bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of symptom clusters on quality of life mediated by self‐efficacy among individuals with myasthenia gravis: A structural equation modelling analysis
Authors: Shen Fan , Huang Hai‐Shan , Li Ling 
Published: November 2022

AbstractAims and ObjectivesTo determine whether self‐efficacy mediates the relationship between Symptom Clusters (SC) and quality of life (QOL) in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).BackgroundThe QOL in patients with MG can be affected not only by the SC but the self‐efficacy in previous studies, while the latter may also be contributed by the former. However, it is still unclear whether self‐efficacy mediates the relationship between SC and QOL in patients with MG.DesignA cross‐sectional survey was conducted in patients with MG who were recruited from our institution from October 2021 to March 2022, which was reported in line with the STROBE guidelines.MethodsThe hypothetical model was tested and all the effects of SC and self‐efficacy on QOL were estimated based on structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis after conducting a confirmatory factor analysis of the scales in a separate cohort.ResultsThree scales for symptoms (four summated items), self‐efficacy (four plus one parcelled item) and MG‐QOL (three summated items) were validated according to the confirmatory factor analysis in 72 patients. An SEM analysis of another 310 participants revealed that SC exerted significant direct effects on QOL and self‐efficacy, with values of .585 and −.293, respectively, and self‐efficacy also had a significant effect on QOL (−.141). The indirect effect of SC on QOL via self‐efficacy was .041, accounting for 6.6% of the overall effect. Male and female patients did not differ in the direct and indirect effects of symptoms on QOL.ConclusionsThis study suggests that, although self‐efficacy partially mediates the relationship between SC and QOL in patients with MG, worsening of symptoms remains the leading contributor to the decreased QOL.Relevance to Clinical PracticeThese results may provide a potential clue for doctors, nurses, and other caregivers to optimise treatment strategies for targeted patients with MG.Patient or Public ContributionInvolved in developing and answering research questions, management and conduct.
Factors affecting acceptance of organ donation in mainland China: A national cross‐sectional study
Authors: Zhang Xinyue , Zheng Xutong , Chen Tianle , Li Yiqi , Wang Yinlin , Chen Jiaxi , Ye Xinxin , Zhang Xun , Wang Yujia , Ming Wai‐Kit , Sun Xinying , Xiang Ze , Wu Yibo , Wu Jian 
Published: November 2022

AbstractAims and ObjectivesTo explore the acceptances and associated influences of organ donation in mainland China.BackgroundThe shortage of organ donors has limited the development of organ transplantation in China. It is important to recognise the target population who has high intention to donate their organs may change the status.DesignWe conducted a cross‐sectional, multi‐stage sampling study collected demographic data and individuals' willingness to accept organ donation.MethodsA stepwise linear regression analysis was adopted to evaluate the factors related to the attitudes toward organ donation.ResultsWe collected 11,031 valid samples for the survey. The willingness to donate organs among Chinese residents averaged 56.93 points. To be specific, males (β = −.03), religious believers (β = −.01) and parents with a different number of children (all: β = −.04) are less willing to donate their organs. Respondents who live in an urban area (β = .03), have higher education level (High school or junior college β = .04, Bachelor degree or above β = .09), feel anxious (mild, moderate β = .02), feel pressured (moderate, severe β = .08), have higher scores of the Short‐Form Health Literacy Instrument (HLS‐SF12) (β = .31), The Self‐Management Scale (SHMS) (β = .16), EuroQol Five Dimensions Questionnaire (EQ‐5D) (β = .04) and EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ‐VAS) (β = .24), are more positive to donate.ConclusionsThis study firstly discusses the public acceptance of organ donation through a nationwide sample around China. In this study, we discovered that Chinese residents' acceptance level of organ donation and that gender, house, anxiety, pressure, social support and health literacy were the main influencing factors on residents' attitudes.Relevance to Clinical PracticeTo figure out the Chinese public acceptance and its influencing factors of organ donation can help nurse transplant coordinators to recognise the target population and the obstacles of organ donation.Patient or Public ContributionAt the phase of collecting data, participants were recruited to fill the questionnaires.
The effects of institutional investors on firms' green innovation
Authors: Zhao Jianyu , Qu Jing , Wei Jiang , Yin Hang , Xi Xi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractStakeholder theory suggests that institutional investors, as firms' vital stakeholders, might play a crucial role in influencing firms' green innovation. Considering both the shareholding and portfolio characteristics of institutional investors, we investigate the effects of different types of institutional investors with various supervisory motivations and governance capabilities on firms' green innovation. Importantly, we also explore which types of institutional investors become the driving force behind firms' green innovation. Furthermore, we consider how various aspects of financial and social benefits as contingencies affect the relationship between different types of institutional investors and firms' green innovation. Based on 5473 observations of Chinese manufacturing firms from 2013 to 2019, we find that, when considering institutional investors' effects on firms' green innovation, it is better to simultaneously consider both the shareholding and portfolio characteristics of institutional investors than to consider only one or the other. Dedicated institutional investors with more shareholding independence and higher portfolio concentration are positively associated with green innovation and are the driving force behind it, while transient institutional investors are not. However, institutional investors' effects on green innovation will change because of contingencies related to firms' financial and social benefits, generally presenting the characteristics of “pursuing benefits and avoiding risks.” Specifically, dedicated institutional investors promote green innovation for firms with satisfactory financial and social benefits to pursue long‐term benefits but do not have significant effects on the green innovation of firms with general or unsatisfactory financial and social benefits. By contrast, transient institutional investors are inclined to hinder green innovation for firms with unsatisfactory financial and social benefits to avoid short‐term risks; at the same time, they have insignificant effects on the green innovation of firms with satisfactory or general financial and social benefits.
CEO narcissism and innovation ambidexterity: The moderating roles of CEO power and firm reputation
Authors: You Shuyang , Li Zhengyu , Jia Liangding , Cai Yahua 
Published: November 2022

AbstractWe examine how CEO narcissism affects firm innovation ambidexterity—the relatively balanced development in existing domains through exploitative innovation and in new domains through exploratory innovation. We theorize that firms led by more narcissistic CEOs are less likely to achieve innovation ambidexterity than those led by less narcissistic CEOs. Drawing on the trait activation theory, we further argue that this negative relationship is strongest when the CEO's power is intermediate and when the firm's reputation in the market is intermediate. Our analyses of a large‐scale onsite survey collected from 132 Chinese firms, matched with their archival patent information, support our hypotheses. Our study first sheds new light on the existing literature on the influence of firm managers on innovation ambidexterity by considering their different personalities. Second, this study contributes to the strategic leadership research on CEO narcissism by extending its implications to innovation ambidexterity as a new organizational outcome. Third, our study indicates that narcissistic CEOs' priority orders to chase the two conflicting needs—that is, the need to dominate decision‐making and the need for acclaim—vary in different scenarios. This finding thus challenges the assumption in prior CEO narcissism research that the behavioral manifestations of narcissistic personalities' different facets are the same regardless of the contextual scenarios.
Contingency and Social Change: Collective Engagement in Conditions of Radical Uncertainty
Authors: Cvejić Igor , Ivković Marjan , Prodanović Srđan 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThis paper addresses the nexus between contingency, social engagement and change, through investigating the potential of severe (“disruptive”) contingency to bring about new forms of joint agency. By challenging Boltanski's notion of existential tests (which can only be experienced in isolation), the paper argues that social actors can experience disruptive contingent events in an inherently intersubjective manner. Although they severely hinder social interaction, disruptive contingent events enable a possibility of what might be called “negative common knowledge” between social actors which in turn renders certain societal norms meaningless. This possibility is mediated through processes of mutual engagement (calls between actors) that could, further, be transformed into a new “norm circle” (Dave Elder‐Vass). Social domination – in particular its “complex” variety – in this context appears as the obstructing of such transformation. A recent political episode in Serbia is analyzed to demonstrate the emancipatory potential of contingency and the logic of complex domination.
An oral phenylacrylic acid derivative suppressed hepatic stellate cell activation and ameliorated liver fibrosis by blocking TGF‐β1 signalling
Authors: Xue Taixiong , Yue Lin , Zhu Guonian , Tan Zui , Liu Hongyao , Gan Cailing , Fan Chen , Su Xingping , Xie Yuting , Ye Tinghong 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackground and AimsLiver fibrosis is an excessive wound‐healing response governed by activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). To date, there is no drug available for liver fibrosis. Although ferulic acid (FA) has multiple pharmacological functions, its anti‐hepatic fibrosis activity is weak. Based on the activity modification of the FA structure, we synthesized a series of phenylacrylic derivatives and found a superior compound, FA11. In this study, we investigated its antifibrotic effect and mechanism.MethodsActivated HSC and CCl4‐induced mouse liver fibrosis were established and followed by FA11 treatment. Cell viability was measured by CCK‐8 assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle analysis were conducted by flow cytometry. Western blot and Real‐time qPCR were used to examine the expression of fibrotic and M1/M2‐type macrophages markers. Degree of liver fibrosis was shown by histological staining.ResultsIn vitro, FA11 inhibited TGF‐β1‐induced LX‐2 proliferation and led to apoptosis and cycle arrest. Furthermore, elevation of fibrotic markers in TGF‐β1‐induced LX‐2 and primary activated HSC was reversed by FA11. In vivo, FA11 administration alleviated collagen deposition and blocked HSC activation and epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT). Additionally, FA11 reduced macrophage infiltration in fibrotic liver and prevented macrophage polarization to a profibrotic phenotype. Meanwhile, the systemic toxicity of CCl4 was also ameliorated by FA11. Mechanistically, FA11 reversed the phosphorylation of canonical and noncanonical TGF‐β1 signalling, as well as FGFR1 signalling.ConclusionsWe reported an oral phenylacrylic acid derivative, FA11, which showed excellent antifibrotic activity and was expected to be an anti‐hepatic fibrosis candidate.
Immune gene expression in the mosquito vector Culex quinquefasciatus during an avian malaria infection
Authors: García‐Longoria Luz , Ahrén Dag , Berthomieu Arnaud , Kalbskopf Victor , Rivero Ana , Hellgren Olof 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPlasmodium relictum is the most widespread avian malaria parasite in the world. It is listed as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species, having been responsible for the extinction of several endemic bird species, and the near‐demise of several others. Here we present the first transcriptomic study focused on the effect of P. relictum on the immune system of its vector (the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus) at different times post‐infection. We show that over 50% of immune genes identified as being part of the Toll pathway and 30%–40% of the immune genes identified within the Imd pathway are overexpressed during the critical period spanning the parasite's oocyst and sporozoite formation (8–12 days), revealing the crucial role played by both these pathways in this natural mosquito–Plasmodium combination. Comparison of infected mosquitoes with their uninfected counterparts also revealed some unexpected immune RNA expression patterns earlier and later in the infection: significant differences in expression of several immune effectors were observed as early as 30 min after ingestion of the infected blood meal. In addition, in the later stages of the infection (towards the end of the mosquito lifespan), we observed an unexpected increase in immune investment in uninfected, but not in infected, mosquitoes. In conclusion, our work extends the comparative transcriptomic analyses of malaria‐infected mosquitoes beyond human and rodent parasites and provides insights into the degree of conservation of immune pathways and into the selective pressures exerted by Plasmodium parasites on their vectors.
Antibiotic discovery in the artificial intelligence era
Authors: Lluka Telmah , Stokes Jonathan M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractAs the global burden of antibiotic resistance continues to grow, creative approaches to antibiotic discovery are needed to accelerate the development of novel medicines. A rapidly progressing computational revolution—artificial intelligence—offers an optimistic path forward due to its ability to alleviate bottlenecks in the antibiotic discovery pipeline. In this review, we discuss how advancements in artificial intelligence are reinvigorating the adoption of past antibiotic discovery models—namely natural product exploration and small molecule screening. We then explore the application of contemporary machine learning approaches to emerging areas of antibiotic discovery, including antibacterial systems biology, drug combination development, antimicrobial peptide discovery, and mechanism of action prediction. Lastly, we propose a call to action for open access of high‐quality screening datasets and interdisciplinary collaboration to accelerate the rate at which machine learning models can be trained and new antibiotic drugs can be developed.
Sunitinib promotes apoptosis via p38 MAPK activation and STAT3 downregulation in oral keratinocytes
Authors: Fukada Shohei , Ohta Kouji , Sakuma Miyuki , Akagi Misaki , Kato Hiroki , Naruse Takako , Nakagawa Takayuki , Shigeishi Hideo , Nishi Hiromi , Takechi Masaaki , Aikawa Tomonao 
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectiveSunitinib, a targeted cancer drug, inhibits tyrosine kinases receptors and is widely used as first‐line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Patients undergoing chemotherapy with sunitinib frequently have oral mucosal complications, such as oral stomatitis, though cytotoxic effects of the drug on oral keratinocytes remain unknown.MethodsThe effects of sunitinib on immortalized oral keratinocytes, RT7 cells, in regard to cell injury and apoptosis, as well as apoptosis‐mediated signaling pathways were investigated.ResultsSunitinib treatment caused a significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in RT7 cells and primary oral keratinocytes. Additionally, the drug induced apoptosis‐related events, such as DNA fragmentation, decreased anti‐apoptotic Bcl‐2 protein expression, and induction of cleaved PARP and caspase 3/9 in RT7 cells. Furthermore, phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, but not of ERK or JNK, was increased. On the contrary, constitutive phosphorylated STAT3 was decreased by sunitinib treatment, which was recovered by exposure to SB203580, a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Finally, SB203580 was found to reduce sunitinib‐induced cell injury and apoptosis.ConclusionThe present results indicate that sunitinib promotes cell injury and apoptosis in oral keratinocytes via p38 activation and STAT3 downregulation. Sunitinib‐mediated oral complications may be associated with cytotoxic effects of the drug on oral keratinocytes.
Clinical Effectiveness of Home‐Based Telerehabilitation Program for Geriatric Hip Fracture Following Total Hip Replacement
Authors: Wu Wei‐yong , Zhang Yin‐guang , Zhang Yuan‐Yuan , Peng Bing , Xu Wei‐guo 
Published: November 2022

ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of a six‐month home‐based telerehabilitation based on the Internet‐based rehabilitation management system coupled with conventional outpatient care in elderly patients with hip fractures following total hip replacement (THR).MethodsElderly patients (aged over 65 years) with first hip fractures who underwent THR between March 2018 and September 2018 in Tianjin Hospital were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: telerehabilitation group (n = 43) and telephone group (n = 42). A Internet‐based telerehabilitation management system was established and applied on patients in the telerehabilitation group. For patients in the telephone group, the rehabilitation intervention was administered through conventional outpatient care (telephone along with outpatient follow‐up). Data from the Harris hip scale (HHS), functional independence measure (FIM), self‐rating anxiety scale (SAS), and postoperative complications at 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery were collected and compared between the two groups.ResultsA total of 85 elderly patients completed the 6‐month follow‐up assessment. Results showed that the HHS score was significantly higher in the telerehabilitation group than in the telephone group at 1 month (66.35 ± 4.63 vs 63.48 ± 4.49), 3 months (76.33 ± 4.52 vs 71.81 ± 3.84), and 6 months (84.23 ± 3.13 vs 77.29 ± 4.95) after surgery (P < 0.001). The FIM score was significantly higher in the telerehabilitation group than in the telephone group at 1 month (89.00 ± 5.63 vs 73.35 ± 8.70), 3 months (100.16 ± 4.56 vs 92.81 ± 5.17), and 6 months (111.70 ± 3.13 vs 98.64 ± 5.12) after surgery (P < 0.001). The SAS score was significantly lower in the telerehabilitation group than in the telephone group at 1 month (42.40 ± 3.07 vs 46.21 ± 3.53), 3 months (36.77 ± 2.26 vs 40.24 ± 1.66), and 6 months (29.26 ± 1.63 vs 33.81 ± 2.62) after surgery (P < 0.001). The overall complication rate was significantly lower in the telerehabilitation group than in the telephone group (14% vs 40.5%) (P < 0.05).ConclusionInternet‐based rehabilitation management system can not only promote the physical rehabilitation of patients, but also play a positive role in psychological rehabilitation and the prevention of complications, which provides new ideas and methods for clinical rehabilitation.
Genetic engineering of complex feed enzymes into barley seed for direct utilization in animal feedstuff
Authors: Peng Ri‐He , Zhang Wen‐Hui , Wang Yu , Deng Yong‐Dong , Wang Bo , Gao Jian‐Jie , Li Zhen‐Jun , Wang Li‐Juan , Fu Xiao‐Yan , Xu Jing , Han Hong‐Juan , Tian Yong‐Sheng , Yao Quan‐Hong 
Published: November 2022

SummaryCurrently, feed enzymes are primarily obtained through fermentation of fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Although the manufacturing technology for feed enzymes has evolved rapidly, the activities of these enzymes decline during the granulating process and the cost of application has increased over time. An alternative approach is the use of genetically modified plants containing complex feed enzymes for direct utilization in animal feedstuff. We co‐expressed three commonly used feed enzymes (phytase, β‐glucanase, and xylanase) in barley seeds using the Agrobacterium‐mediated transformation method and generated a new barley germplasm. The results showed that these enzymes were stable and had no effect on the development of the seeds. Supplementation of the basal diet of laying hens with only 8% of enzyme‐containing seeds decreased the quantities of indigestible carbohydrates, improved the availability of phosphorus, and reduced the impact of animal production on the environment to an extent similar to directly adding exogenous enzymes to the feed. Feeding enzyme‐containing seeds to layers significantly increased the strength of the eggshell and the weight of the eggs by 10.0%–11.3% and 5.6%–7.7% respectively. The intestinal microbiota obtained from layers fed with enzyme‐containing seeds was altered compared to controls and was dominated by Alispes and Rikenella. Therefore, the transgenic barley seeds produced in this study can be used as an ideal feedstuff for use in animal feed.
Insect rearing on biowaste represents a competitive advantage for fish farming
Authors: Maroušek Josef , Strunecký Otakar , Maroušková Anna 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFeeding cost is among the main drivers in the price competitiveness of intensively‐fed‐aquaculture (IFA) products. As soaring energy prices increase the costs of technologies used to increase the digestibility of plant protein feeds, there is an urgent call for comprehensive knowledge on the mass use of insects as fish feed. This review identifies the key aspects of insect incorporation into established IFA practices and puts them into a commercial context. Larvae of Black soldier fly (BSFL) is identified as the most versatile in terms of (a) variety of biowaste usable for its rearing, (b) automatization and scaling up, (c) nutritional value and (d) circular and environmental aspects. Furthermore, modifications insect diets can increase the levels of valuable compounds such as omega‐3 fatty acids in fish. Other insects such as ants or mealworms have the potential to meet the nutritional requirements of various fish species. While today the production costs of BSFL (mostly around 3.5 € kg−1) are mostly determined by labour costs, it is predicted that intensified industrialization of insect rearing could reduce the production cost below 2 € kg−1. In addition, multiple positive economic impacts, as well as environmental spillovers, have been identified. It is proposed that further research should be directed towards the refining and further valorization of byproducts from insect farming which could further dissolve the rearing cost. Bringing the IFA into compliance with the principles of the circular economy increases its competitiveness by reducing production costs and improving public opinion.