bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Challenges to Implementing a Vaccine for Coccidioidomycosis
Authors: Barker Bridget M , Thompson George R , Ampel Neil M 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
A vaccine for coccidioidomycosis is likely to undergo trials in the near future. In this paper, we raise 4 questions that should be answered before its use and offer our solutions to these questions. These include defining the goals of vaccination, determining who should be vaccinated, how to measure vaccine immunity and protection, and how to address vaccine hesitancy and denial.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Pneumonia in Urgent Care Clinics: Opportunities for Improving Care
Authors: Hart James H , Sakata Theadora , Eve Jacqueline R , Butler Allison M , Wallin Anthony , Carman Chad , Atwood Brenda , Srivastava Rajendu , Jones Barbara E , Stenehjem Edward A , Dean Nathan C 
Published: February 2024

Abstract

Background
Community-acquired pneumonia is a well-studied condition; yet, in the urgent care setting, patient characteristics and adherence to guideline-recommended care are poorly described. Within Intermountain Health, a nonprofit integrated US health care system based in Utah, more patients present to urgent care clinics (UCCs) than emergency departments (EDs) for pneumonia care.

Methods
We performed a retrospective cohort study 1 January 2019 through 31 December 2020 in 28 UCCs within Utah. We extracted electronic health record data for patients aged ≥12 years with ICD-10 pneumonia diagnoses entered by the bedside clinician, excluding patients with preceding pneumonia within 30 days or missing vital signs. We compared UCC patients with radiographic pneumonia (n = 4689), without radiographic pneumonia (n = 1053), without chest imaging (n = 1472), and matched controls with acute cough/bronchitis (n = 15 972). Additional outcomes were 30-day mortality and the proportion of patients with ED visits or hospital admission within 7 days after the index encounter.

Results
UCC patients diagnosed with pneumonia and possible/likely radiographic pneumonia by radiologist report had a mean age of 40 years and 52% were female. Almost all patients with pneumonia (93%) were treated with antibiotics, including those without radiographic confirmation. Hospital admissions and ED visits within 7 days were more common in patients with radiographic pneumonia vs patients with “unlikely” radiographs (6% vs 2% and 10% vs 6%, respectively). Observed 30-day all-cause mortality was low (0.26%). Patients diagnosed without chest imaging presented similarly to matched patients with cough/acute bronchitis. Most patients admitted to the hospital the same day after the UCC visit (84%) had an interim ED encounter. Pneumonia severity scores (pneumonia severity index, electronic CURB-65, and shock index) overestimated patient need for hospitalization.

Conclusions
Most UCC patients with pneumonia were successfully treated as outpatients. Opportunities to improve care include clinical decision support for diagnosing pneumonia with radiographic confirmation and development of pneumonia severity scores tailored to the UCC.
Contract Law When the Poor Pay More
Authors: Spooner Joseph 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Taking inequality as a key challenge of our time, this article aims to highlight consumer markets, and their underpinning legal ground rules, as important contributors to inequitable wealth distributions. It illustrates how product design, as manifested in contractual terms, can allow firms to evade competition and divert resources upwards along society’s wealth distribution curve. It then highlights the contestable legality of certain pricing practices, such as ‘contingent charges’, and the challenge they pose to fundamental principles of contract law. An in-depth view of the 2015 case of Beavis v ParkingEye argues that the UK Supreme Court has validated contingent pricing models in a manner unsupported by traditional contractual reasoning and unjustified by contemporary market failure analysis. The article asks contract law to confront the reality that it shapes market distributions in economically and politically significant ways, and appeals for greater scrutiny of the contribution of contract law adjudication to inequality.
Involvement of Peptidoglycan Receptor Proteins in Mediating the Growth-Promoting Effects of Bacillus pumilus TUAT1 in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Islam Md. Monirul , Agake Shin-ichiro , Ito Takehiro , Habibi Safiullah , Yasuda Michiko , Yamada Tetsuya , Stacey Gary , Ohkama-Ohtsu Naoko 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Bacillus pumilus TUAT1 acts as plant growth–promoting rhizobacteria for various plants like rice and Arabidopsis. Under stress conditions, B. pumilus TUAT1 forms spores with a thick peptidoglycan (PGN) cell wall. Previous research showed that spores were significantly more effective than vegetative cells in enhancing plant growth. In Arabidopsis, lysin motif proteins, LYM1, LYM3 and CERK1, are required for recognizing bacterial PGNs to mediate immunity. Here, we examined the involvement of PGN receptor proteins in the plant growth promotion (PGP) effects of B. pumilus TUAT1 using Arabidopsis mutants defective in PGN receptors. Root growth of wild-type (WT), cerk1-1, lym1-1 and lym1-2 mutant plants was significantly increased by TUAT1 inoculation, but this was not the case for lym3-1 and lym3-2 mutant plants. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the expression of a number of defense-related genes was upregulated in lym3 mutant plants. These results suggested that B. pumilus TUAT1 may act to reduce the defense response, which is dependent on a functional LYM3. The expression of the defense-responsive gene, WRKY29, was significantly induced by the elicitor flg-22, in both WT and lym3 mutant plants, while this induction was significantly reduced by treatment with B. pumilus TUAT1 and PGNs in WT, but not in lym3 mutant plants. These findings suggest that the PGNs of B. pumilus TUAT1 may be recognized by the LYM3 receptor protein, suppressing the defense response, which results in plant growth promotion in a trade-off between defense and growth.
“You have to be grateful that they have eyes watching over us”: When Security Guards Protect and Serve People Experiencing Homelessness
Authors: Maier Katharina , Urbanik Marta-Marika , Greene Carolyn 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Relationships between private security and People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) are largely portrayed in negative, controlling, and punitive terms. Studies have shown that like police, security guards regularly engage in behaviors that impede PEH’s access to public spaces and produce harm. By contrast, drawing upon interviews with 50 PEH in a mid-sized Canadian city, our research examining PEH’s experiences with security suggests these relationships are much more variegated than previously documented. We find that, rather than treating PEH wholly punitively, security guards often take a benevolent approach to their work, making important contributions to PEH’s perceptions of safety in public space and taking a harm reduction role for PEH who use drugs. Our analysis contributes practical and theoretical knowledge about the work of private security and further illuminates the intersections of drugs, security, and public health.
Genetic insights of H9N2 avian influenza viruses circulating in Mali and phylogeographic patterns in Northern and Western Africa
Authors: Sanogo Idrissa Nonmon , Guinat Claire , Dellicour Simon , Diakité Mohamed Adama , Niang Mamadou , Koita Ousmane A , Camus Christelle , Ducatez Mariette 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) of the H9N2 subtype have become widespread in Western Africa since their first detection in 2017 in Burkina Faso. However, the genetic characteristics and diffusion patterns of the H9N2 virus remain poorly understood in Western Africa, mainly due to limited surveillance activities. In addition, Mali, a country considered to play an important role in the epidemiology of AIVs in the region, lacks more comprehensive data on the genetic characteristics of these viruses, especially the H9N2 subtype. To better understand the genetic characteristics and spatio-temporal dynamics of H9N2 virus within this region, we carried out a comprehensive genetic characterization of H9N2 viruses collected through active surveillance in live bird markets in Mali between 2021 and 2022. We also performed a continuous phylogeographic analysis to unravel the dispersal history of H9N2 lineages between Northern and Western Africa. The identified Malian H9N2 virus belonged to the G1 lineage, similar to viruses circulating in both Western and Northern Africa, and possessed multiple molecular markers associated with an increased potential for zoonotic transmission and virulence. Notably, some Malian strains carried the R-S-N-R motif at their cleavage site, mainly observed in H9N2 strains in Asia. Our continuous phylogeographic analysis revealed a single and significant long-distance lineage dispersal event of the H9N2 virus to Western Africa, likely to have originated from Morocco in 2015, shaping the westward diffusion of the H9N2 virus. Our study highlights the need for long-term surveillance of H9N2 viruses in poultry populations in Western Africa, which is crucial for a better understanding of virus evolution and effective management against potential zoonotic AIV strain emergence.
Unravelling the obscure homology: postembryonic development of chaetotaxic traits in a basal hexapod taxon (Collembola: Tomoceridae)
Authors: Yu Daoyuan , Zhang Yating , Wang Ziqiang , Hu Feng , Liu Manqiang 
Published: February 2024

Abstract
Homology assessment is essential for systematic zoology, but for many taxa and traits, precise recognition of homology can be challenging with limited evidence. Tomoceridae is one of the earliest branches in the elongate-bodied springtails (Collembola: Entomobryomorpha), and is among the commonest and best-known families in the class. However, the homology of some important traits is still obscure in this group, including its characteristic chaetotaxic traits. In this study, we conducted the first rigorous homology assessment of chaetotaxy in Tomoceridae based on ontogenetic evidence. The postembryonic development of chaetotaxy was investigated in three species of Tomocerus. The primary chaetotaxy of first instar larvae show high similarity within Tomocerinae. The postembryonic development involves extensive transformations between chaetal types. The continuous dwarfism of primary chaetae during development leads to apparent oligochaetosis in adults. The thoracic bothriotricha are transformed from primary macrochaetae. The sensory chaetotaxy is stable during postembryonic development, and shows interspecific differences mainly on the mesothorax and the fourth abdominal segment. This study will promote the future use of chaetotaxic traits in the taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of Tomoceridae, and will potentially illuminate the early evolution of Entomobryomorpha.
Safety and Complications of Landmark-Based Paravertebral Blocks
Authors: Ardon Alberto E. , Curley Emma , Greengrass Roy 
Published: February 2024

Objective:This study aimed to determine the incidence of complications after landmark-based paravertebral blocks for breast surgery.Methods:The medical records of patients that received a paravertebral block for breast surgery between 2019 and 2022 were reviewed. Patient age, gender, type of procedure, number of injections, volume of injected anesthetic, and possible complications were noted. A record was identified as a possible serious block-related complication if there was concern or treatment for local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST), pneumothorax, altered mental status, or intrathecal/epidural spread. Other complications recorded were immediate post-block hypotension and nausea/vomiting requiring treatment and unanticipated post-surgical admission. Patients receiving ultrasound guided paravertebral blocks were excluded from this study.Results:Over a 3-year period, 979 patients received paravertebral blocks using the landmark technique for breast surgery, totaling 4983 injections. Overall, 6 patients required assessment for post-block issues (0.61%), including hypotension (2 patients), nausea (3 patients), and hypotension + altered mental status (1 patient). This latter patient was identified as having a serious complication related to the paravertebral block (0.1%). This patient had unintentional intrathecal spread and altered mental status that required mechanical ventilation. The incidence of block related hypotension and nausea requiring treatment was thus 0.31% and 0.31% respectively. Four patients required unanticipated admission, but none were for block-related reasons. No patients in this study were found to have LAST or pneumothorax.Conclusion:Our study suggests that landmark based paravertebral blocks for breast surgery result in a very low complication rate and are a safe technique for post-surgical analgesia.
Word Learning in Deaf Adults Who Use Cochlear Implants: The Role of Talker Variability and Attention to the Mouth
Authors: Hartman Jasenia , Saffran Jenny , Litovsky Ruth 
Published: February 2024

Objectives:
Although cochlear implants (CIs) facilitate spoken language acquisition, many CI listeners experience difficulty learning new words. Studies have shown that highly variable stimulus input and audiovisual cues improve speech perception in CI listeners. However, less is known whether these two factors improve perception in a word learning context. Furthermore, few studies have examined how CI listeners direct their gaze to efficiently capture visual information available on a talker’s face. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to examine whether talker variability could improve word learning in CI listeners and (2) to examine how CI listeners direct their gaze while viewing a talker speak.

Design:
Eighteen adults with CIs and 10 adults with normal hearing (NH) learned eight novel word-object pairs spoken by a single talker or six different talkers (multiple talkers). The word learning task comprised of nonsense words following the phonotactic rules of English. Learning was probed using a novel talker in a two-alternative forced-choice eye gaze task. Learners’ eye movements to the mouth and the target object (accuracy) were tracked over time.

Results:
Both groups performed near ceiling during the test phase, regardless of whether they learned from the same talker or different talkers. However, compared to listeners with NH, CI listeners directed their gaze significantly more to the talker’s mouth while learning the words.

Conclusions:
Unlike NH listeners who can successfully learn words without focusing on the talker’s mouth, CI listeners tended to direct their gaze to the talker’s mouth, which may facilitate learning. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that CI listeners use a visual processing strategy that efficiently captures redundant audiovisual speech cues available at the mouth. Due to ceiling effects, however, it is unclear whether talker variability facilitated word learning for adult CI listeners, an issue that should be addressed in future work using more difficult listening conditions.
Preference Sensitive Care and Shared Decision-Making in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Authors: Asthana Shravan , Walker James , Staub Jacob , Bajaj Pranav , Reyes Samuel , Shlobin Nathan A. , Beestrum Molly , Hsu Wellington K. , Patel Alpesh A. , Divi Srikanth N. 
Published: February 2024

Study Design.
Scoping review.

Objective.
The objective of this study was to conduct a scoping review exploring the extent to which preference sensitivity has been studied in treatment decisions for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), utilizing shared decision-making (SDM) as a proxy.

Background.
Preference-sensitive care involves situations where multiple treatment options exist with significant tradeoffs in cost, outcome, recovery time, and quality of life. LSS has gained research focus as a preference-sensitive care scenario.

Materials and Methods.
A scoping review protocol in accordance with “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews” regulations was registered with the Open Science Framework (ID: 9ewup) and conducted across multiple databases from January 2000 to October 2022. Study selection and characterization were performed by 3 independent reviewers and an unbiased moderator.

Results.
The search resulted in the inclusion of 16 studies varying in design and sample size, with most published between 2016 and 2021. The studies examined variables related to SDM, patient preferences, surgeon preferences, and decision aids (DAs). The outcomes assessed included treatment choice, patient satisfaction, and patient understanding. Several studies reported that SDM influenced treatment choice and patient satisfaction, while the impact on patient understanding was less clear. DAs were used in some studies to facilitate SDM.

Conclusion.
The scoping review identified a gap in comprehensive studies analyzing the preference sensitivity of treatment for LSS and the role of DAs. Further research is needed to better understand the impact of patient preferences on treatment decisions and the effectiveness of DAs in LSS care. This review provides a foundation for future research in preference-sensitive care and SDM in the context of lumbar stenosis treatment.
Profiles of Cultural Adaptation and Parenting Approach for Childhood Obesity in Lifestyle Interventions for Families With Young Children
Authors: Fukkink Ruben G. , Booij Yvonne S. , Leistra Loes H. M. , van Verseveld Marloes D. A. 
Published: February 2024

Background and Objectives:
Various interventions aim to reduce obesity and promote healthy lifestyles among different cultural groups.

Methods:
We have conducted a systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines (registered at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/HB9AX), to explore profiles of cultural adaptation and parenting approach of lifestyle interventions for families with young children (1-4 years).

Results:
Our search (in CINAHL, ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and SSCI) yielded 41 studies reporting 31 interventions. Drawing on Intervention Mapping, we applied a newly developed framework with various indicators of cultural adaptation and a parenting approach to analyze interventions. Our review shows clear differences in the level of cultural adaptation. A categorical principal component analysis revealed 6 different empirical profiles of cultural adaptation.

Conclusions:
Based on our profiles, we discuss how cultural adaptation can be strengthened in the design of future early interventions aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Dynamic Reconstruction Using Bilateral Lengthening Temporalis Myoplasty for Facial Palsies in Patients with Hereditary Skin Laxity
Authors: Hirata Akiko , Hayashi Akiteru , Yamazaki Shun , Hanada Hayato , Nakamura Syogo , Ogino Akihiro 
Published: February 2024

Summary:
Hereditary skin laxity is a rare condition, some cases of which are also referred to as cutis laxa, and those involving facial skin are considered a target for treatment by plastic surgery as patients present with an aged face, which can reduce their quality of life. In some of these patients, the facial nerve and muscles may be affected, and cause weakness of mimetic muscles. We performed one-stage bilateral lengthening temporalis myoplasty reanimation, followed by lower facial contouring with partial lower lip excision and hammock-shaped fascia grafting in two patients with hereditary facial skin laxity coexisting with facial palsy. The patient was a 63-year-old woman with hereditary gelsolin amyloidosis and a 64-year-old man who was diagnosed with oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy. Postoperatively, a symmetrical facial contour was achieved in repose, and smiling with and without biting was possible. To our knowledge, there are no reports of dynamic smile reconstruction for facial weakness in patients with hereditary facial skin laxity. Although these patients may experience progressive loss of function of the trigeminal nerve and its innervating muscles, the static suspension effect of lengthening temporalis myoplasty can be expected to continue even if the temporal muscles lose their function in the future. We believe that, with careful patient selection, dynamic reconstruction is an option for progressive facial paralysis. In this article, we present the chronological history of two patients who underwent multiple plastic surgery procedures and discuss the importance of the role of plastic surgery in improving the quality of life under these conditions.
Stellate cell-specific adhesion molecule protocadherin 7 regulates sinusoidal contraction
Authors: Carter James K. , Tsai Ming-Chao , Venturini Nicholas , Hu Jiangting , Lemasters John J. , Torres Martin Miguel , Sia Daniela , Wang Shuang , Lee Youngmin A. , Friedman Scott L. 
Published: February 2024

Background and Aims:
Sustained inflammation and hepatocyte injury in chronic liver disease activate HSCs to transdifferentiate into fibrogenic, contractile myofibroblasts. We investigated the role of protocadherin 7 (PCDH7), a cadherin family member not previously characterized in the liver, whose expression is restricted to HSCs.

Approach and Results:
We created a PCDH7fl/fl mouse line, which was crossed to lecithin retinol acyltransferase-Cre mice to generate HSC-specific PCDH7 knockout animals. HSC contraction in vivo was tested in response to the HSC-selective vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 using intravital multiphoton microscopy. To establish a PCDH7 null HSC line, cells were isolated from PCDH7fl/fl mice and infected with adenovirus-expressing Cre. Hepatic expression of PCDH7 was strictly restricted to HSCs. Knockout of PCDH7 in vivo abrogated HSC-mediated sinusoidal contraction in response to endothelin-1. In cultured HSCs, loss of PCDH7 markedly attenuated contractility within collagen gels and led to altered gene expression in pathways governing adhesion and vasoregulation. Loss of contractility in PCDH7 knockout cells was impaired Rho-GTPase signaling, as demonstrated by altered gene expression, reduced assembly of F-actin fibers, and loss of focal adhesions.

Conclusions:
The stellate cell-specific cadherin, PCDH7, is a novel regulator of HSC contractility whose loss leads to cytoskeletal remodeling and sinusoidal relaxation.
ANGPTL3 and ApoC-III inhibitors for treating hypertriglyceridemia in context: horses for courses?
Authors: Chan Dick C. , Watts Gerald F. 
Published: February 2024

Purpose of review
Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is an independent and casual risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). There is an unmet need for more effective treatments for patients with HTG. Angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) and apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) are key regulators of triglyceride-rich lipoprotein (TRL) metabolism. We review recent clinical trials targeting ANGPTL3 and apoC-III with monoclonal antibody and nucleic acid therapies, including antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNA.

Recent findings
ANGPTL3 and apoC-III inhibitors are effective in lowering plasma triglycerides and TRLs, with possibly greater efficacy with the inhibition of apoC-III. By contrast to ANGPTL3 inhibition that has the advantage of greater lowering of plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol and apoB levels, apoC-III inhibition only has a modest or no effect in lowering plasma LDL-cholesterol and apoB concentrations. Therapeutic inhibition of ANGPTL3 and apoC-III can correct HTG possibly by reducing production and increasing catabolism of TRL particles, but this remains to be formally investigated in patients with HTG.

Summary
Novel agents targeting ANGPTL3 and apoC-III can correct HTG and potentially lower risk of ASCVD in patients with HTG. The long-term safety and cost-effectiveness of these agents await confirmation in ongoing and future studies.