bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FDA Modernization Act 2.0 allows for alternatives to animal testing
Authors: Han Jason J. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOn December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the FDA Modernization Act 2.0. The bill essentially refutes the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act of 1938, which mandated animal testing for every new drug development protocol. While for the past century, the mandate was intended to ensure certain quality and safety standards for drugs and medical devices, recent advancements in science have begun to offer increasingly viable alternatives to animal testing. For certain areas such as organ replacement therapies, non‐animal testing may not prove to be an adequate alternative in the foreseeable future.
Role of sex hormones in neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Maekawa Kasumi , Yamanaka Koji 
Published: February 2023

AbstractNeuroinflammation, which is mediated by microglia, astrocytes, and infiltrated immune cells and leads to the subsequent production of proinflammatory molecules, is associated with the pathomechanism of Alzheimer's disease (AD). As the incidence of AD is higher in females than males, multiple studies have focused on the relationship between sex hormones and AD pathology. Androgen and estrogen receptors are expressed throughout the brain, including the hippocampus; thus, both sex hormones may regulate brain function, including cognitive function. Endogenous sex hormone levels are depleted by aging and cancer therapies, including prostate cancer and breast cancer therapies. Previous cohort studies have revealed that these conditions may also increase the risk of developing AD. Here we review previous findings from epidemiologic and preclinical studies on AD and provide an overview of the roles of sex hormones as risk factors of AD and regulators of AD pathology, including neuroinflammation. Furthermore, we discuss the therapeutic potential of sex hormone supplementation as a preventive or therapeutic treatment for AD based on the results of randomized control trials.
The origin of life: RNA and protein co‐evolution on the ancient Earth
Authors: Tagami Shunsuke , Li Peiying 
Published: February 2023

AbstractHow life emerged from simple non‐life chemicals on the ancient Earth is one of the greatest mysteries in biology. The gene expression system of extant life is based on the interdependence between multiple molecular species (DNA, RNA, and proteins). While DNA is mainly used as genetic material and proteins as functional molecules in modern biology, RNA serves as both genetic material and enzymes (ribozymes). Thus, the evolution of life may have begun with the birth of a ribozyme that replicated itself (the RNA world hypothesis), and proteins and DNA joined later. However, the complete self‐replication of ribozymes from monomeric substrates has not yet been demonstrated experimentally, due to their limited activity and stability. In contrast, peptides are more chemically stable and are considered to have existed on the ancient Earth, leading to the hypothesis of RNA–peptide co‐evolution from the very beginning. Our group and collaborators recently demonstrated that (1) peptides with both hydrophobic and cationic moieties (e.g., KKVVVVVV) form β‐amyloid aggregates that adsorb RNA and enhance RNA synthesis by an artificial RNA polymerase ribozyme and (2) a simple peptide with only seven amino acid types (especially rich in valine and lysine) can fold into the ancient β‐barrel conserved in various enzymes, including the core of cellular RNA polymerases. These findings, together with recent reports from other groups, suggest that simple prebiotic peptides could have supported the ancient RNA‐based replication system, gradually folded into RNA‐binding proteins, and eventually evolved into complex proteins like RNA polymerase.
Routine and sleep EEG: Minimum recording standards of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology and the International League Against Epilepsy
Authors: Peltola Maria E. , Leitinger Markus , Halford Jonathan J. , Vinayan Kollencheri Puthenveettil , Kobayashi Katsuhiro , Pressler Ronit M. , Mindruta Ioana , Mayor Luis Carlos , Lauronen Leena , Beniczky Sándor 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis article provides recommendations on the minimum standards for recording routine (“standard”) and sleep electroencephalography (EEG). The joint working group of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) developed the standards according to the methodology suggested for epilepsy‐related clinical practice guidelines by the Epilepsy Guidelines Working Group. We reviewed the published evidence using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The quality of evidence for sleep induction methods was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) method. A tool for Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Studies (QUADAS‐2) was used to assess the risk of bias in technical and methodological studies. Where high‐quality published evidence was lacking, we used modified Delphi technique to reach expert consensus. The GRADE system was used to formulate the recommendations. The quality of evidence was low or moderate. We formulated 16 consensus‐based recommendations for minimum standards for recording routine and sleep EEG. The recommendations comprise the following aspects: indications, technical standards, recording duration, sleep induction, and provocative methods.
Concordance between focal brain temperature elevations and focal edema in temporal lobe epilepsy
Authors: Sharma Ayushe A. , Nenert Rodolphe , Goodman Adam , Szaflarski Jerzy P. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObjectiveNeuroinflammation (NI) is a pathophysiological factor in many neurological disorders, including epilepsy. Because NI causes microstructural tissue damage that worsens with increasing brain temperature, abnormally elevated brain temperatures may be a surrogate measure of the biochemical consequences of NI. This study investigated whether patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) have abnormal brain temperature elevations (TCRE) in seizure‐producing regions that show evidence of edema and/or microstructural damage.MethodsTwenty adults with TLE and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were scanned at 3‐Tesla. TCRE in each voxel was calculated (TCRE = −102.61(ΔH20−CRE) + 206.1°C) by non‐invasive volumetric magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging and thermometry (MRSI‐t). Multi‐shell diffusion images were processed by neurite orientation and density imaging (NODDI). Voxel wise two‐sample t tests computed group differences in imaging data. Multimodal data fusion (joint independent component analysis [ICA]) determined the spatial coupling of TCRE with NODDI.ResultsTCRE analyses showed that, compared to HCs, TLEs had higher TCRE (p < .001). NODDI analyses showed increased extracellular free water (pFWE < 0.05) in the medial temporal lobes, with the most pronounced increases ipsilateral to seizure onset. TLEs also had increased angular dispersion of neurites (p < .001) and decreased neurite density (pFWE <0.05) in the ictal‐onset medial temporal lobe, as well as more widespread, bilateral patterns of abnormalities. Focal increases in TCRE were spatially concordant with increased free water in the left inferior and middle temporal gyri and the associated cortex. In TLE, ICA loadings extracted from this region of overlap were associated with greater mood disturbance (r = .34, p = .02) and higher depression scores (r = .37, p = .009).SignificanceThe spatial concordance between focal TCRE elevations and edema in TLE supports the notion that brain thermometry visualizes the correlates of focal NI. MRSI‐t‐based TCRE elevations may, therefore, be a useful biomarker for identifying seizure‐producing tissue in patients with focal epilepsy caused by brain damage.
A novel method of strong and tough Si3N4 ceramic from the particle‐stabilized foam
Authors: Li Yongjiao , Yang Minghao , Zhang Youfei , Xia Zun , Sang Guolong , Wang Xiuhui , Yang Jinlong 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe brittleness of Si3N4 ceramics has always limited its wide application. In this paper, Si3N4 ceramics were prepared based on foam. Combining the unique honeycomb structure of the ceramic foams and the self‐toughening mechanism of Si3N4, the strengthening and toughening of Si3N4 ceramics can be further achieved by adjusting the microstructure of Si3N4 ceramic foams. The powder particles are self‐assembled by particle‐stabilized foaming to form a foam body with a honeycomb structure. It was pretreated at different temperatures (1450–1750°C). The microstructure evolution of foamed ceramics at different pretreatment temperatures and the conversion rate of α‐Si3N4 to β‐Si3N4 at different pretreatment temperatures were explored. Then the foamed ceramics with different microstructures are hot‐press sintered to prepare Si3N4 dense ceramics. The effects of different microstructures of foamed ceramics on the strength and toughness of Si3N4 ceramics were analyzed. The experimental results show that the relative density of Si3N4 ceramics prepared at a particle pretreatment temperature of 1500°C is 97.8%, and its flexural strength and fracture toughness are relatively the highest, which are 1089 ± 60 MPa and 12.9 ± 1.3 MPa m1/2, respectively. Compared with the traditional powder hot‐pressing sintering, the improvement is 21% and 33%, respectively. It is shown that this method of preparing Si3N4 ceramics based on foam has the potential to strengthen and toughen Si3N4 ceramics.
Importance of the relative epicardial connection locations and right‐sided pulmonary vein isolation line for successful pulmonary vein isolation
Authors: Ishikura Masahiro , Kobori Atsushi , Sasaki Yasuhiro , Murai Ryosuke , Okada Taiji , Toyota Toshiaki , Taniguchi Tomohiko , Kim Kitae , Ehara Natsuhiko , Kinoshita Makoto , Furukawa Yutaka 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIntroductionThe presence of an epicardial connection (EC) decreases the success rate of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI); however, the effect of designing isolation lines has not been evaluated. We sought to clarify the effects of designing an anterior line for right‐sided PVI considering the presence and location of the EC.MethodsSeventy‐four consecutive patients who underwent initial catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation were retrospectively included in this study. The presence of the EC was determined by the left atrial (LA) activation map during right atrial pacing, and patients were divided into EC‐positive (n = 23, 31%) and EC‐negative (n = 51, 69%) groups. EC‐positive patients were further subdivided based on the EC location: on‐the‐line group, (EC on the PVI line, n = 11); inside‐line group (EC on the pulmonary vein [PV] side, n = 10); and outside‐line group (EC on the LA side, n = 2). The PVI parameters were compared among the three groups.ResultsThe success rates of the first‐pass isolation were comparable between the EC‐negative and EC‐positive groups (70.6% vs. 60.9%, ns), but the success rate was significantly higher in the on‐the‐line group than in the inside‐line group (91% vs. 20%, p = 0.002). First‐pass isolation was successful in both patients in the outside‐line group. Additional carina ablation was required only in the inside‐line group.ConclusionsThe association between the EC site and the right‐sided PV anterior isolation line affected the success rate of first‐pass isolation. For successful right‐sided PVI, it is important to consider the EC site when designing the PVI line.
Information sharing to support care transitions for patients with complex mental health and social needs
Authors: Bucy Taylor I. , Cross Dori A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundPatients with complex behavioral and mental health conditions require significant transitional care coordination. It is unclear how skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that serve these patients engage in care transfer with hospitals, specifically whether they experience discrepancies in the type of information shared by hospital partners and/or use different approaches to secure needed information.MethodsCross‐sectional analysis of a national 2019–2020 SNF survey that collected information on transitional care practices with referring hospitals; respondents were directors of nursing services. We used chi‐squared tests and descriptive statistics to characterize hospital information sharing practices experienced by facilities that accept complex patients (e.g., serious mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or medication assisted treatment), and to compare them to facilities that treat a less complex population.ResultsA total of 215 SNFs had sufficiently complete responses for inclusion in the analysis. Of these respondents, 57% accepted two or more types of patients with complex conditions of interest; these SNFs were more likely to be urban, for‐profit, and serve more dual‐eligible patients. SNFs accepting complex patients experience information sharing on par with other facilities, and are more likely to receive information on behavioral, social, mental, and functional status (25.41% vs. 12.90%; p = 0.023). These facilities are also more likely to consistently use electronic methods (e.g., an online portal, shared electronic health record [EHR] access) to retrieve information from partner hospitals.ConclusionsSNFs accepting complex patients demonstrate some evidence of enhanced information retrieval via electronically mediated pathways. Overall, information sharing remains underdeveloped in this care context. Policymakers should continue to prioritize widespread digital infrastructure that supports post‐acute care delivery.
Revolving versus Convenience Use of Credit Cards: Evidence from U.S. Credit Bureau Data
Authors: FULFORD SCOTT L. , SCHUH SCOTT 
Published: February 2023

AbstractCredit card payments and revolving debt are important for consumer theory but a key data source—credit bureau records—does not distinguish between current charges and revolving debt. We develop a theory‐based econometric methodology using a hidden Markov model to estimate the likelihood a consumer is revolving debt each quarter. We validate our approach using a new survey linked to credit bureau data. We estimate that for likely revolvers: (i) 100% of an increase in credit becomes an increase in debt eventually; (ii) credit limit changes are half as salient as debt changes; and (iii) revolving status is persistent.
Interactions between β‐endorphin and kisspeptin neurons of the ewe arcuate nucleus are modulated by photoperiod
Authors: Hellier Vincent , Dardente Hugues , Lomet Didier , Cognié Juliette , Dufourny Laurence 
Published: February 2023

AbstractOpioid peptides are well‐known modulators of the central control of reproduction. Among them, dynorphin coexpressed in kisspeptin (KP) neurons of the arcuate nucleus (ARC) has been thoroughly studied for its autocrine effect on KP release through κ opioid receptors. Other studies have suggested a role for β‐endorphin (BEND), a peptide cleaved from the pro‐opiomelanocortin precursor, on food intake and central control of reproduction. Similar to KP, BEND content in the ARC of sheep is modulated by day length and BEND modulates food intake in a dose‐dependent manner. Because KP levels in the ARC vary with photoperiodic and metabolic status, a photoperiod‐driven influence of BEND neurons on neighboring KP neurons is plausible. The present study aimed to investigate a possible modulatory action of BEND on KP neurons located in the ovine ARC. Using confocal microscopy, numerous KP appositions on BEND neurons were found but there was no photoperiodic variation of the number of these interactions in ovariectomized, estradiol‐replaced ewes. By contrast, BEND terminals on KP neurons were twice as numerous under short days, in ewes having an activated gonadotropic axis, compared to anestrus ewes under long days. Injection of 5 μg BEND into the third ventricle of short‐day ewes induced a significant and specific increase of activated KP neurons (16% vs. 9% in controls), whereas the percentage of overall activated (c‐Fos positive) neurons, was similar between both groups. These data suggest a photoperiod‐dependent influence of BEND on KP neurons of the ARC, which may influence gonadotropin‐releasing hormone pulsatile secretion and inform KP neurons about metabolic status.
Clinical utility of immature reticulocyte fraction for identifying early red blood cell regeneration in anemic dogs
Authors: Jung Jae‐Ha , Yang Yeseul , Seo Dansong , Cho Soyeon , Choi Goeun , Kim Yongbaek 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBackgroundEvaluating regeneration is essential for the classification and differential diagnosis of anemia in dogs. Early detection of regeneration is challenging in anemic dogs.ObjectivesThis study assessed the value of immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF) in differentiating preregenerative anemia (PRA) from nonregenerative anemia (NRA) in dogs.AnimalsNinety‐four dogs: 49 controls and 45 with anemia.MethodsCase‐control study. Fractions of low‐, medium‐ (MFR), and high‐fluorescence reticulocytes (HFR), were measured using the ADVIA 2120i hematology analyzer. The IRF was calculated as the sum of percentages of MFR and HFR. Data from dogs with regenerative anemia (RA, n = 19), PRA (n = 11), and NRA (n = 15) were retrospectively analyzed. The value of IRF was compared with reticulocyte production index (RPI) using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.ResultsThe median of IRF was significantly higher in dogs with RA (46.5%; range, 40.9‐53.6%; P < .001) and PRA (40.6%; range, 27.7‐47.1%; P = .01) than in controls (22.1%; range, 16.9‐29.3%). The IRF in dogs with PRA showed no difference compared to dogs with RA (P > .99) but was higher than dogs with NRA (18.7%; range, 8.8‐24%; P = .00). The area under the ROC curve of IRF was superior to that of RPI (0.897 vs 0.818, P = .00) in differentiating dogs with PRA from NRA.Conclusions and Clinical ImportanceThe IRF is a reliable variable for detecting early regeneration in anemic dogs without reticulocytosis. The study suggests that the measurement of IRF could be useful in classifying anemic dogs.
Towards exhaustive community ecology via DNA metabarcoding
Authors: Ficetola Gentile Francesco , Taberlet Pierre 
Published: February 2023

AbstractExhaustive biodiversity data, covering all the taxa in an environment, would be fundamental to understand how global changes influence organisms living at different trophic levels, and to evaluate impacts on interspecific interactions. Molecular approaches such as DNA metabarcoding are boosting our ability to perform biodiversity inventories. Nevertheless, even though a few studies have recently attempted exhaustive reconstructions of communities, holistic assessments remain rare. The majority of metabarcoding studies published in the last years used just one or two markers and analysed a limited number of taxonomic groups. Here, we provide an overview of emerging approaches that can allow all‐taxa biological inventories. Exhaustive biodiversity assessments can be attempted by combining a large number of specific primers, by exploiting the power of universal primers, or by combining specific and universal primers to obtain good information on key taxa while limiting the overlooked biodiversity. Multiplexes of primers, shotgun sequencing and capture enrichment may provide a better coverage of biodiversity compared to standard metabarcoding, but still require major methodological advances. Here, we identify the strengths and limitations of different approaches, and suggest new development lines that might improve broad scale biodiversity analyses in the near future. More holistic reconstructions of ecological communities can greatly increase the value of metabarcoding studies, improving understanding of the consequences of ongoing environmental changes on the multiple components of biodiversity.
Student Researchers’ Reflections on the AAA Undergraduate Fellowship
Authors: Jackson Palmyra , Ginsberg Daniel , Storey Angela D. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractWhen the American Anthropological Association offered its Undergraduate Research Fellows program in 2019–2020, the intent was not only to obtain ethnographic insights into the college‐workforce transition for anthropology majors, but also to provide a meaningful educational experience to the participating student‐researchers. Previously (Ginsberg and Jackson, this issue), we have situated the fellowship program with reference to ethnography of higher education and native ethnography; in this paper, by contrast, we contextualize it with scholarship on high‐impact practices in undergraduate education, including research opportunities, collaborative assignments, and community‐based learning. We then present reflections from the student‐researchers themselves regarding what they learned through participation in the fellows program. In their reflections, the fellows describe a process of becoming more central members of three overlapping communities of practice: the AAA research team, their respective home departments, and the discipline of anthropology overall. We conclude by discussing reasons why anthropology is particularly well suited to provide undergraduate research opportunities, and why doing so would strengthen the discipline as well.
Self‐Esteem: On the Form of Self‐Worth Worth Having
Authors: Isserow Jessica 
Published: February 2023

AbstractSelf‐esteem is traditionally regarded as an important human good. But it has suffered a number of injuries to its good name. Critics allege that endeavours to promote self‐esteem merely foster narcissism or entitlement, and urge that we redirect our efforts elsewhere. I argue that such criticisms are symptomatic of a normative decline in how we think and theorize about self‐esteem rather than a defect in the construct itself. After exposing the shortcomings of alternative proposals, I develop an account of self‐esteem that reflects what its supporters have in mind: a valuable form of self‐appraisal worth fostering in others and ourselves.
An exploratory steady‐state redox model of photosynthetic linear electron transport for use in complete modelling of photosynthesis for broad applications
Authors: Gu Lianhong , Grodzinski Bernard , Han Jimei , Marie Telesphore , Zhang Yong‐Jiang , Song Yang C. , Sun Ying 
Published: February 2023

AbstractA photochemical model of photosynthetic electron transport (PET) is needed to integrate photophysics, photochemistry, and biochemistry to determine redox conditions of electron carriers and enzymes for plant stress assessment and mechanistically link sun‐induced chlorophyll fluorescence to carbon assimilation for remotely sensing photosynthesis. Towards this goal, we derived photochemical equations governing the states and redox reactions of complexes and electron carriers along the PET chain. These equations allow the redox conditions of the mobile plastoquinone pool and the cytochrome b6f complex (Cyt) to be inferred with typical fluorometry. The equations agreed well with fluorometry measurements from diverse C3/C4species across environments in the relationship between the PET rate and fraction of open photosystem II reaction centres. We found the oxidation of plastoquinol by Cyt is the bottleneck of PET, and genetically improving the oxidation of plastoquinol by Cyt may enhance the efficiency of PET and photosynthesis across species. Redox reactions and photochemical and biochemical interactions are highly redundant in their complex controls of PET. Although individual reaction rate constants cannot be resolved, they appear in parameter groups which can be collectively inferred with fluorometry measurements for broad applications. The new photochemical model developed enables advances in different fronts of photosynthesis research.