bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ex Vivo Immunomodulatory Effects of Lactobacillus-, Lacticaseibacillus-, and Bifidobacterium-Containing Synbiotics on Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells in the Context of Grass Pollen Allergy
Authors: Heldner Alexander , Heath Matthew D. , Schnautz Benjamin , Kotz Sebastian , Chaker Adam , Kramer Matthias F. , Jakwerth Constanze A. , Zissler Ulrich M. , Schmidt-Weber Carsten B. , Blank Simon 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSensing of the intestinal microbiota by the host immune system is important to induce protective immune responses. Hence, modification of the gut microbiota might be able to prevent or treat allergies, mediated by proinflammatory Th2 immune responses. The aim was to investigate the ex vivo immunomodulatory effects of the synbiotics Pollagen® and Kallergen®, containing the probiotic bacterial strains Lactobacillus, Lacticaseibacillus and Bifidobacterium, in the context of grass pollen allergy. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from grass pollen–allergic patients and healthy controls were stimulated with grass pollen extract (GPE) and synbiotics and Gata3 expression and cytokine secretion analyzed. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) cells were matured in the presence of GPE and synbiotics, co-cultured with autologous naïve T cells and maturation markers and cytokine secretion analyzed. GPE stimulation of PBMCs from grass pollen–allergic patients resulted in a significant higher production of the Th2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13 compared to healthy controls. Gata3+CD4+ T cell induction was independent of the allergic status. The synbiotics promoted IL-10 and IFN-γ secretion and downregulated the GPE-induced Th2-like phenotype. Co-culturing naïve T cells with MoDCs, matured in the presence of GPE and synbiotics, shifted the GPE-induced Th2 cytokine release towards Th1-Th17-promoting conditions in allergic subjects. The investigated synbiotics are effective in downregulating the GPE-induced Th2 immune response in PBMCs from grass pollen–allergic patients as well as in autologous MoDC-T cell stimulation assays. In addition to increased IL-10 release, the data indicates a shift from a Th2- to a more Th1- and Th17-like phenotype.
Clinical, individual and environmental factors related to children’s health-related quality of life following treatment under general anaesthetic for dental caries: a path analysis
Authors: Knapp R. , Marshman Zoe , Gilchrist Fiona , Vettore Mario , Rodd Helen 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Objective
To examine the impact of clinical, individual, and environmental factors on children’s oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and overall health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following dental caries management under general anaesthetic (GA).

Methods
Participants comprised 5- to 16-year-old children who were referred to a British Dental Hospital, for the management of their dental caries under GA. The Caries Impacts and Experiences Questionnaire for Children (CARIES-QC) and the Child Health Utility 9D (CHU9D) were used to assess child-reported OHRQoL and HRQoL, respectively, at baseline and 3-months follow up. A theoretical conceptual model, based on the Wilson and Cleary model of HRQOL, was evaluated using path analysis to explore indirect and direct relationships of the clinical, individual, and environmental variables on the quality of life outcomes following treatment.

Results
85 children completed the study. Path analyses revealed that 47% of the variance in OHRQoL scores was accounted for by the variables in the model. There were significant relationships between change in OHRQoL score and treatment type [extraction only vs. combination care (β = 1.41, p = 0.07)] and number of extractions (β = 0.46, p < 0.001). A higher number of tooth extractions was associated with poorer OHRQoL and HRQoL following treatment.

Conclusions
Treatment type, via number of extractions, may significantly impact on child OHRQoL and HRQoL following treatment under GA. However, to identify any other factors, that might affect these key outcomes, further enquiry is warranted with a bigger sample.
Human genital tracts microbiota: dysbiosis crucial for infertility
Authors: Venneri M. A. , Franceschini E. , Sciarra F. , Rosato E. , D’Ettorre G. , Lenzi A. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractHuman body is colonized by trillions of microbes, influenced by several factors, both endogenous, as hormones and circadian regulation, and exogenous as, life-style habits and nutrition. The alteration of such factors can lead to microbial dysbiosis, a phenomenon which, in turn, represents a risk factor in many different pathologies including cancer, diabetes, autoimmune and cardiovascular disease, and infertility. Female microbiota dysbiosis (vaginal, endometrial, placental) and male microbiota dysbiosis (seminal fluid) can influence the fertility, determining a detrimental impact on various conditions, as pre-term birth, neonatal illnesses, and macroscopic sperm parameters impairments. Furthermore, unprotected sexual intercourse creates a bacterial exchange between partners, and, in addition, each partner can influence the microbiota composition of partner’s reproductive tracts. This comprehensive overview of the effects of bacterial dysbiosis in both sexes and how partners might influence each other will allow for better personalization of infertility management.
Common Subtype of Small Renal Mass MR Imaging Characterisation: A Medical Center Experience in Taiwan
Authors: Liu Ming-Cheng , Liu Yi-Jui , Lin Yen-Ting , Hung Siu-Wan , Chai Jyh-Wen , Chan Si-Wa , Chiu Kun-Yuan , Tsou Ya-Ling 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Many studies have shown that multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be helpful for differentiating malignant renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) from benign lesions. However, the key imaging characteristics that differ between malignant and benign tumors still require further discussion.

Methods
We analyzed 60 adult patients diagnosed with 72 small renal masses (SRMs) who received preoperative MRI from 2014 to 2019 at a hospital in Taiwan. The MRI features included conventional MRI parameters, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) data, and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) patterns, which were documented and compared among the four common subtypes: clear cell RCC (ccRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC), angiomyolipoma (AML) and other types of RCC. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of high- and low-grade RCCs were also analyzed.

Results
The results show that ccRCC had higher T2-weighted signal intensity than the other three subgroups, a higher arterial wash-in index (AWI) and ADC value than AML and pRCC, and manifested a plateau (n = 9, 25%) or washout (n = 27, 75%) enhancement pattern. AMLs exhibited more intravoxel fat than the other three subtype groups, and half of the AMLs (6 in 12) contained bulk fat. pRCC demonstrated a more progressive (n = 3, 60%) enhancement pattern than the other three subgroups. The ADC value of high-grade RCCs was significantly lower than that of low-grade RCCs.

Conclusion
These findings may indicate that multiparametric MRI is useful in differentiating among four common pathological types of SRMs, and the ADC value may be helpful in evaluating the histological grade of malignancy.
Integrating assisted tele-psychiatry into primary healthcare in Goa, India: a feasibility study
Authors: Garg Ankur , Agrawal Ravindra , Velleman Richard , Rane Anil , Costa Sheina , Gupta Devika , Dsouza Ethel , Jambhale Abhijeet , Sabnis Akshada , Fernandes Godwin , Bhatia Urvita , Nadkarni Abhijit 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundTele-psychiatry is an increasingly acceptable and feasible platform to deliver mental health care with the potential to increase access to care in low-resource settings. We aim to examine the acceptability and preliminary impact of the delivery of assisted tele-psychiatry services in primary healthcare settings in Goa, India.MethodsBefore-after uncontrolled treatment cohort study. In total, 161 adults with either a mental or alcohol use disorder were provided tele-consultation by psychiatrists through a customised video conferencing platform, along with medication or counselling (via trained lay counsellors) or both as needed. Data on socio-demographics, clinical outcomes and process indicators were collected at baseline and 3 months post-baseline. Paired t tests were used to assess clinical outcomes pre- and post-treatment using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) and World Health Organisation Disability Adjustment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0, and logistic regression was used to find associations between changes in these scores and various factors.ResultsThe most common diagnosis was depression (35%). Post-treatment, there was a significant reduction in both GHQ-12 and WHODAS 2.0 scores. Participants showed high satisfaction with the tele-psychiatry services and technology platform. Improvement in GHQ-12 score was associated with being employed [OR 8.74 (1.92–39.75, p = 0.005)] and being a homemaker [OR 6.42 (CI 1.61–25.57, p = 0.008)].ConclusionTreatment of mental disorders through a tele-psychiatry platform appears to be highly acceptable and is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Considering its potential for scalability, a model of assisted tele-psychiatry integrated into primary care can be an important strategy to increase access to mental healthcare in low-resource settings.
Does ideology influence hiring in China? evidence from two randomized experiments
Authors: Pan Jennifer , Zhang Tongtong 
Published: February 2022

AbstractChina after Mao is typically characterized as a country where economic opportunities are based on merit instead of ideological conformity. However, the salience of ideology has grown under the rule of Xi Jinping. Using a large-scale resume audit experiment and a conjoint survey experiment of hiring managers in China, we find that firms in China do not reward job candidates for expressing conformity to the ideology of the regime, but job candidates who express support for Western democracy are less employable. Results suggest that firms in innovative industries designated as strategically important by the Chinese regime (e.g., artificial intelligence) penalize support for Western democracy by the largest magnitude while the remaining firms in innovative industries do not penalize political non-conformity.
Public opinion on welfare state recalibration in times of austerity: evidence from survey experiments
Authors: Bremer Björn , Bürgisser Reto 
Published: February 2022

AbstractEven though social investment is highly popular, welfare state recalibration remains an uphill battle. When resources are scarce in times of austerity, welfare recalibration involves multidimensional trade-offs. Existing research primarily studied preferences toward individual policies or trade-offs in specific policy fields, failing to capture citizens’ overall social policy priorities. Using two novel survey experiments in three European countries, we show that citizens have clear social policy priorities: pensions and education enjoy a high, family policies a medium, and labor market policies a low priority. However, policy constituencies differ in their relative priorities. Our findings suggest that welfare state recalibration is difficult because trade-offs are unpopular, and distributive conflicts in mature welfare states are mainly about distributing resources to specific social groups.
Association of alcohol types, coffee and tea intake with mortality: prospective cohort study of UK Biobank participants
Authors: Schaefer Sylva M. , Kaiser Anna , Behrendt Inken , Eichner Gerrit , Fasshauer Mathias 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe present study examines how alcohol intake from wine and non-wine alcoholic beverages (non-wine) in g/d, as well as cups of coffee and tea included as continuous covariates and mutually adjusted are associated with all-cause, cancer, non-cancer and CVD mortality. Consumption was assessed in 354 386 participants of the UK Biobank cohort who drank alcohol at least occasionally and survived at least 2 years after baseline with 20 201 deaths occurring over 4·2 million person-years. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality were assessed with Cox proportional hazard regression models and beverage intake fitted as penalised cubic splines. A significant U-shaped association was detected between wine consumption and all-cause, non-cancer and CVD mortality. Wine consumption with lowest risk of death (nadir) ranged from 19 to 23 g alcohol/d in all participants and both sexes separately. In contrast, non-wine intake was significantly and positively associated in a dose-dependent manner with all mortality types studied except for CVD in females and with the nadir between 0 and 12 g alcohol/d. In all participants, the nadir for all-cause mortality was 2 cups coffee/d with non-coffee drinkers showing a slightly increased risk of death. Tea consumption was significantly and negatively associated with all mortality types in both sexes. Taken together, light to moderate consumption of wine but not non-wine is associated with decreased all-cause and non-cancer mortality. A minor negative association of coffee consumption with mortality cannot be excluded whereas tea intake is associated with a consistently decreased risk of all mortality types studied.
Degree of food processing and breast cancer risk in black urban women from Soweto, South African: the South African Breast Cancer study
Authors: Jacobs Inarie , Taljaard-Krugell Christine , Wicks Mariaan , Cubasch Herbert , Joffe Maureen , Laubscher Ria , Romieu Isabelle , Levy Renata B. , Rauber Fernanda , Biessy Carine , Rinaldi Sabina , Huybrechts Inge 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods, whole foods and breast cancer risk in black women from Soweto, South Africa. A population-based case (n 396)–control (n 396) study matched on age and residence, using data from the South African Breast Cancer study. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated quantified FFQ. Food items were categorised using the NOVA system ((1) unprocessed/minimally processed foods, (2) culinary ingredients, (3) processed foods and (4) ultra-processed foods). Conditional logistic regression models were used to estimate OR and 95 % CI of dietary contributions from each NOVA food group (as a percentage of total energy intake (EI)) and adjusting for potential confounders. Considering contributions to total EI per day, ultra-processed food consumption contributed to 44·8 % in cases and 47·9 % in controls, while unprocessed/minimally processed foods contributed to 38·8 % in cases and 35·2 % in controls. Unprocessed/minimally processed food consumption showed an inverse association with breast cancer risk overall (OR = 0·52, 95 % CI 0·35, 0·78), as well as in pre- and postmenopausal women separately (OR = 0·52, 95 % CI 0·27, 0·95 and OR = 0·55, 95 % CI 0·35, 0·89, respectively) and in women with progesterone positive breast cancer (OR = 0·23, 95 % CI 0·06, 0·86). There was no heterogeneity in association with breast cancer when analyses were stratified according to BMI. No significant associations were observed for the consumption of other NOVA food groups. Intake of unprocessed/minimally processed foods may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in black women from Soweto, South Africa.
The War at the Workplace: Calcutta's Dockworkers and Changing Labour Regime, 1939–1945
Authors: Agarwal Prerna 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe upheavals of World War II prepared a new labour regime in twentieth-century India, in employers’ chambers, government offices, and in the newly established Labour Department, but as crucially, at the workplace and on the shop floor. This article studies the case of Calcutta port, an important military port in Southeast Asia after the fall of Singapore and Rangoon, where the complex historical processes resulting from the war generated an unprecedented impetus for the transformation of the labour regime. It examines the powerful impact and dynamics of the war at two levels: at the level of long-run changes in the work organization, and, through a microhistory approach, at the level of workers’ everyday wartime experiences. Under wartime exigencies, the employers introduced ad hoc, piecemeal, but significant reforms – food rations, bonuses, higher wages, housing provisions, and regularization of employment – that were more extensive than originally conceived of and proved to be irreversible, and, ultimately, cracked open a labour regime based on casual labour. The focus on workers’ experiences shows us how the measures designed for stabilization and efficiency proved to be profoundly unsettling in the context of dramatic events that pervaded the workplace. In the shadows of the war, workers and employers experienced a balance of forces in flux. Labour relations were marked by anticipations, hostility, tensions, and, increasingly, sharpness of conflict. The article argues that, by the end of the 1940s, the employers and the state had overcome an industrial relations crisis through nothing less than a restructuring of port labour relations, creating a highly regulated “formal sector” with significant welfare provisions.
The impacts of human activity on mammals in a community forest near the Dja Biosphere Reserve in Cameroon
Authors: Tudge Sophie Jane , Brittain Stephanie , Kentatchime Fabrice , Kamogne Tagne Cédric Thibaut , Rowcliffe J. Marcus 
Published: February 2022

AbstractHuman activity in African tropical rainforests continues to threaten wild mammals. Many rural communities are dependent on hunting, yet there is a widespread lack of baseline data on ecology and the sustainability of hunting. We investigated the impacts of human activity on mammal species composition and distributions within a community forest surrounding a village in the buffer zone of the Dja Biosphere Reserve in south-east Cameroon. We conducted a camera-trap survey in August–November 2017 and detected 24 mammal species, including Critically Endangered western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Endangered central African chimpanzee Pan troglodytes troglodytes and Endangered tree pangolin Phataginus tricuspis. We used occupancy analysis to explore relationships between indicators of human activity (distance to a road and the Reserve), habitat quality (distance to the river and tree cover) and the distributions of species. We found that the local distribution of threatened mammals was not apparently limited by human activity, and proximity to the road did not negatively influence occupancy for any species. However, most of the Reserve's large species were not detected, including the African forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis and the largest ungulates, and the occupancy of two species commonly hunted for wild meat was positively correlated with distance from the village, indicating hunting may be unsustainable. Our results show that the community forest provides habitat for threatened species outside the Reserve and in close proximity to people. However, effective conservation management will require continued monitoring and research to determine whether current rates of hunting are sustainable.
Lag effects in grammar learning: A desirable difficulties perspective
Authors: Serfaty Jonathan , Serrano Raquel 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis paper examined lag effects in the learning of second language (L2) grammar. Moreover, following the Desirable Difficulty Framework for L2 practice, the present study investigated whether lag effects could be explained by other sources of difficulty. Using digital flashcards, 117 English language learners (aged 10–18) learned two grammatical structures over two different sessions at a 1-day or 7-day intersession interval (ISI). Learners’ performance was analyzed at two retention intervals (RIs) of 7 and 28 days, respectively. Linguistic difficulty was compared by examining two different structures, while learner-related difficulty was analyzed by comparing learners who differed in terms of age, proficiency, and time required to complete the training. Results showed no main effect of ISI, a main effect of RI, and a small but significant ISI × RI interaction. Linguistic difficulty and age did not interact with ISI or RI. However, longer lags led to significantly higher scores for faster learners and learners of higher proficiency, while shorter lags promoted significantly higher scores for slower learners and learners of lower proficiency. The findings provide some support for the Desirable Difficulty Framework in its potential to explain L2 lag effects.
A tool to evaluate accessibility due to sea-ice cover: a case study of the Weddell Sea, Antarctica
Authors: Pehlke Hendrik , Brey Thomas , Konijnenberg Rebecca , Teschke Katharina 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSea ice is the major constraint on human activities in the Southern Ocean. Depending on a vessel's ice class, human mobility may be restricted or even prevented altogether by sea-ice conditions. This may imply limited access to research or monitoring stations, preferred fishing grounds or attractive tourist sites. Here, we introduce a statistical model that evaluates the sea-ice cover with two measures: 1) accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time) and 2) repeated accessibility (i.e. the probability that a given area is navigable by vessels at a given time and again at least once within a defined timespan). We use daily sea-ice concentration data from 2002 to 2020 to demonstrate this tool and its functioning regarding the spatiotemporal variability of sea-ice cover in the wider Weddell Sea region. These findings reflect known characteristics of sea-ice distribution and dynamics in the Weddell Sea, confirming the functionality of our simple tool for determining repeated accessibility of certain areas. Such a tool may facilitate the planning of research and monitoring activities in the Southern Ocean, as well as in Arctic seas.
The developmental course of loneliness in adolescence: Implications for mental health, educational attainment, and psychosocial functioning
Authors: Matthews Timothy , Qualter Pamela , Bryan Bridget T. , Caspi Avshalom , Danese Andrea , Moffitt Terrie E. , Odgers Candice L. , Strange Lily , Arseneault Louise 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe present study examined patterns of stability and change in loneliness across adolescence. Data were drawn from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a UK population-representative cohort of 2,232 individuals born in 1994 and 1995. Loneliness was assessed when participants were aged 12 and 18. Loneliness showed modest stability across these ages (r = .25). Behavioral genetic modeling indicated that stability in loneliness was explained largely by genetic influences (66%), while change was explained by nonshared environmental effects (58%). Individuals who reported loneliness at both ages were broadly similar to individuals who only reported it at age 18, with both groups at elevated risk of mental health problems, physical health risk behaviors, and education and employment difficulties. Individuals who were lonely only at age 12 generally fared better; however, they were still more likely to finish school with lower qualifications. Positive family influences in childhood predicted reduced risk of loneliness at age 12, while negative peer experiences increased the risk. Together, the findings show that while early adolescent loneliness does not appear to exert a cumulative burden when it persists, it is nonetheless a risk for a range of concomitant impairments, some of which can endure.