bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Management of a Peristomal Abscess in a Patient With an Ileostomy
Authors: Wei Huiyan , Qiu Jin , Li Aini , Hu Hongyang 
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND:
Peristomal abscess (PA) is an uncommon but challenging peristomal skin complication. The initial treatment of the PA usually includes incision and drainage of the abscess, resulting in a peristomal wound. The presence of the wound makes it difficult to maintain a seal between the ostomy skin barrier and the peristomal skin resulting in frequent removal and application of the skin barrier to prevent leakage and allow for daily wound care.

CASE:
Ms T was a 52-year-old woman with an ileostomy resulting from a prior left hemicolectomy for colon cancer who developed a PA. Treatment of the PA was implemented, along with a modified 2-piece skin barrier that allowed access to the peristomal wound for daily dressing changes while maintaining a seal around the ostomy.

CONCLUSION:
The modified 2-piece skin barrier technique proved a successful treatment for the management of the PA without frequent changes of the ostomy pouching system.
Promoting surgical smoke management in a pediatric operating room: a best practice implementation project
Authors: Moore Hailey , Palokas Michelle 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction:
The routine use of heat-producing tools in the perioperative setting generates surgical smoke. Surgical smoke poses a known health hazard for perioperative staff working in the operating room.

Objective:
The objective of this best practice project was to promote evidence-based practices regarding surgical plume management in a pediatric operating room.

Methods:
This project was guided by the JBI Model of Evidence-Based Healthcare and used the JBI Practical Application of Clinical Evidence System and the Getting Research into Practice audit and feedback strategy to promote evidence-based practices regarding surgical smoke management in a pediatric operating room. Seven audit criteria representing best-practice recommendations were used. A baseline audit was conducted, followed by the implementation of multiple strategies developed by the key stakeholders. The project was finalized with a follow-up audit to determine any changes in compliance with best-practice recommendations.

Results:
Baseline audit data indicated an average of 41% compliance with best practices across all audit criteria, revealing the need for significant improvement in five of the seven criteria. Three barriers were identified and strategies were implemented, including the development and implementation of an educational module and a surgical smoke exposure risk assessment tool. Follow-up audits showed an overall improvement of 30% among five of the seven audit criteria.

Conclusions:
This project yielded improvements with best practices for surgical smoke management in the perioperative setting. However, additional work is required to ensure the sustainability of best practices in this setting.
<xhtml:span xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">Invasive <em>Streptococcus pyogenes</em> Infection:&#160;A case report
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Authors: BAZHAR SAMIA , ElBenaissi Yassine , Benaissa Elmostafa , Ben Lahlou Yassine , Chadli Mariama 
Published: January 2024

The Group A Streptococcus, also known as Streptococcus pyogenes, is a human pathogen causing various infections, ranging from mild, such as tonsillitis and impetigo, to severe and invasive conditions like septicemia and necrotizing fasciitis. Despite a decline in incidence and severity during the 20th century due to antibiotics, there has been a reported increase in severe cases since the 1980s in industrialized countries.
This summary highlights a case of invasive Group A Streptococcus infection in a 28-year-old diagnosed at the microbiology laboratory of the Mohammed V Military Training Hospital in Rabat, Morocco.
A 28-year-old patient, with a history of chickenpox, presented with acute febrile oligoarthritis. Following a recent flu-like syndrome and febrile tonsillitis, the patient experienced asymmetric inflammatory oligoarthralgia affecting the left knee, left ankle, and right shoulder, accompanied by functional impairment of the left lower limb. Upon admission, clinical examination revealed swelling, positive patellar tap, and sternal involvement. Laboratory and imaging findings indicated an abscessed collection in the left knee and anterior mediastinitis. Emergency aspirations revealed Group A Streptococcus, specifically Streptococcus pyogenes, leading to a diagnosis of septic arthritis. Dual antibiotic therapy and knee joint drainage resulted in symptom resolution after 45 days.
The rise in severe Group A Streptococcus infection underscores the need for early detection and treatment. Widely sharing the French High Council for Public Health’s antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations is crucial for awareness. Collaborating between clinicians and microbiologists is essential for effective management.
Diverse GABA signaling in the inner retina enables spatiotemporal coding
Authors: Matsumoto Akihiro , Morris Jacqueline , Looger Loren L. , Yonehara Keisuke 
Published: January 2024

Summary paragraphGABA (ψ-aminobutyric acid) is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS)1,2. There is a wide range of GABAergic neuronal types, each of which plays an important role in neural processing and the etiology of neurological disorders3–5. However, there is no comprehensive understanding of this functional diversity, due to the lack of genetic tools to target and study the multitude of cell types. Here we perform two-photon imaging of GABA release in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the mouse retina using the newly developed GABA sensor iGABASnFR2. By applying varied light stimuli to isolated retinae, we reveal over 40 different GABA-releasing neurons, including some not previously described. Individual types show unique distributions of synaptic release sites in the sublayers comprising the IPL, allowing layer-specific visual encoding. Synaptic input and output sites are aligned along specific retinal orientations for multiple neuronal types. Furthermore, computational modeling reveals that the combination of cell type-specific spatial structure and unique release kinetics enables inhibitory neurons to suppress and sculpt excitatory signals in response to a wide range of behaviorally relevant motion structures. Our high-throughput approach provides the first comprehensive physiological characterization of inhibitory signaling in the vertebrate CNS. Future applications of this method will enable interrogation of the function and dysfunction of diverse inhibitory circuits in health and disease.
Association of red cell distribution width to albumin ratio with risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: two prospective cohort studies
Authors: Hao Meng , Jiang Shuai , Li Xiangnan , Wang Shuming , Li Yi , Tang Jingdong , Hu Zixin , Zhang Hui 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe red cell distribution width to albumin ratio (RAR) has emerged as a reliable prognostic marker for mortality in various diseases. However, whether RAR is associated with mortality remains unknown in the general population.ObjectiveExplore whether RAR is associated with all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and to elucidate the dose-response relationship between them.MethodsThis study included 50622 participants aged 18+ years from US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and 418950 participants aged 37+ years from UK Biobank. The potential association between RAR and the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality was evaluated by Cox proportional hazard models. Restricted cubic spline regressions were applied to estimate the possible nonlinear relationships.ResultsNHANES documented 7590 deaths over a median follow-up of 9.4 years, and UK Biobank documented 36793 deaths over a median follow-up of 14.5 years. In multivariable analysis, elevated RAR were significantly associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (NHANES: hazard ratio [HR]: 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.81-1.93; UK Biobank: HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.96-2.06), as well as mortality due to malignant neoplasms, heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, and others in both the two cohorts (all P-value < 0.05).ConclusionsHigher baseline RAR was strongly and independently associated with increased risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the general population. RAR was a promising indicator that simply, reliably, and inexpensively accessible for identifying high-risk of mortality in clinical practice.
Seasonal behavioral patterns of the Caquetá titi monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis)
Authors: Carolina Acero-Murcia Adriana , Leidy Almario-Vaquiro , Zaida Ortega , Javier García-Villalba , René López-Camacho , Thomas Defler 
Published: January 2024

ABSTRACTThe Caquetá titi monkey (Plecturocebus caquetensis) is Critically Endangered (CR) due to habitat destruction associated with extensive livestock ranching and farming. But unfortunately, information on the ecology and behavior of the species is scarce. Here we describe seasonal behavioral patterns and home range size ofP. caquetensisin a 23-ha forest fragment in Colombia. In 2013, we collected focal animal behavioral data of a group of seven individuals ofP. caquetensis. Overall, titi monkeys spent 33% of their time feeding, 4% locomotion, 42% resting, and 21% engaging in social interactions, such as grooming and vocalizations. However, the activity budgets differed substantially between seasons. In the dry season titi monkeys invested significantly more time feeding than in the rainy season, when they spent more time moving. They invested a similar amount of time in social interactions in both seasons. Home range size was larger during the rainy season; but the core areas of the home ranges had a similar size and they overlapped across seasons, suggesting the overall importance of this area for titi monkeys. These findings constitute the first study on the seasonal ecology and home range of this Critically Endangered species, and it identifies a priority local conservation area.
A Germinal Center Checkpoint of AIRE in B Cells Limits Antibody Diversification
Authors: Zhou Jordan Z. , Huang Bihui , Pei Bo , Sun Guang Wen , Pawlitz Michael D. , Zhang Wei , Li Xinyang , Hokynar Kati C. , Yao Fayi , Perera Madusha L. W. , Wei Shanqiao , Zheng Simin , Polin Lisa A. , Poulik Janet M. , Ranki Annamari , Krohn Kai , Cunningham-Rundles Charlotte , Yang Naibo , Bhagwat Ashok S. , Yu Kefei , Peterson Pärt , Kisand Kai , Vuong Bao Q. , Cerutti Andrea , Chen Kang 
Published: January 2024

SUMMARYIn response to antigens, B cells undergo affinity maturation and class switching mediated by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) in germinal centers (GCs) of secondary lymphoid organs, but uncontrolled AID activity can precipitate autoimmunity and cancer. The regulation of GC antibody diversification is of fundamental importance but not well understood. We found that autoimmune regulator (AIRE), the molecule essential for T cell tolerance, is expressed in GC B cells in a CD40-dependent manner, interacts with AID and negatively regulates antibody affinity maturation and class switching by inhibiting AID function. AIRE deficiency in B cells caused altered antibody repertoire, increased somatic hypermutations, elevated autoantibodies to T helper 17 effector cytokines and defective control of skin Candida albicans. These results define a GC B cell checkpoint of humoral immunity and illuminate new approaches of generating high-affinity neutralizing antibodies for immunotherapy.
Active site remodeling in tumor-relevant IDH1 mutants drives distinct kinetic features and potential resistance mechanisms
Authors: Mealka Matthew , Sierra Nicole A. , Matteo Diego Avellaneda , Albekioni Elene , Khoury Rachel , Mai Timothy , Conley Brittany M. , Coleman Nalani J. , Sabo Kaitlyn A. , Komives Elizabeth A. , Bobkov Andrey A. , Cooksy Andrew L. , Silletti Steve , Schiffer Jamie M. , Huxford Tom , Sohl Christal D. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractMutations in human isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) drive tumor formation in a variety of cancers by replacing its conventional activity with a neomorphic activity that generates an oncometabolite. Little is understood of the mechanistic differences among tumor-driving IDH1 mutants. We previously reported that the R132Q mutant uniquely preserves conventional activity while catalyzing robust oncometabolite production, allowing an opportunity to compare these reaction mechanisms within a single active site. Here, we employed static and dynamic structural methods and found that, compared to R132H, the R132Q active site adopted a conformation primed for catalysis with optimized substrate binding and hydride transfer to drive improved conventional and neomorphic activity over R132H. This active site remodeling revealed a possible mechanism of resistance to selective mutant IDH1 therapeutic inhibitors. This work enhances our understanding of fundamental IDH1 mechanisms while pinpointing regions for improving inhibitor selectivity.
Sensory representations in primary visual cortex are not sufficient for subjective imagery
Authors: Cabbai Giulia , Racey Chris , Simner Julia , Dance Carla , Ward Jamie , Forster Sophie 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe contemporary definition of mental imagery is characterized by two aspects: a sensory representation resembling, but not resulting from, perception, and an associated subjective experience. Neuroimaging demonstrated imagery-related sensory representations in primary visual cortex (V1) that show striking parallels to perception. However, it remains unclear whether these representations always reflect subjective experience, or they can be dissociated from it. We addressed this question by comparing sensory representations and subjective imagery among visualizers and aphantasics, the latter with an impaired ability to experience imagery. Importantly, to test for the presence of sensory representations independently of the ability to generate imageryon demandwe examined both spontaneous and voluntary imagery forms.Using multivariate fMRI, we tested for decodable sensory representations in V1 and subjective visual imagery reports that occurred either spontaneously (during passive listening of evocative sounds) or in response to the instruction tovoluntarilygenerate imagery of the sound content (always while blindfolded inside the scanner). Among aphantasics, V1 decoding of sound content was at chance during voluntary imagery, and lower than in visualizers, but it succeeded during passive listening, despite them reporting no imagery. In contrast, in visualizers, decoding accuracy in V1 was greater in voluntary than spontaneous imagery (while being positively associated with the reported vividness of both imagery types). Finally, for both conditions, decoding in precuneus was successful in visualizers but at chance for aphantasics. Together, our findings show that V1 representations can be dissociated from subjective imagery, while implicating a key role of precuneus in the latter.
Long mounting with repeated copulations inZygogramma bicolorata: A test of adaptive significance of a curious mating behaviour
Authors: Pal Rabi Sankar , Nandy Bodhisatta 
Published: January 2024

AbstractLong matings are abundant in insects despite the range of the costs involved. The causes and consequences of the evolution of long matings remain an interesting problem for behavioural ecologists. We studied the Parthenium beetle (Zygogramma bicolorata), which is known to show extraordinarily long copulations. Our detailed investigation showed, for the first time, that the long mounting in this species entails repeated copulation. Each of these copulations is preceded and succeeded by a leg-rubbing behaviour. We found the same characteristic pattern in laboratory and semi-natural conditions. We conducted a series of interrupted mounting assays to examine the fitness consequences of the duration of mounting. We tested multiple hypotheses regarding the transfer of sperm and non-sperm components, and the function of leg rubbing in modulating the female copulatory behaviour. Sperm transfer and fertility did not exhibit a linear increase with the number of copulations. There was also no evidence of nutrient transfer by the males. In contrast, our experiments reveal significant cost of long mounting in these beetles. We showed female remating behaviour can be modulated by the long previous mounting. Our data also suggest that leg rubbing may reduce female resistance to mating. While the long mating possibly serves as copulatory mate guarding, the males may increase their competitive ability through modulating female remating. We also propose leg rubbing to be a copulatory courtship behaviour. Our study provides preliminary insights into the evolution of long mating in such systems and necessitates further research on sexual selection.
Insulin Amyloid Morphology is Encoded in H-bonds and Electrostatics Interactions Ruling Protein Phase Separation
Authors: Lenton Samuel , Chaaban Hussein , Khaled Mohammed , van de Weert Marco , Strodel Birgit , Foderà Vito 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIon-protein interactions regulate biological processes and are the basis of key strategies of modulating protein phase diagrams and stability in drug development. Here, we report the mechanisms by which H-bonds and electrostatic interactions in ion-protein systems determine phase separation and amyloid formation. Using microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, circular dichroism and atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we found that anions specifically interacting with insulin induced phase separation by neutralising the protein charge and forming H-bond bridges between insulin molecules. The same interaction was responsible for an enhanced insulin conformational stability and resistance to oligomerisation. Under aggregation conditions, the anion-protein interaction translated into the activation of a coalescence process, leading to amyloid-like microparticles. This reaction is alternative to conformationally-driven pathways, giving rise to elongated amyloid-like fibrils and occurs in the absence of preferential ion-protein binding. Our findings depict a unifying scenario in which common interactions dictated both phase separation at low temperatures and the occurrence of pronounced heterogeneity in the amyloid morphology at high temperatures, similar to what has previously been reported for protein crystal growth.
Efficient analysis of toxicity and mechanism of food contaminants using network toxicology and molecular docking strategy: A Case Study of Aflatoxin B1
Authors: Chu Zi-Yong , Zi Xue-Jiao 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe present study aims to promote network toxicology and molecular docking strategies for the efficient evaluation of the toxicity of food contaminants. With the example of liver injury induced by the food contaminant Aflatoxin B1, this study effectively investigated the putative toxicity of food contaminants and the potentially molecular mechanisms. Initially, we obtained a preliminary overview of the toxicity of Aflatoxin B1 by using the ProTox-II and ADMETlab 2.0 databases. Subsequently, it was possible to identify 156 potential targets associated with Aflatoxin B1 and liver injury by using the ChEMBL, SwissTargetPrediction, GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. These were further refined by the STRING 5.0 database and Cytoscape 3.9.0 software for 23 core targets, including AKT1, SRC and EGFR. Then, GO and KEGG pathway analyses performed by Metascape database indicated that the core targets of Aflatoxin B1-induced hepatotoxicity were mainly enriched in cancer-related signalling pathways. Speedy molecular docking using Quick Vina confirmed the strong binding energy between Aflatoxin B1 and the core targets. In summary, Aflatoxin B1 may induce liver injury by regulating cell proliferation, cell survival, cell growth, cellular immune responses, and cellular signalling cascade responses in hepatocytes. We have provided a theoretical basis for understanding the molecular mechanism of Aflatoxin B1 hepatotoxicity and for the prevention and treatment of Aflatoxin B1-induced cancers in food contaminants. Furthermore, our network toxicology and molecular docking methods also provide an effective method for the rapid evaluation of the toxicity of food contaminants, which effectively solves the cost and ethical problems associated with the use of experimental animals.Graphical Abstract
Timing matters: A meta-analysis on the dynamic effect of stress on salivary immunoglobulin
Authors: Seizer Lennart , Stasielowicz Lukasz , Löchner Johanna 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe impact of psychological stress on physiological systems has been a focus of extensive research, particularly in understanding its diverse effects on immune system activity and disease risk. This meta-analysis explores the dynamic effect of acute stress on salivary immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA) levels, a key biomarker for secretory immunity within the oral environment. Analyzing data from 34 samples comprising 87 effect sizes and a total of 1,025 subjects, a multi-level approach is employed to account for the temporal variability in measuring the stress response. The results reveal a significant increase in S-IgA levels peaking around 10 minutes after stress exposure, followed by a return to baseline levels approximately 30 minutes later. In addition, the meta-analysis identified several research gaps of the extant literature, such as limitations in the considered time lag after stress. In conclusion, the findings emphasize the temporal nuances of the stress-induced S-IgA response, which can help to infer potential biological pathways and guide sampling designs in future studies. Further, we highlight the use of a multi-level metaanalysis approach to investigate the temporal dependencies of the interplay between stress and immune functioning.
Widespread 3’ UTR splicing regulates expression of oncogene transcripts in sequence-dependent and independent manners
Authors: Riley Jack J. , Alexandru-Crivac Cristina N. , Bryce-Smith Sam , Wilson Stuart A. , Sudbery Ian M. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundSplicing in 3’ untranslated regions (3’ UTRs) is generally considered a signal to elicit transcript degradation via nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) due to the presence of an exon junction complex (EJC) downstream of the stop codon. However, 3’ UTR intron (3UI)-containing transcripts are widespread and highly expressed in both normal tissues and cancers.ResultsHere we present and characterise a novel transcriptome assembly built from 7897 solid tumour and normal samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas. We identify thousands of 3UI-containing transcript isoforms, many of which are expressed across multiple cancer types. We find that the expression of core NMD component UPF1 negatively correlates with global 3UI splicing between normal samples, however this correlation is lost in colon cancer. We find that 3UIs found exclusively within 3’ UTRs (bona-fide3UIs) are not predominantly NMD-sensitising, unlike introns present in 3’ UTRs due to premature termination. We identify HRAS as an example where 3UI splicing rescues the transcript from NMD.Bona-fide, but not premature termination codon (PTC) carrying 3UI-transcripts are spliced more in cancer samples compared to matched normals in the majority of cancer types analysed. In colon cancer, differentially spliced 3UI-containing transcripts are enriched in the canonical Wnt signalling pathway, with CTNNB1 being the most over-spliced in colon cancer compared to normal. We show that manipulating Wnt signalling can further regulate splicing of Wnt component transcript 3’ UTRs.ConclusionsOur results indicate that 3’ UTR splicing is not a rare occurrence, especially in colon cancer, where 3’ UTR splicing regulates transcript expression in EJC-dependent and independent manners.