bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fine roots of Scots pine and European beech respond differently to changes in nutrient availability in a mixed forest: results from a 4-year experiment
Authors: Yeste Antonio , Imbert J Bosco , Blanco Juan A 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
A nutrient availability experiment was carried out for four years in a mature mixed stand of Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica in the South-western Pyrenees mountains. Initial homogeneous pine regeneration (~58 years ago) was followed by uneven beech regeneration (~45 years ago), leading to the current successional stage in which areas resembling pine monospecific stands are at close distances and under comparable environmental conditions to mixed pine−beech areas. Soil and fine root samples were collected beside trees under three soil nutrient availability treatments: control, litter exclusion, and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilization. Soil samples were collected twice a year (in May and October from 2017 to 2020), and fine root samples were collected twice (in May 2018 and May 2020). Soil fertilization had a bigger impact than litter exclusion on soil chemical parameters, leading to lower pH and NH4+ values. Also, increases in soil total nitrogen, soil available phosphorus, and microbial phosphorus were found after fertilization. Scots pine showed overall lower fine root biomass, specific root length, and root tissue density than beech, presenting also very little response to treatments. On the other hand, beech showed higher biomass and specific root length, but, when soil fertility was enhanced, lower root tissue density was recorded. A negative beech effect over pine fine root biomass was observed, as pine root presence decreased when growing near beech trees in mixed areas. Beech trees not only demonstrated an elevated capability to compete for soil resources but also showed greater root plasticity than pine, enhancing beech potential to take advantage of new soil resources. Our results do not support a complementary niche partitioning but rather a competitive interaction in which European beech has an edge on colonizing the soil volume in the detriment of Scots pine.
Predictors of Generativity among SGM Midlife and Older Adults
Authors: Jung Hailey H , Emlet Charles A , Kim Hyun-Jun , Fredriksen-Goldsen Karen 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Generativity, a concern and commitment for others, has shown to be positively associated with health and well-being. Research on generativity in sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities is limited, despite its potential importance given the marginalization older SGM individuals face and limited interaction between generations. We integrate Generativity Theory and the Health Equity Promotional Model to examine key factors for generativity and subgroup differences among SGM midlife and older adults.

Research Design and Methods
Using 2016 data from Aging with Pride: National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study (N = 2,233), we regressed generativity on social location and adverse experiences and subsequently on psychological and social factors. We also tested the moderating effects of social location and psychological and social factors.

Results
Psychological (mastery, resilience, and critical awareness) and social (social participation, network size, social support, and SGM community engagement) factors were positively associated with generativity. Day-to-day discrimination was negatively, and lifetime violence and microaggressions were positively associated with generativity. With higher critical awareness level, day-to-day discrimination no longer had negative effects. With higher mastery level, lifetime discrimination had positive effects. Resilience and network size were stronger predictors for younger generations.

Discussion and Implications
Findings highlight that psychological and social resources may foster posttraumatic growth and generativity. Critical awareness, activism, and social connections appear important to stand strong against prevalent oppression and extends generative support to younger SGM generations. This research provides insight to promote intergenerational relationships and to cultivate agentic and communal strengths in the SGM populations.
Identifying geological structures in the Pamir region using non-subsampled shearlet transform and gravity gradient tensor
Authors: Duan Hurong , Wang Wei , Xing Lelin , Xie Baopeng , Zhang Qi , Zhang Yerui 
Published: January 2025

SUMMARY
The Pamir tectonic zone originates from the intense collision of the Indo-Eurasian plate. Identifying the faults in the Pamir region is essential for elucidating the collision mechanism and seismic characteristics. This paper compares the effect of the 2-D discrete wavelet transform (DWT2D) and the non-subsampled shearlet transform (NSST) on gravity field separation through synthetic model gravity field experiments. The results show that NSST can avoid the Gibbs phenomenon of DWT2D and better maintain the gravity field distribution. The surface gravity disturbances data of the Global Gravity Model Plus (GGMplus) with a high-spatial resolution (7.2 arcsec or approximately 200 m) is employed to separate the region-residual gravity fields in the neighbouring domain of the Pamir region based on the NSST. Furthermore, the gravity gradient tensor (GGT) is computed, and the correspondence between the GGT and the location and strike of the surrounding faults is analysed. The results show that the GGT component and its various combinations can effectively identify shallow and deep faults, the residual field GGT and its combinations can effectively identify the distribution and direction of shallow faults, and the regional field GGT and its combinations can effectively identify the distribution and direction of deep faults. The existence of north–south trending faults in the Pamir–Hindu Kush region is widely accepted. However, our study has revealed an east–west trending concealed fault in the deep areas of the Hindu Kush (Depth &gt; 200 km). This finding provides significant insights for studying the bidirectional subduction of the Indian and Eurasian plates. This research not only helps us to analyse the tectonic characteristics of the shallow and deep parts of the region separately but also provides complementary information for investigating the distribution of deep underground faults, especially when fault inversion of intermediate to deep source earthquakes is limited by factors such as uncertainty in source depth and complexity of seismic wave velocities.
Identification of a mepR mutation associated with tigecycline resistance in a clinical Staphylococcus aureus isolate
Authors: Xing Hongjie , Zhang Likuan , Li Chenglong , Schwarz Stefan , Li Dexi , Du Xiang-Dang 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objectives
To identify the role and function of mepR variants in conferring resistance to tigecycline in clinical Staphylococcus aureus.

Methods
The identification of the mepR and mepA variants in S. aureus DMB26a was performed by whole-genome sequencing and Blast alignment. The effects of the mepRD and mepAD variants of DMB26a on tigecycline susceptibility were evaluated through deletion and complementation analyses, as well as the determination of gene expression levels by RT-qPCR. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for DMB26a and its mutants were determined by antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Results
A mepR variant, designated mepRD, and a mepA variant, designated mepAD, were identified in the clinical tigecycline-resistant S. aureus isolate DMB26a, which showed 78.72% and 84.92% amino acid identity to the MepR and MepA proteins of S. aureus NCTC 8325-4, respectively. Our findings revealed that deletion of mepA in the tigecycline-susceptible S. aureus RN4220 did not lead to a decrease in the MIC of tigecycline, and that there was also no change in the tigecycline MIC after the complementation with mepAD. Furthermore, we constructed a mepR + mepA deletion strain of S. aureus RN4220 and complemented it with mepRD + mepAD. In that case, a 4-fold increase in the tigecycline MIC was observed in S. aureus RN4220ΔmepR + mepA-pLI50_mepRD + mepAD compared with S. aureus RN4220ΔmepR + mepA. In addition, the relative expression of mepAD was increased 6-fold under the regulation of mepRD.

Conclusions
This study provides the identification of a mepR variant contributing indirectly to tigecycline resistance via mediating increased expression of mepA in a clinical S. aureus isolate.
Communication-efficient federated learning of temporal effects on opioid use disorder with data from distributed research networks
Authors: Liang C Jason , Luo Chongliang , Kranzler Henry R , Bian Jiang , Chen Yong 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective
To develop a distributed algorithm to fit multi-center Cox regression models with time-varying coefficients to facilitate privacy-preserving data integration across multiple health systems.

Materials and Methods
The Cox model with time-varying coefficients relaxes the proportional hazards assumption of the usual Cox model and is particularly useful to model time-to-event outcomes. We proposed a One-shot Distributed Algorithm to fit multi-center Cox regression models with Time varying coefficients (ODACT). This algorithm constructed a surrogate likelihood function to approximate the Cox partial likelihood function, using patient-level data from a lead site and aggregated data from other sites. The performance of ODACT was demonstrated by simulation and a real-world study of opioid use disorder (OUD) using decentralized data from a large clinical research network across 5 sites with 69 163 subjects.

Results
The ODACT method precisely estimated the time-varying effects over time. In the simulation study, ODACT always achieved estimation close to that of the pooled analysis, while the meta-estimator showed considerable amount of bias. In the OUD study, the bias of the estimated hazard ratios by ODACT are smaller than those of the meta-estimator for all 7 risk factors at almost all of the time points from 0 to 2.5 years. The greatest bias of the meta-estimator was for the effects of age ≥65 years, and smoking.

Conclusion
ODACT is a privacy-preserving and communication-efficient method for analyzing multi-center time-to-event data which allows the covariates’ effects to be time-varying. ODACT provides estimates close to the pooled estimator and substantially outperforms the meta-analysis estimator.

Discussion
The proposed ODACT is a privacy-preserving distributed algorithm for fitting Cox models with time-varying coefficients. The limitations of ODACT include that privacy-preserving via aggregate data does rely on relatively large number of data at each individual site, and rigorous quantification of the risk of privacy leaks requires further investigation.
Feeding nursery pigs diets containing peroxidized soybean oil has minimal effects on oxidative status but dramatically reduces serum vitamin E concentrations
Authors: Wilson Victoria C , Kerr Brian J 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
A subgroup of pigs from two experiments (EXP) were selected to evaluate the impact of pigs fed diets containing peroxidized soybean oil (SO) on plasma-based measures of oxidative stress and vitamin E. Pigs were fed diets containing SO that was either unprocessed (23 °C; peroxide value of 3 meq/kg and an anisidine value of 4) or thermally processed at 135 °C for 42 h (peroxide value of 30 meq/kg and an anisidine value of 501). The corn-soybean meal-based diets contained either 10% SO (EXP 1) or 8% SO (EXP 2). Pigs were fed the experimental diets for 22 d (EXP 1, 13.5 to 24.0 kg, 2 pigs/pen) or 27 d (EXP 2, 21.3 to 37.5 kg, 1 pig/pen), each with 10 replications per dietary treatment. Pigs fed diets containing the peroxidized SO had reduced ADG, ADFI, and GF compared to pigs fed diets containing the unheated SO (P ≤ 0.01). Pigs fed diets containing peroxidized SO had increased plasma concentrations of F2-isoprostanes and reactive oxygen metabolites compared to pigs fed diets containing unheated SO (P ≤ 0.01). In contrast, plasma thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentrations tended to decrease in pigs fed diets containing peroxidized SO compared to pigs fed diets containing unheated SO (P = 0.10). There was no apparent effect of pigs consuming diets containing peroxidized SO on plasma antioxidant adsorbent capacity or an oxidative stress index (P ≥ 0.19). Pigs fed diets containing peroxidized SO resulted in a reduction in plasma vitamin E compared to pigs fed diets containing unheated SO (P ≤ 0.01). Results indicate that adding SO that has been thermally processed thereby containing high concentrations of aldehydes resulted in inconsistent changes of markers of oxidative stress, but dramatically reduced plasma vitamin E concentrations.
Duration of aromatase inhibitor use and long-term cardiovascular risk in breast cancer survivors
Authors: Huang Yuhan , Kwan Marilyn L , Heckbert Susan R , Smith Nicholas L , Othus Megan , Laurent Cecile A , Roh Janise M , Rillamas-Sun Eileen , Lee Valerie S , Kolevska Tatjana , Cheng Richard K , Irribarren Carlos , Nguyen-Huynh Mai , Hershman Dawn L , Kushi Lawrence H , Greenlee Heather 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
There are limited data on duration of aromatase inhibitor (AI) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in breast cancer (BC) survivors. We examined risk of CVD and mortality associated with duration of AI use in postmenopausal women with early-stage hormone receptor-positive BC.

Methods
Postmenopausal women diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive BC (n = 5,853) who used an AI were included. Cause-specific hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between AI use duration (short-term: &gt;0 and &lt;2 years; intermediate-term: ≥2 and &lt;5 years; long-term: ≥5 years) and CVD and mortality outcomes. The landmark method was used to avoid immortal time bias; the selected landmark was 6 years after BC diagnosis.

Results
Anastrozole was the AI predominantly prescribed (95.4%). Over a median follow-up of 3 years for women who survived 6 years after BC diagnosis, a lower risk of stroke was observed in intermediate-term AI users (HR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.37-0.96) and long-term AI users (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.30-0.85), than in short-term AI users. The longer duration of AI use was also associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and non-CVD-related mortality. In addition, long-term AI users were at 37% lower risk of CVD-related mortality than short-term AI users. No significant differences were observed in risks of major adverse cardiovascular events, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure across the three groups.

Conclusion
Among postmenopausal women with early-stage hormone receptor-positive BC who survived to 6 years after BC diagnosis, longer duration of AI use was not associated with elevated CVD risk.
Screening for comprehensive social needs in patients with cancer: a narrative review
Authors: Arana Isabel , Liu Raymond , Kushi Lawrence , Hahn Erin , Ragavan Meera 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Patients with cancer who report social needs have worse quality of life, lower healthcare access, and suboptimal health outcomes. However, screening for social needs does not happen systematically and successful screening tools, strategies, and workflows have seldom been described. The downstream effects of screening including resource navigation have also not been well characterized. This objective of this narrative review was to fill these gaps.

Methods
Two investigators searched Pubmed and Embase for studies that implemented a patient-facing social screening tool among patients with cancer between 2008-2023 using search terms including “social screening,” “social needs,” and “cancer.”

Results
We identified 19 articles that met study inclusion criteria. The most common tool used was the validated Health Leads Social Toolkit. Most often, screening tools were administered electronically, sent directly to patients, and captured needs at a single time point during a patient’s diagnosis. Screening response rates ranged between 10-60%. Less than half of the studies described downstream resource navigation for patients who screened positive for social needs Only one study evaluated the impact of screening on clinical outcomes and quality of life. Screening for patients who do not speak English or who belong to historically racial, ethnic, and gender minority groups was limited.

Conclusions
Screening for social needs has been shown to be feasible across delivery systems with numerous validated tools available. However, gaps remain in generalizability to diverse patient populations. Future work must identify how screening workflows can be successfully incorporated into routine clinical workflows.
Topical review: family psychosocial risk screening and social determinants of health assessment
Authors: Kazak Anne E , Scialla Michele A , Ramaswamy Nithya , Deatrick Janet A , Arasteh Kamyar , Hammer Shannon N , Barakat Lamia P 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Objective
Social-ecological factors are highly congruent with social determinants of health (SDOH): Economic Stability; Educational Access/Quality; Healthcare Access/Quality; Neighborhood/Built Environment; and Social/Community Context. In this topical review, the correspondence of social-ecological theory with SDOH and assessment approaches is reviewed. The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is used to show how existing tools may facilitate SDOH screening.

Methods
SDOH are defined, and their link to pediatric health outcomes is presented, followed by a review of the social-ecological model. Feasible, valid, and actionable approaches to assessment of social ecology and SDOH are presented with a focus on the PAT, a brief caregiver report screener based on social-ecological theory, validated in English, Spanish, and in multiple conditions and adapted/translated internationally. Multidisciplinary healthcare providers (n = 25) completed an online survey, indicating whether each PAT item fit into SDOH categories.

Results
Despite different approaches to assessing SDOH, there are few feasible and evidence-based approaches. Most PAT items (78%) were consistent with one of the SDOH categories by the majority of raters. PAT items corresponded to all five SDOH categories. Some items about child behavior and family were not categorized as an SDOH, reflecting the broader context of screening with the PAT.

Conclusion
The assessment of SDOH is a priority, but approaches to assessment and linking outcomes to intervention remain underdeveloped. As an evidence-based screener in pediatric healthcare, based on social-ecological and public health models, the PAT may provide a means of identifying relevant SDOH in pediatric practice.
The band’s encore: scarring causing dysphagia post-gastric band removal
Authors: Tilleard Peter , Jeyarajan Eshwarshanker 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Placement of a laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) is a procedure used in bariatric surgery. Despite its decrease in popularity due to its high reoperation rate and suboptimal clinical response, managing the complications of LAGBs remains an important component of general and bariatric surgeons’ work. Only two case studies describe return to theatre to excise scarring, which has continued to cause symptoms after LAGB removal. We report the case of a 72-year-old female presenting with persistent dysphagia nine years post removal of her LAGB. Laparoscopic excision of a fibrotic scar at the site of her previous LAGB resulted in complete resolution of her symptoms. This case report draws attention to the possibility of ongoing symptoms from scarring despite LAGB removal and how this can be managed. Further, it may suggest the importance of dividing a fibrotic scar found under a LAGB on removal.
A framework of biomarkers for skeletal muscle aging: a consensus statement by the Aging Biomarker Consortium
Authors:   Aging Biomarker Consortium, Huang Ning , Ge Meiling , Liu Xiaolei , Tian Xu , Yin Pengbin , Bao Zhijun , Cao Feng , Shyh-Chang Ng , Dong Biao , Dai Lunzhi , Gan Zhenji , Hu Ping , Qu Jing , Wang Si , Wang Huating , Xiao Qian , Yue Rui , Yue Jirong , Zhang Licheng , Zhang Yong , Zhang Hongbo , Zhang Weiqi , Liu Guang-Hui , Pei Gang , Liu Yong , Zhu Dahai , Dong Birong 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The skeletal muscle is an important organ for movement and metabolism in human body, and its physiological aging underlies the occurrence of muscle atrophy and sarcopenia. China has the largest aging population in the world and is facing a grand challenge with how to prevent and treat skeletal muscle aging-related diseases. To address this difficult problem, the Aging Biomarker Consortium (ABC) of China has reached an expert consensus on biomarkers of skeletal muscle aging by synthesizing literatures and insights from scientists and clinicians. This consensus attempts to provide a comprehensive assessment of biomarkers associated with skeletal muscle aging, and proposes a systematic framework to classify them into three dimensions: functional, structural, and humoral. Within each dimension, the experts recommend clinically relevant biomarkers for skeletal muscle aging. This consensus aims to lay the foundation for future research on skeletal muscle aging, facilitating precise prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of skeletal muscle aging and sarcopenia. It is anticipated to make significant contributions to healthy aging of skeletal muscle in the elderly population in China and around the world as well.
Inhibition of HMGA2 binding to AT-rich DNA by its negatively charged C-terminus
Authors: Su Linjia , Deng Zifang , Santos-Fernandez Miguel , Jeanne Dit Fouque Kevin , Chapagain Prem P , Chambers Jeremy W , Fernandez-Lima Francisco , Leng Fenfei 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The mammalian high mobility group protein AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a small DNA-binding protein that specifically targets AT-rich DNA sequences. Structurally, HMGA2 is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP), comprising three positively charged ‘AT-hooks’ and a negatively charged C-terminus. HMGA2 can form homodimers through electrostatic interactions between its ‘AT-hooks’ and C-terminus. This suggests that the negatively charged C-terminus may inhibit DNA binding by interacting with the positively charged ‘AT-hooks.’ In this paper, we demonstrate that the C-terminus significantly influences HMGA2’s DNA-binding properties. For example, the C-terminal deletion mutant HMGA2Δ95–108 binds more tightly to the AT-rich DNA oligomer FL814 than wild-type HMGA2. Additionally, a synthetic peptide derived from the C-terminus (the C-terminal motif peptide or CTMP) strongly inhibits HMGA2’s binding to FL814, likely by interacting with the ‘AT-hooks,’ as shown by various biochemical and biophysical assays. Molecular modeling demonstrates that electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding are the primary forces driving CTMP’s binding to the ‘AT-hooks.’ Intriguingly, we found that hydration does not play a role in HMGA2-DNA binding. These results suggest that the highly negatively charged C-terminus of HMGA2 plays a critical role in regulating its DNA-binding capacity through autoinhibition, likely facilitating the target search process for AT-rich DNA sequences.