bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a novel and testis-specific zinc finger protein during sexual development of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei
Authors: Wang Chi-Sheng , Cheng Hao-Sheng , Chang Wan-Ting , Hsiao Cheng-Chieh , Tseng Peng-Wei , Li Hau-Wen , Sagi Amir , Chang Ching-Fong , Wu Guan-Chung 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Since females grow faster in penaeid shrimp, all-female aquaculture was proposed. Environmental conditions in the Pacific white shrimp were not found to affect genetic sex determination (ZZ/ZW system). The androgenic gland–secreting insulin-like androgenic gland hormone is a key controlling factor in crustacean male differentiation. However, functional sex reversal (neo-male) in penaeid shrimp has not yet been achieved by manipulating the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone–sexual switch. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms of gonadal differentiation may help build appropriate tools to generate neo-male for all-female breeding. This study describes the potential role of the novel penaeid-specific testicular zinc finger protein (pTZFP) in the gonads of Pacific white shrimp. First, pTZFP transcripts show a male-bias expression pattern in undifferentiated gonads, which is then exclusively expressed in the testis and absent or slightly expressed in the ovary and other tissues. Besides, the knockdown of pTZFP in undifferentiated males results in smaller testes but no sex reversal. Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen further confirmed that the smaller testes in pTZFP-deficient males are due to the lower proliferating activity of spermatogonia. These data reveal that pTZFP may be involved in testicular development but have fewer effects on gonadal differentiation. Moreover, testicular pTZFP transcription levels were not reduced with estradiol-17β (E2) administration or AG excision. Therefore, our data suggest that pTZFP may regulate testicular development through downstream genes regulating spermatogonia proliferation. Moreover, our data provide an appropriate molecular marker for identifying the sex of undifferentiated gonads.
With random regressors, least squares inference is robust to correlated errors with unknown correlation structure
Authors: Zhang Zifeng , Ding Peng , Zhou Wen , Wang Haonan 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Linear regression is arguably the most widely used statistical method. With fixed regressors and correlated errors, the conventional wisdom is to modify the variance-covariance estimator to accommodate the known correlation structure of the errors. We depart from existing literature by showing that with random regressors, linear regression inference is robust to correlated errors with unknown correlation structure. The existing theoretical analyses for linear regression are no longer valid because even the asymptotic normality of the least squares coefficients breaks down in this regime. We first prove the asymptotic normality of the t statistics by establishing their Berry–Esseen bounds based on a novel probabilistic analysis of self-normalized statistics. We then study the local power of the corresponding t tests and show that, perhaps surprisingly, error correlation can even enhance power in the regime of weak signals. Overall, our results show that linear regression is applicable more broadly than the conventional theory suggests, and they further demonstrate the value of randomization for ensuring robustness of inference.
Sequencing microsphere selective internal radiotherapy after external beam radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: proof of concept of a synergistic combination
Authors: Huesa-Berral Carlos , Terry Jack F , Kunz Louis , Bertolet Alejandro 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Objectives
This study aims to explore the synergistic effects of combining stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) in that specific sequence for treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), particularly in patients at high risk of radiation-induced liver disease (RILD).

Methods
We analysed a case of a patient with HCC who was treated with SBRT at our institution. A virtual 90Y dose distribution was added using our in-house MIDOS model to keep a minimum dose to the healthy liver tissue. BED and EUD metrics were calculated to harmonize the dose distributions of SBRT and SIRT.

Results
Our radiation biology-based models suggest that the combination of SBRT and SIRT could maintain effective tumour control while reducing the dose to normal liver tissue. Specifically, an SBRT plan of 10 Gy×3 fractions combined with SIRT yielded comparable tumour control probability to an SBRT-only plan of 10 Gy×5 fractions.

Conclusions
The combination of SBRT and SIRT is a promising treatment strategy for HCC patients at high risk of RILD. While the LQ model and associated formalisms provide a useful starting point, further studies are needed to account for factors beyond these models. Nonetheless, the potential for significant dose reduction to normal tissue suggests that this combination therapy could offer substantial clinical benefits.

Advances in knowledge
This article presents a proposal to combine SBRT and SIRT, in this specific order, for HCC, discussing its advantages. A framework for future research into optimizing combination therapy for HCC is provided, utilizing a novel HCC vascular model to simulate 90Y doses.
Carbon footprint of non-melanoma skin cancer surgery
Authors: Ang Ky-Leigh , Jovic Matthew , Malin Ian , Ali Stephen R , Whitaker Sairan , Whitaker Iain S 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
Climate change poses a significant global health threat and healthcare, including surgery, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. Efforts have been made to promote sustainability in surgery, but the literature on sustainability in plastic surgery remains limited.

Methods
A life-cycle analysis was used to assess and quantify the environmental emissions associated with three distinct reconstructive methods utilized in non-melanoma skin cancer surgery: direct closure, split-thickness skin graft, and full-thickness skin graft. Analyses were conducted in March 2023 in Morriston Hospital, Swansea, UK. The carbon footprints for non-melanoma skin cancer surgery in England and Wales were then estimated.

Results
The mean carbon emissions for non-melanoma skin cancer surgery ranged from 29.82 to 34.31 kgCO₂eq. Theatre energy consumption (4.29–8.76 kgCO₂eq) and consumables (16.87 kgCO₂eq) were significant contributors. Waste produced during non-melanoma skin cancer surgery accounted for 1.31 kgCO₂eq and sterilization of reusable surgical instruments resulted in 1.92 kgCO₂eq of carbon emissions. Meanwhile, transportation, dressings, pharmaceuticals, and laundry accounted for 0.57, 2.65, 1.85, and 0.38 kgCO₂eq respectively. The excision of non-melanoma skin cancer with direct closure (19.29–22.41 kgCO₂eq) resulted in the lowest carbon emissions compared with excision with split-thickness skin graft (43.80–49.06 kgCO₂eq) and full-thickness skin graft (31.58–37.02 kgCO₂eq). In 2021, it was estimated that non-melanoma skin cancer surgery had an annual carbon footprint of 306 775 kgCO₂eq in Wales and 4 402 650 kgCO₂eq in England. It was possible to predict that, by 2035, carbon emissions from non-melanoma skin cancer surgery will account for 388 927 kgCO₂eq in Wales and 5 419 770 kgCO₂eq in England.

Conclusion
This study highlights the environmental impact of non-melanoma skin cancer in plastic surgery departments and emphasizes the need for sustainable practices. Collaboration between surgeons and policymakers is essential and further data collection is recommended for better analysis.
Evidence for diurnal bee pollination in the ancestrally hawkmoth-pollinated genus Crinum (Amaryllidaceae)
Authors: Butler Hannah C , Rogerson AJ , Peter Craig I , Johnson Steven D , Newman Ethan 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Shifts between diurnal and nocturnal pollination systems have been important in the radiation of the angiosperms. Here we examined the pollination ecology of Crinum campanulatum (Amaryllidaceae), an aquatic geophyte. Although visits by noctuid moths were observed in the evening, the flowers of C. campanulatum were visited mainly by honeybees and carpenter bees. The species was found to be self-incompatible, and flowers exposed to only diurnal visitors produced a higher number of fruits and seeds than those exposed to only nocturnal visitors. Overall seed production was not pollen limited. The floral scent was found to be dominated by aromatic compounds, including many with functional groups containing nitrogen. The chemical composition of scent did not differ between day and night samples, but floral scent emissions during the day were ~8-fold greater than those at night. Flower colour changes from white to a dark pink over four days from anthesis, which is associated with increased conspicuousness to bees. Ancestral state reconstruction revealed that long-tubed flowers pollinated by hawkmoths are ancestral and widespread in Crinum. These results are indicative of a shift from nocturnal to diurnal pollination in Crinum that is associated with a reduction in flower size and an increase in diurnal scent emission.
Myocardial disarray and fibrosis across hypertrophic cardiomyopathy stages associate with ECG markers of arrhythmic risk
Authors: Ashkir Z , Samat A H A , Ariga R , Finnigan L E M , Jermy S , Akhtar M A , Sarto G , Murthy P , Wong B W Y , Cassar M P , Beyhoff N , Wicks E C , Thomson K , Mahmod M , Tunnicliffe E M , Neubauer S , Watkins H , Raman B 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Aims
Myocardial disarray, an early feature of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and a substrate for ventricular arrhythmia, is poorly characterized in pre-hypertrophic sarcomeric variant carriers (SARC+LVH−). Using diffusion tensor cardiac magnetic resonance (DT-CMR) we assessed myocardial disarray and fibrosis in both SARC+LVH− and HCM patients and evaluated the relationship between microstructural alterations and electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters associated with arrhythmic risk.

Methods and results
Sixty-two individuals (24 SARC+LVH−, 24 HCM, and 14 matched controls) were evaluated with multi-parametric CMR including stimulated echo acquisition mode DT-CMR, and blinded quantitative 12-lead ECG analysis. Mean diastolic fractional anisotropy (FA) was reduced in HCM compared with SARC+LVH− and controls (0.49 ± 0.05 vs. 0.52 ± 0.04 vs. 0.53 ± 0.04, P = 0.009), even after adjustment for differences in extracellular volume (ECV) (P = 0.038). Both HCM and SARC+LVH− had segments with significantly reduced diastolic FA relative to controls (54 vs. 25 vs. 0%, P = 0.002). Multiple repolarization parameters were prolonged in HCM and SARC+LVH−, with corrected JT interval (JTc) being most significant (354 ± 42 vs. 356 ± 26 vs. 314 ± 26 ms, P = 0.002). Among SARC+LVH−, JTc duration correlated negatively with mean diastolic FA (r = −0.6, P = 0.002). In HCM, the JTc interval showed a stronger association with ECV (r = 0.6 P = 0.019) than with mean diastolic FA (r = −0.1 P = 0.72). JTc discriminated SARC+LVH− from controls [area under the receiver operator curve 0.88, confidence interval 0.76–1.00, P &lt; 0.001], and in HCM correlated with the European Society of Cardiology HCM sudden cardiac death risk score (r = 0.5, P = 0.014).

Conclusion
Low diastolic FA, suggestive of myocardial disarray, is present in both SARC+LVH− and HCM. Low FA and raised ECV were associated with repolarization prolongation. Myocardial disarray assessment using DT-CMR and repolarization parameters such as the JTc interval demonstrate significant potential as markers of disease activity in HCM.
Inotropes and mortality in patients with cardiogenic shock: an instrumental variable analysis from the SWEDEHEART registry
Authors: Petursson Petur , Gudmundsson Thorsteinn , Råmunddal Truls , Angerås Oskar , Rawshani Araz , Mohammad Moman A , Persson Jonas , Alfredsson Joakim , Hofmann Robin , Jernberg Tomas , Fröbert Ole , Erlinge David , Redfors Björn , Omerovic Elmir 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background
The use of inotropic agents in treating cardiogenic shock (CS) remains controversial. This study investigates the effect of inotropes on 30-day mortality in CS patients using data from the SWEDEHEART registry (The Swedish Web-system for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-based care in Heart disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies).

Methods and results
Data were sourced from the national SWEDEHEART registry for all CS patients in Sweden from 2000 to 2022. The primary endpoint was 30-day all-cause mortality. We employed multilevel Cox proportional-hazards regression with instrumental variable and inverse probability weighting propensity score to adjust for confounders. The treatment-preference instrument was the quintile of preference for inotrope use at the treating hospital. A total of 16 214 patients (60.5% men, 39.5% women) were included; 23.5% had diabetes, 10.2% had a previous myocardial infarction (MI), and 13.8% had previous heart failure (HF). The median age was 70 years [interquartile range (IQR); 19], with 66.4% over 70. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) caused CS in 82.9%. Inotropes were administered to 43.8% of patients, while 56.2% did not receive them. There were 7875 (48.1%) deaths. Patients treated with inotropes were, on average, 2 years younger and more likely to have ACS, while those not treated had more previous MI and were less likely to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The number of CS cases decreased by 12% per year (Ptrend &lt; 0.001), and inotrope use increased by 5% per year (Ptrend &lt; 0.001). Unadjusted mortality in CS rose by 2% per calendar year (Ptrend &lt; 0.001). Inotropes were associated with higher mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.72; 95% CI 1.26–2.35; P = 0.001], with significant interactions between inotrope treatment, age, and diagnosis (Pinteraction &lt; 0.001 and Pinteraction = 0.018).

Conclusion
In this observational study, inotropes were linked to higher mortality in CS patients, particularly those younger than 70. While CS cases decreased, inotrope use and mortality increased in Sweden.
Set2 and H3K36 regulate the Drosophila male X chromosome in a context-specific manner, independent from MSL complex spreading
Authors: Salzler Harmony R , Vandadi Vasudha , Sallean Julia R , Matera A Gregory 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Dosage compensation in Drosophila involves upregulating male X-genes 2-fold. This process is carried out by the MSL (male-specific lethal) complex, which binds high-affinity sites and spreads to surrounding genes. Current models of MSL spreading focus on interactions between MSL3 (male-specific lethal 3) and Set2-dependent histone marks like trimethylated H3 lysine-36 (H3K36me3). However, Set2 could affect DC via another target, or there could be redundancy between canonical H3.2 and variant H3.3 histones. Furthermore, it is important to parse male-specific effects from those that are X-specific. To discriminate among these possibilities, we employed genomic approaches in H3K36 “residue” and Set2 “writer” mutants. The results confirm a role for Set2 in X-gene regulation, but show that expression trends in males are often mirrored in females. Instead of global, male-specific reduction of X-genes in Set2 or H3K36 mutants, we observe heterogeneous effects. Interestingly, we identified groups of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) whose changes were in opposite directions following loss of H3K36 or Set2, suggesting that H3K36me states have reciprocal functions. In contrast to H4K16R controls, differential expression analysis of combined H3.2K36R/H3.3K36R mutants showed neither consistent reduction in X-gene expression, nor correlation with MSL3 binding. Motif analysis of the DEGs implicated BEAF-32 and other insulator proteins in Set2/H3K36-dependent regulation. Overall, the data are inconsistent with the prevailing model wherein H3K36me3 is essential for spreading the MSL complex to genes along the male X. Rather, we propose that Set2 and H3K36 support DC indirectly, via processes that are utilized by MSL but common to both sexes.
From a solitary blood-derived biomarker to combined biomarkers of sarcopenia: Experiences from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study
Authors: Won Chang Won , Kim Miji , Shin Hyung Eun 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Sarcopenia is recognized as a complex and multifactorial disorder that includes nutritional deficiency, inactivity, proinflammatory status, hormonal changes, neurological degeneration, and metabolic disturbances. Its’ pathogenesis is not fully understood. Therefore, identifying specific biomarkers of sarcopenia will help us understand its pathophysiology. The most frequently reported blood-derived biomarkers of sarcopenia are growth factors, neuromuscular junctions, endocrine systems, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation-mediated and redox processes, muscle protein turnover, blood metabolomics, and behavior-mediated biomarkers. Here, we address the implications of sarcopenia biomarkers based on our research experience with KFACS cohort data. It includes free testosterone, myostatin, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), procollagen type III N-terminal peptide (P3NP), creatinine-based biomarkers, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), metabolites (proline, alanine, tryptophan), and multi-biomarker risk score. We attempted to explain the paradoxical findings of myostatin and FGF-21 levels in relation to sarcopenia. GDF-15 levels were associated with sarcopenia prevalence but not its incidence. Plasma P3NP and BDNF levels may be biomarkers of muscle quality rather than quantity. Lower erythrocyte EPA and DHA levels were associated with slow gait speed, and erythrocyte EPA levels were associated with low handgrip strength. We developed a multi-biomarker risk score for sarcopenia and found that its accuracy in diagnosing sarcopenia was higher than that of any single biomarker.
The Pouch Corner: Perianal Fistulas and Ileal Pouches: Examining Fistulas Before and After Pouch Creation
Authors: Schwartzberg David M , Kayal Maia , Barnes Edward L 
Published: October 2024

Lay Summary
Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) proctocolitis are candidates for an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA), provided they do not suffer from complex perianal fistulas or small bowel inflammation. UC patients who develop a simple perianal fistula may still be candidates for an IPAA; however, patients with complex perianal fistulas are precluded from having an ileal pouch. After an IPAA, patients may develop perianal fistulas that arise acutely from a technical complication or an anastomotic leak, or as late-onset fistulas as a result of CD-like inflammation of the pouch.
Nomads’ Land: Exploring the Social and Political Life of the Nomad Category
Authors: Howarth Anthony , Heiskanen Jaakko , Steglich Sina , Manchanda Nivi , Bencherif Adib 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The category of the nomad has gained a newfound salience in recent decades, ranging from public interest in “digital nomadism” to academic debates about “nomadic theory.” Faced with this upsurge of interest in nomadism, this collective discussion brings together five scholars of diverse theoretical and academic backgrounds to investigate the pasts, presents, and possible futures of the nomad category. The contributions excavate the conditions under which the category first arose in European social and political discourse, explore the historical baggage that this category has carried with it into the twenty-first century, and inquire under what conditions nomadism has come to be regarded as a promising or emancipatory trope. Keeping with the open-ended ethos of international political sociology, the aim of the collective discussion is not to seek conceptual mastery over the category of the nomad, but to foreground the multiple, ambivalent, and often contradictory ways in which this category has been deployed through space and time. More broadly, the collective discussion is an invitation for scholars to explore the international social and political lives of our concepts in a way that destabilizes disciplinary and institutional boundaries.
Bio/Necropolitical Capture and Evasion on Africa–Europe Migrant Journeys
Authors: Topak Özgün Erdener 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
This paper draws on fieldwork interviews with migrants who fled their home countries (Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan) and irregularly traveled through Sudan, Sahara, Libya, and the Mediterranean Sea, eventually reaching Europe. It demonstrates how, throughout their journeys, migrants were targeted by various armed groups (particularly non-state) for purposes including recruitment, extortion, ransom, immobilization, torture, slavery, sexual violence, and how they evaded capture. Building on and contributing to literatures on bio/necropolitics, migration/borders, and surveillance, the paper advances the categories of bio/necropolitical capture and evasion. The paper emphasizes the key role of non-state actors in acts of capture, and race and racialized microbio/necropolitical practices (torture, spectacle, discipline, and surveillance) as key categories of capture. The paper also shows effects of capture for migrants and how migrants engage in acts of evasion (which include not only bodily acts of running away or hiding, but various forms of communicational, mental, spiritual, and psychological tactics) as expressions of agency. Focusing on migrants’ long journeys to Europe, the paper provides a more holistic view of the migration experience and highlights persisting patterns of capture and evasion despite changing actors and locations. The paper demonstrates how Europe’s borders externalize inside the African continent through delegated and opportunistic actors (such as the Libyan Coast Guard and various other militia/trafficking/mafia groups), and reproduce racism at both the macrolevel (maintaining global racist borders) and the microlevel (through racialized practices).