bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among pregnant women: a cross-sectional study in Greece
Authors: Galanis Petros , Vraka Irene , Katsiroumpa Aglaia , Konstantakopoulou Olympia , Siskou Olga , Zogaki Eleftheria , Kaitelidou Daphne 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundUnvaccinated pregnant women with symptomatic COVID-19 have been found to have a higher risk of iatrogenic preterm births, intensive care unit admission, and invasive ventilation.ObjectiveTo estimate the vaccination rate of pregnant women against the COVID-19 and to evaluate psychosocial factors associated with vaccine uptake among them.MethodsWe conducted an anonymous cross-sectional study with a convenience sample in Greece from December 2021 to March 2022. We measured socio-demographic data of pregnant women, COVID-19-related vaccination status, worry about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, trust in COVID-19 vaccines, and COVID-19-related stress.ResultsThe study population included 812 pregnant women with a mean age of 31.6 years. Among the pregnant women, 58.6% had received a COVID-19 vaccine. The most important reasons that pregnant women were not vaccinated were doubts about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines (31.4%), fear that COVID-19 vaccines could be harmful to fetus (29.4%), and fear of adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines (29.4%). Increased danger and contamination fears, increased fears about economic consequences, and higher levels of trust in COVID-19 vaccines were related with COVID-19 vaccine uptake. On the other hand, increased compulsive checking and reassurance seeking and increased worry about the adverse side effects of COVID-19 vaccines reduced the likelihood of pregnant women being vaccinated against the COVID-19.ConclusionsAn understanding of the psychosocial factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine uptake in pregnant women is paramount to persuade women to get vaccinated against the COVID-19. There is a need for targeted educational campaigns to increase knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in pregnancy.
Household food insecurity risk indices for English neighbourhoods: measures to support local policy decisions
Authors: Smith Dianna M , Rixson Lauren , Grove Grace , Ziauddeen Nida , Vassilev Ivaylo , Taheem Ravita , Roderick Paul , Alwan Nisreen A 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn England, the responsibility to address food insecurity lies with local government, yet the prevalence of this social inequality is unknown in small subnational areas. In 2018 an index of small-area household food insecurity risk was developed and utilised by public and third sector organisations to target interventions; this measure needed updating to better support decisions in different contexts.MethodsWe held interviews with stakeholders (n=11) and completed a scoping review to identify appropriate variables to create an updated risk measure. We then sourced a range of open access secondary data to develop an indices of food insecurity risk in English neighbourhoods. Following a process of data transformation and normalisation, we tested combinations of variables and identified the most appropriate data to reflect household food insecurity risk in urban and rural areas.ResultsEight variables, reflecting both household circumstances and local service availability, were separated into two domains with equal weighting for a new index, the Complex Index, and a subset of these make up the Simple Index. Within the Complex Index the Compositional Domain includes population characteristics while the Structural Domain reflects access to resources. The Compositional Domain is correlated well with free school meal eligibility (rs=0.705) and prevalence of childhood obesity (rs=0.641). This domain was the preferred measure for use in most areas when shared with stakeholders, and when assessed alongside other configurations of the variables. Areas of highest risk were most often located in the North of England.ConclusionWe recommend the use of the Compositional Domain for all areas, with inclusion of the Structural Domain in rural areas where locational disadvantage makes it more difficult to access services. These measures can aid local policy makers and planners when allocating resources and interventions to support households who may experience food insecurity.
Longitudinal associations between physical activity and other health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic: A fixed effects analysis
Authors: Mitchell John J , Bu Feifei , Fancourt Daisy , Steptoe Andrew , Bone Jessica K 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackgroundGovernment enforced restrictions on movement during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have had profound impacts on the daily behaviours of many individuals, including physical activity (PA). Given the pre-pandemic evidence for associations between PA and other health behaviours, changes in PA during the pandemic may have been detrimental for other health behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate whether changes in PA during and after the first national lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) were associated with concurrent changes in other health behaviours, namely alcohol consumption, sleep, nutrition quality, diet quantity and sedentary time.MethodsData were derived from the UCL COVID-19 Social Study. The analytical sample consisted of 52,784 adults followed weekly across 22 weeks of the pandemic from 23rd March to 23rd August 2020. Data were analysed using fixed effects regression.ResultsThere was significant within-individual variation in both PA and other health behaviours throughout the study period. Increased PA was positively associated with improved sleep and nutrition quality. However, increases in PA also showed modest associations with increased alcohol consumption and sedentary time.ConclusionOur findings indicate that, whilst the first wave of COVID-19 restrictions were in place, increases in PA were associated with improved sleep and better diet. Encouraging people to engage in PA may therefore lead to positive change in other health behaviours in times of adversity. However, increases in PA were also associated with more engagement in the negative health behaviours of alcohol consumption and sedentary time. These associations could be a result of increases in available leisure time for many people during COVID-19 restrictions and require further investigation to inform future public health guidance.
The effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on mental health care use in South Africa: an interrupted time series analysis
Authors: Wettstein Anja , Tlali Mpho , Joska John A , Cornell Morna , Skrivankova Veronika W , Seedat Soraya , Mouton Johannes P , van den Heuvel Leigh L , Maxwell Nicola , Davies Mary-Ann , Maartens Gary , Egger Matthias , Haas Andreas D 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAimsIn March 2020, South Africa introduced a lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, entailing the suspension of all non-essential activities and a complete ban of tobacco and alcohol sales. We studied the effect of the lockdown on mental health care utilisation rates in private-sector care in South Africa.MethodsWe did an interrupted time series analysis using insurance claims from January 1, 2017, to June 1, 2020 of beneficiaries 18 years or older from a large private sector medical aid scheme. We calculated weekly outpatient consultation and hospital admission rates for organic mental disorders, substance use disorders, serious mental disorders, depression, anxiety, other mental disorders, any mental disorder, and alcohol withdrawal syndrome. We calculated adjusted odds ratios (OR) for the effect of the lockdown on weekly outpatient consultation and hospital admission rates and the weekly change in rates during the lockdown until June 1, 2020.Results710,367 persons were followed up for a median of 153 weeks. Hospital admission rates (OR 0.38; 95% CI 0.33–0.44) and outpatient consultation rates (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.63–0.87) for any mental disorder decreased substantially after the lockdown and did not recover to pre-lockdown levels until June 1, 2020. Health care utilisation rates for alcohol withdrawal syndrome doubled after the introduction of the lockdown, but the statistical uncertainty around the estimates was large (OR 2.24; 95% CI 0.69-7.24).ConclusionsReduced mental health care contact rates during the COVID-19 lockdown likely reflect a substantial unmet need for mental health services with potential long-term consequences for mental health patients and their families. Steps to ensure access and continuity of mental health services during future lockdowns should be considered.
Evaluation and risk communication of effects of alcohol exposure on disposable procedure masks and portable air purifiers
Authors: Ishigaki Yo , Yokogawa Shinji , Kato Tatsuo 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAs electret technology can drastically improve the filtration efficiency of disposable procedure masks and portable air purifiers, it is widely used to prevent the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, alcohol disinfectants are now widely used in offices, hospitals, and homes to prevent contact infection; hence, there is a concern that alcohol exposure may inactivate electret. In this study, 5 types of high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) air purifiers—of which, one was made of fiberglass HEPA filter—14 types of cubical masks, and 11 types of pleated masks available to Japanese citizens were subjected to discharge according to the alcohol exposure protocol based on ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 16890, and changes in filtration efficiency and pressure drop were measured before and after the discharge. The results revealed that 17 (68%) of the 25 masks exhibited a significant decrease in filtration efficiency; this decrease due to discharge depended on the filter material. However, masks of polypropylene, polyethylene, and poly-vinylidene-difluoride composite fiber materials exhibited no significant decrease in filtration efficiency. In addition, 4 (80%) of the 5 HEPA filters showed a 40–64% decrease in filtration efficiency, while no decrease in filtration efficiency was observed for the fiberglass HEPA filter. Our survey (n = 500 Japanese adults, including 30 healthcare professionals) revealed that approximately 90% of the general public was unaware that the performance of masks and air purifiers could be degraded by direct spraying of alcohol—for disinfection purposes—or vapor exposure. Furthermore, 36% of the surveyed healthcare professionals indicated that they had sprayed alcohol directly on their masks. Therefore, based on the results of this experiment, we examined effective consumer warnings that could be utilized on the product labels and in the instructions. The results showed that it would be more effective to detail the extent and duration of the adverse effects of disregarding the precautions.
Limited cross-variant immune response from SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 in naïve but not previously infected outpatients
Authors: Lee Hye Kyung , Knabl Ludwig , Walter Mary , Furth Priscilla A. , Hennighausen Lothar 
Published: April 2022

ABSTRACTOmicron is currently the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant and several sublineages have emerged. Questions remain about the impact of previous SARS-CoV-2 exposure on cross-variant immune responses elicited by BA.2 infection compared to BA.1. Here we show that without previous history of COVID-19, BA.2 infection induces a reduced immune response against all variants of concern (VOC) compared to BA.1 infection. The absence of ACE2 binding in sera of previously naïve BA.1 and BA.2 patients indicates a lack of meaningful neutralization. In contrast, anti-spike antibody levels and neutralizing activity greatly increased in the BA.1 and BA.2 patients with a previous history of COVID-19. Transcriptome analyses of peripheral immune cells showed significant differences in immune response and specific antibody generation between BA.1 and BA.2 patients as well as significant differences in expression of specific immune genes. In summary, prior infection status significantly impacts the innate and adaptive immune response against VOC following BA.2 infection.
Syndemic violence victimization, alcohol and drug use, and HIV transmission risk behavior among transgender women in India: A cross-sectional, population-based study
Authors: Chakrapani Venkatesan , Lakshmi P.V.M. , Newman Peter A. , Kaur Jasvir , Tsai Alexander C. , Vijin P.P. , Singh Bhawani , Kumar Pradeep , Rajan Shobini , Kumar Rajesh 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIntroductionTransgender women are disproportionately burdened by HIV. Co-occurring epidemics of adverse psychosocial exposures accelerate HIV sexual risk, including among transgender women; however, studies using additive models fail to examine synergies among psychosocial conditions that define a syndemic. We examined the impact of synergistic interactions among 4 psychosocial exposures on condomless anal sex (CAS) among a national probability sample of transgender women in India.MethodsA probability-based sample of 4,607 HIV-negative transgender women completed the Indian Integrated Bio-behavioral Surveillance survey, 2014−2015. We used linear probability regression and logistic regression to assess 2-, 3-, and 4-way interactions among 4 exposures (physical and sexual violence, drug and alcohol use) on CAS.ResultsOverall, 27.3% reported physical and 22.3% sexual violence victimization (39.2% either physical or sexual violence), one-third (33.9%) reported frequent alcohol use and 11.5% illicit drug use. Physical violence was associated with twofold higher odds of CAS in the main effects model. Significant two- and three-way interactions were identified on both multiplicative and additive scales between physical violence and drug use; physical and sexual violence; physical violence, sexual violence, and alcohol use; and physical violence, alcohol and drug use.ConclusionsPhysical and sexual violence victimization, and alcohol and drug use are highly prevalent and synergistically interact to increase CAS among transgender women in India. Targeted and integrated initiatives to improve assessment of psychosocial comorbidities, to combat transphobic violence, and to provide tailored, trauma-informed alcohol and substance use treatment services may reduce HIV risk among transgender women.
Multiple mating rescues offspring sex ratio but not productivity in a haplodiploid exposed to developmental heat stress
Authors: Costa Sofia G , Magalhães Sara , Rodrigues Leonor R 
Published: April 2022

AbstractReproduction is generally more sensitive to high temperatures than survival and arguably a better predictor of the response of populations to climate change than survival estimates. Still, how temperature simultaneously impacts male and female reproductive success, the mating system and the operational sex ratio remains an open question.Here, we addressed how a sublethal high temperature affects the reproductive system of the haplodiploid spider miteTetranychus urticae. Males and females maintained at 25°C or 36°C during development were paired and the fertility of both sexes, their mating and remating eagerness, and the paternity of the offspring of females with different mating histories were measured.Female and male fertility decreased at 36°C compared to 25°C, resulting in lower offspring production and a more male-biased sex ratio, respectively, because of haplodiploidy. However, when females remated, the pattern of first male sperm precedence typically seen in this species was disrupted, with more than one male contributing to the offspring. This was accompanied by reduced mating eagerness in pairs with partially sterile males and increased remating eagerness in pairs in which at least one sex was partially sterile in the first mating.The observed temperature-induced changes in pre- and post-copulatory traits allowed restoring the offspring sex ratio but did not lead to the recovery of offspring number.Our results show that temperature induces changes in the spider mite mating behaviour and mating system, with potential impact on sexual selection and sexual conflict. However, such changes may not be sufficient to buffer the impact of extreme temperatures on their populations.
Polymer physics-based classification of neurons
Authors: Choi Kiri , Kim Won Kyu , Hyeon Changbong 
Published: April 2022

AbstractRecognizing that diverse morphologies of neurons are reminiscent of structures of branched polymers, we put forward a principled and systematic way of classifying neurons that employs the ideas of polymer physics. In particular, we use 3D coordinates of individual neurons, which are accessible in recent neuron reconstruction datasets from electron microscope images. We numerically calculate the form factor,F(q), a Fourier transform of the distance distribution of particles comprising an object of interest, which is routinely measured in scattering experiments to quantitatively characterize the structure of materials. For a polymer-like object consisting ofnmonomers spanning over a length scale ofr, F(q) scales with the wavenumberq(= 2π/r) asF(q) ∼q−𝒟at an intermediate range ofq, where 𝒟 is the fractal dimension or the inverse scaling exponent (𝒟 =ν−1) characterizing the geometrical feature (r∼nν) of the object.F(q) can be used to describe a neuron morphology in terms of its size (Rn) and the extent of branching quantified by 𝒟. By defining the distance betweenF(q)s as a measure of similarity between two neuronal morphologies, we tackle the neuron classification problem. In comparison with other existing classification methods for neuronal morphologies, ourF(q)-based classification rests solely on 3D coordinates of neurons with no prior knowledge of morphological features. When applied to publicly available neuron datasets from three different organisms, our method not only complements other methods but also offers a physical picture of how the dendritic and axonal branches of an individual neuron fill the space of dense neural networks inside the brain.
Investigating tri-trophic interactions using bio-energetic demographic models
Authors: Passoni Gioele , Coulson Tim , Cagnacci Francesca , Hudson Peter , Stahler Daniel R. , Smith Douglas W. , Lachish Shelly 
Published: April 2022

AbstractA central debate in ecology has been the long running discussion on the role of apex predators in affecting the abundance and dynamics of their prey. In terrestrial systems, research has primarily relied on correlational approaches, due to the challenge of implementing robust experiments with replication and appropriate controls. A consequence of this is that we largely suffer from a lack of mechanistic understanding of the population dynamics of interacting species that can be surprisingly complex.Mechanistic models offer an opportunity to examine the causes and consequences of some of this complexity. We present a bioenergetic mechanistic model of a tri-trophic system where the primary vegetation resource follows a seasonal growth function, and the herbivore and carnivore species are modelled using two integral projection models (IPMs) with body mass as the phenotypic trait. Within each IPM, the demographic functions are structured according to bioenergetic principles, describing how animals acquire and transform resources into body mass, energy reserves and breeding potential. We parameterise this model to reproduce the population dynamics of grass, elk and wolves in northern Yellowstone (USA), and investigate the impact of wolf reintroduction on the system.Our model generated predictions that closely matched the observed population sizes of elk and wolf in Yellowstone prior to and post wolf reintroduction. The introduction of wolves into our basal grass-elk bioenergetic model resulted in a population of 99 wolves, and a reduction in elk numbers by 61% (from 14,948 to 5,823) at equilibrium. In turn, vegetation biomass increased by approximately 25% in the growing season and more than 3-fold in the non-growing season. The addition of wolves to the model caused the elk population to shift from being food-limited to being predator-limited, and had a stabilising effect on elk numbers across different years. Wolf predation also led to a shift in the phenotypic composition of the elk population, via a small increase in elk average body mass.Our model represents a novel approach to the study of predator-prey interactions. Explicitly considering and linking bioenergetics, population demography and body mass phenotypes can provide novel insights into the mechanisms behind complex ecosystem processes.
CHD-associated enhancers shape human cardiomyocyte lineage commitment
Authors: Armendariz Daniel A. , Goetsch Sean C. , Sundarrajan Anjana , Sivakumar Sushama , Wang Yihan , Xie Shiqi , Munshi Nikhil , Hon Gary C. 
Published: April 2022

ABSTRACTEnhancers orchestrate gene expression programs that drive multicellular development and lineage commitment. Thus, genetic variants at enhancers are thought to contribute to developmental diseases by altering cell fate commitment. However, while many variant-containing enhancers have been identified, studies to endogenously test the impact of these enhancers on lineage commitment have been lacking. We perform a single-cell CRISPRi screen to assess the endogenous roles of 25 enhancers and putative cardiac target genes implicated in genetic studies of congenital heart defects (CHD). We identify 16 enhancers whose repression leads to deficient differentiation of human cardiomyocytes (CMs). A focused CRISPRi validation screen shows that repression of TBX5 enhancers delays the transcriptional switch from mid- to late-stage CM states. Endogenous genetic deletions of two TBX5 enhancers phenocopy epigenetic perturbations. Together, these results identify critical enhancers of cardiac development and suggest that misregulation of these enhancers could contribute to cardiac defects in human patients.HIGHLIGHTSSingle-cell enhancer perturbation screens during human cardiomyocyte differentiation.Perturbation of CHD-linked enhancers/genes causes deficient CM differentiation.Repression or knockout of TBX5 enhancers delays transition from mid to late CM states.Deficient differentiation coincides with reduced expression of known cardiac genes.