bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A randomised controlled trial of intravenous dexmedetomidine added to dexamethasone for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and duration of interscalene block
Authors: Albrecht E. , Capel D. , Rossel J. B. , Wolmarans M. R. , Godenèche A. , De Paulis D. , Cabaton J. 
Published: December 2022

SummaryProlongation of peripheral nerve blockade by intravenous dexamethasone may be extended by intravenous dexmedetomidine. We randomly allocated 122 participants who had intravenous dexamethasone 0.15 mg.kg−1 before interscalene brachial plexus block for day‐case arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to intravenous saline (62 participants) or intravenous dexmedetomidine 1 μg.kg−1 (60 participants). The primary outcome was time from block to first oral morphine intake during the first 48 postoperative hours. Fifty‐nine participants reported taking oral morphine, 25/62 after placebo and 34/60 after dexmedetomidine, p = 0.10. The time to morphine intake was shorter after dexmedetomidine, hazard ratio (95%CI) 1.68 (1.00–2.82), p = 0.049. Median (IQR [range]) morphine doses were 0 (0–12.5 [0–50]) mg after control vs. 10 (0–30 [0–50]) after dexmedetomidine, a difference (95%CI) of 7 (0–10) mg, p = 0.056. There was no effect of dexmedetomidine on pain at rest or on movement. Intra‐operative hypotension was recorded for 27/62 and 50/60 participants after placebo vs. dexmedetomidine, respectively, p < 0.001. Other outcomes were similar, including durations of sensory and motor block. In conclusion, dexmedetomidine shortened the time to oral morphine consumption after interscalene block combined with dexamethasone and caused intra‐operative hypotension.
Shutting Down the Machines of Destruction: Possibilities for Agrarian Life on the Protest Blockade
Authors: Gilbert David E. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe protest blockade is one tool for seeking liberation from the state while living within it. I offer a critical analysis of the protest blockade in agrarian struggles for land and life in Indonesia and beyond. I specify my discussion with a retelling of a Sumatran land‐back movement of smallholders and landless workers who twice turned to the blockade to reclaim their land from a plantation company. I consider how these blockades and others in Sumatra and Borneo created direct‐action power, thereby expanding people's possibilities for livelihood and autonomy in landscapes of extraction and exploitation. Blockading action is a process that unfolds from within as activists challenge the legitimacy of their rulers and set out to create more emancipatory spaces and territories. When protestors blockade the bulldozers, logging trucks, and other machines of capitalist exploitation of workers and ecologies, they seek to disrupt the infrastructures and commodity flows of the dominant political‐economic order as well as open up new agrarian possibilities. These protest blockades are central to the anarchist, Indigenous, and decolonial politics that motivate direct‐action protests across the globe.
Downregulation of MDM2 by small interference RNA induces apoptosis and sensitizes MCF‐7 breast cells to resveratrol
Authors: Zhang Ning‐Xin , Ma Jun‐Feng , Li Si‐Qi , Yin Zhe , Li Li 
Published: December 2022

AbstractRecent studies have demonstrated the mouse double minute gene (MDM2), a main oncogene, as a novel and interesting therapeutic target for cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of MDM2 in antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects of resveratrol in breast cancer cells. MCF‐7 cells were transfected with siRNA against MDM2 and resveratrol. Proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT assay and cell death ELISA assay, respectively. MDM2, p53, Bax, Bcl‐2, caspase‐3, MMP‐2, and MMP9 expressions were determined by qRT‐PCR and Western blotting. Transfection with si‐MDM2 significantly suppressed the expression of MDM2 expression, resulting in MCF‐7 cell growth inhibition and spontaneous apoptosis. Pretreatment with Si‐MDM2 synergically increased antiproliferation and antimetatstatic effects of resveratrol. No significant anticancer effects were detected with negative control siRNA treatment. Our findings suggest that silencing of MDM2 by specific siRNA effectively induce apoptosis and also enhanced anticancer effects of resveratrol. Therefore, siMDM2 may be a potent combination in breast therapy.
Total tau in cerebrospinal fluid detects treatment responders among spinal muscular atrophy types 1–3 patients treated with nusinersen
Authors: Šimić Goran , Vukić Vana , Babić Marija , Banović Maria , Berečić Ivana , Španić Ena , Zubčić Klara , Golubić Anja Tea , Barišić Kutija Marija , Merkler Šorgić Ana , Vogrinc Željka , Lehman Ivan , Hof Patrick R. , Sertić Jadranka , Barišić Nina 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAimsConsidering the substantial variability in treatment response across patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reliable markers for monitoring response to therapy and predicting treatment responders need to be identified. The study aimed to determine if measured concentrations of disease biomarkers (total tau protein, neurofilament light chain, and S100B protein) correlate with the duration of nusinersen treatment and with scores obtained using functional scales for the assessment of motor abilities.MethodsA total of 30 subjects with SMA treated with nusinersen between 2017 and 2021 at the Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, were included in this study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected by lumbar puncture prior to intrathecal application of nusinersen. Protein concentrations in CSF samples were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in 26 subjects. The motor functions were assessed using functional motor scales.ResultsThe main finding was significantly decreased total tau correlating with the number of nusinersen doses and motor improvement in the first 18–24 months of treatment (in all SMA patients and SMA type 1 patients). Neurofilament light chain and S100B were not significantly changed after administration of nusinersen.ConclusionsThe measurement of total tau concentration in CSF is a reliable index for monitoring the biomarker and clinical response to nusinersen therapy in patients with SMA.
The effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the weathering performance of wood‐plastic composites
Authors: Durmaz Sefa , Keles Ozlem Ozgenc , Aras Ugur , Erdil Yusuf Ziya , Mengeloglu Fatih 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn recent years, wood‐plastic composites (WPCs) have become among the most popular engineering materials. Most of their usage areas are outdoors, where they encounter various damaging factors. The weathering conditions cause significant deterioration to WPC surfaces, which negatively influences their service life. In this study, zinc oxide nanoparticles at different concentrations (1%, 3%, 5%, 10%) were added to a high‐density polyethylene‐based WPC matrix. The effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles on the weathering performance of WPC was evaluated after 840 hours of an artificial weathering test. The highest colour changes (∆E*) were monitored with control samples exposed for 840 hours. Adding zinc oxide nanoparticles improved the ultraviolet (UV) resistance and decreased the colour changes. The wood flour content also affected the colour changes on the WPC surface. A combination of 10% zinc oxide nanoparticles and 50% wood flour content provided the lowest colour changes. The barrier effect of nanoparticles protected the WPC surfaces from UV light. Zinc oxide nanoparticles also positively affected the load transfer, which restricted the reduction in mechanical properties after the weathering test. The degradation on the surface of WPCs was also investigated using attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier Transform–infrared analysis. The changes in the characteristic bands of polymer and wood indicated that surface degradation was inevitable. Light and scanning electron microscopy images also demonstrated micro‐cracks and roughness on the surface of WPCs. It is concluded that UV degradation is unavoidable, but zinc oxide nanoparticles can improve surface resistance against weathering conditions.
ZNF281 drives hepatocyte senescence in alcoholic liver disease by reducing HK2‐stabilized PINK1/Parkin‐mediated mitophagy
Authors: Lu Chunfeng , Ge Ting , Shao Yunyun , Cui Wenqian , Li Zhe , Xu Wenxuan , Bao Xiaofeng 
Published: December 2022

AbstractWe investigated the role of zinc‐finger protein 281 (ZNF281), a novel molecule, in ethanol‐induced hepatocyte senescence and uncovered the potential mechanism. Real‐time PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay were performed to explore the role of ZNF281 in hepatocyte senescence. ZNF281 expression was upregulated in both alcohol‐fed mice livers and ethanol‐treated hepatocytes. Silence of ZNF281 in hepatocytes using siRNA mitigated ethanol‐caused decrease in cell viability and increased release of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase. ZNF281 siRNA reduced senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase‐positive cells under ethanol exposure, abolished cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase, and diminished senescence‐associated secretory phenotype and proinflammatory cytokines (IL‐1β and IL‐6) release. At molecular level, ZNF281 deficiency altered the expression profile of senescence‐associated proteins including p53, p21, p16, high mobility group AT‐hook 1, and phospho‐histone H2A.X and telomerase‐associated regulatory factors including telomerase reverse transcriptase, telomeric repeat binding factor 1 (TRF1), and TRF2. ZNF281 knockdown promoted hepatocyte recovery from ethanol‐induced mitochondrial dysfunction and ROS production, which was correlated with rescuing HK2‐PINK1/Parkin signalling‐mediated mitophagy. Mechanistically, ZNF281 directly bound to 5′‐GGCGGCGGGCGG‐3′ motif within HK2 promoter region and transcriptionally repressed HK2 expression. Systematic ZNF281 knockdown by adeno‐associated virus encoding ZNF281 shRNA protected mice from alcohol feeding‐caused hepatocyte injury and senescence. This study provides a novel factor ZNF281 as a driver of hepatocyte senescence during alcoholic liver disease.
Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids alleviate irradiation‐induced salivary gland damage
Authors: Xie Xueping , Ma Wenjuan , Li Guo , Zhan Yuxi , Quan Li , Cai Xiaoxiao 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the role of tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs) in irradiation‐induced salivary gland damage in vitro and in vivo. Irradiation‐damaged submandibular gland cells (SMGCs) were treated with different concentrations of tFNAs. Cell activity was measured by CCK‐8 assay. Cell death was detected by Calcein‐AM/PI double staining. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis proteins and inflammatory cytokines were detected by western blot. Body weight, drinking volume, saliva flow rate and lag time was measured 8 weeks after irradiation. Micromorphological changes of submandibular gland were assessed by haematoxylin–eosin and masson staining. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and microvessel density of submandibular gland were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. tFNAs could promote cell proliferation, inhibit cell apoptosis of irradiation‐damaged SMGCs and reduce irradiation induced cell death. Mechanism studies revealed that tFNAs inhibited cell apoptosis through regulating the Bcl‐2/Bax/Caspase‐3 signalling pathway and inhibited the release of TNF‐α, IL‐1β and IL‐6 to reduce cell damage caused by inflammation. Animal experiments showed that tFNAs could alleviate irradiation‐induced weight loss, increased water intake, decreased saliva production and prolonged salivation lag time and could ameliorate salivary gland damage. tFNAs have a positive effect on alleviating irradiation‐induced salivary gland damage and might be a promising agent for the treatment of this disease.
Assessing the impact of referred actions on protected matters under Australia's national environmental legislation
Authors: Maitz Natalya M. , Taylor Martin F. J. , Ward Michelle S. , Possingham Hugh P. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAustralia's national environmental legislation, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) has been criticized for failing to mitigate the national extinction crisis. Under the EPBC Act, projects anticipated to have a significant impact on protected matters must be referred to the Australian Government for assessment. Actions deemed unlikely to have a significant impact are granted permission to proceed, while actions expected to have a significant impact must undergo further assessment. We spatially analyzed potential habitat loss deemed either significant or non‐significant in Queensland and New South Wales for threatened species, migratory species, and threatened ecological communities between 2000 and 2015. Impact scores were developed to quantify and compare the value of woody vegetation cleared under each referral determination. We found no statistically significant difference between median impact scores for vegetation removed under significant and non‐significant determinations. Over half (63%) of all scored losses occurred under actions deemed non‐significant, with certain species disproportionately impacted. The tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus maculatus) and grey‐headed flying‐fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) lost 82% and 72% of their total referred potential habitat under non‐significant actions, respectively. Our results indicate that the application of the EPBC Act is failing to adequately conserve the protected matters of this investigation.
Comparing size measurements of simulated colorectal polyp size and morphology groups when using a virtual scale endoscope or visual size estimation: Blinded randomized controlled trial
Authors: Haumesser Claire , Zarandi‐Nowroozi Melissa , Taghiakbari Mahsa , Djinbachian Roupen , Abou Khalil Maria , Sidani Sacha , Liu Chen Kiow Jeremy , Panzini Benoit , Popescu Crainic Ioana , von Renteln Daniel 
Published: December 2022

ObjectivesThe virtual scale endoscope (VSE) allows projection of a virtual scale onto colorectal polyps allowing real‐time size measurements. We studied the relative accuracy of VSE compared to visual assessment (VA) for the measuring simulated polyps of different size and morphology groups.MethodsWe conducted a blinded randomized controlled trial using simulated polyps within a colon model. Sixty simulated polyps were evenly distributed across four size groups (1–5, >5–9.9, 10–19.9, and ≥20 mm) and three Paris morphology groups (flat, sessile, and pedunculated). Six endoscopists performed polyp size measurements using random allocation of either VA or VSE.ResultsA total of 359 measurements were completed. The relative accuracy of VSE was significantly higher when compared to VA for all size groups >5 mm (P = 0.004, P < 0.001, P < 0.001). For polyps ≤5 mm, the relative accuracy of VSE compared to VA was not significantly higher (P = 0.186). The relative accuracy of VSE was significantly higher when compared to VA for all morphology groups. VSE misclassified a lower percentage of >5 mm polyps as ≤5 mm (2.9%), ≥10 mm polyps as <10 mm (5.5%), and ≥20 mm polyps as <20 mm (21.7%) compared to VA (11.2%, 24.7%, and 52.3% respectively; P = 0.008, P < 0.001, and P = 0.003).ConclusionVirtual scale endoscope had significantly higher relative accuracies for every polyp size group or morphology type aside from diminutive. VSE enables the endoscopist to better classify polyps into correct size categories at clinically relevant size thresholds of 5, 10, and 20 mm.
Impact of grade retention and school engagement on student intentions to enrol in higher education in Portugal
Authors: Santos Natalie Nóbrega , Monteiro Vera , Carvalho Carolina 
Published: December 2022

AbstractGrade retention and inequalities that derive from grade retention can influence student school trajectories and careers. Grade retention can discourage students from education, and increase school failure and dropout. This study explored the relationship between grade retention and student intentions to enrol in higher education. We also studied the role of school identification and behavioural engagement in this relationship. The analysis is based on a sample of 1,089 students (grades 6 to 10) from Portugal, one of the European countries with the highest rates of grade retention. We employed multilevel probit regression modelling with random intercept and fixed slopes to explore both the individual and school level effects of grade retention. The analyses showed that retained students had a lower probability of intent to enrol in higher education and that there was a contextual effect of the number of retained students in the school, on students' probability of intent to enrol in higher education. This association was partially explained at the individual level by students' school identification. Retained students presented lower levels of school identification, which in turn results in lower probabilities of enrolling in higher education. Student behavioural engagement was not associated with grade retention nor student intentions. Our findings suggest the need for interventions that foster students' school identification to overcome the adverse effects of grade retention.
Alzheimer's disease‐like neuropathology in three species of oceanic dolphin
Authors: Vacher Marissa C. , Durrant Claire S. , Rose Jamie , Hall Ailsa J. , Spires‐Jones Tara L. , Gunn‐Moore Frank , Dagleish Mark P. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease and the primary cause of disability and dependency among elderly humans worldwide. AD is thought to be a disease unique to humans although several other animals develop some aspects of AD‐like pathology. Odontocetes (toothed whales) share traits with humans that suggest they may be susceptible to AD. The brains of 22 stranded odontocetes of five different species were examined using immunohistochemistry to investigate the presence or absence of neuropathological hallmarks of AD: amyloid‐beta plaques, phospho‐tau accumulation and gliosis. Immunohistochemistry revealed that all aged animals accumulated amyloid plaque pathology. In three animals of three different species of odontocete, there was co‐occurrence of amyloid‐beta plaques, intraneuronal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau, neuropil threads and neuritic plaques. One animal showed well‐developed neuropil threads, phospho‐tau accumulation and neuritic plaques, but no amyloid plaques. Microglia and astrocytes were present as expected in all brain samples examined, but we observed differences in cell morphology and numbers between individual animals. The simultaneous occurrence of amyloid‐beta plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau pathology in the brains of odontocetes shows that these three species develop AD‐like neuropathology spontaneously. The significance of this pathology with respect to the health and, ultimately, death of the animals remains to be determined. However, it may contribute to the cause(s) of unexplained live‐stranding in some odontocete species and supports the ‘sick‐leader’ theory whereby healthy conspecifics in a pod mass strand due to high social cohesion.
Enhanced foliar 15N enrichment with increasing nitrogen addition rates: Role of plant species and nitrogen compounds
Authors: Wang Yinliu , Niu Guoxiang , Wang Ruzhen , Rousk Kathrin , Li Ang , Hasi Muqier , Wang Changhui , Xue Jianguo , Yang Guojiao , Lü Xiaotao , Jiang Yong , Han Xingguo , Huang Jianhui 
Published: December 2022

AbstractDetermining the abundance of N isotope (δ15N) in natural environments is a simple but powerful method for providing integrated information on the N cycling dynamics and status in an ecosystem under exogenous N inputs. However, whether the input of different N compounds could differently impact plant growth and their 15N signatures remains unclear. Here, the response of 15N signatures and growth of three dominant plants (Leymus chinensis, Carex duriuscula, and Thermopsis lanceolata) to the addition of three N compounds (NH4HCO3, urea, and NH4NO3) at multiple N addition rates were assessed in a meadow steppe in Inner Mongolia. The three plants showed different initial foliar δ15N values because of differences in their N acquisition strategies. Particularly, T. lanceolata (N2‐fixing species) showed significantly lower 15N signatures than L. chinensis (associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi [AMF]) and C. duriuscula (associated with AMF). Moreover, the foliar δ15N of all three species increased with increasing N addition rates, with a sharp increase above an N addition rate of ~10 g N m−2 year−1. Foliar δ15N values were significantly higher when NH4HCO3 and urea were added than when NH4NO3 was added, suggesting that adding weakly acidifying N compounds could result in a more open N cycle. Overall, our results imply that assessing the N transformation processes in the context of increasing global N deposition necessitates the consideration of N deposition rates, forms of the deposited N compounds, and N utilization strategies of the co‐existing plant species in the ecosystem.
High trophic level feedbacks on global ocean carbon uptake and marine ecosystem dynamics under climate change
Authors: Dupont Léonard , Le Mézo Priscilla , Aumont Olivier , Bopp Laurent , Clerc Corentin , Ethé Christian , Maury Olivier 
Published: December 2022

AbstractDespite recurrent emphasis on their ecological and economic roles, the importance of high trophic levels (HTLs) on ocean carbon dynamics, through passive (fecal pellet production, carcasses) and active (vertical migration) processes, is still largely unexplored, notably under climate change scenarios. In addition, HTLs impact the ecosystem dynamics through top‐down effects on lower trophic levels, which might change under anthropogenic influence. Here we compare two simulations of a global biogeochemical–ecosystem model with and without feedbacks from large marine animals. We show that these large marine animals affect the evolution of low trophic level biomasses, hence net primary production and most certainly ecosystem equilibrium, but seem to have little influence on the 21st‐century anthropogenic carbon uptake under the RCP8.5 scenario. These results provide new insights regarding the expectations for trophic amplification of climate change through the marine trophic chain and regarding the necessity to explicitly represent marine animals in Earth System Models.
Grit and learning: Understanding the sequential learning behaviours in snap!
Authors: Gao Ming , Zhang Jingjing , Lu Yu , Kahn Ken , Winters Niall 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackgroundAs a non‐cognitive trait, grit plays an important role in human learning. Although students higher in grit are more likely to perform well on tests, how they learn in the process has been underexamined.ObjectivesThis study attempted to explore how students with different levels of grit behave and learn in an exploratory learning environment.MethodsIn this study, 66 students participated in seven exploratory tasks in Snap! for approximately 60 min after a 30‐min lecture. Students were categorized into a high grit group and low grit group using a grit scale. The Mann–Whitney U test, epistemic network analysis and lag sequential analysis were used to explore the differences between groups in learning performance, technology acceptance and behavioural patterns.ResultsStudents with different levels of grit engaged in explorative tasks in a short period of time might not present significantly different learning performance, perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, but students higher in grit, actively engaging more different types of activities, tended to put greater sustained effort to solve the challenging task.Take AwayAlthough grit was not significantly correlated with learning performance when students engage in classroom‐based explorative activities, grit did predict whether students are more likely to explore and put greater sustained effort into solving the challenging task.