bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decisional needs in people with kidney failure, their relatives and health professionals about end‐of‐life care options: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Buur Louise Engelbrecht , Bekker Hilary Louise , Rodkjær Lotte Ørneborg , Kvist Anne , Kristensen Julie Borg , Søndergaard Henning , Kannegaard Michell , Madsen Jens Kristian , Khatir Dinah Sherzad , Finderup Jeanette 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAimTo investigate the decisional needs in Denmark of people with kidney failure, relatives, and health professionals when planning end‐of‐life care.DesignA qualitative interview study.MethodsIndividual semi‐structured interviews were carried out with people with kidney failure, relatives and health professionals from November 2021 to June 2022. Malterud's systematic text condensation was used to analyse transcripts.ResultsA total of 13 patients, 10 relatives, and 12 health professionals were interviewed. Overall, four concepts were agreed on: (1) Talking about end of life is difficult, (2) Patients and relatives need more knowledge and information, (3) Health professionals need more tools and training, and (4) Experiencing busyness as a barrier to conversations about end of life.ConclusionPeople with kidney failure, relatives, and health professionals shared certain decisional needs while also having some different decisional needs about end‐of‐life care. To meet these various needs, end‐of‐life conversations should be systematic and organized according to the patients' needs and wishes.ImpactNon‐systematic end‐of‐life care decision‐making processes limit patients' involvement. Patients and relatives need more knowledge about end‐of‐life care, and health professionals need more competences and time to discuss decisional needs. A shared decision‐making intervention for people with kidney failure when making end‐of‐life care decisions will be developed.Reporting MethodThis empirical qualitative research is reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist.Patient or Public ContributionPatients, relatives, and health professionals have been involved throughout the research process as part of the research team and advisory board. The patients are people with kidney failure and the relatives are relatives of a person with kidney failure. For this study, the advisory board has particularly contributed to the validation of the invitation letter for participation, the interview guides and the preparation of the manuscript.
Biotic interactions vary across species' ranges and are likely conserved through geological time
Authors: Gherghel Iulian , Martin Ryan Andrew 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAimThe evolutionary interactions between western spadefoot toads (genus Spea) represent a textbook example of character displacement, facilitated by dietary specialization of one Spea species on fairy shrimp (Anostraca) when all three co‐occur. The aim of this study is to understand the covariation between predator (Spea) and prey (Anostraca) range shifts in response to climate change oscillations, and whether biotic interactions can be used to project species distribution models on different time scales when studying species with dietary specialization. Taxon: Amphibia: Spea spp. and Crustacea: Anostraca.LocationNorth America.MethodsUsing multiple modelling techniques, we first estimated the potential distribution of central and western North American fairy shrimp species (Crustacea: Anostraca) and two western spadefoot toad species (Spea bombifrons and Spea multiplicata). We then created a shrimp species richness map by aggregating individual species estimates. Third, we studied the relationship between the probability of spadefoot toad presence and fairy shrimp species richness during the present and Last Glacial Maximum conditions. Finally, we estimated the strength and direction of the co‐occurrence between spadefoot toads and fairy shrimp sampled at the level of entire predicted range and at the regional level (allopatric and sympatric).ResultsFirst, the same abiotic environmental variables shape spadefoot toad and fairy shrimp species' distributions in central and western North America across time. Second, areas of sympatry of Spea bombifrons and Spea multiplicata correspond with dry conditions and higher shrimp richness. Finally, the spatial patterns of predator–prey co‐occurrence are highly variable across geography, forming a spatial mosaic over the species' ranges.Main ConclusionPredator–prey relationships form a spatial mosaic across geography and species ranges. Including biotic interactions into species distribution estimates for organisms with dietary specialization is highly recommended. Biotic interactions can be projected across different time frames for organisms with dietary specialization as they are likely conserved.
Glutathione amino acid precursors protect skin from UVB‐induced damage and improve skin tone
Authors: Cui Xiao , Mi Tingyan , Zhang Hong , Gao Ping , Xiao Xue , Lee Jianming , Guelakis Marian , Gu Xuelan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundUV radiation exposure causes skin irritation, erythema, darkening and barrier disruption by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. Glutathione, a master antioxidant, plays an important role in the antioxidant defence network of the skin.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the in vitro protective effects of the glutathione amino acid precursors blend (GAP) on transcriptomic and phenotypic endpoints against UVB‐induced challenges.MethodsNormal human epidermal melanocytes (NHEMs) were exposed to GAP, ascorbic acid (AA) and its derivatives. Viability was assessed using the CCK8 method. Melakutis®, a pigmented living skin equivalent (pLSE) model, underwent repeated 50 mJ/cm2 UVB irradiation with or without GAP treatment. Images of the model were captured with consistent camera parameters, and the model's light intensity was measured using a spectrophotometer. Melanin content was determined by measuring absorbance at 405 nm. Confirmation of melanin deposition and distribution was achieved through Fontana‐Masson staining. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted using RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq), and a machine learning approach was employed for transcriptomic aging clock analysis.ResultsIn NHEMs, all tested compounds exhibited over 85% viability compared to the vehicle control, indicating no heightened risk of cytotoxicity. Notably, GAP demonstrated greater efficacy in inhibiting melanin production than AA derivatives at equivalent concentrations. In pLSE models, GAP notably enhanced model lightness, and reduced melanin content and deposition following the UVB challenge, whereas AA showed minimal impact. GAP effectively counteracted UVB‐induced alterations in gene expression linked to pigmentation, inflammation and aging. Moreover, recurrent UVB exposure substantially elevated the biological age of pLSE models, a phenomenon mitigated by GAP treatment.ConclusionsIn NHEMs, GAP exhibited enhanced effectiveness in inhibiting melanin production at identical tested doses in comparison to AA derivatives. Noteworthy protective effects of GAP against UVB irradiation were observed in the pLSE models, as evidenced by skin pigmentation measurements and transcriptomic changes.
Perio‐prosthodontic pontic site management, part II: Pontic site reconstruction strategies to enhance the esthetic and biological outcomes
Authors: Gomez Meda Ramon , Esquivel Jonathan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractObjectiveRidge deformities are present in most patients after tooth extraction; these defects make the management of future implant and pontic sites challenging to deal with. The restorative team should be able to diagnose and treat these deformities to allow for successful outcomes. Many approaches have been described to reconstruct pontic sites, each with specific indications. This article describes the different approaches to reconstructing pontic sites and their indications to allow for a proper esthetic and biological environment for future restorations.Clinical ConsiderationsDepending on the severity of the defect, location, and the esthetic necessity, pontic site enhancement can be done through different approaches, some requiring soft tissue grafting, hard tissue grafting, or both. Understanding the indications of the treatment options is essential to allow the clinician to make the right therapeutic decision and achieve the best possible perio‐prosthodontic outcomes.ConclusionsAn adequate balance between the soft tissue and prosthetics is essential to achieve successful results on implant‐supported or tooth‐supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs). Selecting the right approach to treat ridge deformities is necessary to increase treatment success, reduce over‐treatment, and create a biologically sound environment for restorations.Clinical SignificancePontic site enhancement through reconstructive surgery will allow for esthetically pleasing and biologically stable results, allowing restorations to emulate natural structures lost after tooth extraction.
Challenges with food safety adoption: A review
Authors: Madilo Felix Kwashie , Kunadu Angela Parry‐Hanson , Tano‐Debrah Kwaku 
Published: January 2024

AbstractGlobally, the risk of foodborne diseases is high among the young, old, pregnant and immunocompromised groups. Strategies to improve safe food supply are poorly understood among stakeholders. In this paper, we discuss the importance of the adoption of food safety standards, the effects of non‐compliance of food safety protocols, consumer‐producer awareness of food safety, and the challenges involved in the adoption of food safety protocols. The major challenges include gaps in dissemination of relevant information, the cost involved in adoption of many food safety programs; low educational levels of food handlers, insufficient food testing laboratories; inadequate funding, equipment, and skilled personnel; and cost of training and education; and lack of coordination among organizations handling food safety issues. Building competencies of food safety personnel, inspectorates, national or regional laboratories and adequate resource support to industry and supporting agencies will enhance safety of the global food supply.
A Test of the Permanent Income Hypothesis When Households are Less Constrained
Authors: AISBETT EMMA , BRUECKNER MARKUS , STEINHAUSER RALF , WILCOX RHETT 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIn 2009, the Australian Government delivered approximately $8 billion in direct payments to households. These payments were randomly allocated over a 5‐week period. Panel model estimates show that for the average household, there was no significant disbursement effect on nondurable consumption. Only for relatively young and low‐income households, for example, at the bottom 10th percentile of each, was there a significant positive effect of the tax bonus payment on nondurable consumption. We argue the null findings on average could be due to macroeconomic and institutional differences leaving Australian households less constrained than their U.S. counterparts.
Oldies, but goldies—preserved morphology and stability of antigenic determinants in decades‐old cryosections of human m. vastus lateralis
Authors: Hutz Bettina , Degens Hans , Korhonen Marko T. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractFibre typing by immunohistochemistry on cryosections from human skeletal muscle biopsies is an essential tool in the diagnosis and research of muscular diseases, ageing, and responses to exercise training and disuse. Preserving a good quality in these frozen specimens can be challenging especially if they are stored for longer periods before histological processing, which is often the case in studies with a large number of test subjects and/or repeated sampling separated by multiple years. We demonstrate in this article that both, the morphology and reactivity of epitopes to myosin heavy chain isoforms and dystrophin are well preserved in up to 18‐year‐stored unfixed and unstained cryosections of human m. vastus lateralis (n = 241). Any variation in staining intensity between samples was unrelated to the age of the biopsy donor or the storage period of the unstained cryosections, and in all cases, the obtained images were appropriate for image analysis, such as the determination of the fibre type composition and the fibre cross‐sectional area, and quantitative analysis of muscle capillarisation.
Factors associated with human papillomavirus persistence after loop electrosurgical excision procedure in patients with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion
Authors: Li Fengzhen , Chen Aiping , Shan Yuping , Yao Yushuang , Lu Ping , Li Ningfeng , Ding Zhaoxia 
Published: January 2024

AbstractAimTo seek the high‐risk factors of human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence and residual lesion or recurrence after loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) focus on the predictive value of intraoperative human papilloma virus (IOP‐HPV) testing.MethodsIntraoperative endocervical sample was obtained with a cytobrush from the remained cervix of 292 patients immediately after LEEP. HPV Genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction technique. All patients followed by HPV genotyping and cytology every 3–6 months. The IOP‐HPV testing results and possible risk factors such as age, cytology grade, menopause status, margin involvement, preoperative HPV status, and cervical lesion grade were assessed in predicting persistence of HPV and residual lesion or recurrence after surgery.ResultsThere were 61 (20.9%) patients presented persistent HPV infection. Multivariate analyses showed that IOP‐HPV positive, post‐menopause and preoperative HPV multiplex infection was strongly associated with HPV persistence after LEEP, IOP‐HPV positive and post‐menopause was also associated with residua or recurrent disease after LEEP.ConclusionsIOP‐HPV positive, post‐menopause, and preoperative HPV multiplex infection are independent predictors of HPV persistence in patients with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesion treated by LEEP. IOP‐HPV test is a new approach that may potentially allow for early identification of patients at high risk of HPV persistence and residua or recurrent disease after LEEP, thereby possibly facilitate an attenuated follow‐up schedule for negative patients those at low risk of persistent HPV infection.
Differential cell size reduction of two sympatric Epithemia (Bacillariophyta) taxa in Nakaikemi Wetland, Japan
Authors: Kamakura Shiho , Ohtsuka Taisuke , Nagumo Tamotsu , Sato Shinya 
Published: January 2024

SUMMARYWe observed contrasting temporal changes in cell size between two Epithemia taxa. The life cycle of diatoms is closely linked to their cell size, with a gradual decrease during the vegetative stage and a recovery through sexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction is triggered when cells become smaller than a species‐specific size threshold and receive species‐specific environmental cues. Few studies have documented the life cycles and frequency of sexual reproduction in diatoms, combining field observations and laboratory culture. We collected two Epithemia taxa, Epithemia gibba var. ventricosa and Epithemia sp. from a pond in Nakaikemi Wetland, and measured their valve lengths monthly for almost 3 years. Additionally, we established cultures of both taxa to examine the rates of cell size reduction, which affect the duration of the vegetative stage. In the field, E. gibba var. ventricosa exhibited a wide range of cell sizes and signs of size recovery. Furthermore, the cultures of this taxon showed a clear decrease in cell size through division, suggesting that sexual reproduction is required for size recovery. On the other hand, Epithemia sp. showed no obvious change in cell size both in the field and in the laboratory. This suggests that either sexual reproduction is not necessary for this taxon to maintain its population or their life cycle extends over several years to several decades. Thus, our findings reveal congeneric taxa sharing a common habitat and substratum, yet exhibiting distinct sexual and asexual strategies. Furthermore, we question the validity of taxonomic classifications previously assigned to these diatoms based on the range of morphological characteristics observed in the present study.
Bilateral lipomatous hamartoma of the tongue: A case report in a child with oral‐facial‐digital syndrome type VI
Authors: Queiroz Aline , Pina Paulo Sérgio Souza , Novaes Myrian Stella Paiva , Dutra Beatriz , de Sousa Suzana Cantanhede Orsini Machado , Azevedo Luciane Hiramatsu 
Published: January 2024

AbstractA hamartoma is a benign proliferation of typical mature cells specific to a particular anatomical site. In the oral cavity, they may occur as isolated cases or be associated with genetic syndromes. Oral‐facial‐digital syndrome type VI is a rare genetic disorder with an estimated incidence of one in 50,000–250,000 newborns. Here, we report a case of a 2‐year‐old boy diagnosed with oral‐facial‐digital syndrome type VI who was referred for evaluation of a bilateral and normochromic to slightly pinkish nodule on the lateral surface of the tongue. Clinically, the child presented hypotonia, low visual acuity, absence of oculocephalic reflex, delay in neuropsychomotor development, and polydactyly in the feet. Excisional biopsies of both sides of the tongue were performed using a 1.5 W high‐power diode laser (wavelength of 980 nm), and histopathological analysis revealed abundant mature adipocytes predominantly arranged in lobules that mainly surrounded the minor salivary gland parenchyma. The surgical sites healed with no complications and the patient remains under follow‐up for 10 months. Due to the limited literature on this syndrome and the frequent presence of tongue hamartomas in children, dentists need to be familiar with them.
Revisiting the genus Pseudocuneopsis (Bivalvia, Unionidae): Morphology, mitochondrial phylogenomics, and the description of a new species
Authors: Dai Yu‐Ting , Chen Zhong‐Guang , Peng Ke‐Jia , Ouyang Shan , Huang Xiao‐Chen , Wu Xiao‐Ping 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSpecies diversity can be underestimated due to a lack of regional studies and limitations in research methods. China is widely recognized as one of the primary hotspots for the biodiversity of freshwater mussels as it harbours a wealth of endemic species. Pseudocuneopsis was recently established to belong to the Unioninae subfamily within Unionidae and is endemic to China. Recent research has expanded the diversity and range of distribution of this genus. However, sufficient data is required to precisely determine the phylogenetic relationships within Pseudocuneopsis. This study conducted an integrative taxonomy using morphological, COI barcode, and complete maternal mitogenome data to clarify the taxonomy of Pseudocuneopsis. Both morphological and COI barcode data supported the validity of all Pseudocuneopsis species. Furthermore, a new species, Pseudocuneopsis yemaoi sp. n. was described from a tributary of the Man River in Hubei, China. Mitochondrial phylogenomic analyses showed that P. yemaoi was closely related to P. sichuanensis and resolved phylogenetic relationship as (P. capitata + (P. yangshuoensis + (P. sichuanensis + P. yemaoi))). Our results highlight the significance of utilizing integrative classification methods. Moreover, we propose enhancing the research and preservation measures of minor streams in China, as these streams may house distinctive species.
Differential effects of mechano‐electric feedback mechanisms on whole‐heart activation, repolarization, and tension
Authors: Gerach Tobias , Loewe Axel 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe human heart is subject to highly variable amounts of strain during day‐to‐day activities and needs to adapt to a wide range of physiological demands. This adaptation is driven by an autoregulatory loop that includes both electrical and the mechanical components. In particular, mechanical forces are known to feed back into the cardiac electrophysiology system, which can result in pro‐ and anti‐arrhythmic effects. Despite the widespread use of computational modelling and simulation for cardiac electrophysiology research, the majority of in silico experiments ignore this mechano‐electric feedback entirely due to the high computational cost associated with solving cardiac mechanics. In this study, we therefore use an electromechanically coupled whole‐heart model to investigate the differential and combined effects of electromechanical feedback mechanisms with a focus on their physiological relevance during sinus rhythm. In particular, we consider troponin‐bound calcium, the effect of deformation on the tissue diffusion tensor, and stretch‐activated channels. We found that activation of the myocardium was only significantly affected when including deformation into the diffusion term of the monodomain equation. Repolarization, on the other hand, was influenced by both troponin‐bound calcium and stretch‐activated channels and resulted in steeper repolarization gradients in the atria. The latter also caused afterdepolarizations in the atria. Due to its central role for tension development, calcium bound to troponin affected stroke volume and pressure. In conclusion, we found that mechano‐electric feedback changes activation and repolarization patterns throughout the heart during sinus rhythm and lead to a markedly more heterogeneous electrophysiological substrate.
imageKey points
The electrophysiological and mechanical function of the heart are tightly interrelated by excitation–contraction coupling (ECC) in the forward direction and mechano‐electric feedback (MEF) in the reverse direction.
While ECC is considered in many state‐of‐the‐art computational models of cardiac electromechanics, less is known about the effect of different MEF mechanisms.
Accounting for calcium bound to troponin increases stroke volume and delays repolarization. Geometry‐mediated MEF leads to more heterogeneous activation and repolarization with steeper gradients. Both effects combine in an additive way.
Non‐selective stretch‐activated channels as an additional MEF mechanism lead to heterogeneous diastolic transmembrane voltage, higher developed tension and delayed repolarization or afterdepolarizations in highly stretched parts of the atria.
The differential and combined effects of these three MEF mechanisms during sinus rhythm activation in a human four‐chamber heart model may have implications for arrhythmogenesis, both in terms of substrate (repolarization gradients) and triggers (ectopy).
Chiral Standing Spin Waves and Unidirectional Waves of Odd Elastic Cylindrical Shells
Authors: Lai Andi , Zhou Jiawei , Lim C. W. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Rotating waves can be observed in structures with periodic conditions, such as cylinders and spheres. Compared with traveling waves and standing waves, rotating waves have received less attention. In this paper, an odd elastic dynamic model of the cylindrical shells is established, and the dispersion relation, traveling waves, and standing waves are investigated. The non-Hermitian rotating waves and single-handedness chiral standing spin waves are reported, which are novel dynamic phenomenon caused by odd elastic effects. Waves generally cannot propagate in passive materials with vanishingly small elastic modulus. However, a unidirectional wave with the highest cut off frequency can occur in an odd elastic cylindrical shell with vanishingly small elastic modulus. For incompletely restrained end displacements, the odd elastic cylindrical shell can also generate a hybrid mode combining standing spin waves with unidirectional waves.