bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative study between intralesional injection of MMR, BCG, and candida albicans antigen in treatment of multiple recalcitrant warts
Authors: Eldahshan Ramadan Mohamed , Ashry Walaa Mohamed Omar , Elsaie Mohamed L. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundCutaneous warts represent a challenging condition to treat.ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety and efficacy of intralesional injection of MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) antigen, BCG (bacillus Calmette‐Guerin) vaccine, and candida antigen for the treatment of multiple warts.MethodsA total of ninety (90) clinically confirmed adult patients complaining of recalcitrant extragenital warts of various sizes and durations were recruited in this randomized clinical trial. They were divided into three groups (A, B, and C). Each group consisted of (30) patients. Group (A) subjects received intralesional MMR injections. Group (B) subjects received intralesional BCG injection and Group (C) received intralesional candida antigen injection.ResultsFull clearance of warts was observed in (73.33%, 70%, and 43.33%) in groups A, B, and C, respectively. Infrequent side effects including pain, erythema, and minimal induration were reported in all groups but did not necessitate termination of treatment.ConclusionAll the three modalities used demonstrated a simple, safe modality with low adverse events, and with no recurrence. To achieve an optimal response with an ideal immunotherapeutic agent and ideal dose, further comparative studies are warranted and on different populations and larger sample sizes.
Does intellectual property protection deliver economic benefits? A multi‐outcome meta‐regression analysis of the evidence
Authors: Awaworyi Churchill Sefa , Luong Hoang M. , Ugur Mehmet 
Published: January 2022

AbstractBoth theoretical and empirical work reports contingent and conflicting findings on how intellectual property (IP) protection affects related outcomes such as innovation, technology diffusion, productivity, or growth. To establish where the balance of the evidence lies, we conduct a multi‐outcome meta‐regression analysis to synthesize findings form 91 primary studies that report 1626 effect‐size estimates for one or more outcomes. Controlling for unobserved heterogeneity and selection bias only, we find that the effect on innovation, technology diffusion, productivity, and economic growth is statistically or practically insignificant. The effect remains insignificant when we control for observed sources of heterogeneity and estimate meta‐effects based on different scenarios for "best‐practice" research. Our work contributes to the existing research effort by extending the application of the multi‐outcome meta‐regression analysis into evidence synthesis in economics. It also provides verifiable/replicable evidence indicating that the sanguine claims about the economic benefits of IP protection voiced in some legal studies and the advocacy literature are misleading.
Mapping political trust and involvement in the personality space—A meta‐analysis and new evidence
Authors: Bromme Laurits , Rothmund Tobias , Azevedo Flávio 
Published: January 2022

AbstractObjectiveRelations between the Big Five personality dispositions and individual differences in political trust and involvement in politics have been investigated in many studies. We aimed to systematically integrate these findings and further explore the correlations at different hierarchical levels of the Big Five and political trust and involvement.MethodWe conducted a meta‐analysis of 43 publications (N1 = 207,360 participants) and estimated latent correlations at different hierarchical levels using two additional samples (N2 = 988 and N3 = 795).ResultsThe meta‐analysis revealed substantial correlations between involvement and openness (+), extraversion (+), and neuroticism (−), but only small correlations between trust and the Big Five. We also found a substantial amount of inconsistency in findings across studies. Our additional analyses showed that (a) correlations with the Big Five were larger for higher‐order factors of general political trust (as opposed to subdimensions such as trust in politicians) and general political involvement (as opposed to subdimensions such as political interest) and (b) correlational patterns within each Big Five domain differed across facets.ConclusionOur analyses indicate that political involvement is more strongly linked to the Big Five than political trust. We discuss the theoretical and empirical relevance of hierarchical constructs.
High sensitivity of melatonin suppression response to evening light in preschool‐aged children
Authors: Hartstein Lauren E. , Behn Cecilia Diniz , Akacem Lameese D. , Stack Nora , Wright Kenneth P. , LeBourgeois Monique K. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractLight at night in adults suppresses melatonin in a nonlinear intensity‐dependent manner. In children, bright light of a single intensity before bedtime has a robust melatonin suppressing effect. To our knowledge, whether evening light of different intensities is related to melatonin suppression in young children is unknown. Healthy, good‐sleeping children (n = 36; 3.0–4.9 years; 39% male) maintained a stable sleep schedule for 7 days followed by a 29.5‐h in‐home dim‐light circadian assessment (~1.5 lux). On the final night of the protocol, children received a 1‐h light exposure (randomized to one of 15 light levels, ranging 5–5000 lux, with ≥2 participants assigned to each light level) in the hour before habitual bedtime. Salivary melatonin was measured to calculate the magnitude of melatonin suppression during light exposure compared with baseline levels from the previous evening, as well as the degree of melatonin recovery 50 min after the end of light exposure. Melatonin levels were suppressed between 69.4% and 98.7% (M = 85.4 ± 7.2%) during light exposure across the full range of intensities examined. Overall, we did not observe a light intensity‐dependent melatonin suppression response; however, children exposed to the lowest quartile of light intensities (5–40 lux) had an average melatonin suppression (77.5 ± 7.0%) which was significantly lower than that observed at each of the three higher quartiles of light intensities (86.4 ± 5.6%, 89.2 ± 6.3%, and 87.1 ± 5.0%, respectively). We further found that melatonin levels remained below 50% baseline for at least 50 min after the end of light exposure for the majority (62%) of participants, and recovery was not influenced by light intensity. These findings indicate that preschool‐aged children are highly sensitive to light exposure in the hour before bedtime and suggest the lighting environment may play a crucial role in the development and the maintenance of behavioral sleep problems through impacts on the circadian timing system.
Association between the geographic accessibility of PrEP and PrEP use among MSM in nonurban areas
Authors: Sharpe J. Danielle , Sanchez Travis H. , Siegler Aaron J. , Guest Jodie L. , Sullivan Patrick S. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPurposeThe US HIV epidemic has become a public health issue that increasingly affects men who have sex with men (MSM), including those residing in nonurban areas. Increasing access to pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in nonurban areas will prevent HIV acquisition and could address the growing HIV epidemic. No studies have quantified the associations between PrEP access and PrEP use among nonurban MSM.MethodsUsing 2020 PrEP Locator data and American Men's Internet Survey data, we conducted multilevel log‐binomial regression to examine the association between area‐level geographic accessibility of PrEP‐providing clinics and individual‐level PrEP use among MSM residing in nonurban areas in the United States.FindingsOf 4,792 PrEP‐eligible nonurban MSM, 20.1% resided in a PrEP desert (defined as more than a 30‐minute drive to access PrEP), and 15.2% used PrEP in the past 12 months. In adjusted models, suburban MSM residing in PrEP deserts were less likely to use PrEP in the past year (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.15, 0.80) than suburban MSM not residing in PrEP deserts, and other nonurban MSM residing in PrEP deserts were less likely to use PrEP in the past year (aPR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.60, 0.95) than other nonurban MSM not residing in PrEP deserts.ConclusionsStructural interventions designed to decrease barriers to PrEP access that are unique to nonurban areas in the United States are needed to address the growing HIV epidemic in these communities.
Impacts of heavy metal pollution on the ionomes and transcriptomes of Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
Authors: Coffin John L. , Kelley Joanna L. , Jeyasingh Punidan D. , Tobler Michael 
Published: January 2022

AbstractOur understanding of the mechanisms mediating the resilience of organisms to environmental change remains lacking. Heavy metals negatively affect processes at all biological scales, yet organisms inhabiting contaminated environments must maintain homeostasis to survive. Tar Creek in Oklahoma, USA, contains high concentrations of heavy metals and an abundance of Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), though several fish species persist at lower frequency. To test hypotheses about the mechanisms mediating the persistence and abundance of mosquitofish in Tar Creek, we integrated ionomic data from seven resident fish species and transcriptomic data from mosquitofish. We predicted that mosquitofish minimize uptake of heavy metals more than other Tar Creek fish inhabitants and induce transcriptional responses to detoxify metals that enter the body, allowing them to persist in Tar Creek at higher density than species that may lack these responses. Tar Creek populations of all seven fish species accumulated heavy metals, suggesting mosquitofish cannot block uptake more efficiently than other species. We found population‐level gene expression changes between mosquitofish in Tar Creek and nearby unpolluted sites. Gene expression differences primarily occurred in the gill, where we found upregulation of genes involved with lowering transfer of metal ions from the blood into cells and mitigating free radicals. However, many differentially expressed genes were not in known metal response pathways, suggesting multifarious selective regimes and/or previously undocumented pathways could impact tolerance in mosquitofish. Our systems‐level study identified well characterized and putatively new mechanisms that enable mosquitofish to inhabit heavy metal‐contaminated environments.
Successional adaptive strategies revealed by correlating arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal abundance with host plant gene expression
Authors: Gao Cheng , Courty Pierre‐Emmanuel , Varoquaux Nelle , Cole Benjamin , Montoya Liliam , Xu Ling , Purdom Elizabeth , Vogel John , Hutmacher Robert B. , Dahlberg Jeffery A. , Coleman‐Derr Devin , Lemaux Peggy G. , Taylor John W. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe shifts in adaptive strategies revealed by ecological succession and the mechanisms that facilitate these shifts are fundamental to ecology. These adaptive strategies could be particularly important in communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) mutualistic with sorghum, where strong AMF succession replaces initially ruderal species with competitive ones and where the strongest plant response to drought is to manage these AMF. Although most studies of agriculturally important fungi focus on parasites, the mutualistic symbionts, AMF, constitute a research system of human‐associated fungi whose relative simplicity and synchrony are conducive to experimental ecology. First, we hypothesize that, when irrigation is stopped to mimic drought, competitive AMF species should be replaced by AMF species tolerant to drought stress. We then, for the first time, correlate AMF abundance and host plant transcription to test two novel hypotheses about the mechanisms behind the shift from ruderal to competitive AMF. Surprisingly, despite imposing drought stress, we found no stress‐tolerant AMF, probably due to our agricultural system having been irrigated for nearly six decades. Remarkably, we found strong and differential correlation between the successional shift from ruderal to competitive AMF and sorghum genes whose products (i) produce and release strigolactone signals, (ii) perceive mycorrhizal‐lipochitinoligosaccharide (Myc‐LCO) signals, (iii) provide plant lipid and sugar to AMF, and (iv) import minerals and water provided by AMF. These novel insights frame new hypotheses about AMF adaptive evolution and suggest a rationale for selecting AMF to reduce inputs and maximize yields in commercial agriculture.
Host phenotype and microbiome vary with infection status, parasite genotype, and parasite microbiome composition
Authors: Hahn Megan A. , Piecyk Agnes , Jorge Fátima , Cerrato Robert , Kalbe Martin , Dheilly Nolwenn M. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractA growing literature demonstrates the impact of helminths on their host gut microbiome. We investigated whether the stickleback host microbiome depends on ecoevolutionary variables by testing the impact of exposure to the cestode parasite Schistocephalus solidus with respect to infection success, host genotype, parasite genotype, and parasite microbiome composition. We observed constitutive differences in the microbiome of sticklebacks of different origin, and those differences increased when sticklebacks exposed to the parasite resisted infection. In contrast, the microbiome of successfully infected sticklebacks varied with parasite genotype. More specifically, we revealed that the association between microbiome and immune gene expression increased in infected individuals and varied with parasite genotype. In addition, we showed that S. solidus hosts a complex endomicrobiome and that bacterial abundance in the parasite correlates with expression of host immune genes. Within this comprehensive analysis we demonstrated that (i) parasites contribute to modulating the host microbiome through both successful and unsuccessful infection, (ii) when infection is successful, the host microbiome varies with parasite genotype due to genotype‐dependent variation in parasite immunomodulation, and (iii) the parasite‐associated microbiome is distinct from its host and impacts the host immune response to infection.
The relationship between pathogen life‐history traits and metapopulation dynamics
Authors: van Dijk Laura J. A. , Ehrlén Johan , Tack Ayco J. M. 
Published: January 2022

Summary

Plant pathogen traits, such as transmission mode and overwintering strategy, may have important effects on dispersal and persistence, and drive disease dynamics. Still, we lack insights into how life‐history traits influence spatiotemporal disease dynamics.

We adopted a multifaceted approach, combining experimental assays, theory and field surveys, to investigate whether information about two pathogen life‐history traits – infectivity and overwintering strategy – can predict pathogen metapopulation dynamics in natural systems. For this, we focused on four fungal pathogens (two rust fungi, one chytrid fungus and one smut fungus) on the forest herb Anemone nemorosa.

Pathogens infecting new plants mostly via spores (the chytrid and smut fungi) had higher patch occupancies and colonization rates than pathogens causing mainly systemic infections and overwintering in the rhizomes (the two rust fungi). Although the rust fungi more often occupied well‐connected plant patches, the chytrid and smut fungi were equally or more common in isolated patches. Host patch size was positively related to patch occupancy and colonization rates for all pathogens.

Predicting disease dynamics is crucial for understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of host–pathogen interactions, and to prevent disease outbreaks. Our study shows that combining experiments, theory and field observations is a useful way to predict disease dynamics.
Impact of lockdown during COVID‐19 pandemic on physical activity and arrhythmia burden in heart failure patients
Authors: Schmitt Jörn , Wenzel Beate , Brüsehaber Bernd , Anguera Ignasi , de Sousa Joao , Nölker Georg , Bulava Alan , Marques Pedro , Hatala Robert , Golovchiner Gregory , Meyhöfer Jürgen , Ilan Michael ,   On  behalf  of the BIO|STREAM.HF investigators
Published: January 2022

AbstractBackgroundRestricted outdoor activity during COVID‐19 related lockdown may accelerate heart failure (HF) progression and thereby increase cardiac arrhythmias. We analyzed the impact of March/April 2020 lockdown on physical activity and arrhythmia burden in HF patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices with daily, automatic remote monitoring (RM) function.MethodsThe study cohort included 405 HF patients enrolled in Observation of Clinical Routine Care for Heart Failure Patients Implanted with BIOTRONIK CRT Devices (BIO|STREAM.HF) registry in 16 countries, who had left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% (mean 28.2 ± 6.6%) and NYHA class II/III/IV (47.9%/49.6%/2.5%) before CRT pacemaker/defibrillator implantation. The analyzed RM data comprised physical activity detected by accelerometer, mean heart rate and nocturnal rate, PP variability, percentage of biventricular pacing, atrial high rate episode (AHRE) burden, ventricular extrasystoles and tachyarrhythmias, defibrillator shocks, and number of implant interrogations (i.e., follow‐ups). Intraindividual differences in RM parameters before (4‐week period) versus during (4‐week period) lockdown were tested for statistical significance and independent predictors were identified.ResultsThere was a significant relative change in activity (mean −6.5%, p < .001), AHRE burden (+17%, p = .013), and follow‐up rate (−75%, p < .001) during lockdown, with no significant changes in other RM parameters. Activity decreased by ≥8 min/day in 46.5% of patients; predictors were higher LVEF, lower NYHA class, no defibrillator indication, and more activity before lockdown. AHRE burden increased by ≥17 min/day in 4.7% of patients; predictors were history of atrial fibrillation, higher LVEF, higher body mass index, and activity decrease during lockdown.ConclusionUnfavorable changes in physical activity, AHRE burden, and follow‐up rate were observed during lockdown, but not in ventricular arrhythmia.
Rule‐Following and Objective Spirit
Authors: Spiegel Thomas J. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis paper deals with Wittgenstein’s rule‐following paradox, focussing on the infinite rule‐regress as featured in Kripke’s Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language. I argue that one of the most salient and popular proposed solutions (championed by John McDowell), which argues that rule‐following is grounded in “custom,” “practice” or “form of life, remains unsatisfactory because part of this proposal is the rejection of further “theory” (commonly attributed to Wittgenstein) which seemingly makes it impossible to substantiate the claim of how customs, practices or forms of life ground rule‐following. I argue that this conundrum can be solved by introducing Wilhelm Dilthey’s overlooked notion of objective spirit as the objectivated sediment of historical human communality. This proposal allows us to substantiate Wittgenstein’s hints at the connection between rule‐following and customs, practices, and forms of life without introducing “problematic theories.” Combining Wittgenstein’s views with Dilthey’s notion of objective spirit results in a solution that is neither skeptical nor straight, but therapeutic.
Compositional, micromorphological and geotechnical characterization of Holocene Tiber floodplain deposits (Rome, Italy) and sequence stratigraphic implications
Authors: Tentori Daniel , Mancini Marco , Milli Salvatore , Stigliano Francesco , Tancredi Simone , Moscatelli Massimiliano 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis study reports a high‐resolution micromorphological characterization of floodplain deposits to investigate the relationships among compositional, textural and geotechnical data, and integrate soil micromorphology with sequence stratigraphy. Compositional and textural characterization of facies associations and soil features are calibrated against geotechnical parameters. The latter, obtained from cone penetration and pocket penetrometer tests from a borehole advanced 60 m into the Tiber channel belt and floodplain, show that depositional features and post‐depositional modifications are intrinsically associated with cone penetration test parameters: cone resistance; sleeve friction; and friction ratio. Petrographic and micromorphological features document pedogenetic modifications across stratigraphic markers evidenced by faunal and plant activity, accumulation of peat, and typified by precipitation of heavy metals, iron oxides and secondary carbonates. All of these features developed in correspondence with alluvial flooding surfaces that are correlated with non‐marine and marine flooding surfaces recognized in the transgressive and highstand coastal and lagoonal deposits of the Tiber Depositional Sequence. These observations may serve as a model to reconstruct the sequence‐stratigraphic evolution of ancient relict soils. Nevertheless, additional criteria (for example, their stratigraphic position and correlative surfaces) are necessary to adequately interpret the genesis of such low‐rank stratigraphic surfaces. This work demonstrates that a combination between sedimentological and stratigraphic observations and soil micromorphology can be critical to supplement field observations and determine the relative effect of pedogenic and depositional processes on the organization, composition and texture, and geotechnical properties of floodplain in urban areas.
Robust inference with censored survival data
Authors: Deléamont Pierre‐Yves , Ronchetti Elvezio 
Published: January 2022

AbstractRandomly censored survival data appear in a wide variety of applications in which the time until the occurrence of a certain event is not completely observable. In this paper, we assume that the statistician observes a possibly censored survival time along with a censoring indicator. In this setting, we study a class of M‐estimators with a bounded influence function, in the spirit of the infinitesimal approach to robustness. We outline the main asymptotic properties of the robust M‐estimators and characterize the optimal B‐robust estimator according to two possible measures of sensitivity. Building on these results, we define robust testing procedures which are natural counterparts to the classical Wald, score, and likelihood ratio tests. The empirical performance of our robust estimators and tests is assessed in two extensive simulation studies. An application to data from a well‐known medical study on head and neck cancer is also presented.
Association of early migration with child growth, cognition and behaviour in South Africa
Authors: Christodoulou Joan , Rotheram‐Borus Mary Jane , Hayati Rezvan Panteha , Weiss Robert E. , Tomlinson Mark 
Published: January 2022

AbstractObjectiveThe main objective of the study was to examine the association of migration with child growth, cognition and behaviour in South Africa.MethodsSecondary analysis assessing effects of migration on child outcomes among a population cohort of women and children (n = 1238) recruited in Cape Town, South African townships and repeatedly assessed from birth to age eight. Logistic regression models analysed sociodemographic predictors of migration and longitudinal models assessed the association of child migration, with or without their mother, on child growth, cognition and behavioural outcomes.ResultsBy 8 years post‐birth, 41% of children born in the townships in Cape Town had migrated to the rural Eastern Cape. Staying in Cape Town, or not migrating, was associated with having an older mother. Children who migrated with their mothers were shorter and weighed less than those who did not migrate. Children who migrated had larger vocabularies and those who migrated with their mothers had fewer behavioural problems than children who stayed in Cape Town.ConclusionMigration in South Africa between peri‐urban Cape Town and rural Eastern Cape areas during a child's early years is common and is associated with both positive and negative child outcomes.