spared skin autonomic innervation was spared in both groups although a subtle autonomic involvement in P‐COVID patients was suggested by a high COMPASS‐31 scale score. SFN was not correlated with autoimmune dysfunctions, although autoimmune diseases were frequent in both groups.
Long‐term characterization of behavior phenotypes in children with seizures: Analytic approach matters
Authors: Morales Karina , Harvey Danielle , Dunn David , Jones Jana , Byars Anna , Austin Joan , Hermann Bruce , Oyegbile‐Chidi Temitayo 
Published: November 2024

AbstractObjectiveBehavioral problems in children with new onset epilepsies have been well established in the literature. More recently, the literature indicates the presence of unique behavioral patterns or phenotypes in youth with epilepsy that vary significantly in vulnerability and resilience to behavioral problems. This study contrasts the interpretation of behavioral risk as inferred from cross‐sectional versus latent group analytic perspectives, as well as the presence, consistency, stability, and progression of behavioral phenotypes in youth with new onset epilepsy and sibling controls over 3 years.MethodsThree hundred twelve participants (6–16 years old) were recruited within 6 weeks of their first recognized seizure along with 223 unaffected siblings. Each child's behavior was recorded by parents and teachers frequently over 36 months using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and each child completed self‐report measures of depression symptoms over 36 months. Measures were evaluated cross‐sectionally and longitudinally to identify clusters with prototypical behavioral trajectories.ResultsCross‐sectional analyses exhibited a pattern of generalized and undifferentiated behavioral problems compared to sibling controls at baseline and prospectively. In contrast, latent trajectory modeling identified three distinct behavior phenotype clusters across all raters (parents, teachers, and youth) over baseline and longitudinal assessments. CBCL Cluster 1 (~30% of youth with epilepsy) exhibited behavior similar to/better than controls, Cluster 2 (~50%) exhibited moderate behavior issues, and Cluster 3 (~20%) exhibited the most pronounced/problematic behavior, falling into Achenbach's clinically relevant behavior range. Behavior within clusters remained stable and consistent. Teachers' and children's behavior assessments corresponded to these cluster groupings consistently over 36 months. Predictors of cluster membership include seizure syndrome type and social determinants of health.SignificanceThis study demonstrates the varying public health perspectives of behavioral risk in youth with epilepsy that result as a function of analytic approach as well as the presence of distinct latent behavioral trajectory phenotypes over time in youth with new onset epilepsy.