bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Taste and odor interactions after metabolic surgery
Authors: Nicanor-Carreón Jessica G , Rowitz Blair , Pepino Marta Yanina 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Most patients report “taste” changes after undergoing metabolic surgeries. Yet, most studies that used validated sensory evaluation techniques, including ours, found no changes in perceived taste intensity from before to after surgery. However, we assessed participants with pure gustatory stimuli and after an overnight fast, which raises questions about whether patients’ self-reported “taste” changes are due to conflating changes in retronasal smell/“flavor” with taste changes or whether they only manifest during the fed state. To investigate this, we conducted a cross-sectional study comparing sensory responses in women who underwent metabolic surgery 2 to 6 yr ago (n = 15) with 2 nonoperated control groups: one with a body mass index (BMI) equivalent (n = 15) and one with a healthy BMI (n = 15). Participants attended 2 sessions, one fed and one fasted. Using a sip-and-spit method, women tasted liquid samples containing gustatory and olfactory stimuli and puddings with varying fat content with and without nose clips. They used separate general labeled magnitude scales to rate their perceived intensity of taste, smell, flavor, and liking. Mixed ANOVAs indicated that the surgery and BMI equivalent groups rated retronasal smell intensity of coffee stronger than the healthy BMI group (P ≤ 0.015). However, there were no differences in taste/flavor intensity or liking ratings among groups. Additionally, feeding conditions did not significantly affect perceived intensity ratings. Our findings suggest that changes in the sensory-discriminatory component of taste or taste–odor interactions are not significant contributors to dietary modifications following metabolic surgery.
Pandemic storytelling and student engagement: how students imagined pandemics before COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Elmassry Moamen M 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Student engagement is one of the critical issues in science classes. This commentary explores the value of storytelling in microbiology education and student engagement. It is a result of an undergraduate exercise, where students were asked to draft short stories on pandemics before the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e. conducted in 2016–2019). The analysis of student writings (total of 244 short stories) aimed to understand the students’ perception of pandemics, the diseases they chose to write about, and their level of knowledge of pandemics. Interestingly, 56.6% of students chose viruses to be the cause of their pandemics, 35.7% chose bacteria, 4.5% chose parasites, and a single student chose a fungus. Respiratory mode of transmission was the top pick in the stories (30%), followed by fecal-oral route, sexually transmitted, and skin-to-skin contact. Therefore, their choice of respiratory diseases as the focus of their short story may suggest their limited understanding of pandemics beyond such diseases. The varying levels of detail in the stories suggested that storytelling could be insightful in identifying knowledge gaps and engaging students. Two exciting questions remain: (1) For the students who wrote those short stories before the COVID-19 pandemic, how did they feel when it hit? (2) If the students are asked again to write a pandemic short story, what would it look like nowadays? A deeper understanding of epidemiology and the social impact of pandemics is crucial for developing effective pandemic preparedness and response plans, and undergraduate courses can play a vital role in this endeavor. Overall, this commentary highlights the value of storytelling in engaging students to assess their knowledge of specific subject matters.
A Skeletal Muscle-Mediated Anticontractile Response on Vascular Tone: Unraveling the Lactate-AMPK-NOS1 Pathway in Femoral Arteries
Authors: Fontes Milene T , Costa Tiago J , de Paula Ricardo B , Araújo Fênix A , Barros Paula R , Townsend Paul , Butler Landon , Velazquez Kandy T , Hollis Fiona , Bomfim Gisele F , Butcher Joshua T , McCarthy Cameron G , Wenceslau Camilla F 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The regulation of vascular tone by perivascular tissues is a complex interplay of various paracrine factors. Here, we investigate the anti-contractile effect of skeletal muscle surrounding the femoral and carotid arteries and its underlying mechanisms. Using male and female Wistar rats, we demonstrated that serotonin, phenylephrine, and U-46619 induced a concentration-dependent vasoconstrictor response in femoral artery rings. Interestingly, this response was diminished in the presence of surrounding femoral skeletal muscle, irrespective of sex. No anti-contractile effect was observed when the carotid artery was exposed to its surrounding skeletal muscle. The observed effect in the femoral artery persisted even in the absence of endothelium and when the muscle was detached from the artery. Furthermore, the skeletal muscle surrounding the femoral artery was able to promote an anti-contractile effect in three other vascular beds (basilar, mesenteric, and carotid arteries). Using inhibitors of lactate dehydrogenase and the 1/4 monocarboxylate transporter, we confirmed the involvement of lactate, as both inhibitors were able to abolish the anti-contractile effect. However, lactate did not directly promote vasodilation; rather, it exerted its effect by activating 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) in the skeletal muscle. Accordingly, Nω-propyl l-arginine, a specific inhibitor of NOS1, prevented the anti-contractile effect, as well as lactate-induced phosphorylation of NOS1 at the stimulatory serine site (1417) in primary skeletal muscle cells. Phosphorylation of NOS1 was reduced in the presence of Bay-3827, a selective AMPK inhibitor. In conclusion, femoral artery-associated skeletal muscle is a potent paracrine and endocrine organ that influences vascular tone in both sexes. Mechanistically, the anti-contractile effect involves muscle fiber type and/or its anatomical location but not the type of artery or its related vascular endothelium. Finally, the femoral artery anti-contractile effect is mediated by the lactate-AMPK-phospho-NOS1Ser1417-NO signaling axis.
Black Americans With Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Demonstrate Accelerated Epigenetic Pace of Aging Compared to Black Americans Without SCD
Authors: Garrett Melanie E , Le Brandon , Bourassa Kyle J , Dennis Michelle F , Hatch Daniel , Yang Qing , Tanabe Paula , Shah Nirmish , Luyster Faith S , Oyedeji Charity , Strouse John J , Cohen Harvey J , Kimbrel Nathan A , Beckham Jean C , Knisely Mitchell R , Telen Marilyn J , Ashley-Koch Allison E ,   VA Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Workgroup, Aurora Pallavi , C. Beckham Jean , Calhoun Patrick S , Dedert Eric , Elbogen Eric B , Halverson Tate F , Hurley Robin A , Kilts Jason D , Kirby Angela , Magnante Anna T , Martindale Sarah L , Martinez Brandy S , E. Marx Christine , D. McDonald Scott , Moore Scott D , O’Connor Victoria , Morey Rajendra A , Naylor Jennifer C , Rowland Jared , Shura Robert D , Swinkels Cindy , Van Voorhees Elizabeth E , Wagner H Ryan 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic medical condition characterized by red blood cell sickling, vaso-occlusion, hemolytic anemia, and subsequently, end-organ damage and reduced survival. Because of this significant pathophysiology and early mortality, we hypothesized that patients with SCD are experiencing accelerated biological aging compared with individuals without SCD.

Methods
We utilized the DunedinPACE measure to compare the epigenetic pace of aging in 131 Black Americans with SCD to 1391 Black American veterans without SCD.

Results
SCD patients displayed a significantly accelerated pace of aging (DunedinPACE mean difference of 0.057 points) compared with the veterans without SCD, whereby SCD patients were aging ≈0.7 months more per year than those without SCD (p = 4.49 × 10−8). This was true, even though the SCD patients were significantly younger according to chronological age than the individuals without SCD, making the epigenetic aging discrepancy even more apparent. This association became stronger when we removed individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder from the non-SCD group (p = 2.18 × 10−9), and stronger still when we restricted the SCD patients to those with hemoglobin SS and Sβ0 thalassemia genotypes (p = 1.61 × 10−10).

Conclusions
These data support our hypothesis that individuals with SCD experience accelerated biological aging as measured by global epigenetic variation. The assessment of epigenetic measures of biological aging may prove useful to identify which SCD patients would most benefit from clinical interventions to reduce mortality.
Associations of Hypertension and Orthostatic Hypotension With Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Petriceks Aldis H , Appel Lawrence J , Miller Edgar R , Mitchell Christine M , Schrack Jennifer A , Wanigatunga Amal A , Michos Erin D , Christenson Robert H , Rebuck Heather , Juraschek Stephen P 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Background
Orthostatic hypotension is associated with cardiovascular disease. It remains unclear if low standing blood pressure or high seated blood pressure is responsible for this association. We compared associations of orthostatic hypotension and hypertension with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide.

Methods
We performed a secondary analysis of the Study to Understand Fall Reduction and Vitamin D in You, a randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institute on Aging, between July 2015 and May 2019. Participants were community-dwelling adults, 70 years or older. Blood tests for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were drawn at visits concurrent with blood pressure measurements. Secondary analysis occurred in 2023. We determined associations between blood pressure phenotypes and cardiac biomarkers.

Results
Of 674 participants (mean age 76.5 ± 5.4 years, 43% female, 17.2% Black race), 29.1% had prior cardiovascular disease. Participants with seated hypertension had 10.1% greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (95% confidence interval = 3.8–16.9) and 11.0% greater N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (4.0–18.6) than those without seated hypertension. Participants with standing hypertension had 8.6% (2.7–14.9) greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and 11.8% greater N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (5.1–18.9) than those without standing hypertension. Hypotensive phenotypes were not associated with either biomarker.

Conclusions
Both seated and standing hypertension were associated with greater high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, but hypotensive phenotypes were not. Hypoperfusion may not be the principal mechanism behind subclinical cardiac injury among older adults with orthostatic hypotension.
Interoceptive Accuracy Enhances Deception Detection in Older Adults
Authors: Heemskerk Amber , Lin Tian , Pehlivanoglu Didem , Hakim Ziad , Valdes-Hernandez Pedro A , ten Brinke Leanne , Grilli Matthew D , Wilson Robert C , Turner Gary R , Spreng R Nathan , Ebner Natalie C 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Difficulties with deception detection may leave older adults especially vulnerable to fraud. Interoception, that is, the awareness of one’s bodily signals, has been shown to influence deception detection, but this relationship has not been examined in aging yet. The present study investigated effects of interoceptive accuracy on 2 forms of deception detection: detecting interpersonal lies in videos and identifying text-based deception in phishing emails.

Methods
Younger (18–34 years) and older (53–82 years) adults completed a heartbeat detection task to determine interoceptive accuracy. Deception detection was assessed across 2 distinct, ecologically valid tasks: (i) a lie detection task in which participants made veracity judgments of genuine and deceptive individuals, and (ii) a phishing email detection task to capture online deception detection. Using multilevel logistic regression models, we determined the effect of interoceptive accuracy on lie and phishing detection in younger versus older adults.

Results
In older, but not younger, adults greater interoceptive accuracy was associated with better accuracy in both detecting deceptive people and phishing emails.

Discussion
Interoceptive accuracy was associated with both lie detection and phishing detection accuracy among older adults. Our findings identify interoceptive accuracy as a potential protective factor for fraud susceptibility, as measured through difficulty detecting deception. These results support interoceptive accuracy as a relevant factor for consideration in interventions targeted at fraud prevention among older adults.
Event locations: speeding up grid searches using quadratic interpolation
Authors: Bui Hanh , van der Baan Mirko 
Published: September 2024

SUMMARY
The grid search method is a common approach to estimate the three spatial coordinates of event hypocentres. However, locating events in large search spaces with small grid spacings is computationally prohibitive. This study accelerates the grid searches over large search spaces using a quadratic interpolation technique. We start with the coarse-grid-estimated location, where we have the minimum value of the difference in the traveltimes between S and P waves summed over all receivers. Then, we select the neighbouring grid points and build a 3D quadratic function. The unknown coefficients of the 3D quadratic function are computed by solving a system of linear equations. After that, we interpolate the location by solving partial derivatives of the quadratic function. The quadratic interpolation technique performs well on both synthetic and real microseismic data examples, typically leading to similar event locations as those obtained using 10 times smaller grid spacings in all three directions, at a minor additional computational expense, and without the need to generate traveltimes at new spatial positions.
The Relationship Between Political Entertainment Media Use and Political Efficacy: A Comparative Study in 18 Countries
Authors: Schemer Christian , Stanyer James , Meltzer Christine E , Gehle Luisa , Van Aelst Peter , Theocharis Yannis , Strömbäck Jesper , Štětka Václav , Stępińska Agnieszka , Splendore Sergio , Zoizner Alon , Matthes Jörg , Koc-Michalska Karolina , Nicolas Hopmann David , Esser Frank , de Vreese Claes , David Yossi , Corbu Nicoleta , Castro Laia , Cardenal Ana S , Aalberg Toril , van Erkel Patrick , Terren Ludovic , Halagiera Denis 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Political entertainment programs have gained worldwide popularity, prompting research on their effects. One area of interest has been whether this media programming has an impact upon political efficacy. However, existing literature has only examined the impact of a limited number of programs, has failed to consider the simultaneous influence of different genres, and has focused primarily on the US. To address these limitations, we conducted a comparative survey in 18 democracies in 2022, with a sample size of N = 26,000. The findings revealed that viewers of political talk shows exhibited higher levels of both external and internal political efficacy in most countries. Additionally, frequent exposure to political comedy news or satire was positively related to internal political efficacy in certain countries. Finally, the consumption of fictional political dramas was also linked to political efficacy, but only in a few countries.
Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone, gentamicin, meropenem and vancomycin in liver cirrhosis: a systematic review
Authors: Comce M H , Weersink R A , Beuers U , van Hest R M , Lantinga M A 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Patients with liver cirrhosis are prone to develop severe bacterial infections. Pharmacokinetics (PK) of antibiotics in cirrhosis are potentially affected by impaired biotransformation phases 0–3 and consequences of portal hypertension such as portovenous shunting, ascites formation and/or acute kidney injury (AKI). We aimed to elucidate to what extent PK of selected antibiotics and, therefore, dosage recommendations are affected in adults with cirrhosis.

Methods
We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane and CINAHL on effects of cirrhosis on PK profiles of ceftriaxone, fosfomycin, gentamicin, meropenem, nitrofurantoin, piperacillin/tazobactam and vancomycin in adults. Antibiotics were selected based on the lack of specific dosing recommendations for adults with cirrhosis. We included studies reporting on ≥1 of the following PK parameters: AUC, half-life (t½), CL, volume of distribution (Vd), peak (Cmax) or trough concentrations (Cmin).

Results
We identified 15 studies (ceftriaxone, n = 5; gentamicin, n = 3; meropenem n = 5; vancomycin, n = 2), including 379 patients with cirrhosis, of which two were of high quality. No eligible studies were identified for fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin or piperacillin/tazobactam. Ceftriaxone unbound concentration increased in cirrhosis, but was mitigated by increased renal CL. Gentamicin levels in ascitic fluid were comparable to those in plasma. Meropenem PK parameters were not altered in cirrhosis without AKI, but in the presence of AKI a decrease in CL was observed. In contrast, vancomycin CL decreased in advanced cirrhosis.

Conclusions
Available data in studies of mostly moderate quality suggest that PK of ceftriaxone, meropenem and vancomycin are altered in cirrhosis. More advanced PK studies are needed to provide specific dosing recommendations.
Endophyte-based fungal elicitors for enhanced production of valepotriates and sesquiterpenoids in leaf cell suspension cultures of Valeriana jatamansi Jones
Authors: Thakur Ankita , Thakur Kanika , Kumar Anil , Warghat Ashish Rambhau , Kumar Dinesh , Pandey Shiv Shanker 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Aims
The immense therapeutic value of Valeriana jatamansi is attributed to the presence of bioactive secondary metabolites (valepotriates and sesquiterpenoids). Its over-exploitation in wild habitats resulted in extensive depletion, necessitating alternative approaches to produce its therapeutic metabolites. This study sought to assess the ability of endophytes of V. jatamansi to boost the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites in the leaf-cell suspension (LCS) culture of V. jatamansi.

Methods and results
A total of 11 fungal endophytes were isolated from the rhizomes of V. jatamansi. Isolated endophytes were found to belong to phylum Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Mucoromycota. Supplementation of extracts of endophyte Phaeosphaeriaceae sp. VRzFB, Mucor griseocyanus VRzFD, Penicillium raistrickii VRzFK, and Penicillium sajarovii VRzFL in the LCS culture of V. jatamansi increased the fresh cell biomass by 19.6%–39.1% and dry cell biomass by 23.4%–37.8%. Most of the endophytes’ extract could increase the content of valepotriates (26.5%–76.5% valtrate and 40.5%–77.9% acevaltrate) and sesquiterpenoids (19.9%–61.1% hydroxyl valerenic acid) in LCS culture. However, only two endophytes, Irpex lacteus VRzFI and Fusarium oxysporum VRzFF, could increase the sesquiterpenoids acetoxy valerenic acid (36.9%–55.3%). In contrast, some endophytes’ extracts caused negative or no significant effect on the cell biomass and targeted metabolites. Increased secondary metabolites were corroborated with increased expression of iridoid biosynthesis genes in LCS culture. Production of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation was also varied with different endophytes indicating the modulation of cellular oxidative stress due to endophyte elicitors.

Conclusions
The results suggest the distinct effect of different fungal endophytes-extract on LCS culture, and endophytes can serve as biotic elicitors for increasing the secondary metabolite production in plant in vitro systems.
Clinical utility of an artificial intelligence radiomics-based tool for risk stratification of pulmonary nodules
Authors: Kim Roger Y , Yee Clarisa , Zeb Sana , Steltz Jennifer , Vickers Andrew J , Rendle Katharine A , Mitra Nandita , Pickup Lyndsey C , DiBardino David M , Vachani Anil 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Background
Clinical utility data on pulmonary nodule (PN) risk stratification biomarkers are lacking. We aimed to determine the incremental predictive value and clinical utility of using an artificial intelligence (AI) radiomics-based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool in addition to routine clinical information to risk stratify PNs among real-world patients.

Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with PNs who underwent lung biopsy. We collected clinical data and used a commercially available AI radiomics-based CAD tool to calculate a Lung Cancer Prediction (LCP) score. We developed logistic regression models to evaluate a well-validated clinical risk prediction model (the Mayo Clinic model) with and without the LCP score (Mayo vs Mayo + LCP) using area under the curve (AUC), risk stratification table, and standardized net benefit analyses.

Results
Among the 134 patients undergoing PN biopsy, cancer prevalence was 61%. Addition of the radiomics-based LCP score to the Mayo model was associated with increased predictive accuracy (likelihood ratio test, P = .012). The AUCs for the Mayo and Mayo + LCP models were 0.58 (95% CI = 0.48 to 0.69) and 0.65 (95% CI = 0.56 to 0.75), respectively. At the 65% risk threshold, the Mayo + LCP model was associated with increased sensitivity (56% vs 38%; P = .019), similar false positive rate (33% vs 35%; P = .8), and increased standardized net benefit (18% vs -3.3%) compared with the Mayo model.

Conclusions
Use of a commercially available AI radiomics-based CAD tool as a supplement to clinical information improved PN cancer risk prediction and may result in clinically meaningful changes in risk stratification.
Rank-transformed subsampling: inference for multiple data splitting and exchangeable p-values
Authors: Guo F Richard , Shah Rajen D 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Many testing problems are readily amenable to randomized tests, such as those employing data splitting. However, despite their usefulness in principle, randomized tests have obvious drawbacks. Firstly, two analyses of the same dataset may lead to different results. Secondly, the test typically loses power because it does not fully utilize the entire sample. As a remedy to these drawbacks, we study how to combine the test statistics or p-values resulting from multiple random realizations, such as through random data splits. We develop rank-transformed subsampling as a general method for delivering large-sample inference about the combined statistic or p-value under mild assumptions. We apply our methodology to a wide range of problems, including testing unimodality in high-dimensional data, testing goodness-of-fit of parametric quantile regression models, testing no direct effect in a sequentially randomized trial and calibrating cross-fit double machine learning confidence intervals. In contrast to existing p-value aggregation schemes that can be highly conservative, our method enjoys Type I error control that asymptotically approaches the nominal level. Moreover, compared to using the ordinary subsampling, we show that our rank transform can remove the first-order bias in approximating the null under alternatives and greatly improve power.