bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of a digital droplet PCR approach for the quantification of soil micro‐organisms involved in atmospheric CO2 fixation
Authors: Le Geay Marie , Mayers Kyle , Küttim Martin , Lauga Béatrice , Jassey Vincent E. J. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractCarbon‐fixing micro‐organisms (CFMs) play a pivotal role in soil carbon cycling, contributing to carbon uptake and sequestration through various metabolic pathways. Despite their importance, accurately quantifying the absolute abundance of these micro‐organisms in soils has been challenging. This study used a digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) approach to measure the abundance of key and emerging CFMs pathways in fen and bog soils at different depths, ranging from 0 to 15 cm. We targeted total prokaryotes, oxygenic phototrophs, aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and chemoautotrophs, optimizing the conditions to achieve absolute quantification of these genes. Our results revealed that oxygenic phototrophs were the most abundant CFMs, making up 15% of the total prokaryotic abundance. They were followed by chemoautotrophs at 10% and aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria at 9%. We observed higher gene concentrations in fen than in bog. There were also variations in depth, which differed between fen and bog for all genes. Our findings underscore the abundance of oxygenic phototrophs and chemoautotrophs in peatlands, challenging previous estimates that relied solely on oxygenic phototrophs for microbial carbon dioxide fixation assessments. Incorporating absolute gene quantification is essential for a comprehensive understanding of microbial contributions to soil processes. This approach sheds light on the complex mechanisms of soil functioning in peatlands.
Fitting in? Physician practice style after forced relocation
Authors: Chen Alice J. , Richards Michael R. , Shriver Rachel 
Published: June 2024

AbstractObjectiveThis study aims to examine how variation in physicians' treatment decisions for newborn deliveries responds to changes in the hospital‐level norms for obstetric clinical decision‐making.Data SourcesAll hospital‐based births in Florida from 2003 through 2017.Study DesignDifference‐in‐differences approach is adopted that leverages obstetric unit closures as the source of identifying variation to exogenously shift obstetricians to a new, nearby hospital with different propensities to approach newborn deliveries less intensively.Data ExtractionBirths attributed to physicians continuously observed 2 years before the closure event and 2 years after the closure event (treatment group physicians) or for identical time periods around a randomly assigned placebo closure date (control group physicians).Principal FindingsAll of the physicians meeting our inclusion criteria shifted their births to a new hospital less than 20 miles from the hospital shuttering its obstetric unit. The new hospitals approached newborn births more conservatively, and treatment group physicians sharply became less aggressive in their newborn birth clinical management (e.g., use of C‐section). The immediate 11‐percentage point (33%) increase in delivering newborns without any procedure behavior change is statistically significant (p value <0.01) and persistent after the closure event; however, the physicians' payer and patient mix are unchanged.ConclusionsObstetric physician behavior change appears highly malleable and sensitive to the practice patterns of other physicians delivering newborns at the same hospital. Incentives and policies that encourage more appropriate clinical care norms hospital‐wide could sharply improve physician treatment decisions, with benefits for maternal and infant outcomes.
Beyond methane, new frontiers in anaerobic microbial hydrocarbon utilizing pathways
Authors: Sarno Natalie , Hyde Emily , De Anda Valerie , Baker Brett J. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAlkanes, single carbon methane to long‐chain hydrocarbons (e.g. hexadecane and tetradecane), are important carbon sources to anaerobic microbial communities. In anoxic environments, archaea are known to utilize and produce methane via the methyl‐coenzyme M reductase enzyme (MCR). Recent explorations of new environments, like deep sea sediments, that have coupled metagenomics and cultivation experiments revealed divergent MCRs, also referred to as alkyl‐coenzyme M reductases (ACRs) in archaea, with similar mechanisms as the C1 utilizing canonical MCR mechanism. These ACR enzymes have been shown to activate other alkanes such as ethane, propane and butane for subsequent degradation. The reversibility of canonical MCRs suggests that these non‐methane‐activating homologues (ACRs) might have similar reversibility, perhaps mediated by undiscovered lineages that produce alkanes under certain conditions. The discovery of these alternative alkane utilization pathways holds significant promise for a breadth of potential biotechnological applications in bioremediation, energy production and climate change mitigation.
Prevalence of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the Pacific populations in Auckland, New Zealand: A retrospective multicentre study
Authors: Tsai Yun‐Jung Jack , Doyle Anthony 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIntroductionPrimary objective was to investigate the prevalence of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in a mixed demographic region, especially in the Pacific Island population. Secondary objective was to investigate the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and cervical diffuse skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) in patients with and without OPLL.MethodsUsing the local picture archiving and communication system (PACS), cervical spine computed tomography (CT) examinations over a 2‐month period were retrospectively assessed for the presence of OPLL. Basic demographic data were recorded—gender, age, ethnicity, presence of cervical DISH and the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus.ResultsA total of 1692 CT examinations were included in the study. The distribution of the ethnic groups was 57.3% European, 12.09% Pacific peoples, 11.9% Māori, 11.53% Asian, 0.95% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African and 6.3% not specified. Overall, 47 cases of OPPL were identified (2.78%). The prevalence of OPPL in the Pacific ethnic groups was significantly higher than the European ethnic group 8.4% versus 0.6%, P < 0.05. The prevalence of OPLL was also significantly higher in the Asian (6.9%) and Māori (3.6%) than in the European ethnic group, P < 0.05. A significantly higher proportion of the patients with OPLL had underlying diabetes 20/47 (42.6%) compared with the study population 196/1692 (11.6%), P < 0.05. Seven cases of OPPL (14.9%) had associated cervical DISH, which was significantly higher compared with the study group (23/1692), P < 0.05. Using the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare classification system4, segmental type was the most common (34/47, 72.3%), followed by mixed (14.9%) and continuous types (12.8%).ConclusionThe prevalence of OPLL is significantly higher among the Pacific populations in Auckland. There is also increased prevalence in the Asian and Māori populations.
Lipocalin‐2 as a prognostic biomarker and its association with systemic inflammation in small cell lung cancer
Authors: Go Se‐Il , Yang Jung Wook , Lee Woo Je , Jeong Eun Jeong , Park Sungwoo , Lee Gyeong‐Won 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBackgroundSystemic inflammation is believed to contribute to small cell lung cancer (SCLC) progression, but the underlying relationship remains unclear. Lipocalin‐2, a potential biomarker of inflammation, has been implicated in various cancers but its prognostic value in SCLC is underexplored.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 191 patients with SCLC (72 with limited‐stage [LD] and 119 with extensive‐stage) treated using platinum‐based chemotherapy. Lipocalin‐2 expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Optimal cutoff values for lipocalin‐2 and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were determined using time‐dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The pectoralis muscle index was used to assess sarcopenia.ResultsIn LD‐SCLC, high lipocalin‐2 expression was associated with worse progression‐free survival (PFS; median: 7.0 vs. 15.9 months, p = 0.015) and overall survival (OS; median: 12.9 vs. 30.3 months, p = 0.035) compared with low lipocalin‐2 expression. Patients were stratified into three prognostic groups by combining lipocalin‐2 with NLR: low lipocalin‐2/low NLR, high lipocalin‐2/low NLR or low lipocalin‐2/high NLR, and high lipocalin‐2/high NLR (median PFS: 17.3 vs. 11.0 vs. 6.3 months, p = 0.004; median OS: 30.5 vs. 17.3 vs. 8.6 months, p = 0.002). Similar trends were observed when combining lipocalin‐2 with the pectoralis muscle index. High lipocalin‐2 expression was also associated with lower complete response rates (18.9% vs. 34.3%, p = 0.035). No significant prognostic implications were found for lipocalin‐2 in extensive‐stage SCLC.ConclusionsHigh lipocalin‐2 expression is potentially associated with poorer survival in LD‐SCLC. Combining lipocalin‐2 with other inflammation‐related markers could improve prognostic stratification.
Deficiency of SECTM1 impairs corneal wound healing in aging
Authors: Zhu Jin , Lan Xihong , Mo Kunlun , Zhang Wang , Huang Ying , Tan Jieying , Wang Li , Ji Jianping , Ke Qiong , Ouyang Hong 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe corneal epithelium is the outermost transparent barrier of the eyeball and undergoes continuous self‐renewal by limbal stem cells (LSCs) during its lifetime; however, the impact of aging on LSCs remains largely unknown. Here, we showed that the healing ability of the cornea in elderly macaques (Macaca fascicularis) was significantly decreased compared to that of younger macaques. This delayed wound closure accompanied a disordered cell arrangement and corneal opacity. A novel cytokine, Secreted and Transmembrane 1 (SECTM1), was found to facilitate corneal healing and was upregulated in young macaques upon wounding. Mechanistically, SECTM1 is essential for LSC migration and proliferation, and may partially function through Cell Division Cycle Associated 7 (CDCA7). Notably, the topical application of SECTM1 to aged wounded corneas dramatically promoted re‐epithelialization and improved corneal transparency in both mice and macaques. Our work suggests that aging may impair the expression of healing response factors and injury repair in non‐human primate corneas, and that SECTM1 application could potentially benefit corneal wound healing in clinical treatment.
Barriers to the introduction of novel advanced targeted treatments for Australian dermatology patients: Are skin diseases symptomatic of a systemic healthcare problem?
Authors: Mahar Patrick David , Crothers Anna , Foley Peter , Thomas Joseph 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe aim of this article is to provide education to clinicians about certain barriers restricting the use of advanced targeted treatments in Australian health care. For illustrative purposes, the article focuses on dermatological conditions, but the content is relevant to all specialties that treat inflammatory and chronic diseases. Barriers to care discussed result in a lower than necessary standard of care for patients in Australia despite important advancements in medicine.
Culturally responsive occupational therapy practice with First Nations Peoples—A scoping review
Authors: Meechan Elizabeth , Geia Lynore , Taylor Marayah , Murray Donna , Stothers Kylie , Gibson Paul , Devine Sue , Barker Ruth 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIntroductionFirst Nations Peoples consistently demonstrate strength and resilience in navigating systemic health care inequities. Acknowledging racism as a health determinant underscores the urgent need for a counterforce—cultural safety. Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) contends that with cultural responsiveness, the health workforce can take action to create a culturally safe environment.ObjectiveTo explore features of culturally responsive occupational therapy (OT) practice when providing a service with First Nations People and examine alignment of those features with the IAHA Cultural Responsiveness in Action Framework.DesignA systematic scoping review was undertaken using CINAHL, Emcare, MEDLINE, PsychInfo and Scopus databases. Examples of culturally responsive OT practice with First Nations Peoples were mapped to the six IAHA Framework capabilities and confirmed by First Nations co‐authors.FindingsOT practice with First Nations Peoples aligned with the six capabilities to varying degrees. The importance of OTs establishing relationships with First Nations People, applying self‐reflection to uncover cultural biases, and addressing limitations of the profession's Western foundations was evident.DiscussionRecognising the interrelatedness of the six capabilities, the absence of some may result in a culturally unsafe experience for First Nations People. OTs must acknowledge the leadership of First Nations Peoples by privileging their voices and consider how established practices may reinforce oppressive systems.ConclusionTo ensure a culturally safe environment for First Nations People, the OT profession must respect the leadership of First Nations Peoples and address the limitations of the profession's Western foundations to uphold the profession's core value of client‐centred care.
Management and outcomes of splenic injuries secondary to blunt trauma in patients presenting to major trauma hospitals in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: McGuinness Matthew James , Joseph Nejo , Xu William , Paterson Luke , McLaughlin Scott , Riordan Elisabeth , Isles Siobhan , Harmston Christopher 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBackgroundNon‐operative management of splenic injuries has significantly increased in the last decade with an increased emphasis on splenic preservation. This shift was assisted by increased availability of angioembolization, however, potential geographical variability in access exists in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ). The aim of this study was to assess the management of splenic injury across AoNZ.MethodFive‐year retrospective study of all patients admitted to AoNZ hospitals with blunt major trauma and a splenic injury. Patients were identified using the National Trauma Registry and cross‐referenced with the National Minimum Data Set to determine their management. The primary outcome was the non‐operative rate.ResultsSeven hundred seventy‐three patients were included. Four hundred sixty‐nine presented to a tertiary major trauma hospital and 304 to a secondary major trauma hospital. A difference was found in the rate of non‐operative management between tertiary and secondary hospitals (P = 0.019). The rate of non‐operative management was similar in mild (P = 0.814) and moderate (P = 0.825) injuries, however, significantly higher in severe injuries in tertiary hospitals (P = 0.009). No difference in mortality rate was found.ConclusionThis study found a difference in the management of splenic injuries between tertiary and secondary major trauma hospitals; predominantly due to a higher rate of operative management in patients with severe injuries at secondary hospitals. Despite this, no difference in mortality rate was found between tertiary and secondary hospitals.
Nima's “Incomplete” Humans: Storying Adolescents’ Black Inhabitations in Accra
Authors: Okoye Victoria Ogoegbunam 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this article, I story adolescents as “incomplete” human beings whose inventive modes of storytelling and inhabiting community space shape a “black sense of place” in the Nima neighbourhood of Accra, Ghana. In collaborative arts‐based research with Spread‐Out Initiative NGO, Nima adolescents share stories and narrate experiences that witness everyday violences, dispossession, and neglect and also small, meaningful openings they create together in community space. From this collaborative research, I locate Nima as a black geography situated in an African metaphysical universe where human, nonhuman, and spiritual worlds and Ghana's interconnected histories of enslavements and colonialism shape place. I contend that following these adolescents’ storied experiences and inventive black inhabitations through the framework of incompleteness offers ways of knowing these adolescents not as deficient or less‐than‐human, but full of possibility. By tracing the everyday ways adolescents deploy magic to extend themselves and their spatial potentials in concert with other incomplete human, nonhuman, and spiritual beings, I argue they produce black life. This approach extends black geographic thought, by honouring Nima adolescents and their stories of ever‐incomplete human becoming and weaving together black indigenous, migratory, and diasporic ways of knowing in global black relation.
The Coloniality of Space: Landscape, Aesthetics, and the Middle Classes in Dar es Salaam
Authors: Mercer Claire 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn Dar es Salaam, an aesthetic politics of landscape shaped by the coloniality of space is central to middle‐class boundary work that drives the city's middle classes to congregate in the city's northern suburbs. The colonial city was divided into three racially marked zones that became known as uzunguni, uhindini, and uswahilini (the place of the European, Indian, and African, respectively). The coloniality of space remains as the spatial residue of this colonial enframing. It endures in an aesthetic politics of landscape in which ideas about what, and who, makes good urban space in terms of architecture, topography, and planning, and who deserves to live where. The paper examines how middle‐class suburban residents’ mobilisation of the coloniality of space naturalises existing social and spatial hierarchies in the city.
Effects of physical activity planning interventions on reducing sedentary behavior in parent–child dyads: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Szczuka Zofia , Kulis Ewa , Banik Anna , Boberska Monika , Siwa Maria , Zaleskiewicz Hanna , Krzywicka Paulina , Paduszynska Natalia , Knoll Nina , Radtke Theda , Schenkel Konstantin , Dunton Genevieve F. , Luszczynska Aleksandra 
Published: June 2024

AbstractEffects of parent–child dyad interventions on behavior remain unclear. This randomized controlled trial investigated if, compared with a control condition, three types of physical activity (PA) planning interventions (individual “I‐for‐me,” dyadic “we‐for‐me,” and collaborative “we‐for‐us”) would reduce sedentary behavior (SB) time in parents and their children. The study involved 247 dyads comprising parents (aged 29–66) and their children (aged 9–15), randomized into one of the three types of PA planning‐intervention arms or the control condition. Mixed models were applied to analyze data from a preregistered trial (NCT02713438) with the outcome of accelerometer‐measured SB time, assessed at 1‐week and 36‐week follow‐ups. Although children's SB remained unaffected by the planning interventions, a small reduction of SB time was found among parents in the collaborative (p = .048) and individual (p = .042) planning conditions. The effects were observed at the 1‐week follow‐up only. While short‐term reductions in parents' SB were achieved, these were not sustained long‐term. PA planning interventions delivered to parent–child dyads did not substantially reduce children's SB, which may be due to young people's needs of increased independence from their parents.
Robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy with the Hugo™ robot‐assisted surgery system: A single‐center initial experience in Japan
Authors: Takahara Kiyoshi , Motonaga Tomonari , Nakamura Wataru , Saruta Masanobu , Nukaya Takuhisa , Takenaka Masashi , Zennami Kenji , Ichino Manabu , Sasaki Hitomi , Shiroki Ryoichi 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBackgroundRecently, various novel robotic systems have been put into clinical use. The aim of the present study was to assess the perioperative outcomes of robot‐assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) using the Hugo™ RAS system, one of brand‐new robot‐assisted surgical platforms.MethodsWe performed RARP with the Hugo™ RAS system in 13 cases of localized prostate cancer (PCa) between August 2023 and February 2024 at our hospital. The perioperative outcomes of these 13 patients were assessed.ResultsThe median operative and console times were 197 (interquartile range [IQR], 187–228) and 134 min (IQR, 125–157), respectively. The median docking time was 7 min (IQR, 6–10), and the median estimated blood loss was 150 mL (IQR, 80–250). The vesical catheter was removed on postoperative day 6 in all cases. A positive surgical margin was observed in one patient (7.7%), and none experienced major perioperative complications, defined as Clavien–Dindo classification ≥3. The median postoperative length of stay was 8 days (IQR, 8–8.5).ConclusionsThis was the first study to focus on RARP using the Hugo™ RAS system in Japan. Although further investigations should be conducted to assess the long‐term oncological and functional outcomes, the Hugo™ RAS system could provide safe and favorable perioperative outcomes for patients with localized PCa undergoing RARP.
Microbiota and metabolite alterations in pancreatic head and body/tail cancer patients
Authors: Zhu Yiqing , Liang Xiao , Zhang Guoming , Li Feng , Xu Jianwei , Ma Ruiguang , Chen Xinyu , Ma Miaomiao , Wang Yifan , Chen Changxu , Tang Haoyun , Li Lixiang , Li Zhen 
Published: June 2024

AbstractPancreatic head cancer (PHC) and pancreatic body/tail cancer (PBTC) have distinct clinical and biological behaviors. The microbial and metabolic differences in PHC and PBTC have not been studied. The pancreatic microbiota and metabolome of 15 PHC and 8 PBTC tissues and their matched nontumor tissues were characterized using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and untargeted metabolomics. At the genus level, Bradyrhizobium was increased while Corynebacterium and Ruminococcus were decreased in the PHC tissues (Head T) compared with the matched nontumor tissues (Head N) significantly. Shuttleworthia, Bacillus, and Bifidobacterium were significantly decreased in the PBTC tissues (Body/Tail T) compared with the matched nontumor tissues (Body/Tail N). Significantly, Ileibacterium was increased whereas Pseudoxanthomonas was decreased in Head T and Body/Tail T, and Lactobacillus was increased in Head T but decreased in Body/Tail T. A total of 102 discriminative metabolites were identified between Head T and Head N, which were scattered through linoleic acid metabolism and purine metabolism pathways. However, there were only four discriminative metabolites between Body/Tail T and Body/Tail N, which were related to glycerophospholipid metabolism and autophagy pathways. The differential metabolites in PHC and PBTC were commonly enriched in alpha‐linolenic acid metabolism and choline metabolism in cancer pathways. Eubacterium decreased in Head T was positively correlated with decreased linoleic acid while negatively correlated with increased arachidyl carnitine and stearoylcarnitine. Bacillus decreased in Body/Tail T was negatively correlated with increased L‐carnitine. These microbiota and metabolites deserve further investigations to reveal their roles in the pathogenesis of PHC and PBTC, providing clues for future treatments.