bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inter‐observer reliability and anatomical landmarks for arm circumference to determine cuff size for blood pressure measurement
Authors: Oguaju Bonaventure , Lau Darren , Padwal Raj , Ringrose Jennifer 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAccurate arm circumference (AC) measurement is required for accurate blood pressure (BP) readings. Standards stipulate measuring arm circumference at the midpoint between the acromion process (AP) and the olecranon process. However, which part of the AP to use is not stipulated. Furthermore, BP is measured sitting but arm circumference is measured standing. We sought to understand how landmarking during AC measurement and body position affect cuff size selection. Two variations in measurement procedure were studied. First, AC was measured at the top of the acromion (TOA) and compared to the spine of the acromion (SOA). Second, standing versus seated measurements using each landmark were compared. AC was measured to the nearest 0.1 cm at the mid‐point of the upper arm by two independent observers, blinded from each other's measurements. In 51 participants, the mean (±SD) mid‐AC measurement using the anchoring landmarks TOA and SOA in the standing position were 32.4 cm (±6.18) and 32.1 cm (±6.07), respectively (mean difference of 0.3 cm). In the seated position, mean arm circumference was 32.2 (±6.10) using TOA and 31.1 (±6.03) using SOA (mean difference 1.1 cm). Kappa agreement for cuff selection in the standing position between TOA and SOA was 0.94 (p < 0.001). The landmark on the acromion process can change the cuff selection in a small percentage of cases. The overall impact of this landmark selection is small. However, standardizing landmark selection and body position for AC measurement could further reduce variability in cuff size selection during BP measurement and validation studies.
Deletion of Fbxw7 in oocytes causes follicle loss and premature ovarian insufficiency in mice
Authors: Zhao Huihui , Zhang Hanbin , Zhou Yuxia , Shuai Ling , Chen Zhenguo , Wang Liping 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPremature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is one of the important causes of female infertility. Yet the aetiology for POI is still elusive. FBXW7 (F‐box with 7 tandem WD) is one of the important components of the Skp1‐Cullin1‐F‐box (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase. FBXW7 can regulate cell growth, survival and pluripotency through mediating ubiquitylation and degradation of target proteins via triggering the ubiquitin‐proteasome system, and is associated with tumorigenesis, haematopoiesis and testis development. However, evidence establishing the function of FBXW7 in ovary is still lacking. Here, we showed that FBXW7 protein level was significantly decreased in the ovaries of the cisplatin‐induced POI mouse model. We further showed that mice with oocyte‐specific deletion of Fbxw7 demonstrated POI, characterized with folliculogenic defects, early depletion of follicle reserve, disordered hormonal secretion, ovarian dysfunction and female infertility. Impaired oocyte‐GCs communication, manifested as down‐regulation of connexin 37, may contribute to follicular development failure in the Fbxw7‐mutant mice. Furthermore, single‐cell RNA sequencing and in situ hybridization results indicated an accumulation of Clu and Ccl2 transcripts, which may alter follicle microenvironment deleterious to oocyte development and accelerate POI. Our results establish the important role of Fbxw7 in folliculogenesis and ovarian function, and might provide valuable information for understanding POI and female infertility.
What Do Politicians Think of Technocratic Institutions? Attitudes in the European Parliament Towards the European Central Bank
Authors: Ferrara Federico M. , Masciandaro Donato , Moschella Manuela , Romelli Davide 
Published: June 2024

AbstractTechnocracy has come to be increasingly regarded as a threat to representative democracy. Significant attention has thus been recently devoted to exploring public preferences towards technocratic institutions. Elected policy‐makers' attitudes have instead not been investigated as systematically. This article fills this gap by examining politicians' views on central banks. Based on an original elite survey of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), we gauged elected policy‐makers' attitudes towards the mandate and policy conduct of the European Central Bank (ECB). Our findings show that the political orientation of politicians largely drives attitudes towards the ECB's institutional mandate. Interestingly, the findings from two experiments embedded in the survey also show that the attitudes of MEPs are not as static as ideological orientations would lead us to expect. The information set to which politicians are exposed significantly shapes their views on both the ECB's mandate and its policy conduct, but less on ECB independence.
Overdose of angiotensin II receptor blocker in the third trimester of pregnancy: A case report
Authors: Takahashi Ken , Kobayashi Ryota , Morikawa Kazuhiko , Maeda Miku , Samura Osamu , Okamoto Aikou 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAngiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are contraindicated during pregnancy because of fetal toxicity. All previous reports on adverse fetal outcomes involved women who continued to take low‐dose ARBs for hypertension and were unaware of the adverse effects. Herein, we report the case of a 23‐year‐old pregnant woman in her third trimester who experienced an ARB overdose after an argument with her partner. Pregnancy was complicated by transient oligohydramnios, and fetal magnetic resonance imaging suggested renal failure. Despite these concerns, the newborn had no morphological abnormalities or abnormal neurological findings. Renal impairment improved over time, and the infant grew well. A single overdose of ARBs in the third trimester can lead to fetal renal failure, similar to long‐term low‐dose ARB administration; however, favorable outcomes are possible. An overdose of ARBs may transiently cause renal failure, which may improve. The study findings may inform counseling for women who are unexpectedly exposed to an overdose of ARBs.
Chemical and sensory profile of nonconventional white wines from two different grape clones
Authors: Mazon‐Freitas Luiza , Assumpção Thalita Isabel , Arcari Stevan Grützmann , Burin Vivian Maria 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe present study aimed to characterize chemical and sensorial composition of Goethe wines from Goethe Grape's Valley Geographical Indication, Brazil. The wine samples were made from Goethe Clássica grape and its spontaneous clone, Goethe Primo, grown in two different micro‐regions located in the GI territory (2022 and 2023 vintages). Samples were produced by microvinification process and evaluated for classic oenological parameters, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol, organic acids, and sensory descriptive analysis. The results demonstrated that Goethe Clássica wines presented highest browning index, total acidity, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content in both consecutive vintages. Moreover, in both vintages, the major organic acid in all Goethe wines was malic acid. The wine sensory analysis allowed the accomplishment of the sensorial attributes and its intensities previously unknown in the literature. The overall data afford new insights related to the impact of grape's genetic differences on wine sensorial and chemical characteristics.Practical ApplicationsThis research supports evidence for the relationship between chemical and sensory properties of wine and the sensorial differences in wines due to grape clonal variation. Moreover, the present study detailed the chemical and sensory profiles of wines derived from two different Goethe grape clones, a variety considered nonconventional for winemakers. Overall, the results of this research might be beneficial not only for the producers who are exploring novel or less prevalent wine grape varieties but also to the beverage industry more comprehension through genetic differences influencing wine quality and sensory perceptions.
Learning Unacceptability: Repeated Exposure to Acceptable Sentences Improves Adult Learners’ Recognition of Unacceptable Sentences
Authors: Tachihara Karina , Goldberg Adele E. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAdults learning a new language tend to judge unconventional utterances more leniently than fluent speakers do; ratings on acceptable utterances, however, tend to align more closely with fluent speakers. This asymmetry raises a question as to whether unconventional utterances can be statistically preempted by conventional utterances for adult learners. We report a preregistered study that provided undergraduates in Spanish classes with three days of exposure to conventional Spanish sentences without feedback. Judgment data reveal a significant effect of statistical preemption, particularly on intermediate learners, as predicted: Repeatedly witnessing conventional sentences led learners to subsequently judge as significantly lower the corresponding unconventional formulations in comparison to unrelated unconventional sentences. Current findings indicate that adult learners can take advantage of statistical preemption to learn the unacceptability of unconventional sentences from repeated exposure to acceptable alternatives, without explicit instruction or feedback.
The effect of external flow on 3D orientation of a microscopic sessile suspension feeder, Vorticella convallaria
Authors: Böttger Tia , Klaassen van Oorschot Brett , Pepper Rachel E. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractVorticella convallaria are microscopic sessile suspension feeders that live attached to substrates in aquatic environments. They feed using a self‐generated current and help maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems and wastewater treatment facilities by consuming bacteria and detritus. Their environmental impact is mediated by their feeding rate. In ambient flow, feeding rates are highly dependent on an individual's orientation relative to the substrate and the flow. Here, we investigate how this orientation is impacted by flow speed. Furthermore, we examined whether individuals actively avoid orientations unfavorable for feeding. We exposed individuals to unidirectional laminar flow at shear rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 s−1, and recorded their 3D orientation using a custom biplanar microscope. We determined that V. convallaria orientation became progressively tilted downstream as the shear rate increased, but individuals were still able to actively reorient. Additionally, at higher shear rates, individuals spent a larger fraction of their time in orientations with reduced feeding rates. Our shear rates correspond to freestream flows on the scale of mm s−1 to cm s−1 in natural environments.
The governing instruments for resilience in the neo‐Weberian state: The challenge of integrating Ukrainian war refugees
Authors: Lindholst Andrej Christian , Klausen Kurt Klaudi , Hansen Morten Balle , Sørensen Peter 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe unsettling conditions of contemporary society, marked by recurrent transboundary crises and turbulence, stimulate discussions about the resilience of different governing models. Public bureaucracy and its governing instruments are confronted with the virtues and vices of models dominated by markets and networks. We present a case study demonstrating how the governing instruments within a system resembling a neo‐Weberian state model with a reformed and modernized bureaucracy effectively facilitated the seamless integration of Ukrainian war refugees arriving unexpectedly in 2022. The findings show that the model's short‐term resilience is rooted in a combined and adaptive utilization of legal and financial provisions, expertise embedded within existing bureaucratic structures, ad hoc coordinative organizational structures, and active collaboration with and support from civil society. These findings support arguments on the relative virtues and the resilience of the neo‐Weberian state model. Normative caveats, however, indicate several long‐term challenges.
Hypertension increases sympathetic neuron activity by enhancing intraganglionic cholinergic collateral connections
Authors: Li Minghua , Sorensen Michelle , Johnson Morgan A. , Ingram Susan L. , Andresen Michael C. , Habecker Beth A. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAutonomic dysregulation, including sympathetic hyperactivity, is a common feature of hypertension (HT) and other cardiovascular diseases. The CNS plays a role in driving chronic sympathetic activation in disease, but several lines of evidence suggest that neuroplasticity in the periphery may also contribute. The potential contribution of postganglionic sympathetic neurons to sustained sympathetic hyperactivity is not well understood. We recently discovered that noradrenergic sympathetic neurons in the stellate ganglion (SG) have excitatory cholinergic collateral connections to other neurons within the ganglion. We hypothesize that remodelling of these neurons and increased cholinergic collateral transmission contributes to sustained sympathetic hyperactivity in cardiovascular diseases, including HT. To test that hypothesis, we examined the activity of sympathetic neurons in isolated SG under control conditions and after 1 week of HT induced by peripheral angiotensin II infusion, using whole‐cell patch clamp recordings. Despite the absence of central inputs, we observed elevated spontaneous activity and synaptic transmission in sympathetic SG neurons from hypertensive mice that required generation of action potentials. Genetically disrupting cholinergic transmission in noradrenergic neurons decreased basal neuronal activity and prevented angiotensin II‐mediated enhancement of activity. Similar changes in activity, driven by increased collateral transmission, were identified in cardiac projecting neurons and neurons projecting to brown adipose tissue. These changes were not driven by altered A‐type K+ currents. This suggests that HT stimulates increased activity throughout the intraganglionic network of collateral connections, contributing to the sustained sympathetic hyperactivity characteristic in cardiovascular disease.
imageKey points
Sympathetic neurons in ganglia isolated from angiotensin II‐treated hypertensive mice are more active than neurons from control mice despite the absence of central activation.
The enhanced activity is the result of a ganglionic network of cholinergic collaterals, rather than altered intrinsic excitability.
Increased neuronal activity was observed in both cardiac neurons and brown adipose tissue‐projecting neurons, which are not involved in cardiovascular homeostasis.
IS
1
-mediated chromosomal amplification of the
arn
operon leads to polymyxin B resistance in
Escherichia coli
B strains
Authors: Maybin Michael , Ranade Aditi M. , Schombel Ursula , Gisch Nicolas , Mamat Uwe , Meredith Timothy C. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Polymyxins [colistin and polymyxin B (PMB)] comprise an important class of natural product lipopeptide antibiotics used to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. These positively charged lipopeptides interact with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) located in the outer membrane and disrupt the permeability barrier, leading to increased uptake and bacterial cell death. Many bacteria counter polymyxins by upregulating genes involved in the biosynthesis and transfer of amine-containing moieties to increase positively charged residues on LPS. Although 4-deoxy-
l
-aminoarabinose (Ara4N) and phosphoethanolamine (PEtN) are highly conserved LPS modifications in
Escherichia coli
, different lineages exhibit variable PMB susceptibilities and frequencies of resistance for reasons that are poorly understood. Herein, we describe a mechanism prevalent in
E. coli
B strains that depends on specific insertion sequence 1 (IS
1
) elements that flank genes involved in the biosynthesis and transfer of Ara4N to LPS. Spontaneous and transient chromosomal amplifications mediated by IS
1
raise the frequency of PMB resistance by 10- to 100-fold in comparison to strains where a single IS
1
element located 90 kb away from the end of the
arn
operon has been deleted. Amplification involving IS
1
becomes the dominant resistance mechanism in the absence of PEtN modification. Isolates with amplified
arn
operons gradually lose their PMB-resistant phenotype with passaging, consistent with classical PMB heteroresistance behavior. Analysis of the whole genome transcriptome profile showed altered expression of genes residing both within and outside of the duplicated chromosomal segment, suggesting complex phenotypes including PMB resistance can result from tandem amplification events.

IMPORTANCE

Phenotypic variation in susceptibility and the emergence of resistant subpopulations are major challenges to the clinical use of polymyxins. While a large database of genes and alleles that can confer polymyxin resistance has been compiled, this report demonstrates that the chromosomal insertion sequence (IS) content and distribution warrant consideration as well. Amplification of large chromosomal segments containing the
arn
operon by IS
1
increases the Ara4N content of the lipopolysaccharide layer in
Escherichia coli
B lineages using a mechanism that is orthogonal to transcriptional upregulation through two-component regulatory systems. Altogether, our work highlights the importance of IS elements in modulating gene expression and generating diverse subpopulations that can contribute to phenotypic polymyxin B heteroresistance.
Community interactions among microbes give rise to host-microbiome mutualisms in an aquatic plant
Authors: Laurich Jason R. , Lash Emma , O'Brien Anna M. , Pogoutse Oxana , Frederickson Megan E. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Microbiomes often benefit plants, conferring resistance to pathogens, improving stress tolerance, or promoting plant growth. As potential plant mutualists, however, microbiomes are not a single organism but a community of species with complex interactions among microbial taxa and between microbes and their shared host. The nature of ecological interactions among microbes in the microbiome can have important consequences for the net effects of microbiomes on hosts. Here, we compared the effects of individual microbial strains and 10-strain synthetic communities on microbial productivity and host growth using the common duckweed
Lemna minor
and a synthetic, simplified version of its native microbiome. Except for
Pseudomonas protegens
, which was a mutualist when tested alone, all of the single strains we tested were commensals on hosts, benefiting from plant presence but not increasing host growth relative to uninoculated controls. However, 10-strain synthetic microbial communities increased both microbial productivity and duckweed growth more than the average single-strain inoculation and uninoculated controls, meaning that host-microbiome mutualisms can emerge from community interactions among microbes on hosts. The effects of community inoculation were sub-additive, suggesting at least some competition among microbes in the duckweed microbiome. We also investigated the relationship between
L. minor
fitness and that of its microbes, providing some of the first empirical estimates of broad fitness alignment between plants and members of their microbiomes; hosts grew faster with more productive microbes or microbiomes.

IMPORTANCE
There is currently substantial interest in engineering synthetic microbiomes for health or agricultural applications. One key question is how multi-strain microbial communities differ from single microbial strains in their productivity and effects on hosts. We tested 20 single bacterial strains and 2 distinct 10-strain synthetic communities on plant hosts and found that 10-strain communities led to faster host growth and greater microbial productivity than the average, but not the best, single strain. Furthermore, the microbial strains or communities that achieved the greatest cell densities were also the most beneficial to their hosts, showing that both specific single strains and multi-strain synthetic communities can engage in high-quality mutualisms with their hosts. Our results suggest that ~5% of single strains, as well as multi-strain synthetic communities comprised largely of commensal microbes, can benefit hosts and result in effective host-microbe mutualisms.
Dynamic antimicrobial resistance and phylogenomic structure of
Salmonella
Typhimurium from 2007 to 2019 in Shanghai, China
Authors: Zhang Zengfeng , Hu Mengjun , Xu Xuebin , Lv Chao , Shi Chunlei 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium is an important foodborne pathogen associated with human salmonellosis worldwide. A retrospective screening was performed to elucidate the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and phylogenomic characterization of this pathogen in Shanghai, China.
S
. Typhimurium isolates were selected from 2,211 serotyped
Salmonella
isolates collected during 2007–2019. Two hundred and seventy-seven
S
. Typhimurium isolates were detected in 15 of 16 districts in Shanghai. It was noted that 214 (77.3%) isolates were multi-drug resistant and 32 (11.6%) isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 5 (1.8%) isolates were further resistant to ceftriaxone. Poisson generalized linear mixed model results showed that the multi-drug resistance (MDR) in 2017 and 2018 was significantly higher than that in 2010 (
P
＜0.05), highlighting an increase in the risk of MDR. Phylogenetic results showed that a global data set of 401 sequenced
S
. Typhimurium isolates was classified into four clones (ST36, ST313, ST19, and ST34), which appeared in international clonal dissemination. The ST34 isolates from China fell into two clades, ST34C1 and ST34C2, the latter of which might originate from Shanghai, and then expanded nationally, accompanied by extended-spectrum β-lactamase gene
bla
CTX-M-14
and a mutation in quinolone resistance-determining region of the
gyr
A 87 site. Furthermore,
bla
CTX-M-14
linking to IS
Ecp1
upstream and ΔIS
903B
downstream was found in IncI (Gamma)-like plasmids, and the plasmid conjugation contributed to its horizontal transmission. To our knowledge, it is the first report of the epidemiological and phylogenetic characterization for
S
. Typhimurium including the emerged clade ST34C2 in Shanghai, warranting the necessity of surveillance for this high-risk pathogen.

IMPORTANCE

Our study uncovered a widespread distribution of
Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium isolates in Shanghai accompanied by the increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) especially MDR during a 10-year period, which filled in the gap about a long period of continuous monitoring of AMR in this pathogen in Shanghai. Meanwhile, we identified a new clade ST34C2 of
S
. Typhimurium with the acquisition of IncI (Gamma)-like plasmids mediated by extended-spectrum β-lactamase gene
bla
CTX-M-14
as well as
gyr
A 87 mutation, which had not been reported before. It was noted that IncI (Gamma)-like plasmids were reported in
S
. Typhimurium for the first time and conjugation could accelerate the spread of antimicrobial resistance gene
bla
CTX-M-14
. These findings on the epidemic, antimicrobial resistance, and phylogenomic characterization for
S
. Typhimurium provide valuable insights into its potential risk to public health and also the basis for AMR prevention and control strategies in Shanghai in the future.