bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HSC Niche Dynamics in Regeneration, Pre-malignancy, and Cancer: Insights From Mathematical Modeling
Authors: Pedersen Rasmus Kristoffer , Andersen Morten , Skov Vibe , Kjær Lasse , Hasselbalch Hans C , Ottesen Johnny T , Stiehl Thomas 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche is a crucial driver of regeneration and malignancy. Its interaction with hematopoietic and malignant stem cells is highly complex and direct experimental observations are challenging. We here develop a mathematical model which helps relate processes in the niche to measurable changes of stem and non-stem cell counts. HSC attached to the niche are assumed to be quiescent. After detachment HSC become activated and divide or differentiate. To maintain their stemness, the progeny originating from division must reattach to the niche. We use mouse data from literature to parametrize the model. By combining mathematical analysis and computer simulations, we systematically investigate the impact of stem cell proliferation, differentiation, niche attachment, and detachment on clinically relevant scenarios. These include bone marrow transplantation, clonal competition, and eradication of malignant cells. According to our model, sampling of blood or bulk marrow provides only limited information about cellular interactions in the niche and the clonal composition of the stem cell population. Furthermore, we investigate how interference with processes in the stem cell niche could help to increase the effect of low-dose chemotherapy or to improve the homing of genetically engineered cells.
Attitudes, knowledge and practices of traditional snakebite healers in Nepal: implications for prevention and control of snakebite
Authors: Pandey Deb P , Subedi (Pandey) Gita , Sapkota Sunil , Dangol Dharma R , Devkota Naba R 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundTraditional healers are a valuable source of information about community-level treatment of snakebite. Snakebite victims in Nepal depend on traditional healers for treatment, but their practices have not been well-documented.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 50 traditional snakebite healers (TSHs) who were selected using a snowball sampling method representing eight districts and four provinces of Nepal. Data were collected using face-to-face-interviews and semi-structured questionnaires.ResultsAbout half of the respondents liked to gain knowledge on modern care for snakebite management and nearly all respondents (94%) wished to cooperate closely with the local healthcare system to support snakebite management. People's ingrained faith in traditional healing of snakebite (84%), unaffordable modern care of snakebite (60%) and wishes for early treatment of snakebites (44–48%) were the main causes of their dependency on TSHs. Rauvolfia serpentina, Piper nigrum, Momordica charantia and Tinospora cordifolia were commonly used plants in traditional treatment of snakebite.ConclusionsEasily accessible and affordable healthcare facilities provided by TSHs, public beliefs in traditional healing and inadequate knowledge of antivenom therapy caused dependency on TSHs. The introduction of snakebite treatment centres in snakebite-prone regions and educational interventions are essential to minimize this kind of dependency and associated deaths and disabilities.
Do Cutting Kinematics Change as Boys Mature? A Longitudinal Cohort Study of High-School Athletes
Authors: Chia Lionel , Myer Gregory D. , Hewett Timothy E. , McKay Marnee J. , Sullivan Justin , Ford Kevin R. , Pappas Evangelos 
Published: November 2022

Objective:
Examine longitudinal changes in trunk, hip, and knee kinematics in maturing boys during an unanticipated cutting task.

Design:
Prospective cohort study.

Setting:
Biomechanical laboratory.

Participants:
Forty-two high-school male basketball, volleyball, and soccer athletes.

Assessment of Risk Factors:
Trunk, hip, and knee range-of-motion (RoM), peak angles, and angles at initial contact during an unanticipated 45 degrees sidestep cutting task were estimated using laboratory-based three-dimensional optoelectronic motion capture. Maturation was classified using a modified Pubertal Maturational Observational Scale (PMOS) into prepubertal, midpubertal, or postpubertal stages.

Main Outcome Measures:
Trunk total RoM in frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes; peak trunk flexion, right lateral flexion and right rotation angles; hip total RoM in frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes; hip flexion angle at initial contact; peak hip flexion and adduction angles; knee total RoM in frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes; knee flexion angle at initial contact; peak knee flexion and abduction angles.

Results:
As boys matured, there was a decrease in hip sagittal-plane RoM (49.02 degrees to 43.45 degrees, Benjamini–Hochberg adjusted P = 0.027), hip flexion at initial contact (29.33 degrees to 23.08 degrees, P = 0.018), and peak hip flexion (38.66 degrees to 32.71 degrees, P = 0.046), and an increase in trunk contralateral rotation (17.47 degrees to 25.05 degrees, P = 0.027).

Conclusions:
Maturing male athletes adopted a more erect cutting strategy that is associated with greater knee joint loading. Knee kinematic changes that increase knee joint loading were not observed in this cohort.
Stakeholder perceptions of the efficacy, barriers, and facilitators of telemental health clinical experiences during COVID for nurse practitioner students
Authors: Calloway Susan J. , Hilliard Wanda , Jimenez Rosalinda 
Published: November 2022

ABSTRACT

Background:
Telemental health services grew during the COVID pandemic, resulting in psychiatric–mental health nurse practitioner students obtaining clinical hours through this modality. Although patient outcome data demonstrate the efficacy of telemental health services, data on the efficacy of learning through telehealth clinical experiences are lacking.

Purpose:
To explore perceptions of learning through telehealth clinical experiences by students, preceptors, and faculty and to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to facilitating telehealth clinical experiences.

Methodology:
Mixed-methods exploratory study using web-based, researcher-designed, cross-sectional surveys eliciting perceptions of learning and perceived barriers and facilitators to telemental health clinical experiences sent to current and former PMHNP students and their preceptors of a state university in the southwest along with PMHNP faculty in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Students and preceptors were offered the option to participate in a semistructured interview.

Results:
Twenty students (35.7%), 22 preceptors (24.7%), and 19 faculty (25.3%) participated in the surveys. Three preceptors and three students volunteered for interviews. Telemental health clinicals were perceived by students as equivalent to or superior to in-person learning. Preceptors rated the teaching/learning environment through telemental health as equivalent or better as compared with in-person clinicals with two exceptions. Faculty-rated greatest barrier to telemental health clinicals was telephone visits because of technology issues.

Conclusions:
Telemental health clinicals can provide a high-quality learning experience for students.

Implications:
Preceptors should be provided with resources for facilitating telemental health clinicals. Ongoing discussions regarding the number of clinical hours recommended through telehealth are needed.
Isavuconazole for the Treatment of Invasive Mold Disease in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Multicenter Study on Efficacy and Safety in Real-life Clinical Practice
Authors: Fernández-Ruiz Mario , Bodro Marta , Gutiérrez Martín Isabel , Rodriguez-Álvarez Regino , Ruiz-Ruigómez María , Sabé Núria , López-Viñau Teresa , Valerio Maricela , Illaro Aitziber , Fortún Jesús , Salto-Alejandre Sonsoles , Cordero Elisa , Fariñas María del Carmen , Muñoz Patricia , Vidal Elisa , Carratalà Jordi , Goikoetxea Josune , Ramos-Martínez Antonio , Moreno Asunción , Aguado José María ,   SOTIS Study Group
Published: November 2022

Background.
Isavuconazole has theoretical advantages over other mold-active triazoles for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis after solid organ transplantation (SOT). The available clinical experience, nevertheless, is scarce.

Methods.
We performed a retrospective study including all adult SOT recipients with proven or probable invasive mold disease (IMD) that received isavuconazole for ≥24 h as first-line or salvage therapy at 10 Spanish centers between September 2017 and November 2021. The primary efficacy outcome was clinical response (complete or partial resolution of attributable symptoms and findings) by weeks 6 and 12. Safety outcomes included the rates of treatment-emergent adverse events and premature isavuconazole discontinuation.

Results.
We included 81 SOT recipients that received isavuconazole for a median of 58.0 days because of invasive aspergillosis (n = 71) or mucormycosis (n = 10). Isavuconazole was used as first-line (72.8%) or salvage therapy due because of previous treatment-emergent toxicity (11.1%) or refractory IMD (7.4%). Combination therapy was common (37.0%), mainly with an echinocandin or liposomal amphotericin B. Clinical response by weeks 6 and 12 was achieved in 53.1% and 54.3% of patients, respectively, and was more likely when isavuconazole was administered as first-line single-agent therapy. At least 1 treatment-emergent adverse event occurred in 17.3% of patients, and 6.2% required premature discontinuation. Daily tacrolimus dose was reduced in two-thirds of patients by a median of 50.0%, although tacrolimus levels remained stable throughout the first month of therapy.

Conclusions.
Isavuconazole is a safe therapeutic option for IMD in SOT recipients, with efficacy comparable to other patient groups.
Humoral Response to the Fourth BNT162b2 Vaccination and Link Between the Fourth Dose, Omicron Infection, and Disease Severity in Renal Transplant Recipients
Authors: Hod Tammy , Ben-David Aharon , Mor Eytan , Olmer Liraz , Halperin Rebecca , Indenbaum Victoria , Beckerman Pazit , Doolman Ram , Asraf Keren , Atari Nofar , Benjamini Ohad , Lustig Yaniv , Grossman Ehud , Mandelboim Michal , Rahav Galia 
Published: November 2022

Background.
The effectiveness of the fourth BNT162b2 vaccination in reducing the rate and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Omicron variant in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) is unknown.

Methods.
Interviews were conducted with 447 RTRs regarding the status and timing of the fourth vaccination, prior vaccinations, and preceding COVID-19 infection. RTRs with polymerase chain reaction–confirmed COVID-19 infection from December 1, 2021, to the end of March 2022 were considered to have been infected with the Omicron variant and were interviewed to determine their disease severity. In a subgroup of 74 RTRs, the humoral response to the fourth dose was analyzed. In 30 RTRs, microneutralization assays were performed to reveal the humoral response to wild-type, Delta, and Omicron variant isolates before and after the fourth dose.

Results.
Of 447 RTRs, 144 (32.2%) were infected with the Omicron variant, with 71 (49.3%) of the infected RTRs having received the fourth vaccine dose. RTRs who did not receive the fourth dose before the infection had more serious illness. In a subgroup of 74 RTRs, the fourth dose elicited a positive humoral response in 94.6% (70/74), with a significant increase in geometric mean titer for receptor-binding domain immunoglobulin G and neutralizing antibodies (P < 0.001). The humoral responses to the Omicron variant before and after the fourth dose were significantly lower than the responses to the wild-type and the Delta variants.

Conclusions.
Overall, the fourth BNT162b2 dose was effective in reducing the rate and severity of Omicron disease in RTRs, despite the reduced humoral response to the variant.
A Longitudinal Seroepidemiology Study to Evaluate Antibody Response to SARS-CoV-2 Virus and Vaccination in Children in Calgary, Canada from July 2020 to April 2022
Authors: Doucette Emily J. , Gray Joslyn , Fonseca Kevin , Charlton Carmen , Kanji Jamil N. , Tipples Graham , Kuhn Susan , Dunn Jessica , Sayers Payton , Symonds Nicola , Wu Guosong , Freedman Stephen B , Kellner James D. ,   the Alberta COVID-19 Childhood Cohort (AB3C) Study Team
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundMeasurement of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seropositivity is important to accurately understand exposure to infection and/or vaccination in specific populations.MethodsChildren with or without prior SARS-CoV-2 infections, was enrolled in Calgary, Canada in 2020. Venous blood was sampled 4 times from July 2020 to April 2022 for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and spike antibodies. Demographic and clinical information was obtained including SARS-CoV-2 testing results and vaccination records.Results1035 children were enrolled and 88.9% completed all 4 visits; median age 9 years (IQR: 5,13); 519 (50.1%) female; and 815 (78.7%) Caucasian. Before enrollment, 118 (11.4%) had confirmed or probable SARS-CoV-2. By April 2022, 39.5% of previously uninfected participants had a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nucleocapsid antibody seropositivity declined to 16.4% after more than 200 days after diagnosis. Spike antibodies remained elevated in 93.6% of unvaccinated children after more than 200 days after diagnosis. By April 2022, 408 (95.6%) children 12 years and older had received 2 or more vaccine doses, and 241 (61.6%) 5 to 11 year-old children had received 2 vaccine doses. At that time, all 685 vaccinated children had spike antibodies, compared with 94/176 (53.4%) of unvaccinated children.ConclusionsIn our population, after the first peak of Omicron variant infections and introduction of COVID-19 vaccines for children, all vaccinated children had SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies, in contrast to 53.4% of unvaccinated children. It is not yet known whether a high level of seropositivity at a point in time indicates sustained population-level protection against SARS-CoV-2 transmission or severe COVID-19 outcomes in children.SummaryBy April 2022, all vaccinated children with or without acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections had spike antibodies, compared with just over one-half of unvaccinated children. It’s not known whether overall seropositivity level in a population indicates sustained protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Online internal speech decoding from single neurons in a human participant
Authors: Wandelt Sarah K. , Bjånes David A. , Pejsa Kelsie , Lee Brian , Liu Charles , Andersen Richard A. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSpeech brain-machine interfaces (BMI’s) translate brain signals into words or audio outputs, enabling communication for people having lost their speech abilities due to diseases or injury. While important advances in vocalized, attempted, and mimed speech decoding have been achieved, results for internal speech decoding are sparse, and have yet to achieve high functionality. Notably, it is still unclear from which brain areas internal speech can be decoded. In this work, a tetraplegic participant with implanted microelectrode arrays located in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG) and primary somatosensory cortex (S1) performed internal and vocalized speech of six words and two pseudowords. We found robust internal speech decoding from SMG single neuron activity, achieving up to 91% classification accuracy during an online task (chance level 12.5%). Evidence of shared neural representations between internal speech, word reading, and vocalized speech processes were found. SMG represented words in different languages (English/ Spanish) as well as pseudowords, providing evidence for phonetic encoding. Furthermore, our decoder achieved high classification with multiple internal speech strategies (auditory imagination/ visual imagination). Activity in S1 was modulated by vocalized but not internal speech, suggesting no articulator movements of the vocal tract occurred during internal speech production. This works represents the first proof-of-concept for a high-performance internal speech BMI.
Accuracy and Precision of 3D Optical Imaging for Body Composition and their Associations to Metabolic Markers by Age, BMI, and Ethnicity
Authors: Wong Michael C. , Bennett Jonathan P. , Quon Brandon , Leong Lambert T. , Tian Isaac Y. , Liu Yong E. , Kelly Nisa N. , McCarthy Cassidy , Chow Dominic , Pujades Sergi , Garber Andrea K. , Maskarinec Gertraud , Heymsfield Steven B. , Shepherd John A. 
Published: November 2022

ABSTRACTBackgroundRecent three-dimensional optical (3DO) imaging advancements have provided a more accessible, affordable, and self-operating opportunities for assessing body composition. 3DO is accurate and precise compared to clinical measures measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in diverse study samples. However, the accuracy and precision of an overall 3DO body composition model in specific subgroups is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate 3DO’s accuracy and precision by subgroups of age, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity/race.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was performed using the Shape Up! Adults study. Each participant received duplicate 3DO and DXA scans. 3DO meshes were digitally registered and reposed using Meshcapade to standardize the vertices and pose. Principal component analysis was performed on the registered 3DO meshes to orthogonalize and reduce the dimensionality of the data. The resulting principal components estimated DXA whole-body and regional body composition using stepwise forward linear regression with five-fold cross-validation. Duplicate 3DO and DXA scans were used for test-retest precision. Student’s t-test was performed between 3DO and DXA by subgroup to determine significant differences. One-way ANOVA determined if intra-group precision had significant differences. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsSix hundred thirty-four participants (females = 346) had completed the study at the time of the analysis. 3DO total fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) in the entire sample achieved R2s of 0.94 and 0.92 with RMSEs of 2.91 kg and 2.76 kg, respectively, in females and similarly in males. 3DO total FM and FFM achieved a %CV (RMSE) of 1.76% (0.44 kg) and 1.97% (0.44 kg), while DXA had a %CV (RMSE) of 0.98% (0.24 kg) and 0.59% (0.27 kg), respectively, in females and similarly in males. There were no mean differences by age group (p-value > 0.068). However, there were mean differences for underweight females, NHOPI females and males, and Asian and black females (p-value < 0.038). There were no significant differences among the subgroups for precision (p-value > 0.109).ConclusionA single 3DO body composition model derived from a highly-stratified dataset performed well against DXA with minimal differences detected for accuracy and precision. Adjustments to specific subgroups may be warranted to improve the accuracy in those that had significant differences. Nevertheless, 3DO produced accurate and precise body composition estimates that can be used on diverse populations.
Augmenting vaccine efficacy against delta variant with ‘Mycobacterium-w’ mediated modulation of NK-ADCC and TLR-MYD88 pathways
Authors: Jaiswal Sarita Rani , Saifullah Ashraf , Arunachalam Jaganath , Lakhchaura Rohit , Tailor Dhanir , Mehta Anupama , Bhagawati Gitali , Aiyer Hemamalini , Biswas Subhrajit , Khamar Bakulesh , Malhotra Sanjay V. , Chakrabarti Suparno 
Published: November 2022

SUMMARYMycobacterium-w (Mw), was shown to boost adaptive natural killer (ANK) cells and protect against COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic. As a follow-up of the trial, 50 healthcare workers (HCW) who had received Mw in September 2020 and subsequently received at least one dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (Mw+ChAdOx1 group) were monitored for symptomatic COVID-19, during a major outbreak with the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 (April-June, 2021), along with 201 HCW receiving both doses of the vaccine without Mw (ChAdOx1 group). Despite 48% having received just a single dose of the vaccine in Mw+ChAdOx1 group, only 2 had mild COVID-19, compared to 36 infections in the ChAdOx1 group (HR-0.46, p=0.009). Transcriptomic studies revealed an enhanced adaptive NK cell-dependent ADCC in the Mw+ChAdOx1 group, along with downregulation of TLR2-MYD88 pathway and concomitant attenuation of downstream inflammatory pathways. This might have resulted in robust protection during the pandemic with the delta variant.
Analysis of 21 appendices from children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome compared to specimens of acute appendicitis – a new insight into MIS-C pathology
Authors: Okarska-Napierała Magdalena , Woźniak Weronika , Mańdziuk Joanna , Ludwikowska Kamila Maria , Feleszko Wojciech , Grzybowski Jakub , Panczyk Mariusz , Berdej-Szczot Elżbieta , Zaryczański Janusz , Górnicka Barbara , Szenborn Leszek , Kuchar Ernest 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackground & AimsMultisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a rare, but severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019, commonly involving the gastrointestinal tract. Some children with MIS-C undergo appendectomy before the final diagnosis. There are several hypotheses explaining pathomechanism of MIS-C, with the central role of the viral antigen persistence in the gut, associated with lymphocyte exhaustion and immune system dysregulation. We aimed to examine appendectomy specimens obtained from MIS-C patients and analyze the pathological features of the disease and the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens in the appendix.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study we included 21 children with MIS-C who underwent appendectomy before the final diagnosis. MIS-C patients were recruited from the Polish national registry of inflammatory syndromes in children. The control group included 21 sex- and age-matched children with acute appendicitis (AA) unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Histological evaluation involved hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical identification of lymphocyte subpopulations, programmed cell death protein 1, and SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen.ResultsAppendices of MIS-C patients lacked neutrophilic infiltrate of muscularis propria typical for AA (14 vs 95%, p<0.001). The proportion of CD20+to CD5+cells was higher in patients with MIS-C (p 0.04), as well as the proportion of CD4+to CD8+(p <0.001). We found no proof of SARS-CoV-2 antigen presence, nor lymphocyte exhaustion, in the appendices of MIS-C patients.ConclusionsOur findings describe pathomorphological features of the appendix in MIS-C and argue against the central role of SARS-CoV-2 persistence in the gut and concomitant lymphocyte exhaustion as the major triggers of MIS-C.