bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pregnancy outcomes and long-term patient and graft survival after kidney transplantation
Authors: Radaelli Eloísa , Meinerz Gisele , Jacobina Lázaro Pereira , Bruno Rosana Mussoi , Garcia Valter Duro , Stefani Eduarda Tanus , Lima Letícia Kortz Motta , Weber Natália Klaus , Keitel Elizete 
Published: January 2022

ABSTRACTIntroductionKidney transplant is considered the method of choice in the treatment of end-stage chronic kidney disease, improving survival and quality of life, and often allowing the recovery of fertility among woman. Objective: This study aims to assess the outcomes of post-transplant pregnancy, newborn and patient graft survival, compared to a control group of transplanted women who weren’t pregnant.MethodsA retrospective case-control study was conducted at the Kidney Transplant Service of Santa Casa de Misericórdia in Porto Alegre, among 1.253 female patients who underwent kidney transplantation and were of childbearing age between 1977 and 2016. They were compared to a control group matched for age, type of donor, date of transplant and immunological risk.Results76 (6,1%) of the patients became pregnant, resulting in a total of 93 pregnancies. Compared to the control group, at 10 years after transplantation there was no significant difference in relation to graft loss (74% vs 66%, p=0.524), and the survival of pregnant patients was higher (97% vs 79%, p=0.018). We found that 40% pregnancies progressed to abortion, 30% of the deliveries were preterm, and 26% happened at term. Three pregnancies progressed to stillbirth. Of the 56 pregnancies that evolved, 23 (41%) resulted in pre-eclampsia, and one in eclampsia.Conclusion6,1% of the women in the study became pregnant, and 56% of these pregnancies were successful. Compared to the control group, we found that those who got pregnant had similar graft survival outcomes and longer patient survival.
The impact of repeated rapid test strategies on the effectiveness of at-home antiviral treatments for SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Menkir Tigist F , Donnelly Christl A 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAs has been consistently demonstrated, rapid tests administered at regular intervals can offer significant benefits to both individuals and their communities at large by helping identify whether an individual is infected and potentially infectious. An additional advantage to the tested individuals is that positive tests may be provided sufficiently early enough during their infections that treatment with antiviral treatments can effectively inhibit development of severe disease, particularly when PCR uptake is limited and/or delays to receipt of results are substantial. Here, we provide a quantitative illustration of the extent to which rapid tests administered at various intervals can deliver benefits accrued from the novel Pfizer treatment (nirmatrelvir) among high-risk populations. We find that strategies in which tests are administered more frequently, i.e. every other day or every three days, are associated with greater reductions in the risk of hospitalization with weighted risk ratios ranging from 0.17 (95% CI: 0.11-0.28) to 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69-0.83) and correspondingly, higher proportions of the infected population benefiting from treatment, ranging from 0.26 (95% CI: 0.18-0.34) to 0.92 (95% CI: 0.80-0.98). We further observed that reduced positive-test-to-treatment delays and increased testing and treatment coverage have a critical influence on average treatment benefits, confirming the significance of access.
SARS-CoV-2 surveillance (09/2020 - 03/2021) in elementary schools and daycare facilities in Bavaria
Authors: Kern Anna , Kuhlmann Pia H. , Matl Stefan , Ege Markus , Maison Nicole , Eckert Jana , von Both Ulrich , Behrends Uta , Anger Melanie , Frühwald Michael C. , Gerstlauer Michael , Woelfle Joachim , Neubert Antje , Melter Michael , Liese Johannes , Goettler David , Sing Andreas , Liebl Bernhard , Hübner Johannes , Klein Christoph ,   the COVID Kids Bavaria Consortium
Published: January 2022

AbstractHere we report our results of a multi-center, open cohort study (“COVID-Kids-Bavaria”) investigating the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 among children and staff in 99 daycare facilities and 48 elementary schools in Bavaria, Germany. Overall, 2568 children (1337 school children, 1231 preschool children) and 1288 adults (466 teachers, 822 daycare staff) consented to participate in the study and were randomly tested in three consecutive phases (September/October 2020, November/December 2020, March 2021). In total, 7062 throat swabs were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. In phase I, only one daycare worker tested positive. In phase II, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in three daycare workers, two preschool children, and seven school children. In phase III, no sample tested positive. This corresponds to a positive test rate of 0.05% in phase I, 0.4% in phase II and 0% in phase III. After phase III, antibody testing was offered to 713 study participants in elementary schools. A seroprevalence rate of 7.7% (students) and 4.5% (teachers) was determined. We conclude that during the initial waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the risk of a positive SARS-CoV-2 result correlated positively with the local 7-day incidence. Thus, an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the setting of daycare and elementary schooling was unlikely.
The organisation of nurse staffing in intensive care units: a qualitative study
Authors: Endacott Ruth , Dall’Ora Chiara , Richardson Annette , Griffiths Peter , Pattison Natalie , Pearce Susie ,   xSEISMIC research team
Published: January 2022

AbstractAimsTo examine the organisation of the nursing workforce in intensive care units and identify factors that influence how the workforce operates.BackgroundPre-pandemic UK survey data show that up to 60% of intensive care units (ICUs) did not meet locally agreed staffing numbers and 40% of ICUs were closing beds at least once a week because of workforce shortages, specifically nursing. Nurse staffing in ICUs is based on the assumption that sicker patients need more nursing resource than those recovering from critical illness. These standards are based on historical working, and expert professional consensus, deemed the weakest form of evidence.MethodsFocus groups with health care professionals working in ICUs (n= 52 participants) and individual interviews with critical care network leads and policy leads (n= 14 participants) in England between December 2019 and July 2020. Data were analysed using framework analysis.FindingsThree themes were identified: the constraining or enabling nature of ICU and hospital structures; whole team processes to mitigate nurse staffing shortfalls; and the impact of nurse staffing on patient, staff and ICU flow outcomes. Staff made decisions about staffing throughout a shift and were influenced by a combination of factors illuminated in the three themes.ConclusionsWhilst nurse: patient ratios were clearly used to set the nursing establishment, it was clear that rostering and allocation/re-allocation during a shift took into account many other factors, such as patient and family nursing needs, staff wellbeing, ICU layout and the experience, and availability, of other members of the multi-professional team. This has important implications for future planning for ICU nurse staffing and highlights important factors to be accounted for in future research studies.Implications for Nursing ManagementThe potential opportunities for different staffing models are likely to be highly dependent on other professions. Hence, any change to staffing models needs to take into account how different professions work together.Factors such as ICU layout, reported to influence nurse staffing decisions, suggest that patient safety in ICU may not be best served by blanket ‘ratio’ approaches to nurse staffing, intended to apply uniformly across health services.The findings have the potential to feed into discussions about funding tariffs for critical care and quality metrics to be included in commissioning contracts.
DRAGON-Data: A platform and protocol for integrating genomic and phenotypic data across large psychiatric cohorts
Authors: Hubbard Leon , Lynham Amy J. , Knott Sarah , Underwood Jack F. G. , Anney Richard , Bisson Jonathan I. , van den Bree Marianne.B.M , Craddock Nick , O’Donovan Michael , Jones Ian , Kirov George , Langley Kate , Martin Joanna , Rice Frances , Roberts Neil , Thapar Anita , Owen Michael J. , Hall Jeremy , Pardiñas Antonio F. , Walters James T.R. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractIntroductionCurrent psychiatric diagnoses, although heritable, have not been clearly mapped onto distinct underlying pathogenic processes. The same symptoms often occur in multiple disorders, and a substantial proportion of both genetic and environmental risk factors are shared across disorders. However, the relationship between shared symptomatology and shared genetic liability is still poorly understood. Well-characterised, cross-disorder samples are needed to investigate this matter, but currently few exist, and severe mental disorders are poorly represented in existing biobanking efforts. Purposely curated and aggregated data from individual research groups can fulfil this unmet need, resulting in rich resources for psychiatric research.Methods and analysesAs part of the Cardiff MRC Mental Health Data Pathfinder, we have curated and harmonised phenotypic and genetic information from 15 studies within the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics to create a new data repository, DRAGON-DATA. To date, DRAGON-DATA includes over 45,000 individuals: adults or children with psychiatric diagnoses, affected probands with family members and individuals who carry a known neurodevelopmental copy number variant (ND-CNV). We have processed the available phenotype information to derive core variables that can be reliably analysed across groups. In addition, all datasets with genotype information have undergone rigorous quality control, imputation, CNV calling and polygenic score generation.Ethics and DisseminationDRAGON-DATA combines genetic and non-genetic information and is available as a resource for research across traditional psychiatric diagnostic categories. Its structure and governance follow standard UK ethical requirements (at the level of participating studies and the project as a whole) and conforms to principles reflected in the EU data protection scheme (GDPR). Algorithms and pipelines used for data harmonisation are currently publicly available for the scientific community, and an appropriate data sharing protocol will be developed as part of ongoing projects (DATAMIND) in partnership with HDR UK.
Association of Age-Related Macular Degeneration With Mortality: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
Authors: Chen Yifan , Wang Yueye , Shang Xianwen , Wang Wei , Zhu Zhuoting 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPurposeTo investigate the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 10-year all-cause and cause-specific mortality using a large-scale population-based sample.MethodsData from the 2005-2008 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to assess the risk of mortality in relation to AMD in a propensity score-matched cohort. AMD status was assessed by retinal images with the standardized grading scheme. Mortality data until 31st December 2015 were derived from mortality archives. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for survival.ResultsA total of 4691 participants were included. After a median follow-up of 8.42 (IQR: 7.58-9.67) years, 698 participants died. Participants with any AMD had an increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.37-2.98). Similar results were observed for early (HR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.31-2.85) and late AMD (HR, 4.29; 95% CI, 2.10-8.79). For cause-specific mortality, any (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.39-3.39), early (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.36-3.51), and late AMD (HR, 3.95; 95% CI, 1.65-9.46) were associated with significantly higher mortality due to causes other than cardiovascular disease (CVD) or cancer. Late AMD independently predicted a higher risk of CVD mortality (HR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.32-4.65).ConclusionsThe current study showed that any, early, and late AMD were associated with increased risks of all-cause mortality and mortality due to causes other than CVD or cancer. In addition, we found that late AMD was associated with increased risks of CVD mortality.SynopsisLate macular degeneration independently predicted higher cardiovascular disease mortality. Any, early and late age-related macular degeneration were associated with higher all-cause mortality and mortality due to causes other than cardiovascular disease or cancer.
Mutations in TIC100 impair and repair chloroplast protein import and impact retrograde signalling
Authors: Loudya Naresh , Maffei Douglas P. F. , Bédard Jocelyn , Ali Sabri Mohd. , Devlin Paul , Jarvis R. Paul , López-Juez Enrique 
Published: January 2022

AbstractChloroplast biogenesis requires synthesis of proteins in the nucleocytoplasm and the chloroplast itself. Nucleus-encoded chloroplast proteins are imported via multiprotein translocons in the organelle’s envelope membranes. Controversy exists around whether a 1 MDa complex comprising TIC20, TIC100 and other proteins constitutes the inner membrane TIC translocon. The Arabidopsis cue8 virescent mutant is broadly defective in plastid development. We identify CUE8 as TIC100. The tic100cue8 mutant accumulates reduced levels of 1 MDa complex components and exhibits reduced import of two nucleus-encoded chloroplast proteins of different import profiles. A search for suppressors of tic100cue8 identified a second mutation within the same gene, tic100soh1, which rescues the visible, 1 MDa complex-subunit abundance, and chloroplast protein import phenotypes. tic100soh1 retains but rapidly exits virescence, and rescues the synthetic lethality of tic100cue8 when retrograde signalling is impaired by the gun1 mutation. Alongside the strong virescence, changes in RNA editing and the presence of unimported precursor proteins show that a strong signalling response is triggered when TIC100 function is altered. Our results are consistent with a role for TIC100, and by extension the 1 MDa complex, in the chloroplast import of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic proteins, a process which initiates retrograde signalling.One sentence summaryComplementary mutations in TIC100 of the chloroplast inner envelope membrane cause reductions or corrective improvements in chloroplast protein import, and highlight a signalling role.
An early decline in ETPs reflects fewer pre-thymic progenitors and altered signals from the thymus microenvironment
Authors: Srinivasan Jayashree , Vasudev Anusha , Selden Hilary J. , Perez Encarnacion , LaFleur Bonnie , Sinari Shripad A. , Krueger Andreas , Richie Ellen R. , Ehrlich Lauren I. R. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAge-related thymus involution results in decreased T-cell production, contributing to increased susceptibility to pathogens. Elucidating mechanisms underlying involution will inform strategies to restore thymopoiesis. The thymus is colonized by circulating bone marrow (BM)-derived thymus seeding progenitors (TSPs) that differentiate into early T-cell progenitors (ETPs). We find ETP cellularity declines as early as 3 months (3MO) in mice. This initial ETP reduction could reflect changes in pre-thymic progenitors and/or thymic stromal niches. We demonstrate that the number of functional TSP/ETP niches is not reduced with age. Instead, the number of pre-thymic BM and circulating lymphoid progenitors is substantially reduced by 3MO, although their intrinsic ability to seed and differentiate in the thymus is maintained. Additionally, Notch signaling in BM progenitors and ETPs declines by 3MO, indicating defective niche quality contributes to the reduction in ETPs. Together, these findings indicate that diminished BM lymphopoiesis and thymic stromal support contribute to the initial decline in ETPs, setting the stage for progressive thymus involution.Summary statementThe number of early T-cell progenitors declines by 3 months of age in mice. This decline reflects a sharp drop in circulating thymus seeding progenitors, fewer bone marrow lymphoid progenitors, and reduced Notch signaling in both bone marrow and thymus.
Investigating causal relations between sleep duration and risks of adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes: Linear and nonlinear Mendelian randomization analyses in up to 356,069 European women
Authors: Yang Qian , Magnus Maria C , Kilpi Fanny , Santorelli Gillian , Soares Ana Gonçalves , West Jane , Magnus Per , Wright John , Håberg Siri Eldevik , Sanderson Eleanor , Lawlor Deborah A , Tilling Kate , Borges Maria Carolina 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundObservational studies have reported maternal short/long sleep duration to be associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether there are nonlinear causal effects. Our aim was to use multivariable regression (MVreg) and Mendelian randomization (MR) to examine nonlinear effects of sleep duration on stillbirth, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, perinatal depression, preterm birth, low/high offspring birthweight (LBW/HBW).MethodsWe used data from European women in UK Biobank (UKB, N=208,140), FinnGen (N=∼123,579), Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N=6826), Born in Bradford (N=2940) and Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa, N=14,584). We used 78 previously identified genetic variants as instruments for sleep duration, and investigated its effectsusing two-sample MR and one-sample nonlinear MR (in UKB only). We compared MR findings with MVreg in MoBa (N=76,669), where maternal sleep duration was measured at 30 weeks.ResultsIn UKB, MR provided evidence of nonlinear effects of sleep duration on stillbirth, perinatal depression and LBW, but not for other outcomes. Shorter and longer duration increased stillbirth and LBW; shorter duration increased perinatal depression. For example, there was a lower risk of LBW with increasing duration (odds ratio 0.79 per one-hour/day (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68, 0.93) in the shortest duration group and a higher risk (odds ratio 1.38 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.81) in the longest duration group, suggesting shorter and longer duration increased the risk. These were supported by the lack of evidence of a linear effect of sleep duration with any outcome using two-sample MR. In MVreg, risks of all outcomes (except for stillbirth showing opposite directions) were higher in the women reporting <5- and ≥10-hours/day sleep compared with the reference category of 8-9-hours/day, despite some wide CIs including the null. Nonlinear models fitted the data better than linear models for most outcomes(likelihood ratio P-value=0.02 to 3.2×10−52), except for stillbirth and gestational diabetes.ConclusionsOur results supported possible nonlinear sleep duration effects on perinatal depression and LBW. Statistical support for nonlinear models across outcomes suggests potential nonlinear effects on other outcomes that larger studies could detect.
CSF sphingomyelins in Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation
Authors: Morrow Autumn , Panyard Daniel J. , Deming Yuetiva K. , Jonaitis Erin , Dong Ruocheng , Vasiljevic Eva , Betthauser Tobey J , Kollmorgen Gwendlyn , Suridjan Ivonne , Bayfield Anna , Van Hulle Carol A. , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj , Carlsson Cynthia M. , Asthana Sanjay , Johnson Sterling C. , Engelman Corinne D. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractINTRODUCTIONSphingomyelin (SM) levels have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the association direction has been inconsistent and research on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) SMs has been limited by sample size, breadth of SMs examined, and diversity of biomarkers available.METHODSLeveraging two longitudinal AD cohorts with metabolome-wide CSF metabolomics data (n=502), we analyzed the relationship between the levels of 12 CSF SMs, and AD diagnosis and biomarkers of pathology, neurodegeneration, and neuroinflammation using logistic, linear, and linear mixed effects models.RESULTSNo SMs were significantly associated with AD diagnosis, mild cognitive impairment, or amyloid biomarkers. Phosphorylated tau, neurofilament light, α-synuclein, neurogranin, soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2, and chitinase-3-like-protein 1 were each significantly, positively associated with at least 5 of the SMs.DISCUSSIONThe associations between SMs and biomarkers of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, but not biomarkers of amyloid or diagnosis of AD, point to SMs as potential biomarkers for neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation that may not be AD-specific.
Tissue volume estimation and age prediction using rapid structural brain scans
Authors: Hobday Harriet , Cole James H. , Stanyard Ryan A. , Daws Richard E. , Giampietro Vincent , O’Daly Owen , Leech Robert , Váša František 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe multicontrast EPImix sequence generates 6 contrasts, including a T1-weighted scan, in ∼1 minute. EPImix shows comparable diagnostic performance to conventional scans under qualitative clinical evaluation, and similarities in simple quantitative measures including contrast intensity. However, EPImix scans have not yet been compared to standard MRI scans using established quantitative measures. In this study, we compared conventional and EPImix-derived T1-weighted scans of 64 healthy participants using tissue volume estimates and predicted brain-age. All scans were pre-processed using the SPM12 DARTEL pipeline, generating measures of grey matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid volume. Brain-age was predicted using brainageR, a Gaussian process regression model previously trained on a large sample of standard T1-weighted scans. Estimates of both global and voxel-wise tissue volume showed significantly similar results between standard and EPImix-derived T1-weighted scans. Brain-age estimates from both sequences were significantly correlated, although EPImix T1-weighted scans showed a systematic offset in predictions of chronological age. Supplementary analyses suggest that this is likely caused by the reduced field of view of EPImix scans, and the use of a brain-age model trained using conventional T1-weighted scans. However, this systematic error can be corrected using additional regression of T1-predicted brain-age onto EPImix-predicted brain-age. Finally, retest EPImix scans acquired for 10 participants demonstrated high test-retest reliability in all evaluated quantitative measurements. Quantitative analysis of EPImix scans holds potential to reduce scanning time, increasing participant comfort and reducing cost, as well as to support automation of scanning, utilising active learning for faster and individually-tailored (neuro)imaging.