bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is addressing violence against women prioritised in health policies? Findings from a WHO Policies Database
Authors: Burke Eva , Watson Katherine , Eva Gillian , Gold Judy , Garcia-Moreno Claudia , Amin Avni 
Published: September 2023

AbstractViolence against women (VAW) affects almost 1 in 3 women and can lead to short and long-term adverse health outcomes. The health sector is an important entry point to respond to VAW. Globally, countries have committed to eliminating VAW through the SDGs and WHO Member States have endorsed a Global Plan of Action on Violence, which asks countries to provide comprehensive health services to VAW survivors. To track progress and establish a baseline for the Global Plan of Action on Violence, WHO developed a VAW Policies Database to assess how countries are addressing VAW in health and multisectoral policies. This paper presents findings from 15 select indicators related to the existence of VAW-related policies and the inclusion of health services for survivors in policies in line with WHO recommendations. Results show that while 80% of countries have multisectoral VAW policies in place, only 34% have national health policies that include VAW response and/or prevention as a strategic priority, and 48% have clinical guidelines for the health sector response. Policies were analysed to identify inclusion of WHO-recommended VAW health services: 75% of countries’ policies mention provision of first-line support; while 50% or fewer of countries mention clinical enquiry to identify intimate partner violence, post-rape care services, or mental health assessment, referral and treatment. The high-income countries group had the lowest proportion of countries that specified each of the above-mentioned health services in policies. Findings show that more efforts are needed to raise the awareness of ministries of health about the public health impact of VAW and the importance of including VAW in health policies. Where policies exist, many are not aligned with WHO-recommendations. Policy dialogues should be conducted with governments on how to better align their VAW policies with internationally-agreed, evidence-based standards, and to implement them through programmes and services.
CONTRAST MEDIA VOLUME CONTROL FOR LIMITING ACUTE KIDNEY IN ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME: THE REMEDIAL IV RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL
Authors: Briguori Carlo , Quintavalle Cristina , Mariano Enrica , D’Agostino Alessandro , Scarpelli Mario , Focaccio Amelia , Zoccai Giuseppe Biondi , Evola Salvatore , Esposito Giovanni , Sangiorgi Giuseppe Massimo , Condorelli Gerolama 
Published: September 2023

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDAcute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and treated by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Contrast media (CM) volume minimization has been advocated to prevent AKI. The DyeVert™ system (Osprey Medical Inc., Minnetonka, MN, USA) is a device designed to reduce CM volume during coronary procedures, while maintaining fluoroscopic image quality.METHODSIn this is study a randomized, single-blind, investigator-driven clinical trial conducted in 4 italian interventional cardiology centers from February 4, 2020 to September 13, 2022, 550 ACS participants were randomly assigned in 1:1 ratio to 1)Control group(n = 274), in which a conventional manual or automatic injection syringe was used, and 2)Contrast Volume Reduction (CVR) group(n = 276), in which CM injection was handled by the DyeVertTMsystem. The primary endpoints were 1) CM volume, and 2) the rate of AKI, defined as a serum creatinine (sCr) increase ≥0.3 mg/dL within 48 hours after CM exposure.RESULTSThere were 412/550 (74.5%) participants with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (201/274 [73.3%] in theControl groupand 211/276 [76.4%] in theCVR group). Mean glomerular filtration rate was 84±32 mL/min/1.73 m2in theControl groupand in 85±34 mL/min/1.73 m2in theCVR group(p = 0.78). CM volume was higher in theControl group(160 ± 23 mL versus 95 ± 30 mL; p < 0.001). Seven participants (6 in theControl groupand one in theCVR group) did not have post-procedural sCr values. AKI occurred in 65/268 (24.3%) participants in theControl groupand in 44/275 (16%) participants in theCVR group(RR = 0.66; 95% confidence interval 0.47-0.93; p = 0.018).CONCLUSIONSCM volume reduction obtained by the DyeVertTMsystem is effective to prevent AKI in ACS patients undergoing invasive procedure.Trial RegistrationThe study is registered withwww.clinicaltrial.gov(NCT04714736)Clinical PerspectiveWhat Is New?Contrast media volume reduction obtained by the DyeVertTMsystem is effective to prevent acute kidney injury in acute coronary syndrome patients undergoing invasive procedure.What Are the Clinical Implications?Contrast media volume minimization is of outmost important in the attempt to prevent acute kidney injury. The DyeVert™ system is an “operator-independent” tool contributing to the contrast media-sparing approach.
Novel Liver Injury Phenotypes and Outcomes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
Authors: Scott Jacqueline V , Moutchia Jude , McClelland Robin L , Al-Naamani Nadine , Weinberg Ethan , Palevsky Harold I , Minhas Jasleen , Appleby Dina K , Smith Akaya , Pugliese Steven C , Ventetuolo Corey E , Kawut Steven M 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are disorders of the pulmonary vasculature that cause right ventricular dysfunction. Systemic consequences of right ventricular dysfunction include damage to other solid organs, such as the liver. However, the profiles and consequences of hepatic injury due to PAH and CTEPH have not been well-studied.MethodsWe aimed to identify underlying patterns of liver injury in a cohort of PAH and CTEPH patients enrolled in 15 randomized clinical trials conducted between 1998 and 2012. We used unsupervised machine learning to identify liver injury clusters in 13 trials and validated the findings in two additional trials. We then determined whether these liver injury clusters were associated with clinical outcomes or treatment effect heterogeneity.ResultsOur training dataset included 4,219 patients and our validation dataset included 1,756 patients with complete liver laboratory panels (serum total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and albumin). Using k-means clustering paired with factor analysis, we identified four unique liver phenotypes (no liver injury, hepatocellular injury, cholestatic injury, and combined injury patterns). Patients in the cholestatic injury liver cluster had the shortest time to clinical worsening and highest chance of worsening World Health Organization functional class. Randomization to the experimental arm was associated with a transition to healthier liver clusters compared to randomization to the control arm. The cholestatic injury group experienced the greatest placebo-corrected treatment benefit in terms of six-minute walk distance.ConclusionsLiver injury patterns were associated with adverse outcomes in patients with PAH and CTEPH. Randomization to active treatment of pulmonary hypertension in these clinical trials had beneficial effects on liver health compared to placebo. The independent role of liver disease (often subclinical) in determining outcomes warrants prospective studies of the clinical utility of liver phenotyping for PAH prognosis and contribution to clinical disease.
Short term atrial fibrillation in different stroke entities
Authors: Boettger Priyanka , Kracht Till , Schulz Nils , Ott Kai , Klemm Philipp , Lange Uwe , Müller-Ladner Ulf , Rolf Andreas , Lemm Henning , Buerke Michael 
Published: September 2023

ABSTRACTBackgroundStroke including ESUS is one of the most common causes of disability and death in the world. Atrial fibrillation (AF) of more than 30 sec is considered a reason for cardioembolic stroke. Nevertheless, shorter periods of AF might also be a possible risk factor.MethodsWe determined periods of AF within a range of 0-14 s, 15-30 s and > 30 s in patients with different stroke entities. We analysed all ischemic strokes and transient ischemic attacks at the Stroke Units/Emergency Room in Siegen within 6 months and classified them etiologically. All stroke patients were prospectively ECG monitored over a minimum of 24h and characterized for the different AF periods at the stroke unit. The stroke entities were then compared.RESULTSA number of 714 patients over 6 months were hospitalized suffering a stroke. Among them 163 (30.8%) had a cryptogenic Stroke, including 98 (19%) ESUS patients. Furthermore, 185 (26%) TIA, 209 (39%) cardioembolic, 110 (21%) atherosclerotic, 40 (8%) lacunar and 7 (1%) other specific strokes were registered. Manifest atrial fibrillation (>30s) showed a prevalence of 23% within our stroke population. Whereas 15% had an AF episode of 15-29 s and 16% presented AF episode of 0-14 s. Among cardioembolic infarcts, 45% had manifest atrial fibrillation (>30 s), 20% had an atrial fibrillation episode of 15-29 s, and 22% showed an atrial fibrillation episode of 0-14 s. Taken together, more than 90% of cardioembolic infarcts show an episode of atrial fibrillation of any duration. An AF episode of 15-29 s or 0-14 s was also found in almost 35% of ESUS patients: similar to cryptogenic infarctions. In 22% of the TIA patients manifest atrial fibrillation had been detected. 7% of TIA patients showed one or more episodes of AF of 15-29 s and 10% an episode of 0-14 s. Among the atherosclerotic infarctions, the proportion of AF >30 s is profoundly lower at 12%, however the percentage of AF for 15-29 s was 14. The smallest ratio of atrial fibrillation of any duration was formed by lacunar insults with a total of nearly 25%, of which only 13% had manifest AF.ConclusionNon-valvular atrial fibrillation presents the most common cause of cardiac cerebral embolism. In our study, AF showed the largest ratio among cardioembolic strokes with 48%. Overall, AF of any duration occurred in nearly 90% of this group. Since a manifest AF is an exclusion criterion for ESUS, conversely, none of the ESUS patients suffered from manifest AF. However, it is striking that 15% of ESUS patients had an AF episode of 15-29 s and 18% had an AF episode of 0-15 s. Similar results were observed in cryptogenic strokes. Possibly, the definition of AF has to be adjusted, since the stroke subgroups with short term AF did not receive proper anticoagulation treatment. However, at least advanced rhythm monitoring should be provided. This should be investigated in future prospective studies.
Cerebral microbleeds in critically ill patients with respiratory failure or sepsis: a scoping review
Authors: Chen Bing Yu , Dang Johnny , Cho Sung-Min , Harnegie Mary Pat , Uchino Ken 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundCerebral microbleeds (CMB) have been described in critically ill patients with respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or sepsis. This scoping review aimed to systematically summarize existing literature on critical illness-associated CMBs.MethodsStudies reporting on adults admitted to the intensive care unit for respiratory failure, ARDS or sepsis with evidence of CMBs on magnetic resonance imaging were included for review following a systematic search across five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, Scopus, and Web of Science) and a two-stage screening process. Studies were excluded if patients’ CMBs were clearly explained by another process of neurological injury.ResultsForty-eight studies reporting on 216 critically ill patients (mean age 57.9, 18.4% female) with CMBs were included. Of 216, 197 (91.2%) patients developed respiratory failure or ARDS, 5 (2.3%) developed sepsis, and 14 (6.5%) developed both respiratory failure and sepsis. Of 211 with respiratory failure, 160 (75.8%) patients had Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The prevalence of CMBs among critically ill patients with respiratory failure or ARDS was 30.0% (111 of 370 patients in cohort studies). The corpus callosum and juxtacortical area were the most frequently involved sites for CMBs (64.8% and 41.7% of all 216 patients, respectively).Functional outcomes were only reported in 48 patients, among whom 31 (64.6%) were independent at discharge, 4 (8.3%) were dependent at discharge, and 13 (27.1%) did not survive until discharge. Cognitive outcomes were only reported in 11 of 216 patients (5.1%), all of which showed cognitive deficits (9 patients with executive dysfunction, 2 patients with memory deficits).ConclusionsCMBs are commonly reported in patients with critical illness due to respiratory failure, ARDS, or sepsis. CMBs had a predilection for the corpus callosum and juxtacortical area, which may be specific to critical illness-associated CMBs. Functional and cognitive outcomes of these lesions are largely unknown.
Genotypic and resistance profile analysis of two oat crown rust differential sets urge coordination and standardisation
Authors: Nguyen Duong T. , Henningsen Eva C. , Lewis David , Mago Rohit , McNeil Meredith , Suchecki Radoslaw , Boden Scott , Sperschneider Jana , Kianian Shahryar F. , Dodds Peter N. , Figueroa Melania 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPuccinia coronataf. sp.avenae(Pca) is the causal agent of the disease known as crown rust which represents a bottleneck in oat production worldwide. Characterisation of pathogen populations often involves race (pathotype) assignments using differential sets, which are not uniform across countries. This study compared virulence profiles of 25Pcaisolates from Australia using two host differential sets, one from Australia and one from the USA. These differential sets were also genotyped using DArT sequencing technology. Phenotypic and genotypic discrepancies were detected on eight out of 29 common lines between the two sets, indicating that pathogen race assignments based on those lines are not comparable. To further investigate molecular markers that could assist in the stacking of rust resistance genes important for Australia, four publishedPc91-linked markers were validated across the differential sets and then screened across a collection of 150 oat cultivars. Drover, Aladdin, and Volta were identified as putative carriers of thePc91locus. This is the first report to confirm that the cultivar ‘Volta’ carriesPc91and demonstrates the value of implementing molecular markers to characterise materials in breeding pools of oat. Overall, our findings highlight the necessity of examining seed stocks using pedigree and molecular markers to ensure seed uniformity and bring robustness to surveillance methodologies.
ASSESSMENT OF STABILIZING FEEDBACK CONTROL OF WALKING, A TUTORIAL
Authors: van Dieën Jaap , Bruijn Sjoerd , Afschrift Maarten 
Published: September 2023

ABSTRACTWalking without falling requires stabilization of the trajectory of the body center of mass relative to the base of support. Model studies suggest that this requires active, feedback control, i.e., the nervous system must process sensory information on the state of the body to generate descending motor commands to the muscles to stabilize walking, especially in the mediolateral direction. Stabilization of bipedal gait is challenging and can be impaired in older and diseased individuals. In this tutorial, we illustrate how gait analysis can be used to assess the stabilizing feedback control of gait. We present methods ranging from those that require limited input data (e.g. position data of markers placed on the feet and pelvis only) to those that require full-body kinematics and electromyography. Analyses range from simple kinematics analyses to inverse dynamics. These methods assess stabilizing feedback control of human walking at three levels: 1) the level of center of mass movement and horizontal ground reaction forces, 2) the level of center of mass movement and foot placement and 3) the level of center of mass movement and the joint moments or muscle activity. We show how these can be calculated and provide a GitHub repository (https://github.com/VU-HMS/Tutorial-stabilizing-walking) which contains open access Matlab and Python code to calculate these. Finally, we discuss what information on feedback control can be learned from each of these.
Brainstem astrocytes regulate breathing and may affect arousal state in rats
Authors: Bishop Mitchell , SheikhBahei Shahriar 
Published: September 2023

AbstractVariations in arousal levels can impact respiratory patterns. However, whether changes in breathing behaviors can influence arousal state is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the role of astrocytes in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC) in modulating arousal states via breathing in adult conscious rats. Using viral vector tools, we selectively interfered with astrocytic signaling in the preBötC. Rats with inhibited astrocytic signaling exhibited slower breathing rates and behaviors indicative of a calmer state, whereas enhanced purinergic signaling in preBötC astrocytes led to faster breathing and heightened arousal. Our findings reveal a key role for astrocyte-mediated mechanism in the preBötC that influences both respiratory behaviors and higher-order brain functions like arousal, suggesting a bidirectional link between breathing behaviors and mental states.Highlights-In this study, we used molecular approaches to interfere with vesicular signaling in preBötC astrocytes.-We showed that inhibiting vesicular release mechanisms in preBötC astrocytes are associated with calm behaviors: lower breathing and sigh rates, and longer sniffing time.-We showed that enhancing vesicular release mechanisms in preBötC astrocytes are associated with more aroused behaviors: higher breathing and sigh rates as well as shorter sniffing time.
Clinal variation in drought response is consistent across life stages but not between native and non-native ranges
Authors: Nagy Dávid U. , Thoma Arpad E. , Al-Gharaibeh Mohammad , Callaway Ragan M. , Flory S. Luke , Frazee Lauren J. , Hartmann Matthias , Hensen Isabell , Jandová Kateřina , Khasa Damase P. , Lekberg Ylva , Pal Robert W. , Samartza Ioulietta , Shah Manzoor A. , Sheng Min , Slate Mandy , Stein Claudia , Tsunoda Tomonori , Rosche Christoph 
Published: September 2023

SummaryClinal variation, i.e., intraspecific variation that corresponds to environmental gradients, is common in widely distributed species. Studies on clinal variation across multiple ranges and life stages are lacking, but can enhance our understanding of specieś adaptive potential to abiotic environments and may aid in predicting future species distributions.This study examined clinal variation in drought responses of 59Conyza canadensispopulations across large aridity gradients from the native and non-native ranges in three greenhouse studies. Experimental drought was applied to recruitment, juveniles, and adult stages.Drought reduced growth at all three life stages. However, contrasting patterns of clinal variation emerged between the two ranges. Native populations from xeric habitats were less inhibited by drought than mesic populations, but such clinal variation was not apparent for non-native populations. These range-specific patterns of clinal variation were consistent across the life stages.The experiments suggest that invaders may succeed without complete local adaptation to their new abiotic environments, and that long-established invaders may still be evolving to the abiotic environment. These findings may explain lag times in some invasions and raise concern about future expansions.
Plastic food packaging from five countries contains endocrine and metabolism disrupting chemicals
Authors: Stevens Sarah , Mcpartland Molly , Bartosova Zdenka , Skåland Hanna Sofie , Völker Johannes , Wagner Martin 
Published: September 2023

ABSTRACTPlastics are complex chemical mixtures of polymers and various intentionally and non-intentionally added substances. Despite the well-established links between certain plastic chemicals (bisphenols, phthalates) and adverse health effects, the composition and toxicity of real-world mixtures of plastic chemicals is not well understood. To assess both, we analyzed the chemicals from 36 plastic food contact articles from five countries using nontarget high-resolution mass spectrometry and reporter gene assays for four nuclear receptors that represent key components of the endocrine and metabolic system. We found that chemicals activating the pregnane X receptor (PXR), peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma (PPARγ), estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and inhibiting the androgen receptor (AR) are prevalent in plastic packaging. We detected up to 9936 chemical features in a single product but found that each product has a rather unique chemical fingerprint. To tackle this chemical complexity, we used stepwise partial least squares regressions and prioritized and tentatively identified the chemical features associated with receptor activity. Our findings demonstrate that most plastic food packaging contains endocrine and metabolism disrupting chemicals. This shows that plastics are a relevant source of exposure to toxic chemicals and further supports the notion that plastic products designed for food contact cannot be considered safe.
Thermal environment and ecological interactions modulate the importance of evolution in response to warming
Authors: Faillace Cara A. , Álvarez-Codesal Soraya , Garreau Alexandre , Bestion Elvire , Montoya José M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractUnderstanding the interaction between evolutionary history, the current abiotic environment, and biotic interactions is critical for a more nuanced understanding of the response of communities to anthropogenic stressors. We leveraged a long term experiment manipulating temperature in mesocosms containing communities of phytoplankton and zooplankton to examine how evolution in response to long-term community warming affects consumer-resource dynamics at different temperatures. We showed that the evolution in response to warming depends on both the current thermal environment, as well as the presence of interactions between consumers and resources. We also demonstrated that evolution influences the outcomes of current ecological dynamics. For each consumer–resource pair, the effects of evolution were temperature-dependent, but both the effects and the temperature dependence itself additionally depended upon the identity of evolving species in each pair. Evolution resulted on a win-win situation for the first resource species: across all temperatures, this resource was more fit and the consumer was less successful, with fitness gains peaking at intermediate temperatures. For this resource species our results supported the “hotter is better” hypothesis, especially at moderate or intermediate temperatures, while “hotter is worse” for the consumer. In the second species pair, patterns were more complex. Warm-origin populations of both the second resource and the consumer generally failed to show improved fitness. Overall, our results show that evolution altered resource and consumer fitness, but these effects were dependent on the current combination of abiotic and biotic conditions.