bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Use of a Belatacept-based Immunosuppression for Kidney Transplantation From Donors After Circulatory Death: A Paired Kidney Analysis
Authors: Eid Rita , Scemla Anne , Giral Magali , Arzouk Nadia , Bertrand Dominique , Peraldi Marie-Noëlle , Mesnard Laurent , Longuet Helene , Maanaoui Mehdi , Desbuissons Geoffroy , Lefevre Edouard , Snanoudj Renaud 
Published: April 2024

Background.
Efficacy and safety of belatacept have not been specifically reported for kidney transplantations from donors after circulatory death.

Methods.
In this retrospective multicenter paired kidney study, we compared the outcome of kidney transplantations with a belatacept-based to a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based immunosuppression. We included all kidney transplant recipients from donors after uncontrolled or controlled circulatory death performed in our center between February 2015 and October 2020 and treated with belatacept (n = 31). The control group included the recipients of the contralateral kidney that were treated with CNI in 8 other centers (tacrolimus n = 29, cyclosporine n = 2).

Results.
There was no difference in the rate of delayed graft function. A higher incidence of biopsy-proven rejections was noted in the belatacept group (24 versus 6 episodes). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was significantly higher in the belatacept group at 3-, 12-, and 36-mo posttransplant, but the slope of eGFR was similar in the 2 groups. During a mean follow-up of 4.1 y, 12 patients discontinued belatacept and 2 patients were switched from CNI to belatacept. For patients who remained on belatacept, eGFR mean value and slope were significantly higher during the whole follow-up. At 5 y, eGFR was 80.7 ± 18.5 with belatacept versus 56.3 ± 22.0 mL/min/1.73 m2 with CNI (P = 0.003). No significant difference in graft and patient survival was observed.

Conclusions.
The use of belatacept for kidney transplants from either uncontrolled or controlled donors after circulatory death resulted in a better medium-term renal function for patients remaining on belatacept despite similar rates of delayed graft function and higher rates of cellular rejection.
Very Low Frequency of Pathological Findings in One-year Protocol Biopsies of Uneventful Standard Risk Kidney Transplant Recipients: Results From the Nordic Protocol Biopsy Study
Authors: Helanterä Ilkka , Dörje Christina , Ortiz Fernanda , Varberg Reisæter Anna , Hammarström Clara , Lauronen Jouni , Räisänen-Sokolowski Anne , Haugen Anders Johan , Lempinen Marko , Åsberg Anders , Mjøen Geir 
Published: April 2024

Background.
The clinical significance of kidney transplant protocol biopsies has been debated. We studied the frequency of borderline changes and T cell–mediated rejection (TCMR) in 1-y protocol biopsies in standard risk kidney transplant recipients.

Methods.
Consecutive non-HLA-sensitized recipients of kidney transplants between 2006 and 2017, who underwent a protocol biopsy at 1 y in 2 national transplant centers were studied retrospectively (N = 1546). Donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSAs), graft function (plasma creatinine), and proteinuria were measured at the time of 1-y protocol biopsy. The occurrence of subclinical acute TCMR (i2t2v0 or higher) or borderline changes suspicious of TCMR (i1t1v0 or higher) in the protocol biopsy was studied, together with frequency of findings causing changes in the composite score iBox.

Results.
Subclinical acute TCMR was detected in 30 of 1546 (1.9%) of the protocol biopsies, and borderline or TCMR in 179 of 1546 (12%). Among patients with no history of acute rejection, and no proteinuria or DSA, TCMR was detected in only 1 of 974 (0.1%) and borderline or TCMR in only 48 of 974 (4.9%) patients at 1 y. In the absence of proteinuria (<30 mg/g, or equivalent as measured with a negative dipstick proteinuria) or DSA, or history of acute rejection, only 50 of 974 (5.1%) biopsies showed any lesions significant for the iBox score.

Conclusions.
The likelihood of pathological findings in 1-y protocol biopsies in non-HLA-sensitized patients without previous immunological events is low. Clinical usefulness of protocol biopsies seems limited in these patients.
Assessment and management of constipation in post-operative patients in the spinal surgery ward: a best practice implementation project
Authors: Luo Qin , Li Yanting , Guo Jia , Chen Jiarui , Chen Qirong , Sun Mei 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction and objective:
Constipation is a common complication following spinal surgery that can result in distension, abdominal pain, infection, and even intestinal perforation. This study reports on an evidence-based implementation project to reduce the incidence of constipation in spinal surgery wards.

Methods:
The project was conducted in the spinal surgery ward of a general tertiary hospital in Changsha City, China, from March to August 2022. We used the JBI Implementation Framework and the JBI Model of Evidence-Based Healthcare for audits and feedback. Data were collected and analyzed using JBI's Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System (PACES) software. Seven audit criteria were developed based on the best practice recommendations summarized by JBI. A baseline audit was conducted with 20 nurses and 50 patients in the spinal surgery ward, and a follow-up audit was conducted using the same sample size and setting.

Results:
The baseline audit revealed compliance below 46% for five of the seven criteria. Strategies developed to address poor compliance included educating nurses and patients, developing a post-operative constipation risk assessment sheet, organizing stakeholder focus group meetings, establishing a constipation management routine, and effective empowerment of nurses. The follow-up audit showed positive compliance results, with the highest rate for Criterion 7 (100%) and the greatest increase for Criterion 2 (from 0% to 78%). Furthermore, the incidence of post-operative constipation decreased from 48% to 16%.

Conclusion:
The project improved compliance with audit criteria, reduced the incidence of constipation, and enhanced the efficiency of quality management in the spinal surgery ward.

Spanish abstract:

http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A186
No Reliable Evidence Supports the Presence of Javan Tigers - Data Issues Related to the DNA Analysis of a Recent Hair Sample
Authors: Sui Zheng-Yan , Yamaguchi Nobuyuki , Liu Yue-Chen , Xue Hao-Ran , Sun Xin , Nyhus Philip , Luo Shu-Jin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractA paper recently published inOryxby Wirdateti et al. (2024) suggests that the extinct Javan tiger may still survive on the Island of Java, Indonesia, based on mtDNA analysis of a single hair collected from a claimed tiger encounter site. After carefully re-analyzing the data presented in Wirdateti et al. (2024), we conclude that there is little support for the authors’ statements. Importantly, the sequences of the putative tiger hair and museum Javan tiger specimens generated by the authors are not from tiger cytoplasmic mitochondrial DNA but more likely the nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA. In addition, the high mismatches found between the two “Javan tiger” sequences generated by the authors is unusual for homologous sequences that are both from tigers and hence indicative of data unreliability. Yet, too few details regarding the quality control were provided in Wirdateti et al. (2024) to rule out the possibility of contamination introduced during the data production process. In conclusion, it is inappropriate to use these unreliable sequences presented in Wirdateti et al. (2024) to infer the existence of the Javan tiger.
Reduction of right-hemispheric auditory cortex activity in response to speech in more experienced paediatric cochlear implant users
Authors: Kropf Björn , Rao Madhuri Sharma , Gutschalk Alexander , Andermann Martin , Praetorius Mark , Rupp André , Steinmetzger Kurt 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACTIn case of severe hearing loss early in life or congenital deafness, cochlear implants (CIs) represent the method of choice to restore hearing and enable language acquisition. While speech intelligibility has been shown to improve during the first year after implantation to then reach a plateau, the underlying neuroplastic changes are poorly understood. Here, we longitudinally compared the cortical processing of speech stimuli in a case-control design with two groups of pre-lingually deafened CI users (4.4 vs. 25.8 months of CI experience) and an age-matched control group with normal hearing (NH; mean group ages ∼9 years). In two experiments, participants were presented with running speech and vowel sequences while fNIRS and EEG data were obtained simultaneously. Despite trends in this direction, cortical activity did not increase significantly with more CI experience and did not approach the higher levels observed in the NH controls. However, in the speech experiment, the less experienced CI group showed an abnormal shift of activity to the right hemisphere not observed in the other two groups. These results hence imply that adaptation to CI-based hearing is not characterised by a gradual increase of activity in left-hemispheric language network, but a reduction of abnormal activity elsewhere.
Optimised control of adaptive evolution with competing selective pressures
Authors: Corrao Marco , Abrahams Gabriel , Steel Harrison 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe development of methods to understand and control the population dynamics of microbial evolution remains an outstanding question in synthetic biology and biotechnology more broadly. Due to the stochastic nature of evolution, its limited observability, and complex intra-population dynamics, this presents a significant challenge. In this paper, we explore techniques to control the evolutionary dynamics of a population, based on manipulation of one or two orthogonal selective pressures, which may in turn be coupled to mutagenesis. Our approach builds on past research in evolutionary biology that developed frameworks to study intra-population variant competition during asexual adaptive processes (i.e. clonal interference). Extending this theory, we design optimal control strategies for one (or more) selective pressures that can be used to maximise the rate of adaptation across a population as a whole. We introduce a theoretical modelling framework for this process, which we support with both simulations and preliminary experimental data, providing a concrete basis for emerging control approaches to directed evolution and evolution-aware design.
Connectome caricatures: removing large-amplitude co-activation patterns in resting-state fMRI emphasizes individual differences
Authors: Rodriguez Raimundo X. , Noble Stephanie , Camp Chris C. , Scheinost Dustin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractHigh-amplitude co-activation patterns are sparsely present during resting-state fMRI but drive functional connectivity1–5. Further, they resemble task activation patterns and are well-studied3,5–10. However, little research has characterized the remaining majority of the resting-state signal. In this work, we introduced caricaturing—a method to project resting-state data to a subspace orthogonal to a manifold of co-activation patterns estimated from the task fMRI data. Projecting to this subspace removes linear combinations of these co-activation patterns from the resting-state data to create Caricatured connectomes. We used rich task data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP)11and the UCLA Consortium for Neuropsychiatric Phenomics12to construct a manifold of task co-activation patterns. Caricatured connectomes were created by projecting resting-state data from the HCP and the Yale Test-Retest13datasets away from this manifold. Like caricatures, these connectomes emphasized individual differences by reducing between-individual similarity and increasing individual identification14. They also improved predictive modeling of brain-phenotype associations. As caricaturing removes group-relevant task variance, it is an initial attempt to remove task-like co-activations from rest. Therefore, our results suggest that there is a useful signal beyond the dominating co-activations that drive resting-state functional connectivity, which may better characterize the brain’s intrinsic functional architecture.
Abnormal morphology and synaptogenic signaling in astrocytes following prenatal opioid exposure
Authors: Niebergall Ethan B. , Weekley Daron , Mazur Anna , Olszewski Nathan A. , DeSchepper Kayla M. , Radant N. , Vijay Aishwarya S. , Risher W. Christopher 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIn recent decades, there has been a dramatic rise in the rates of children being born afterin uteroexposure to drugs of abuse, particularly opioids. Opioids have been shown to have detrimental effects on neurons and glia in the central nervous system (CNS), but the impact of prenatal opioid exposure (POE) on still-developing synaptic circuitry is largely unknown. Astrocytes exert a strong influence on synaptic development, secreting factors that both promote and inhibit synapse formation and neuronal maturation in the developing CNS. Here, we investigated the effects of the partial µ-opioid receptor agonist, buprenorphine, on astrocyte synaptogenic signaling and morphological development in cortical cell culture. Acute buprenorphine treatment had no effect on excitatory synapse number in astrocyte-free neuron cultures. In conditions where neurons shared culture media with astrocytes, buprenorphine attenuated the synaptogenic capabilities of astrocyte-secreted factors. Neurons cultured from drug-naïve mice showed no change in synapses when treated with factors secreted by astrocytes from POE mice. However, this same treatment was synaptogenic when applied to neurons from POE mice, suggestive of a complex neuroadaptive response that maintains synaptogenic pathways in the face of impaired astrocyte signaling. In addition to promoting morphological and connectivity changes in neurons, POE exerted a strong influence on astrocyte development, disrupting their structural maturation and promoting the accumulation of lipid droplets (LD), suggestive of a maladaptive stress response in the developing nervous system.
Adjacent Neuronal Fascicle Guides Motoneuron 24 Dendritic Branching and Axonal Routing Decisions through Dscam1 Signaling
Authors: Bui Kathy Clara , Kamiyama Daichi 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe formation and precise positioning of axons and dendrites are crucial for the development of neural circuits. Although juxtracrine signaling via cell-cell contact is known to influence these processes, the specific structures and mechanisms regulating neuronal process positioning within the central nervous system (CNS) remain to be fully identified. Our study investigates motoneuron 24 (MN24) in theDrosophilaembryonic CNS, which is characterized by a complex yet stereotyped axon projection pattern, known as ‘axonal routing.’ In this motoneuron, the primary dendritic branches project laterally toward the midline, specifically emerging at the sites where axons turn. We observed that Scp2-positive neurons contribute to the lateral fascicle structure in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) near MN24 dendrites. Notably, the knockout of the Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule (dscam1) results in the loss of dendrites and disruption of proper axonal routing in MN24, while not affecting the formation of the fascicle structure. Through cell-type specific knockdown and rescue experiments of dscam1, we have determined that the interaction between MN24 and Scp2-positive fascicle, mediated by Dscam1, promotes the development of both dendrites and axonal routing. Our findings demonstrate that the holistic configuration of neuronal structures, such as axons and dendrites, within single motoneurons can be governed by local contact with the adjacent neuron fascicle, a novel reference structure for neural circuitry wiring.Significance SummaryWe uncover a key neuronal structure serving as a guiding reference for neural circuitry within theDrosophilaembryonic CNS, highlighting the essential role of an adjacent axonal fascicle in precisely coordinating axon and dendrite positioning in motoneuron 24 (MN24). Our investigation of cell-cell interactions between motoneurons and adjacent axonal fascicles— crucial for initiating dendrite formation, soma migration, and axonal pathfinding in MN24— emphasizes the neuronal fascicle’s significance in neural circuit formation through Dscam1-mediated inter-neuronal communication. This enhances our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of motoneuron morphogenesis inDrosophila. Given the occurrence of analogous axon fascicle formations within the vertebrate spinal cord, such structures may play a conserved role in the morphogenesis of motoneurons via Dscam1 across phyla.
Using Eye Gaze to Train an Adaptive Myoelectric Interface
Authors: Chou Amber H.Y. , Madduri Maneeshika , Li Si Jia , Isa Jason , Christensen Andrew , Hutchison Finley (Liya) , Burden Samuel A. , Orsborn Amy L. 
Published: April 2024

Myoelectric interfaces hold promise in consumer and health applications, but they are currently limited by variable performance across users and poor generalizability across tasks. To address these limitations, we consider interfaces that continually adapt during operation. Although current adaptive interfaces can reduce inter-subject variability, they still generalize poorly between tasks because they make use of task-specific data during training. To address this limitation, we propose a new paradigm to adapt myoelectric interfaces using natural eye gaze as training data. We recruited 11 subjects to test our proposed method on a 2D computer cursor control task using high-density surface EMG signals measured from forearm muscles. We find comparable task performance between our gaze-trained paradigm and the current task-dependent method. This result demonstrates the feasibility of using eye gaze to replace task-specific training data in adaptive myoelectric interfaces, holding promise for generalization across diverse computer tasks.CCS Concepts• Human-centered computing → Interaction devices; Empirical studies in HCI.
A tale of two tumors: differential, but detrimental, effects of glioblastoma extracellular vesicles (EVs) on normal human brain cells
Authors: Wang Mary , Graner Arin N. , Knowles Bryne , McRae Charlotte , Fringuello Anthony , Paucek Petr , Gavrilovic Michael , Redwine McKenna , Hanson Caleb , Coughlan Christina , Metzger Brooke , Bolus Vince , Kopper Timothy , Smith Marie , Zhou Wenbo , Lenz Morgan , Abosch Aviva , Ojemann Steven , Lillehei Kevin O. , Yu Xiaoli , Graner Michael W. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractGlioblastomas (GBMs) are dreadful brain tumors with abysmal survival outcomes. GBM EVs dramatically affect normal brain cells (largely astrocytes) constituting the tumor microenvironment (TME). EVs from different patient-derived GBM spheroids induced differential transcriptomic, secretomic, and proteomic effects on cultured astrocytes/brain tissue slices as GBM EV recipients. The net outcome of brain cell differential changes nonetheless converges on increased tumorigenicity. GBM spheroids and brain slices were derived from neurosurgical patient tissues following informed consent. Astrocytes were commercially obtained. EVs were isolated from conditioned culture media by ultrafiltration, ultraconcentration, and ultracentrifugation. EVs were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis, electron microscopy, biochemical markers, and proteomics. Astrocytes/brain tissues were treated with GBM EVs before downstream analyses. EVs from different GBMs induced brain cells to alter secretomes with pro-inflammatory or TME-modifying (proteolytic) effects. Astrocyte responses ranged from anti-viral gene/protein expression and cytokine release to altered extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) signaling pathways, and conditioned media from EV-treated cells increased GBM cell proliferation. Thus, astrocytes/brain slices treated with different GBM EVs underwent non-identical changes in various ‘omics readouts and other assays, indicating “personalized” tumor-specific GBM EV effects on the TME. This raises concern regarding reliance on “model” systems as a sole basis for translational direction. Nonetheless, net downstream impacts from differential cellular and TME effects still led to increased tumorigenic capacities for the different GBMs.
Realized flower constancy in bumble bees: optimal foraging strategy balancing cognitive and travel costs and its possible consequences for floral diversity
Authors: Takagi Kentaro , Ohashi Kazuharu 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPollinating insects often exhibit flower constancy, i.e., the tendency to make consecutive visits to the same flower species while disregarding others. This behaviour is commonly attributed to the cost of retrieving visual or motor memories from long-term storage while switching between flowers with distinct colours and shapes. Accordingly, researchers often predict co-flowering species to exhibit significantly greater phenotypic diversity than random expectation, thereby minimizing heterospecific pollen transfer. However, field observations have not consistently supported this notion.The observed inconsistencies may arise from variations in travel costs, which depend on the interaction between the forager’s constancy level and the spatial mixing of plant species. If species are evenly mixed, constant pollinators incur higher levels of travel cost due to frequent skipping of neighbouring flowers. In contrast, if species are patchily distributed, constant pollinators experience lower levels of travel cost, as most neighbours are of the same species. Considering this, ‘realized flower constancy’ may be determined as an optimal strategy for balancing cognitive and travel costs, which dynamically vary across different degrees of spatial species mixing. Here we test this possibility in indoor experiments with bumble bees foraging from two differently coloured artificial flowers (’species’) arranged at three mixing levels.First, bees dramatically reduced flower constancy as species mixing increased, irrespective of flower spacing. Second, bees were less inclined to switch species after accumulating consecutive visits to one species, suggesting a rapid decay of another species’ information in short-term memory back to long-term storage. This effect may have additionally contributed to the increased flower constancy observed in species with patchy distributions. Third, bees showed minimal constancy for similarly coloured, evenly mixed flower species, suggesting that these flowers were operated with shared short-term memory. The constancy level was hardly affected by colour similarity when species were patchily distributed.Results support our initial hypothesis that realized flower constancy reflects an optimal foraging strategy rather than a fixed outcome of cognitive limitation. Notably, bees’ constancy increased significantly with greater colour difference only when species were evenly mixed, suggesting a novel perspective: spatial mixing promotes the evolution and maintenance of floral diversity.