bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Plasma IGFBP‐1, Fas, kallistatin, and P‐selectin as predictive biomarkers of histologic chorioamnionitis and associated intra‐amniotic infection in women with preterm labor
Authors: Lee Kyong‐No , Cho Iseop , Im Eun Mi , Oh Eunji , Park Kyo Hoon 
Published: November 2022

AbstractProblemTo determine whether altered levels of 13 plasma biomarkers, alone or in combination, could be independently associated with histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) and microbial‐associated HCA (defined as the presence of HCA along with microbial invasion) in women with preterm labor (PTL).Methods of StudyThis was a retrospective cohort study involving 77 singleton pregnant women with PTL (23–34 gestational weeks) who delivered within 96 h of plasma and amniotic fluid (AF) sampling. DKK‐3, E‐selectin, Fas, haptoglobin, IGFBP‐1, kallistatin, MMP‐2, MMP‐8, pentraxin 3, progranulin, P‐selectin, SAA4, and TGFBI levels were assayed in plasma samples by ELISA. AF obtained via amniocentesis was used for microorganism identification.ResultsMultiple logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations between low plasma IGFBP‐1 levels and acute HCA, and between low plasma Fas and kallistatin levels, and elevated plasma P‐selectin levels and microbial‐associated HCA (all p < .05), after adjusting for gestational age. Using a stepwise regression procedure, a multi‐biomarker panel for microbial‐associated HCA was developed, which included plasma MMP‐2, kallistatin, and P‐selectin levels (area under the curve [AUC], .867). The AUC for this three‐marker panel was significantly or borderline significantly greater than that of any single variable included in the panel. However, a predictive model for acute HCA could not be developed because only one variable (MMP‐2) was selected.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate that IGFBP‐1, Fas, kallistatin, and P‐selectin are associated with acute HCA and microbial‐associated HCA in women with PTL. Their combined use can significantly improve the diagnostic ability for the detection of microbial‐associated HCA.
Sustaining rural pharmacy workforce understanding key attributes for enhanced retention and recruitment
Authors: Terry Daniel , Peck Blake , Hills Danny , Bishop Jaclyn , Kirschbaum Mark , Obamiro Kehinde , Phan Hoang , Baker Ed , Schmitz David 
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectiveTo pilot the Pharmacist Community Apgar Questionnaire (PharmCAQ) and evaluate its usability and capacity to develop a greater understanding of the unique factors that impact the rural recruitment and retention of pharmacists.DesignCross‐sectional design involving face‐to‐face, telephone or video conferencing interviews.SettingTwelve rural communities across Tasmania and Western Victoria, Australia.ParticipantsParticipants (n = 24) included pharmacists, a Director of Clinical Services, pharmacy practice managers and senior pharmacy assistants.Main Outcome MeasuresInterviews enabled the completion of the PharmCAQ, which assigns quantitative values to 50 key factors to ascertain a community's strengths and challenges associated with recruitment and retention and their relative importance to the pharmacist workforce.ResultsThe cumulative PharmCAQ scores indicated the tool was sensitive enough to differentiate high‐ and low‐performing communities. Overall, the highest‐rated factors considered most vital to pharmacist recruitment and retention were the reputation of the pharmacy, the ability of the pharmacist to be independent and autonomous, the loyalty of the community to the pharmacy, the level and stability of monetary compensation and the breadth of tasks available to a pharmacist.ConclusionsThis study identified the strengths and challenges of participating communities and provided an insight into the shared factors to consider in recruiting and retaining pharmacists. Further, each community has unique strengths that can further be promoted in recruitment, flagging where limited resources are best used to address site specific challenges. This is more likely to ensure the matching of the right candidate with the right community.
Associations of liver fat content with cardiometabolic phenotypes and outcomes in a multi‐ethnic population: Results from the Dallas Heart Study
Authors: Le Minh‐da , Wu Yiling , Berry Jarett D. , Browning Jeffrey D. , de Lemos James A. , Neeland Ian J. , Lingvay Ildiko 
Published: November 2022

AbstractAimsTo evaluate the associations between liver fat content and cardiometabolic parameters to explore potential threshold values that define metabolically healthy liver fat content, and to examine the association of liver fat content with cardiovascular events as well as its longitudinal progression.MethodsParticipants in the Dallas Heart Study underwent clinical evaluation, including laboratory testing, and liver fat quantification by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) at baseline (N = 2287) and at follow‐up (N = 343) after a mean of 7.3 years. Cardiovascular events were adjudicated (>12 years).ResultsThe mean age at study entry was 44 years, 47% of participants were men, and 48% were African American. The following cardiometabolic biomarkers worsened across liver fat quintiles (P < 0.0001): body mass index (BMI); waist circumference; prevalence of hypertension; prevalence of diabetes; cholesterol, triglyceride, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (CRP), leptin and fasting glucose levels; homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA‐IR); coronary artery calcium score; visceral adipose tissue; abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue; and lower body subcutaneous adipose tissue. Cardiovascular events were comparable across groups defined by tertile of baseline liver fat content. Change in BMI (R = 0.40), waist circumference (R = 0.35), CRP (R = 0.31), alanine aminotransferase (R = 0.27), HOMA‐IR (R = 0.26), aspartate transaminase (R = 0.15) and triglycerides (R = 0.12) significantly correlated with change in liver fat content (P < 0.01 for all).ConclusionClinically relevant metabolic abnormalities were higher across quintiles of liver fat, with increases noted well within normal liver fat ranges, but cardiovascular events were not associated with liver fat content. Longitudinal changes in metabolic parameters, especially adiposity‐related parameters, were correlated with change in liver fat content.
An explanation for unexpected population crashes in a constant environment
Authors: Johnson Evan C. , Hastings Alan , Ray Chris 
Published: November 2022

AbstractUnexpected population crashes are an important feature of natural systems, yet many observed crashes have not been explained. Two difficulties in explaining population crashes are their relative rarity and the multi‐causal nature of ecological systems. We approach this issue with experimental microcosms, with large numbers of replicates of red flour beetle populations (Tribolium castaneum). We determined that population crashes are caused by an interaction between stochasticity and successive episodes of density dependence: demographic stochasticity in oviposition rates occasionally produces a high density of eggs; so high that there are insufficient flour resources for subsequent larvae. This mechanism can explain unexpected population crashes in more general settings: stochasticity ‘pushes’ population into a regime where density dependence is severely overcompensatory. The interaction between nonlinearity and stochasticity also produces chaotic population dynamics and a double‐humped one‐generation population map, suggesting further possibilities for unexpected behaviour in a range of systems. We discuss the generality of our proposed mechanism, which could potentially account for previously inexplicable population crashes.
Epilepsy center characteristics and geographic region influence presurgical testing in the United States
Authors: Ahrens Stephanie M. , Arredondo Kristen H. , Bagić Anto I. , Bai Shasha , Chapman Kevin E. , Ciliberto Michael A. , Clarke Dave F. , Eisner Mariah , Fountain Nathan B. , Gavvala Jay R. , Perry M. Scott , Rossi Kyle C. , Wong‐Kisiel Lily C. , Herman Susan T. , Ostendorf Adam P. ,   NAEC Center Director Study Group
Published: November 2022

AbstractObjectivePersons with drug‐resistant epilepsy may benefit from epilepsy surgery and should undergo presurgical testing to determine potential candidacy and appropriate intervention. Institutional expertise can influence use and availability of evaluations and epilepsy surgery candidacy. This census survey study aims to examine the influence of geographic region and other center characteristics on presurgical testing for medically intractable epilepsy.MethodsWe analyzed annual report and supplemental survey data reported in 2020 from 206 adult epilepsy center directors and 136 pediatric epilepsy center directors in the United States. Test utilization data were compiled with annual center volumes, available resources, and US Census regional data. We used Wilcoxon rank‐sum, Kruskal–Wallis, and chi‐squared tests for univariate analysis of procedure utilization. Multivariable modeling was also performed to assign odds ratios (ORs) of significant variables.ResultsThe response rate was 100% with individual element missingness < 11% across 342 observations undergoing univariate analysis. A total of 278 complete observations were included in the multivariable models, and significant regional differences were present. For instance, compared to centers in the South, those in the Midwest used neuropsychological testing (OR = 2.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2–6.86; p = .018) and fluorodeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = = 1.14–6.61; p = .025) more commonly. For centers in the Northeast (OR = .46, 95% CI = .23–.93; p = .031) and West (OR = .41, 95% CI = .19–.87; p = .022), odds of performing single‐photon emission computerized tomography were lower by nearly 50% compared to those in the South. Center accreditation level, demographics, volume, and resources were also associated with varying individual testing rates.SignificancePresurgical testing for drug‐resistant epilepsy is influenced by US geographic region and other center characteristics. These findings have potential implications for comparing outcomes between US epilepsy centers and may inject disparities in access to surgical treatment.
Evolution of reproductive life‐history and dispersal traits during the range expansion of a biological control agent
Authors: Clark Eliza I. , Bitume Ellyn V. , Bean Dan W. , Stahlke Amanda R. , Hohenlohe Paul A. , Hufbauer Ruth A. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractEvolutionary theory predicts that the process of range expansion will lead to differences in life‐history and dispersal traits between the core and edge of a population. At the edge, selection and genetic drift can have opposing effects on reproductive ability, while spatial sorting by dispersal ability can increase dispersal. However, the context that individuals experience, including population density and mating status, also impacts dispersal behavior. We seek to understand the shifts in traits of populations expanding across natural, heterogenous environments, and the evolutionary and behavioral factors that may drive those shifts. We evaluated theoretical predictions for evolution of reproductive life‐history and dispersal traits using the range expansion of a biological control agent, Diorhabda carinulata, or northern tamarisk beetle. We find that individuals from the edge had increased fecundity and female body mass, and reduced age at first reproduction, indicating that genetic load is low and suggesting that selection has acted at the edge. We also find that density of conspecifics during rearing and mating status influence dispersal of males and that dispersal increases at the edge of the range under certain conditions, particularly when males were unmated and reared at low density. The restricted conditions in which dispersal has increased suggest that spatial sorting has exerted weak effects relative to other potential processes. Our results support most theoretical predictions about evolution during range expansion, even across a heterogeneous environment, especially when the ecological context is considered.
Evaluation of lead‐based echodensities on transesophageal echocardiogram in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices
Authors: Patel Neel J. , Singleton Matthew J. , Brunetti Ryan , Richardson Karl M. , Bhave Prashant D. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIntroductionTransesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is recommended to rule out endocarditis in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED). A lead‐based echodensity (LBE), however, is often found on TEE in patients with a CIED and may not represent an infection. We sought to evaluate the predictors, characteristics, and clinical significance of LBEs seen on TEE in patients with a CIED.MethodsPatients with a CIED were retrospectively identified from a database using International Classification of Diseases (ICD)‐9/ICD‐10 codes and were cross‐matched with Current Procedural Terminology codes for a TEE. Clinical and follow‐up data were collected. A blinded echo board‐certified cardiologist reviewed all TEEs.ResultsOut of the 231 patients in the cohort, 191 had TEE performed for a noninfection‐related indication while 40 TEEs were part of an endocarditis workup. A total of 50 LBEs were identified, and a majority were in the noninfection cohort. Systemic anticoagulant use in the noninfection cohort was associated with a decreased odds of having LBE on TEE (odds ratio [OR] of 0.23 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06–0.60, p = .003]). Lead dwell time in the noninfection cohort was associated with an increased odds of having LBE on TEE (OR 1.21 (95% CI: 1.04–1.39, p = .009]).ConclusionIn our cohort of patients who had TEE for noninfection indications we found that systemic anticoagulant use is associated with fewer LBEs on TEEs, suggesting possible thrombin fibrin composition of LBE.
Not just for the birds: Spiders as natural enemies of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana, Clem.)
Authors: Bowden Joseph J. , van der Meer Berni , Moise Eric R. D. , Johns Rob C. , Williams Martin 
Published: November 2022

Abstract(1) The eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana, Clem.) is a native irruptive forest pest that defoliates spruce‐fir forests throughout North America's boreal zone. (2) Past studies suggest that successful spruce budworm population control requires high natural mortality from a variety of sources, including predators, especially from parasitoids and birds. While well represented in many different ecosystems, the role of generalist predatory spiders in these boreal systems remains largely unstudied. (3) To determine the identity and percentage of spiders preying upon spruce budworm, we hand‐collected spiders from balsam fir (Abies balsamea) in stands with relatively high spruce budworm densities from forests in insular Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (4) Using a spruce budworm‐specific TaqMan real‐time PCR assay, we successfully amplified spruce budworm DNA in 32% of collected spiders. After spider molecular barcoding, we found the web builders Grammonota angusta Dondale, Pityohyphantes (aff. subarcticus), Dictyna brevitarsa Emerton and Estrandia grandaeva (Keyserling) represented 58% of the spiders feeding on spruce budworm, and the wandering hunter Philodromus rufus Dondale represented 11.8%. (5) Our molecular approach was an effective means with which to identify recently consumed prey and natural enemies in this boreal system.
Emotion, ethics, epistemology: What can shame ‘do’ in medical education?
Authors: Lusk Penelope 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackground: Recent empirical studies have described and theorized a culture of shame within medical education in the Anglo‐American context (Bynum). Shame is universal and highly social human emotion characterized by a sense of feeling objectified and judged negatively, in contrast to one's own self‐concept. Shame has both an embodied and a relational dimension. Shame is considered especially relevant in healthcare settings (Dolezal and Lyons), and the tenets of patient care within the medical profession include respecting the dignity and upholding the safety of patients. However, shame is frequently deployed as a teaching tool within medical training. Method: Here I ask, what can shame do in medical education (Ahmed)? What epistemic and relational conditions does it construct? I draw from philosophical voices in higher education to illuminate how shaming practices in medical education can undermine dignity safety (Callan), preclude inclusivity, and in the context of the hierarchical and marginalizing medical system, propagate epistemic injustice (Fricker). Discussion: This argument shows how shame in education can be both phenomenologically and normatively problematic and may act differently upon students who experience marginalization and those who are majoritized. I further suggest that a medical education system which upholds the epistemological and relational frameworks of power, shame, and epistemic injustice, underscores those frameworks in the medical system at large, disserving individual patients who are already at risk of suffering epistemic injustice (Carel), and society at large. Conclusion: This analysis of shame in medical education focuses on the highly relational and interpersonal elements of learning to live and work in the medical system, highlighting the need for respect, trust, and resistance to reorient the relational learning environment toward individual and systemic forms of justice.
The CRISPR Revolution in Genome Engineering: Perspectives from Religious Ethics
Authors: Lee Jung 
Published: November 2022

ABSTRACTThis focus issue considers the normative implications of the recent emergence in genome editing technology known as CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) or CRISPR‐associated protein 9. Originally discovered in the adaptive immune systems of bacteria and archaea, CRISPR enables researchers to make efficient and site‐specific modifications to the genomes of cells and organisms. More accessible, precise, and economic than previous gene editing technologies, CRISPR holds the promise of not only transforming the fields of genetics, agriculture, and human medicine, but also heralding a new era of democratized biotechnology. However, the speed with which developments in the field have progressed threatens to overwhelm our normative sensibilities about the long‐term practical and ethical implications. The contributors to this focus issue attempt to think through some of the more salient moral and practical consequences of CRISPR in the context of religious ethics, particularly as they relate to themes of autonomy, human flourishing, social justice, and the ethics of enhancement.
Infrahuman madness: Mental health nursing and the discursive production of alterity
Authors: Adam Simon , Jiang Cindy , Mikhail Marina , Juergensen Linda 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBy examining an exemplar sample of mental health nursing educational policies and related legislation, in this article, we trace the discursive production of madness as an “othered” identity category. We engage in a critical discourse analysis of mental health nursing education in Canada, drawing on provincial and federal policies and legislation as the main sources of data. Theoretically framed by critical posthumanism and mad studies, this article outlines how the mad subjectivity becomes decontextualized out of its identity‐based understanding and recontextualized as an inferior category of “the human,” circulating within discourses of pedagogy, economics, law, and psychiatry. The article maps the intertextual nexus of the discourse of mental health nursing education, making visible the complex, the arbitrary, and the sometimes‐contradictory nature of the discipline's grappling with identity‐based mental health concepts. We close with several implications for nursing policy, education, and practice.
A singleplex IgE test to a mixture of molecules from multiple airborne allergen sources: Innovating in vitro screening of respiratory allergies
Authors: Potapova Ekaterina , Panetta Valentina , Grabenhenrich Linus , Icke Katja , Grübl Armin , Müller Christoph , Zepp Fred , Schuster Antje , Wahn Ulrich , Lau Susanne , Keil Thomas , Matricardi Paolo Maria 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundIn vitro immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests can be better standardized if based on molecules rather than extracts. However, singleplex screening tests for respiratory or food allergies are still based on extracts only.TargetTo validate a novel singleplex IgE screening test for respiratory allergies, based on a mix of major allergenic molecules Der p 1, Der p 2, Fel d 1, Can f 1, Can f 2, Can f 3, Can f 5, Bet v 1, Phl p 1, and Art v 1 (Molecular SX01, NOVEOS, HYCOR, USA), and requiring only four microliters (μl) of serum.MethodsWe examined six subsets of sera from participants of the German Multicenter Allergy Study (MAS) birth cohort enrolling 1314 newborns during 1990: (1) monosensitized (n = 58); (2) polysensitized (n = 24); (3) nonsensitized, with total IgE levels above (n = 24) or (4) below (n = 24) 300 kU/L; (5) sensitized to milk and/or egg but not to airborne allergens (n = 24); and (6) sera of children aged ≤5 years at their earliest IgE monosensitization to airborne allergens (n = 41). Sera were analyzed with the novel molecular SX01 test (NOVEOS) and with three categories of comparators: ImmunoCAP Phadiatop SX01, extracts, and molecules of D. pteronyssinus, cat, dog, grass, and birch. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. Quantitative interrelationships were determined using Spearman's rank‐order correlation coefficient and Bland–Altmann plots.ResultsThe molecular SX01 test predicted the outcome of IgE tests based on molecules, extracts, or Phadiatop in 188 (96.4%), 171 (87.7%), and 171 (87.7%) of the 195 sera, respectively. Accordingly, sensitivity was 93.5%, 89.0%, and 82.4%, whereas specificity was 100%, 97.6%, and 96.1% when compared with molecular, extract, and Phadiatop tests, respectively. Inconsistent outcomes were largely confined to sera with IgE‐Ab levels around the cutoff value of 0.35 kU/L, except for 5/195 (2.5%) sera, containing high levels of IgE to Phl p 5 and/or Alt a 1 only. IgE levels measured by the molecular SX01 test and with IgE tests to molecules, extracts, and Phadiatop were highly correlated (rho 0.90; p < .001), (rho 0.87, p < .001), (rho 0.84, p < .001), respectively. The novel molecular SX01 test detected IgE‐Ab in 27/28 (sensitivity 96.4%) of the sera of preschool children at their earliest IgE sensitization to the same molecules.DiscussionOur study validates the prototype of a novel category of IgE test, based on molecular mixes. The test's rather good precision and accuracy in early screening IgE sensitization to airborne allergens in German children may be further improved by adding a few other molecules, such as Phl p 5 and Alt a 1.
Epistemic obligations and free speech
Authors: Millar Boyd 
Published: November 2022

AbstractPhilosophical discussions of free speech often focus on moral considerations such as the harm that certain forms of expression might cause. However, in addition to our moral obligations, we also have a distinct set of epistemic obligations—and even when a false belief doesn't harm anyone, it constitutes an epistemically bad outcome. Moreover, the existing psychological evidence suggests that human beings are vulnerable to the influence of a wide variety of false claims via a wide variety of psychological mechanisms. Taken together, these facts suggest that there is a purely epistemic justification for restricting the distribution of misinformation: Because each of us has an individual epistemic obligation to avoid unnecessary exposure to misinformation, and because avoiding such exposure is simply too difficult when acting alone, we all have a shared epistemic obligation to establish laws or regulations restricting the widespread distribution of misinformation.