bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
C‐type natriuretic peptide induces inotropic and lusitropic effects in human 3D‐engineered cardiac tissue: Implications for the regulation of cardiac function in humans
Authors: Bachmann Julian C. , Kirchhoff Jeppe E. , Napolitano Julia E. , Sorota Steve , Gordon William M. , Feric Nicole , Aschar‐Sobbi Roozbeh , Lv Juan , Cao Zhiyou , Coppieters Ken , Borghetti Giulia , Nyberg Michael 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThe role of C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in the regulation of cardiac function in humans remains to be established as previous investigations have been confined to animal model systems. Here, we used well‐characterized engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs) generated from human stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts to study the acute effects of CNP on contractility. Application of CNP elicited a positive inotropic response as evidenced by increases in maximum twitch amplitude, maximum contraction slope and maximum calcium amplitude. This inotropic response was accompanied by a positive lusitropic response as demonstrated by reductions in time from peak contraction to 90% of relaxation and time from peak calcium transient to 90% of decay that paralleled increases in maximum contraction decay slope and maximum calcium decay slope. To establish translatability, CNP‐induced changes in contractility were also assessed in rat ex vivo (isolated heart) and in vivo models. Here, the effects on force kinetics observed in ECTs mirrored those observed in both the ex vivo and in vivo model systems, whereas the increase in maximal force generation with CNP application was only detected in ECTs. In conclusion, CNP induces a positive inotropic and lusitropic response in ECTs, thus supporting an important role for CNP in the regulation of human cardiac function. The high degree of translatability between ECTs, ex vivo and in vivo models further supports a regulatory role for CNP and expands the current understanding of the translational value of human ECTs.
A polysaccharide utilization locus from
Chitinophaga pinensis
simultaneously targets chitin and β-glucans found in fungal cell walls
Authors: Lu Zijia , Kvammen Alma , Li He , Hao Mengshu , Inman Annie R. , Bulone Vincent , McKee Lauren S. 
Published: July 2023

ABSTRACT

In nature, complex carbohydrates are rarely found as pure isolated polysaccharides. Instead, bacteria in competitive environments are presented with glycans embedded in heterogeneous matrices such as plant or microbial cell walls. Members of the Bacteroidota phylum thrive in such ecosystems because they are efficient at extracting nutrients from complex substrates, secreting consortia of synergistic enzymes to release metabolizable sugars. Carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs) are used to target enzymes to substrates, enhancing reaction rate and product release. Additionally, genome organizational tools like polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) ensure that the appropriate set of enzymes is produced when needed. In this study, we show that the soil bacterium
Chitinophaga pinensis
uses a PUL and several CBMs to coordinate the activities of enzymes targeting two distinct polysaccharides found in fungal cell walls. We describe the enzymatic activities and carbohydrate-binding behaviors of components of the fungal cell wall utilization locus (FCWUL), which uses multiple chitinases and one β-1,3-glucanase to hydrolyze two different substrates. Unusually, one of the chitinases is appended to a β-glucan-binding CBM, implying targeting to a bulk cell wall substrate rather than to the specific polysaccharide being hydrolyzed. Based on our characterization of the PUL’s outer membrane sensor protein, we suggest that the FCWUL is activated by β-1,3-glucans, even though most of its enzymes are chitin-degrading. Our data showcase the complexity of polysaccharide deconstruction in nature and highlight an elegant solution for how multiple different glycans can be accessed using one enzymatic cascade.

IMPORTANCE

We report that the genome of the soil bacterium
Chitinophaga pinensis
encodes three multi-modular carbohydrate-active enzymes that work together to hydrolyze the major polysaccharide components found in fungal cell walls (FCWs). The enzymes are all encoded by one polysaccharide utilization locus and are co-expressed, potentially induced in the presence of β-1,3-glucans. We present biochemical characterization of each enzyme, including the appended carbohydrate-binding modules that likely tether the enzymes to a FCW substrate. Finally, we propose a model for how this so-called fungal cell wall utilization locus might enable
C. pinensis
to metabolize both chitin and β-1,3-glucans found in complex biomass in the soil.
Evaluating the impact of including non-randomised studies of interventions in meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials: a protocol for a meta-epidemiological study
Authors: Yao Minghong , Wang Yuning , Busse Jason W , Briel Matthias , Mei Fan , Li Guowei , Zou Kang , Li Ling , Sun Xin 
Published: July 2023

IntroductionAlthough interest in including non-randomised studies of interventions (NRSIs) in meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is growing, estimates of effectiveness obtained from NRSIs are vulnerable to greater bias than RCTs. The objectives of this study are to: (1) explore how NRSIs can be integrated into a meta-analysis of RCTs; (2) assess concordance of the evidence from non-randomised and randomised trials and explore factors associated with agreement; and (3) investigate the impact on estimates of pooled bodies of evidence when NRSIs are included.Methods and analysisWe will conduct a systematic survey of 210 systematic reviews that include both RCTs and NRSIs, published from 2017 to 2022. We will randomly select reviews, stratified in a 1:1 ratio by Core vs non-Core clinical journals, as defined by the National Library of Medicine. Teams of paired reviewers will independently determine eligibility and abstract data using standardised, pilot-tested forms. The concordance of the evidence will be assessed by exploring agreement in the relative effect reported by NRSIs and RCT addressing the same clinical question, defined as similarity of the population, intervention/exposure, control and outcomes. We will conduct univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine the association of prespecified study characteristics with agreement in the estimates between NRSIs and RCTs. We will calculate the ratio of the relative effect estimate from NRSIs over that from RCTs, along with the corresponding 95% CI. We will use a bias-corrected meta-analysis model to investigate the influence on pooled estimates when NRSIs are included in the evidence synthesis.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and condensed summaries for clinicians, health policymakers and guideline developers regarding the design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of meta-analysis that integrate RCTs and NRSIs.
Implementation of consensus-based perioperative care pathways to reduce clinical variation for elective surgery in an Australian private hospital: a mixed-methods pre–post study protocol
Authors: Pagano Lisa , Hemmert Cameron , Hirschhorn Andrew , Francis-Auton Emilie , Arnolda Gaston , Long Janet C , Braithwaite Jeffrey , Gumley Graham , Hibbert Peter D , Churruca Kate , Hutchinson Karen , Partington Andrew , Hughes Cliff , Gillatt David , Ellis Louise A , Testa Luke , Patel Romika , Sarkies Mitchell N 
Published: July 2023

IntroductionAddressing clinical variation in elective surgery is challenging. A key issue is how to gain consensus between largely autonomous clinicians. Understanding how the consensus process works to develop and implement perioperative pathways and the impact of these pathways on reducing clinical variation can provide important insights into the effectiveness of the consensus process. The primary objective of this study is to understand the implementation of an organisationally supported, consensus approach to implement perioperative care pathways in a private healthcare facility and to determine its impact.MethodsA mixed-methods Effectiveness-Implementation Hybrid (type III) pre–post study will be conducted in one Australian private hospital. Five new consensus-based perioperative care pathways will be developed and implemented for specific patient cohorts: spinal surgery, radical prostatectomy, cardiac surgery, bariatric surgery and total hip and knee replacement. The individual components of these pathways will be confirmed as part of a consensus-building approach and will follow a four-stage implementation process using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment framework. The process of implementation, as well as barriers and facilitators, will be evaluated through semistructured interviews and focus groups with key clinical and non-clinical staff, and participant observation. We anticipate completing 30 interviews and 15–20 meeting observations. Administrative and clinical end-points for at least 152 participants will be analysed to assess the effectiveness of the pathways.Ethics and disseminationThis study received ethical approval from Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Medical Sciences Committee (Reference No: 520221219542374). The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and reports for key stakeholders.
Unsupervised field-based exercise challenge tests to support the detection of exercise-induced lower airway dysfunction in athletes
Authors: Reier-Nilsen Tonje , Stang Julie Sørbø , Flatsetøy Hanne , Isachsen Martine , Ljungberg Henrik , Bahr Roald , Nordlund Björn 
Published: July 2023

BackgroundAthletes are at risk for developing exercise-induced lower airway narrowing. The diagnostic assessment of such lower airway dysfunction (LAD) requires an objective bronchial provocation test (BPT).ObjectivesOur primary aim was to assess if unsupervised field-based exercise challenge tests (ECTs) could confirm LAD by using app-based spirometry. We also aimed to evaluate the diagnostic test performance of field-based and sport-specific ECTs, compared with established eucapnic voluntary hyperpnoea (EVH) and methacholine BPT.MethodsIn athletes with LAD symptoms, sensitivity and specificity analyses were performed to compare outcomes of (1) standardised field-based 8 min ECT at 85% maximal heart rate with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) measured prechallenge and 1 min, 3 min, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min and 30 min postchallenge, (2) unstandardised field-based sport-specific ECT with FEV1measured prechallenge and within 10 min postchallenge, (3) EVH and (4) methacholine BPT.ResultsOf 60 athletes (median age 17.5; range 16–28 years.; 40% females), 67% performed winter-sports, 43% reported asthma diagnosis. At least one positive BPT was observed in 68% (n=41/60), with rates of 51% (n=21/41) for standardised ECT, 49% (n=20/41) for unstandardised ECT, 32% (n=13/41) for EVH and methacholine BPT, while both standardised and unstandardised ECTs were simultaneously positive in only 20% (n=7/35). Standardised and unstandardised ECTs confirmed LAD with 54% sensitivity and 70% specificity, and 46% sensitivity and 68% specificity, respectively, using EVH as a reference, while EVH and methacholine BPT were both 33% sensitive and 85% specific, using standardised ECTs as reference.ConclusionApp-based spirometry for unsupervised field-based ECTs may support the diagnostic process in athletes with LAD symptoms.Trial registration numberNCT04275648.
Sífilis em pessoas vivendo com HIV acompanhados em hospital de referência no Brasil entre 2015 e 2020.
Authors: Alencar Arthur Alves Rodrigues , Magalhães Matheus de Andrade , Lima Hugo Vinícius Carvalho de Abreu e , Medeiros Flávia Patrícia Morais de , Melo Jéssica Menezes Gomes de , Souza Edvaldo da Silva 
Published: July 2023

Introdução: A coinfecção por sífilis e HIV/Aids é amplamente diagnosticada no Brasil pois, além do compartilhamento dos fatores de risco entre as doenças, as lesões da sífilis primária amplificam as chances de disseminação do HIV/Aids. As variáveis clínicas, laboratoriais e epidemiológicas da coinfecção podem modificar-se ao longo do tempo e devem ser periodicamente reavaliadas. Objetivo: Descrever as características clínicas, laboratoriais e epidemiológicas de pacientes com coinfecção de sífilis e HIV/Aids em um hospital no Recife, no período entre 2015 e 2020. Material e Métodos: Este foi um estudo transversal, retrospectivo, realizado por meio de questionário produzido pelos próprios pesquisadores, associando as variáveis clínicas, epidemiológicas, laboratoriais e terapêuticas relacionadas a sífilis em pessoas vivendo com HIV/Aids. Resultados: Foram incluídos 171 pacientes com idade média de 34,2 ± 11 anos, sendo 57,9% (99) do sexo masculino. Houve predomínio de homens pardos ou negros (p=0,017), solteiros, ou sem união estável (p<0,001), bissexuais ou homossexuais (p<0,001), que não realizam o uso de drogas ilícitas (p=0,026) e que realizam sexo anal (p<0,001). Entre as mulheres, predomínio de mulheres não empregadas (p<0,001) com renda inferior à linha de pobreza (p=0,032). O estágio clínico da sífilis em pacientes com HIV/Aids mais frequentemente diagnosticados foi a sífilis latente. Conclusão: Houve predomínio de pacientes com características sociodemográficas específicas, demonstrando um perfil de vulnerabilidade em homens homossexuais e bissexuais, e pardos, que não realizam uso de drogas ilícitas, e que realizam sexo anal. Entre as mulheres, houve predomínio de não empregadas e que vivem com uma renda inferior à linha da pobreza. O estágio clínico da sífilis mais frequentemente diagnosticado foi a sífilis latente.
Palavras-chave (DeCS): sífilis; coinfecção; HIV; Síndrome de Imunodeficiência Adquirida.
Preliminary observations of moth fauna of Purna Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India
Authors: Choudhary Preeti , Sharma Indu 
Published: July 2023

Purna Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sahyadri range in Dang District of Gujarat State. A survey of the sanctuary was conducted to explore moth fauna from the area, as no previous work is available on this group. Thus, an attempt has been made to study the moth fauna based on collections made from April 2019 to March 2021 under the various ranges of the sanctuary. During the study, a list of 42 species referable to 39 genera and nine families have been provided.
Re-sighting record of Kelaart’s Pipistrelle Pipistrellus ceylonicus (Kelaart, 1852) (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from Rajasthan, India
Authors: Khandal Dharmendra , Bohra Dau Lal , Talmale Shyamkant S. 
Published: July 2023

Despite numerous studies and surveys targeting Chiroptera in Rajasthan since 1955, Pipistrellus ceylonicus has not been observed in the state for more than a century since 1913. Based on an adult male specimen recovered from Kusthala village in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, we report the occurrence of this species from the state after more than a century.
Arges De Haan, 1833: a senior synonym of Typhlocarcinops Rathbun, 1909 (Brachyura, Pilumnidae)
Authors: Ng Peter K. L. , Karasawa Hiroaki , Kato Hisayoshi 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
The Holocene fossil crab genus Arges De Haan, 1833, is here shown to be a senior subjective synonym of the pilumnid crab Typhlocarcinops Rathbun, 1909. Both genera possess the diagnostic character of an extremely wide first male pleonal somite that reaches across the wide thoracic sternum to the base of the coxae of the fourth pair of ambulatory legs. Arges parallelus (De Haan, 1833), is also here regarded as a senior subjective synonym of Typhlocarcinops decrescens Rathbun, 1904, a species known from Japan, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Indonesian Papua.
Reconstructing Melito of Sardis’s Interpretation of Revelation’s New Jerusalem
Authors: Betz Nathan 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Of the earliest Christian authors whose interpretation of the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21–22 has gone missing, the case of Melito of Sardis is perhaps the most regrettable. Heir to early Asian Johannine tradition and author of a lost treatise on Revelation, Melito had a high regard for the text. However, his view on the text’s much-contested New Jerusalem – whether it is literal, this-worldly, and millennial or allegorical, spiritual, and perhaps immanent – has never been studied. Building on and adding to an emerging consensus that Melito was not a millennialist, I attempt to reconstruct Melito’s understanding of the New Jerusalem by drawing on his Peri Pascha and surviving fragments from elsewhere in his corpus. In the end, I discover him to have a firmly ecclesiological and mystical understanding of the city. That he advanced this understanding, which he presents without qualification or apology, indicates further that Melito likely bears witness to a yet earlier spiritual and allegorical reading of Revelation’s Heavenly Jerusalem.
The Ascetic Subculture of the Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin
Authors: Berglund Carl Johan 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
In a fourth- or fifth-century narrative known as the Acts of Thomas and his Wonderworking Skin, Jesus sells the apostle Thomas as a slave to the governor of India. When the governor’s wife converts to Christianity, dumps all her earthly riches outside her front door, and turns celibate, the governor has the apostle tortured and his skin flayed off, but Thomas survives, and uses his peeled-off skin to raise the dead. This paper uses Kathryn Tanner’s concept of culture to compare the ideals advocated by this story – servitude to Christ, voluntary poverty, sexual abstinence, readiness to suffer, and zeal for evangelization – to ideals expressed in first-century Christian literature. The subculture expressed by the narrative is found to consist entirely of ideals also expressed in the New Testament, which are updated, recontextualized, and radicalized in order to reach an audience of fourth- or fifth-century Christians.
Christmas in May?
Authors: Ray Walter D. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
This article re-examines evidence collected by Bernard Botte for a commemoration of the birth of Christ in the middle of May in the early Jerusalem liturgical calendar, focusing especially on the mid-May commemoration of the Infants Slain by Herod in the Armenian lectionary. It finds the case for such a commemoration to be strong and suggests a possible connection with Pentecost and the date for the birth of Isaac in the Book of Jubilees. It adds to the evidence the commemoration of Mary Theotokos on August 15 in the Armenian lectionary.
New Insights into Multiyear La Niña Dynamics from the Perspective of a Near-Annual Ocean Process
Authors: Liu Fangyu , Zhang Wenjun , Jin Fei-Fei , Jiang Feng , Boucharel Julien , Hu Suqiong 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exhibits highly asymmetric temporal evolutions between its warm and cold phases. While El Niño events usually terminate rapidly after their mature phase and show an already established transition into the cold phase by the following summer, many La Niña events tend to persist throughout the second year and even reintensify in the ensuing winter. While many mechanisms were proposed, no consensus has been reached yet and the essential physical processes responsible for the multiyear behavior of La Niña remain to be illustrated. Here, we show that a unique ocean physical process operates during multiyear La Niña events. It is characterized by rapid double reversals of zonal ocean current anomalies in the equatorial Pacific and exhibits a fairly regular near-annual periodicity. Mixed-layer heat budget analyses reveal comparable contributions of the thermocline and zonal advective feedbacks to the SST anomaly growth in the first year of multiyear La Niña events; however, the zonal advective feedback plays a dominant role in the reintensification of La Niña events. Furthermore, the unique ocean process is identified to be closely associated with the preconditioning heat content state in the central to eastern equatorial Pacific before the first year of La Niña, which has been shown in previous studies to play an active role in setting the stage for the future reintensification of La Niña. Despite systematic underestimation, the above oceanic process can be broadly reproduced by state-of-the-art climate models, providing a potential additional source of predictability for the multiyear La Niña events.
The Nature and Implications of Lifestyle Transitions for Persistent Heroin Use
Authors: Morgan James , Bennett Trevor 
Published: July 2023

Background While existing research has tended to focus on specific drug user groups, the current paper explores how people who use heroin might move between such groups over time. Building on previous research that has identified types of heroin-using lifestyles, we investigate the nature and extent of lifestyle transitions from one type to another. In doing so, we examine the implications that lifestyle transitions might have for drug use as well as harm-reduction strategies and treatment. Methods The research was based on a sample of 51 people who use heroin interviewed for a study into persistent heroin use, 38 of whom provided data relating to transitions between heroin-using lifestyles. Results Participants in the study explained changes in their lifestyles through three distinct narrative themes: grabbing onto ‘hooks for change’, ‘taking an opportunity’, and ‘losing control’. The findings also show how, through case studies, the nature and implications of lifestyle transitions can be wide ranging. Conclusion While such explanations for change have been identified in criminological and substance use literature, they have not, to our knowledge, been used to understand changes within heroin-using careers. Further theoretical work to develop these concepts and advance understanding of persistent heroin use is encouraged, as is using these concepts to inform policy and practice.
Dry sliding wear and mechanical investigations on flyash particulates - Lapinus fibre - polyamide 66 polymer composites: Ranking analysis using hybrid Analytic Hierarchy Process-R method
Authors: Sharma Ravi Prakash , Kumar Mukesh , Kumar Ashiwani 
Published: July 2023

This research work examines the physical, mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and dry sliding wear performance of hybrid waste flyash particulates (F-class; 0-20 wt% @ step of 5%) – Lapinus fibres (fixed 10 wt%) reinforced Polyamide 66 polymer composites fabricated using the twin screw extruder and injection moulding machine. This follows worn surface morphology to understand the prevailing wear mechanisms responsible for surface damage during sliding. Optimization of control parameters and identification of their order of significance in the dry sliding wear process is performed using Taguchi’s design of experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Further, ranking optimization of the hybrid composite specimens based on their performance metrics is analysed using the hybrid AHP-R method. It has been observed that the hybrid composite specimens having 10 wt% flyash particulates optimize the overall performance metrics; therefore, it may be recommended to fabricate parts or components for industrial usage. It tends to have an experimental density of 1.18 g/cc, voids content of 7.11%, water absorption of 3.87%, tensile strength of 105.95 MPa, flexural strength of 144.86 MPa, Rockwell hardness of 58.12 HRM, fracture toughness of 4.11 MPa√m, Impact strength of 1.86 J, thermal conductivity of 1.08 W/mK, and specific wear rate of 1.12 × 10−3 mm3/Nm. This observation was attuned to the ranking analysis using the hybrid AHP-R method.