bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between epigenetic age and type 2 diabetes mellitus or glycemic traits: A longitudinal twin study
Authors: Miao Ke , Hong Xuanming , Cao Weihua , Lv Jun , Yu Canqing , Huang Tao , Sun Dianjianyi , Liao Chunxiao , Pang Yuanjie , Hu Runhua , Pang Zengchang , Yu Min , Wang Hua , Wu Xianping , Liu Yu , Gao Wenjing , Li Liming 
Published: April 2024

AbstractEpigenetic clocks based on DNA methylation have been known as biomarkers of aging, including principal component (PC) clocks representing the degree of aging and DunedinPACE representing the pace of aging. Prior studies have shown the associations between epigenetic aging and T2DM, but the results vary by epigenetic age metrics and people. This study explored the associations between epigenetic age metrics and T2DM or glycemic traits, based on 1070 twins (535 twin pairs) from the Chinese National Twin Registry. It also explored the temporal relationships of epigenetic age metrics and glycemic traits in 314 twins (157 twin pairs) who participated in baseline and follow‐up visits after a mean of 4.6 years. DNA methylation data were used to calculate epigenetic age metrics, including PCGrimAge acceleration (PCGrimAA), PCPhenoAge acceleration (PCPhenoAA), DunedinPACE, and the longitudinal change rate of PCGrimAge/PCPhenoAge. Mixed‐effects and cross‐lagged modelling assessed the cross‐sectional and temporal relationships between epigenetic age metrics and T2DM or glycemic traits, respectively. In the cross‐sectional analysis, positive associations were identified between DunedinPACE and glycemic traits, as well as between PCPhenoAA and fasting plasma glucose, which may be not confounded by shared genetic factors. Cross‐lagged models revealed that glycemic traits (fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, and TyG index) preceded DunedinPACE increases, and TyG index preceded PCGrimAA increases. Glycemic traits are positively associated with epigenetic age metrics, especially DunedinPACE. Glycemic traits preceded the increases in DunedinPACE and PCGrimAA. Lowering the levels of glycemic traits may reduce DunedinPACE and PCGrimAA, thereby mitigating age‐related comorbidities.
Emergency department documentation of legal intervention injuries at a Washington, DC, hospital
Authors: Durgun Kevin Xerxes , Sikka Neal , Davey Kevin , Hood Colton , Khokhar Omair , Sadur Alana , Labine Monica , Zaslavsky Justin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines legal intervention injuries as injuries caused by law enforcement agents in the course of official duties. Public health databases utilize International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD‐10), coding to collect these data through the “Y35” family ICD‐10 code. Prior studies report deficiencies in public health recording of fatal legal intervention injuries. Few studies have characterized nonfatal injuries. This study investigates emergency department (ED) capture of legal intervention injury diagnostic coding.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed on ED encounter data from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2019, at an academic hospital in Washington, DC. Charts were identified using a keyword search program for “police.” Chart abstracters reviewed the flagged charts and abstracted those that met injury definition. Primary outcomes included injury severity, patient demographics, and documented ICD‐10 codes. One sample proportion testing was performed comparing sample census ED data.ResultsA total of 340 encounters had sufficient descriptions of legal intervention injuries. A total of 259 had descriptions consistent with the patient specifier of “suspect.” Hospital coders recorded 74 charts (28.6%) with the Y35 family legal intervention injury code. A total of 212 involved a Black patient. A total of 122 patients had Medicaid and 94 were uninsured. Black patients made up a higher proportion of individuals in the “suspect identified legal intervention injury” group than the total population (0.819 vs. 0.609, p < 0.01, 95% CI 0.772–0.866). Patients with Medicaid or who were uninsured made up substantial proportions as well (0.471 vs. 0.175, p < 0.01, 95% CI 0.410–0.532 for Medicaid patients and 0.363 vs. 0.155, p < 0.01, 95% CI 0.304–0.424 for the uninsured patients).ConclusionA large proportion of nonfatal legal intervention injuries remain unreported. Black and low‐income patients are disproportionately affected. More research is needed but benefits from interprofessional data sharing, injury pattern awareness, and diagnostic coding guidance may improve reporting.
Finders' eaters: Increasing bush encroachment may shift carcass detection from diurnal avian to nocturnal mammalian scavengers
Authors: Malan Gerard , Walker Kyle S. , Monadjem Ara 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBush encroachment is increasingly becoming a problem for biodiversity conservation in African savannas. While this invasion by woody vegetation may hamper avian scavengers such as vultures, which primarily search by sight, it may benefit mammalian scavengers that search by smell. This study aimed to examine the ability of nocturnal mammalian and diurnal avian scavengers to locate carcasses at increasing vegetation densities. We successively placed 27 impala (Aepyceros melampus) carcasses five days apart in a 2000 ha fenced game camp that offered an extensive range of woody plant densities. Scavenger arrivals and first feedings were recorded with camera traps. The avian scavengers, mainly white‐backed Vultures (Gyps africanus), fed exclusively on carcasses during the day, and mammalian scavengers, predominantly brown hyenas (Parahyena brunnea), fed solely at night. The two guilds thus competed exploitatively without direct interaction between them. For vultures, the time taken to locate a carcass increased with woody plant density. The mean density of woody plants that avian scavengers located carcasses at was 2188 plants/ha, whereas mammalian scavengers located carcasses at appreciably higher densities of 5156 plants/ha. Resource managers need to understand the synergy between maintaining woody vegetation to benefit nocturnal mammalian scavengers and maintaining open savannas to benefit diurnal avian scavengers.
Validation of mitochondrial biomarkers and immune dynamics in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Shen Hui‐Hui , Zhang Yang‐Yang , Wang Xuan‐Yu , Li Meng‐Ying , Liu Zhen‐Xing , Wang Ying , Ye Jiang‐Feng , Wu Hui‐Hua , Li Ming‐Qing 
Published: April 2024

AbstractProblemPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a prevalent endocrine‐metabolic disorder, presents considerable therapeutic challenges due to its complex and elusive pathophysiology.Method of studyWe employed three machine learning algorithms to identify potential biomarkers within a training dataset, comprising GSE138518, GSE155489, and GSE193123. The diagnostic accuracy of these biomarkers was rigorously evaluated using a validation dataset using area under the curve (AUC) metrics. Further validation in clinical samples was conducted using PCR and immunofluorescence techniques. Additionally, we investigate the complex interplay among immune cells in PCOS using CIBERSORT to uncover the relationships between the identified biomarkers and various immune cell types.ResultsOur analysis identified ACSS2, LPIN1, and NR4A1 as key mitochondria‐related biomarkers associated with PCOS. A notable difference was observed in the immune microenvironment between PCOS patients and healthy controls. In particular, LPIN1 exhibited a positive correlation with resting mast cells, whereas NR4A1 demonstrated a negative correlation with monocytes in PCOS patients.ConclusionACSS2, LPIN1, and NR4A1 emerge as PCOS‐related diagnostic biomarkers and potential intervention targets, opening new avenues for the diagnosis and management of PCOS.
Mental illness comorbidity significantly impacts surgical outcomes for emergency surgical patients
Authors: McBride Kate E. , Torzillo Judith , Davis Rebecca , Steffens Daniel , Wand Tim , Sanders Robert D. , Glozier Nick , Solomon Michael J. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundWhilst both mental illness comorbidity and the delivery of emergency surgery are commonplace in Australia, there is little evidence investigating any link between them. As such, this study examines the emergency surgical outcomes for patients with mental illness compared to other surgical patients within the Australian public surgical system.MethodsRetrospective cohort study involving adult emergency and elective surgical patients treated at three public hospitals in Sydney, Australia between 2018 and 2019. Patients were identified using ICD‐10 diagnosis codes, and grouped by those with decompensated mental illness, chronic depression, or those without mental illness. Outcome measures included those within the emergency department (ED), along with in‐hospital mortality and surgical outcomes.ResultsOf 48 338 total patients, 31 890 (66.0%) had elective and 16 448 (34.0%) had emergency surgery. For patients with decompensated mental illness, only 228 (0.7%) had elective whilst 425 (2.6%) had emergency surgery. Their outcomes for this surgery type included being triaged significantly higher (Cat 1 or 2, 34% vs. 15%) and longer ED stays (8.3 vs. 6.6 h). They also had significantly more post‐operative complications (26% vs. 8%) and total days in hospital (33.8 vs. 8.5 days). There was no significant difference for in‐hospital mortality.ConclusionPatients with mental illness are significantly more likely to have emergency surgery including presenting to the ED with more acute physical illness and to experience worse surgical outcomes compared to other surgical patients for every measure analyzed except mortality. There is considerable opportunity to further investigate how these differences might be improved.
A role for vessel‐associated extracellular matrix proteins in multiple sclerosis pathology
Authors: Pisa Marco , Watson Joseph L. , Spencer Jonathan I. , Niblett Guy , Mahjoub Yasamin , Lockhart Andrew , Yates Richard L. , Yee Sydney A. , Hadley Gina , Ruiz Jennifer , Esiri Margaret M. , Kessler Benedict , Fischer Roman , DeLuca Gabriele C. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is unsurpassed for its clinical and pathological hetherogeneity, but the biological determinants of this variability are unknown. HLA‐DRB1*15, the main genetic risk factor for MS, influences the severity and distribution of MS pathology. This study set out to unravel the molecular determinants of the heterogeneity of MS pathology in relation to HLA‐DRB1*15 status. Shotgun proteomics from a discovery cohort of MS spinal cord samples segregated by HLA‐DRB*15 status revealed overexpression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, biglycan, decorin, and prolargin in HLA‐DRB*15‐positive cases, adding to established literature on a role of ECM proteins in MS pathology that has heretofore lacked systematic pathological validation. These findings informed a neuropathological characterisation of these proteins in a large autopsy cohort of 41 MS cases (18 HLA‐DRB1*15‐positive and 23 HLA‐DRB1*15‐negative), and seven non‐neurological controls on motor cortical, cervical and lumbar spinal cord tissue. Biglycan and decorin demonstrate a striking perivascular expression pattern in controls that is reduced in MS (−36.5%, p = 0.036 and − 24.7%, p = 0.039; respectively) in lesional and non‐lesional areas. A concomitant increase in diffuse parenchymal accumulation of biglycan and decorin is seen in MS (p = 0.015 and p = 0.001, respectively), particularly in HLA‐DRB1*15‐positive cases (p = 0.007 and p = 0.046, respectively). Prolargin shows a faint parenchymal pattern in controls that is markedly increased in MS cases where a perivascular deposition pattern is observed (motor cortex +97.5%, p = 0.001; cervical cord +49.1%, p = 0.016). Our findings point to ECM proteins and the vascular interface playing a central role in MS pathology within and outside the plaque area. As ECM proteins are known potent pro‐inflammatory molecules, their parenchymal accumulation may contribute to disease severity. This study brings to light novel factors that may contribute to the heterogeneity of the topographical variation of MS pathology.
Action Selection in Everyday Activities: The Opportunistic Planning Model
Authors: Wenzl Petra , Schultheis Holger 
Published: April 2024

AbstractWhile action selection strategies in well‐defined domains have received considerable attention, little is yet known about how people choose what to do next in ill‐defined tasks. In this contribution, we shed light on this issue by considering everyday tasks, which in many cases have a multitude of possible solutions (e.g., it does not matter in which order the items are brought to the table when setting a table) and are thus categorized as ill‐defined problems. Even if there are no hard constraints on the ordering of subtasks in everyday activities, our research shows that people exhibit specific preferences. We propose that these preferences arise from bounded rationality, that is, people only have limited knowledge and processing power available, which results in a preference to minimize the overall physical and cognitive effort. In the context of everyday activities, this can be achieved by (a) taking properties of the spatial environment into account to use them to one's advantage, and (b) employing a stepwise‐optimal action selection strategy. We present the Opportunistic Planning Model as an explanatory cognitive model, which instantiates these assumptions, and show that the model is able to generalize to new everyday tasks, outperforming machine learning models such as neural networks during generalization.
Bayes Optimal Integration of Social and Endogenous Uncertainty in Numerosity Estimation
Authors: Öztel Tutku , Balcı Fuat 
Published: April 2024

AbstractOne of the most prominent social influences on human decision making is conformity, which is even more prominent when the perceptual information is ambiguous. The Bayes optimal solution to this problem entails weighting the relative reliability of cognitive information and perceptual signals in constructing the percept from self‐sourced/endogenous and social sources, respectively. The current study investigated whether humans integrate the statistics (i.e., mean and variance) of endogenous perceptual and social information in a Bayes optimal way while estimating numerosities. Our results demonstrated adjustment of initial estimations toward group means only when group estimations were more reliable (or “certain”), compared to participants’ endogenous metric uncertainty. Our results support Bayes optimal social conformity while also pointing to an implicit form of metacognition.
Ex vivo therapeutic screening of metastatic cSCC: A review of methodological considerations for clinical implementation
Authors: Conley Jessica , Perry Jay R. , Ashford Bruce , Ranson Marie 
Published: April 2024

AbstractCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is the second most common malignancy worldwide, with most deaths caused by locally advanced and metastatic disease. Treatment of resectable metastases is typically limited to invasive surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy; however, many patients fail to respond and there is minimal data to predict response or propose effective alternatives. Precision medicine could improve this, though genomic biomarkers remain elusive in the high mutational background and genomic complexity of cSCC. A phenotypic approach to precision medicine using patient‐derived ex vivo tumour models is gaining favour for its capacity to directly assess biological responses to therapeutics as a functional, predictive biomarker. However, the use of ex vivo models for guiding therapeutic selection has yet to be employed for metastatic cSCC. This review will therefore evaluate the existing experimental models of metastatic cSCC and discuss how ex vivo methods could overcome the shortcomings of these existing models. Disease‐specific considerations for a prospective methodological pipeline will also be discussed in the context of precision medicine.
Integrated conjugal plasmid pLS20 in the Bacillus subtilis genome produced 850‐kbp circular subgenomes transmissible to another B. subtilis
Authors: Itaya Mitsuhiro , Kataoka Masakazu 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBacillus subtilis was engineered to produce circular subgenomes that are directly transmittable to another B. subtilis. The conjugational plasmid pLS20 integrated into the B. subtilis genome supported not only subgenome replication but also transmission to another B. subtilis species. The subgenome system developed in this study completes a streamlined platform from the synthesis to the transmission of giant DNA by B. subtilis.
Transborder habitus transformation: In‐country mobility of Hong Kong students in the Chinese Mainland universities
Authors: Te Alice Y. C. , Qin Yunyun 
Published: April 2024

AbstractUnder the context of the in‐country mobility of Hong Kong students studying at Chinese Mainland universities, this paper proposes the notion of ‘transborder habitus’ to understand Hong Kong students' experiences and perceptions. Through qualitative research with in‐depth interviews with 51 Hong Kong students studying in major cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen, how these students move across the socio‐cultural and academic fields at specific times is dissected. The process of how they perceive and adapt to their new life and identities on the mainland campuses is scrutinised. Students exhibited three types of adjustment styles: the Adjusters with pre‐adapted habitus, the Strangers with cleft habitus and the Outsiders with mis‐matched habitus. Their coping strategies are discussed and the salient factors shaping the students' transborder habitus are analysed.
A retrospective review of the short Synacthen test in Queensland hospitals
Authors: Wootton Elizabeth , Truong Quynh , Pretorius Carel J. , Balcerek Matthew , Lazarus Syndia 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe short Synacthen test (SST) is widely used to investigate adrenal insufficiency, but it can be time‐consuming, costly and labour‐intensive to perform and is not without risk of adverse events.AimTo review SST requesting patterns and practices across public hospitals in Queensland.MethodsThe electronic medical records of patients who underwent a SST with Pathology Queensland between January 2020 and December 2020 were reviewed to collect data regarding the indication for the test, the requesting speciality, SST results and any adverse events.ResultsSix hundred and fifty‐two SSTs were identified, of which 363 individual patients were included in the analysis. The majority of the tests (n = 198, 54.5%) were performed in the inpatient setting. Endocrinology most commonly ordered SSTs (n = 188, 51.8%). The suspected aetiology of adrenal insufficiency was unclear in a large proportion of requests (n = 167, 46.0%). Static testing of morning cortisol prior to SST was performed in only 249 (68.6%) patients. Of 140 inpatients data, 17.9% (n = 25) showed a robust static cortisol of ≥400 nmol/L and were treated as having normal adrenal function, suggesting SST was unnecessary in these patients. Twenty‐two (6.1%) patients had a documented adverse event occurring during or after the SST.ConclusionsThere was wide variability in requesting patterns and practices for SSTs across Queensland. More than one in six SSTs could have been avoided if a static morning cortisol had been performed prior. Clinician education and the adoption of a structured referral form may improve testing practices.
Development and organization of omental milky spots
Authors: Okabe Yasutaka 
Published: April 2024

SummaryThe milky spots in omentum are atypical lymphoid tissues that play a pivotal role in regulating immune responses in the peritoneal cavity. The milky spots act as central hubs for collecting antigens and particles from the peritoneal cavity, regulating lymphocyte trafficking, promoting the differentiation and self‐renewal of immune cells, and supporting the local germinal centre response. In addition, the milky spots exhibit unique developmental characteristics that combine the features of secondary and tertiary lymphoid tissues. These structures are innately programmed to form during foetal development; however, they can also be formed postnatally in response to peritoneal irritation such as inflammation, infection, obesity, or tumour metastasis. In this review, I discuss emerging perspectives on homeostatic development and organization of the milky spots.
Detecting early‐warning biomarkers associated with heart‐exosome genetic‐signature for acute myocardial infarction: A source‐tracking study of exosome
Authors: Jin Xiaojun , Xu Weifeng , Wu Qiaoping , Huang Chen , Song Yongfei , Lian Jiangfang 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe genetic information of plasma total‐exosomes originating from tissues have already proven useful to assess the severity of coronary artery diseases (CAD). However, plasma total‐exosomes include multiple sub‐populations secreted by various tissues. Only analysing the genetic information of plasma total‐exosomes is perturbed by exosomes derived from other organs except the heart. We aim to detect early‐warning biomarkers associated with heart‐exosome genetic‐signatures for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by a source‐tracking analysis of plasma exosome. The source‐tracking of AMI plasma total‐exosomes was implemented by deconvolution algorithm. The final early‐warning biomarkers associated with heart‐exosome genetic‐signatures for AMI was identified by integration with single‐cell sequencing, weighted gene correction network and machine learning analyses. The correlation between biomarkers and clinical indicators was validated in impatient cohort. A nomogram was generated using early‐warning biomarkers for predicting the CAD progression. The molecular subtypes landscape of AMI was detected by consensus clustering. A higher fraction of exosomes derived from spleen and blood cells was revealed in plasma exosomes, while a lower fraction of heart‐exosomes was detected. The gene ontology revealed that heart‐exosomes genetic‐signatures was associated with the heart development, cardiac function and cardiac response to stress. We ultimately identified three genes associated with heart‐exosomes defining early‐warning biomarkers for AMI. The early‐warning biomarkers mediated molecular clusters presented heterogeneous metabolism preference in AMI. Our study introduced three early‐warning biomarkers associated with heart‐exosome genetic‐signatures, which reflected the genetic information of heart‐exosomes carrying AMI signals and provided new insights for exosomes research in CAD progression and prevention.
Long‐range projections of oxytocin neurons in the marmoset brain
Authors: Lefevre Arthur , Meza Jazlynn , Miller Cory T. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has become a major target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder because of its integral role in governing many facets of mammalian social behavior. Whereas extensive work in rodents has produced much of our knowledge of OT, we lack basic information about its neurobiology in primates making it difficult to interpret the limited effects that OT manipulations have had in human patients. In fact, previous studies have revealed only limited OT fibers in primate brains. Here, we investigated the OT connectome in marmoset using immunohistochemistry, and mapped OT fibers throughout the brains of adult male and female marmoset monkeys. We found extensive OT projections reaching limbic and cortical areas that are involved in the regulation of social behaviors, such as the amygdala, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the basal ganglia. The pattern of OT fibers observed in marmosets is notably similar to the OT connectomes described in rodents. Our findings here contrast with previous results by demonstrating a broad distribution of OT throughout the marmoset brain. Given the prevalence of this neurohormone in the primate brain, methods developed in rodents to manipulate endogenous OT are likely to be applicable in marmosets.