bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
New problems of environmental ecology: ticks and tick‐borne pathogens in city parks of Ukraine
Authors: Kolomiiets Valentyna , Rakowska Patrycja , Rymaszewska Anna 
Published: April 2022

SummaryCity parks of Vinnytsia, Ukraine, were examined for the occurrence of host‐seeking ticks and collected specimens were examined for presence of rickettsial pathogens. In the summer season, the only collected individuals were Dermacentor reticulatus adults (n = 203). DNA identification of pathogens was conducted with the use of 16S rRNA gene amplification. Molecular analyses confirmed the presence of Rickettsia raoultii in ticks from all parks, with infection prevalence ranging from 5% to 68% across parks. These results indicate that city parks in Vinnytsia have become a new habitat for ticks of high medical and veterinary importance. Due to the risk of acquiring tick‐borne pathogens, the urban environment such as parks and home gardens, should be monitored for the presence of ticks and their infection with human pathogens. Screening of these areas is an important preventive element of environmental epidemiology.
Identification of imprinted genes in the skeletal muscle of newborn piglets by high‐throughput sequencing
Authors: Hou Xinhua , Wang Zishuai , Shi Liangyu , Wang Ligang , Zhao Fuping , Liu Xin , Gao Hongmei , Shi Lijun , Yan Hua , Wang Lixian , Zhang Longchao 
Published: April 2022

AbstractImprinted genes – exhibiting parent‐specific transcription – play essential roles in the process of mammalian development and growth. Skeletal muscle growth is crucial for meat production. To further understand the role of imprinted genes during the porcine skeletal muscle growth, DNA‐seq and RNA‐seq were used to explore the characteristics of imprinted genes from porcine reciprocal crosses. A total of 584 545 single‐nucleotide variations were discovered in the DNA‐seq data of F0 parents, heterozygous in two pig breeds (Yorkshire and Min pigs) but homozygous in each breed. These single‐nucleotide variations were used to determine the allelic‐specific expression in F1 individuals. Finally, eight paternal expression sites and three maternal expression sites were detected, whereas two paternally expressed imprinted genes (NDN and IGF2) and one maternally expressed imprinted gene (H1‐3) were validated by Sanger sequencing. DNA methylation regulates the expression of imprinted genes, and all of the identified imprinted genes in this study were predicted to possess CpG islands. PBX1 and YY1 binding motifs were discovered in the promoter regions of all three imprinted genes, which were candidate elements regulating the transcription of imprinted genes. For these identified imprinted genes, IGF2 and NDN promoted muscle growth whereas H1‐3 inhibited cell proliferation, corroborating the ‘parental conflict’ theory that paternally expressed imprinted genes assisted descendants’ growth whereas maternally expressed imprinted genes inhibited it. This study discovered porcine imprinted genes in skeletal muscle and was the first to reveal that H1‐3 was expressed by the maternal allele to our knowledge. Our findings provided valuable resources for the potential utilization of imprinted genes in pig breeding.
Phase 1 safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics results of a long‐acting C‐type natriuretic peptide prodrug, TransCon CNP
Authors: Breinholt Vibeke Miller , Mygind Per Holse , Christoffersen Eva Dam , Zhang Ying , Ota Sho , Will Charlton R. , Viuff Dorthe 
Published: April 2022

AimTransCon CNP is a novel prodrug designed to provide sustained release of C‐type natriuretic peptide (CNP) for once‐weekly therapy, addressing the pathology leading to aberrant skeletal development in achondroplasia. This phase 1 trial was initiated to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) of TransCon CNP.MethodsThis randomized, placebo‐controlled, single‐ascending dose phase 1 trial was performed at two sites in Australia and enrolled 45 healthy adult males. Subjects received placebo or TransCon CNP (single‐ascending dose cohorts [3, 10, 25, 75 or 150 μg CNP/kg]). The primary endpoint was frequency of adverse events and other safety outcomes. Other endpoints included PK and PD measured by cyclic guanosine‐monophosphate (cGMP) and amino‐terminal propeptide of CNP (NTproCNP).ResultsTransCon CNP provided continuous systemic exposure to CNP over at least 7 days post‐dose. Plasma and urine levels of cGMP were significantly increased in subjects administered TransCon CNP at 75‐150 μg CNP/kg, indicating target engagement of active CNP at the natriuretic peptide receptor‐B (NPR‐B) for at least 1 week post‐dose. TransCon CNP was well‐tolerated, with no serious treatment‐emergent adverse events or discontinuations. Extensive cardiac safety assessments did not reveal any clinically relevant effects on electrocardiogram parameters, including heart rate, PR, QRS and QTcF intervals.ConclusionsSafety and PD data from this phase 1 trial support that TransCon CNP is well tolerated, with a PK profile compatible with a once‐weekly dosing regimen. Further studies are ongoing to evaluate the potential of TransCon CNP to positively impact abnormal endochondral ossification in children with achondroplasia.
Data privacy on the African continent: Opportunities, challenges and implications for learning analytics
Authors: Prinsloo Paul , Kaliisa Rogers 
Published: April 2022

AbstractWhilst learning analytics is still nascent in most African higher education institutions, many African higher education institutions use learning platforms and analytic services from providers outside of the African continent. A critical consideration of the protection of data privacy on the African continent and its implications for learning analytics in African higher education is therefore needed. In this paper, we map the current state of legal and regulatory environments and frameworks on privacy to establish their implications for learning analytics. This scoping review of privacy regulations in 32 African countries, complemented by 15 scholarly papers, revealed that there are numerous national and regional legislation and regulatory frameworks, providing clear pointers pertaining to (student) data privacy to governments, higher education institutions and researchers. As such, the findings of this research have implications for African higher education to ensure not only legal compliance but also to oversee and safeguard student data privacy as part of their fiduciary duty. This research provides crucial insights regarding the importance of context for thinking about the expansion and institutional adoption of learning analytics.
Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic

Personal data have become commodified and are regarded as a valuable commercial asset.
The commercial value of data relies on the collection and analysis of increasing volumes, granularity, variety and velocity of personal data (both identifiable and aggregated).
Africa and African higher education are regarded as new data frontiers to be exploited.
What this paper adds

This paper, for the first time, makes an attempt to map privacy legislation and academic research on (student) data privacy in the African continent.
Maps key implications for African higher educations to consider in collecting, analysing, using and sharing student data.
It provides pointers for a research agenda pertaining to student data privacy on the African continent.
Implications for practice and/or policy

African higher education institutions should consider student data privacy when entering into service level agreements with educational technology and platform providers.
African governments should develop common data sharing frameworks to facilitate cross‐border data transfer.
Current African data privacy legislation provides important implications for the adoption and institutionalisation of learning analytics.
African higher education also has to consider the ethical aspects of learning analytics.
Serotonin transporter in the temporal lobe, hippocampus and amygdala in SUDEP
Authors: Patodia Smriti , Somani Alyma , Liu Joan , Cattaneo Alice , Paradiso Beatrice , Garcia Maria , Othman Muhammad , Diehl Beate , Devinsky Orrin , Mills James D. , Foong Jackie , Thom Maria 
Published: April 2022

AbstractSeveral lines of evidence link deficient serotonin function and SUDEP. Chronic treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) reduces ictal central apnoea, a risk factor for SUDEP. Reduced medullary serotonergic neurones, modulators of respiration in response to hypercapnia, were reported in a SUDEP post‐mortem series. The amygdala and hippocampus have high serotonergic innervation and are functionally implicated in seizure‐related respiratory dysregulation. We explored serotonergic networks in mesial temporal lobe structures in a surgical and post‐mortem epilepsy series in relation to SUDEP risk. We stratified 75 temporal lobe epilepsy patients with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE/HS) into high (N = 16), medium (N = 11) and low risk (N = 48) groups for SUDEP based on generalised seizure frequency. We also included the amygdala in 35 post‐mortem cases, including SUDEP (N = 17), epilepsy controls (N = 10) and non‐epilepsy controls (N = 8). The immunohistochemistry labelling index (LI) and axonal length (AL) of serotonin transporter (SERT)‐positive axons were quantified in 13 regions of interest with image analysis. SERT LI was highest in amygdala and subiculum regions. In the surgical series, higher SERT LI was observed in high risk than low risk cases in the dentate gyrus, CA1 and subiculum (p < 0.05). In the post‐mortem cases higher SERT LI and AL was observed in the basal and accessory basal nuclei of the amygdala and peri‐amygdala cortex in SUDEP compared to epilepsy controls (p < 0.05). Patients on SRI showed higher SERT in the dentate gyrus (p < 0.005) and CA4 (p < 0.05) but there was no difference in patients with or without a psychiatric history. Higher SERT in hippocampal subfields in TLE/HS cases with SUDEP risk factors and higher amygdala SERT in post‐mortem SUDEP cases than epilepsy controls supports a role for altered serotonergic networks involving limbic regions in SUDEP. This may be of functional relevance through reduced 5‐HT availability.
Epiphytic ant‐plant obtains nitrogen from both native and invasive ant inhabitants
Authors: Volp Trevor M. , Cernusak Lucas A. , Lach Lori 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAnt‐plants have been extensively used as model systems in the study of the evolution and ecology of mutualisms. Using a 15N isotope labeling experiment, we found that both a native ant mutualist (Philidris cordata) and an invasive ant (Pheidole megacephala) provide nitrogen to the Australian ant‐plant Myrmecodia beccarii.
Parenting centers and caregiver mental health: Evidence from a large‐scale randomized controlled trial in China
Authors: Jiang Qi , Dill Sarah‐Eve , Sylvia Sean , Singh Manpreet K. , She Xinshu , Wang Eric , Medina Alexis , Rozelle Scott 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study conducts an exploratory analysis of the impacts of a center‐based early childhood development intervention on the mental health of caregivers, using data from a cluster‐randomized controlled trial of 1664 caregivers (Mage = 36.87 years old) of 6‐ to 24‐month‐old children in 100 villages in rural China. Caregivers and children in 50 villages received individual parenting training, group activities and open play space in village parenting centers. The results show no significant overall change in caregiver‐reported mental health symptoms after 1 year of intervention. Subgroup analyses reveal heterogeneous effects by caregiver socioeconomic status and identity (mother vs. grandmother). Findings suggest that early childhood development interventions without targeted mental health components may not provide sufficient support to improve caregiver mental health.
An equity lens on behavioral science for conservation
Authors: Crosman Katherine M. , Jurcevic Ines , Van Holmes Carlin , Hall Crystal C. , Allison Edward H. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIn recent decades, interest in and application of behavioral insights to conservation theory and practice have expanded significantly. Yet the growth of integrated strategies to adapt and guide human behavior in service of conservation outcomes has included limited engagement with questions of equity and power. Here we examine the use of behavioral approaches in conservation efforts, emphasizing potential misapplications that may result from omitting equity and power considerations. Such omission may lead to an overemphasis on the role of individual behaviors relative to system‐level drivers of biodiversity loss, result in misalignment between behavioral interventions and the actual drivers of behavior in situ, and incur unanticipated negative social welfare and distributional costs, all of which may undermine conservation success. We offer recommendations for centering equity when applying behavioral insights to conservation, including strategies for high‐level agenda setters (scholars, advocates, funders and programmatic leaders) as well as conservation practitioners. The urgent need for biodiversity conservation is insufficient reason to side‐step equity and power considerations; we contend that centering equity is consistent with this urgency and key for developing sustainable conservation theory and practice.
Effects of dapagliflozin on volume status and systemic haemodynamics in patients with chronic kidney disease without diabetes: Results from DAPASALT and DIAMOND
Authors: Sen Taha , Scholtes Rosalie , Greasley Peter J. , Cherney David Z. I. , Dekkers Claire C. J. , Vervloet Marc , Danser Alexander H. J. , Barbour Sean J. , Karlsson Cecilia , Hammarstedt Ann , Li Qiang , Laverman Gozewijn D. , Bjornstad Petter , van Raalte Daniel H. , Heerspink Hiddo J. L. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAimsTo assess the effect of sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐2 inhibitor dapagliflozin on natriuresis, blood pressure (BP) and volume status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) without diabetes.Materials and methodsWe performed a mechanistic open‐label study (DAPASALT) to evaluate the effects of dapagliflozin on 24‐hour sodium excretion, 24‐hour BP, extracellular volume, and markers of volume status during a standardized sodium diet (150 mmol/d) in six patients with CKD. In parallel, in a placebo‐controlled double‐blind crossover trial (DIAMOND), we determined the effects of 6 weeks of dapagliflozin on markers of volume status in 53 patients with CKD.ResultsIn DAPASALT (mean age 65 years, mean estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 39.4 mL/min/1.73 m2, median urine albumin:creatinine ratio [UACR] 111 mg/g), dapagliflozin did not change 24‐hour sodium and volume excretion during 2 weeks of treatment. Dapagliflozin was associated with a modest increase in 24‐hour glucose excretion on Day 4, which persisted at Day 14 and reversed to baseline after discontinuation. Mean 24‐hour systolic BP decreased by −9.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] −19.1, 0.4) mmHg after 4 days and was sustained at Day 14 and at wash‐out. Renin, angiotensin II, urinary aldosterone and copeptin levels increased from baseline. In DIAMOND (mean age 51 years, mean eGFR 59.0 mL/min/1.73 m2, median UACR 608 mg/g), compared to placebo, dapagliflozin increased plasma renin (38.5 [95% CI 7.4, 78.8]%), aldosterone (19.1 [95% CI −5.9, 50.8]%), and copeptin levels (7.3 [95% CI 0.1, 14.5] pmol/L).ConclusionsDuring a standardized sodium diet, dapagliflozin decreased BP but did not increase 24‐hour sodium and volume excretion. The lack of increased natriuresis and diuresis may be attributed to activation of intra‐renal compensatory mechanisms to prevent excessive water loss.
Current perspectives on mitochondrial dysfunction in migraine
Authors: Bohra Shraman Kumar , Achar Raghu Ram , Chidambaram Saravana Babu , Pellegrino Christophe , Laurin Jerome , Masoodi Mojgan , Srinivasan Asha 
Published: April 2022

AbstractMitochondria are an autonomous organelle that plays a crucial role in the metabolic aspects of a cell. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) and fluctuations in the cerebral blood flow have for long been mechanisms underlying migraine. It is a neurovascular disorder with a unilateral manifestation of disturbing, throbbing and pulsating head pain. Migraine affects 2.6% and 21.7% of the general population and is the major cause of partial disability in the age group 15–49. Higher mutation rates, imbalance in concentration of physiologically relevant molecules and oxidative stress biomarkers have been the main themes of discussion in determining the role of mitochondrial disability in migraine. The correlation of migraine with other disorders like hemiplegic migraine; mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke‐like episodes [MELAS]; tension‐type headache (TTH); cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS), ischaemic stroke; and hypertension has helped in the assessment of the physiological and morphogenetic basis of migraine. Here, we have reviewed the different nuances of mitochondrial dysfunction and migraine. The different mtDNA polymorphisms that can affect the generation and transmission of nerve impulse has been highlighted and supported with research findings. In addition to this, the genetic basis of migraine pathogenesis as a consequence of mutations in nuclear DNA that can, in turn, affect the synthesis of defective mitochondrial proteins is discussed along with a brief overview of epigenetic profile. This review gives an overview of the pathophysiology of migraine and explores mitochondrial dysfunction as a potential underlying mechanism. Also, therapeutic supplements for managing migraine have been discussed at different junctures in this paper.
Of home‐comings and home‐scales: Reframing return migration through a multiscalar understanding of home
Authors: Pérez Murcia Luis Eduardo , Boccagni Paolo 
Published: April 2022

AbstractIs return migration a form of ‘homecoming’, as common sense would have it? While increasing research has addressed both its determinants and the underlying lived experience, still lacking is a systematic revisit of return through the prism of home studies. Based on a multiscalar approach to home and on our fieldwork into Ecuadorian migration, we explore return as a life transition between separate geographic spaces and biographical times; in essence, as an ongoing interplay between different views, forms and scales of home. What potential returnees construct as home, how different this is from the past, and on what spatial and temporal scales they (re)locate their sense of home, are all critical influences on their return orientations and practices. Overall, little generalization can be made about the shifting temporalities and spatialities of return migration. Nonetheless, reconstructing the attendant (re)locations of home affords a more nuanced and sensitive understanding of it.
Outcomes and risk factors of death among hospitalized children and adolescents with obesity and COVID‐19 in Brazil: An analysis of a nationwide database
Authors: Simões e Silva Ana Cristina , Vasconcelos Mariana A. , Colosimo Enrico A. , Mendonça Ana Carmen Q. , Martelli‐Júnior Hercílio , Silva Ludmila R. , Oliveira Maria Christina L. , Pinhati Clara C. , Mak Robert H. , Oliveira Eduardo A. 
Published: April 2022

SummaryBackgroundObesity is a well‐recognized risk factor for critical illness and death among adult patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.ObjectiveThis study aimed to characterize the clinical outcomes and risk factors of death related to obesity in a cohort of hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID‐19.MethodsWe performed an analysis of all paediatric patients with obesity and COVID‐19 registered in SIVEP‐Gripe, a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database, between February 2020 and May 2021. The primary outcome was time to death, which was evaluated by using cumulative incidence function.ResultsAmong 21 591 hospitalized paediatric patients with COVID‐19, 477 cases (2.2%) had obesity. Of them, 71 (14.9%) had a fatal outcome as compared with 7.5% for patients without obesity (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59–2.53, p < 0.001). After adjustment, the factors associated with death among patients with obesity were female gender (HR = 2.8, 95% CI 1.70–4.61), oxygen saturation < 95% (HR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.38–4.79), presence of one (HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.11–3.26), and two or more comorbidities (HR = 4.0, 95% CI 2.21–7.56).ConclusionsChildren and adolescents with obesity had higher risk of death compared with those without obesity. The higher risk of death was associated with female gender, low oxygen saturation at admission, and presence of other comorbidities.
Associations between maternal obesity and offspring gut microbiome in the first year of life
Authors: Gilley Stephanie P. , Ruebel Meghan L. , Sims Clark , Zhong Ying , Turner Donald , Lan Renny S. , Pack Lindsay M. , Piccolo Brian D. , Chintapalli Sree V. , Abraham Ann , Bode Lars , Andres Aline , Shankar Kartik 
Published: April 2022

SummaryBackgroundMaternal obesity is an important determinant of offspring obesity risk, which may be mediated via changes in the infant microbiome.ObjectivesWe examined infant faecal microbiome, short‐chain fatty acids (SCFA), and maternal human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) in mothers with overweight/obese body mass index (BMI) (OW) compared with normal weight (NW) (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01131117).MethodsInfant stool samples at 1, 6, and 12 months were analysed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Maternal (BODPOD) and infant (quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance [QMR]) adiposity were measured. HMOs at 2 months postpartum and faecal SCFAs at 1 month were also assessed. Statistical analyses included multivariable and mixed linear models for assessment of microbiome diversity, composition, and associations of taxonomic abundance with metabolic and anthropometric variables.ResultsAt 1 month, offspring of women with obesity had lower abundance of SCFA‐producing bacteria (including Ruminococcus and Turicibacter) and lower faecal butyric acid levels. Lachnospiraceae abundance was lower in OW group at 6 months, and infant fat mass was negatively associated with the levels of Sutterella. Gradient boosting machine models indicated that higher α‐diversity and specific microbial taxa at 1 month predicted elevated adiposity at 12 months with overall accuracy of 76.5%. Associations between maternal HMO concentrations and infant bacterial taxa differed between NW and OW groups.ConclusionsElevated maternal BMI is associated with relative depletion of butyrate‐producing microbes and faecal butyrate in the early infant faecal microbiome. Overall microbial richness may aid in prediction of elevated adiposity in later infancy.