bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations of Prenatal First Trimester Essential and Nonessential Metal Mixtures with Body Size and Adiposity in Childhood.
Authors: Smith Anna R. , Lin Pi-I D. , Rifas-Shiman Sheryl L. , Wright Robert O. , Coull Brent , Hivert Marie-France , Hubbard Alan , Oken Emily , Cardenas Andres 
Published: December 2022

Background:
Prenatal nonessential metals may contribute to postnatal adiposity, whereas essential metals may have metabolic benefits. We evaluated joint and individual associations between prenatal metals and childhood adiposity.

Methods:
We measured concentrations of six nonessential (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, lead, and mercury) and four essential (magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc) metals in first trimester maternal blood from a prebirth cohort. We collected anthropometric measures in early childhood, mid-childhood, and early adolescence including subscapular+tricep skinfold thickness (mm) (N = 715–859), waist circumference (cm) (N = 717–882), and body mass index (BMI) (z-score) (N = 716–875). We measured adiposity in mid-childhood and early adolescence using bone densitometry total- and trunk- fat mass index (kg/m2) (N = 511–599). We estimated associations using adjusted quantile g-computation and linear regression.

Results:
The nonessential metal mixture was associated with higher total (β = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.12) and trunk fat mass index (β = 0.12, CI = 0.02, 0.22), waist circumference (β = 0.01, CI = 0.00, 0.01), and BMI (β = 0.24, CI = 0.07, 0.41) in mid-childhood, and total fat mass index (β = 0.07, CI = 0.01, 0.14), and BMI (β = 0.19, CI = 0.02, 0.37) in early adolescence. The essential metal mixture was associated with lower early adolescence total-(β = –0.11, CI = –0.17, –0.04) and trunk- fat mass index (β = –0.13, CI = –0.21, –0.05), subscapular+tricep skinfold thickness (β = –0.02, CI = –0.03, –0.00), waist circumference (β = –0.003, CI = –0.01, –0.00), and BMI (β = –0.16, CI = –0.28, –0.04). Cadmium and cesium were individually associated with childhood adiposity at different timepoints.

Conclusions:
Prenatal first-trimester essential metals were associated with lower childhood adiposity, whereas nonessential metals were associated with higher adiposity into adolescence.
Age-related patterns of ambulatory blood pressure in a large cohort of individuals referred to Italian community pharmacies: results from the templar project
Authors: Omboni Stefano , Ballatore Tommaso , Rizzi Franco , Tomassini Fernanda , Campolo Luca , Panzeri Edoardo 
Published: December 2022

Objectives:
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) provides extensive information on several BP parameters other than the average BP during daily life. Through this analysis of the TEMPLAR study, we sought to understand better the features of age-related changes in ABP patterns and phenotypes.

Methods:
ABPMs were obtained in 53 350 individuals visiting 866 Italian community pharmacies (age 3–101 years, 54.3% female individuals). ABPM patterns were assessed across 10-year age categories.

Results:
SBP steadily increased with age. DBP increased from the youth to the middle adulthood and then declined. Daytime BP was higher than night-time BP, but the difference narrowed with aging, reducing the prevalence of dippers. An enhanced SBP morning surge and increased prevalence of abnormal morning rise were observed with aging. SBP and DBP variabilities increased with age with a typical U or J shape, more evident in the case of DBP. The proportion of participants with ambulatory hypertension increased with age. However, an elevated daytime BP was more common in younger individuals and elevated night-time hypertension in older individuals. The prevalence of white-coat hypertension remained stable or slightly declined through the age groups, whereas that of masked hypertension steadily increased.

Conclusion:
Our results confirm that ABP patterns interplay and change in a complex way with age. Such changes, particularly the age-related increase in BP variability and prevalence of nocturnal hypertension, nondipping, enhanced morning rise, and masked hypertension, may increase the risk of cardiovascular events and must be carefully considered by the physician when managing BP in the elderly.
Congenital Corneal Opacity in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: A Case Series
Authors: Franco Elena , Iqbal Naeem , Shah Parth R. , Alabek Michelle , Tripi Kelly S. , Prescott Christina , Scanga Hannah L. , Chu Charleen T. , Nischal Ken K. 
Published: December 2022

Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to describe the deep phenotype of congenital corneal opacities (CCO) in patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) and to identify putative regions or genes that could explain the CCO.

Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted to identify patients with 22q11.2 DS seen in the ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary referral children's hospital. Thirty patients were identified, with molecular confirmation. Twenty-six did not show structural anterior segment anomalies aside from posterior embryotoxon (n = 4), whereas 4 had bilateral CCO, of which 3 had preoperative images. We reviewed medical, operative, and pathology reports; anterior segment optical coherence tomography; high-frequency ultrasound; histopathologic slides; and genetic testing. To identify putative genes responsible for CCO, chromosomal breakpoints in patients with and without CCO were compared.

Results:
In the 3 patients with preoperative imaging and CCO, a pattern of paracentral corneal opacification with central clearing accompanied by iridocorneal or keratolenticular adhesions was observed. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography and histopathologic images showed central stromal thinning with a residual structure consistent with Descemet membrane. One patient presented at birth with unilateral corneal perforation, suggestive of likely stromal thinning. A comparison of the breakpoints across all cases failed to reveal unique regions or genes in patients with CCO.

Conclusions:
22q11.2 DS can rarely be associated with CCO. We describe a consistent pattern of central clearing related to posterior stromal thinning, with or without ICA/KLA. Possible candidate genes for corneal opacification in 22q11.2 DS remain elusive.
Implementation of a Nurse-Driven Medication Ordering Protocol to Improve Clinician and Nursing Experiences
Authors: Ford Claire C. , Clements James B. , Luty Jacob T. , Sharpe Jackie K. , Caldera Brittney N. , Hunter Alan J. 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACT
Paging and text messaging to request new orders remain common means of communication between clinicians and nurses in the hospital setting. However, sending and triaging multiple pages can lead to interruptions in other clinical duties. A medication order delegation protocol allowing for nurse-driven ordering of low-risk medications was developed with an objective of decreasing potentially avoidable pages. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing this protocol on nurse and clinician perceptions of clerical burden and satisfaction. A survey assessing satisfaction with the process of obtaining medications in this protocol and the perception of clerical burden associated with ordering them before and after delegation protocol implementation was completed by over 160 clinicians and nurses. Survey respondents reported increased satisfaction and decreased clerical burden associated with the implementation of the delegation protocol. These results suggest the potential for delegation protocols to limit clerical burden associated with paging.
Shared governance council to engage advanced practice registered nurses in a hospital setting
Authors: Gooden Angela , Cole Linda 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACT

Background:
Health care organizations use advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to expand patient access and support high-quality care. However, turnover, often exacerbated by inadequate engagement, has steep financial and experiential costs.

Local problem:
The project site, a large urban academic institution with quaternary care capabilities, employs more than 300 APRNs to provide patient care. Due to variations in hiring entity, leadership structure, and organizational visibility, efforts to maintain APRN engagement were complex. In addition, inconsistencies in standardization of clinical, credentialing, and privileging procedures created organizational risk.

Methods:
Quality improvement principles informed the implementation of a shared governance council for APRNs that included nurse practitioners and certified registered nurse anesthetists. Data were collected pre and postintervention using validated engagement questions.

Intervention:
Implementation of a shared governance council to support the organizational engagement of APRNs through decisional involvement in professional practice issues.

Results:
Analysis included the percentage of change in aggregate scores and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test to obtain p values of the 2 independent samples. There was an 8.9% increase in aggregate postintervention scores and statistical improvement in measures of quality improvement involvement.

Conclusion:
Participation in the shared governance council increased APRN engagement through enhanced opportunities to communicate professional and clinical practice issues, decisional involvement, and collaboration. Statistically significant improvements in quality improvement involvement values potentially affirm the council's role in facilitating work environment improvements. Potential long-term gains include improved job satisfaction, retention, and organizational cost savings.
When Recurrent Strokes, Back Pain, and Alopecia Constitute a Hereditary Cause of Small-Vessel Disease, CARASIL in an Arabic Woman
Authors: Al Nidawi Firas , Wael Mohamed , Alkhater Noora , Asil Talip , Fida Mariam 
Published: December 2022

Introduction:
Cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL) is a rare autosomal recessive etiology of cerebral small-vessel disease. The bulk of CARASIL cases reported in the literature was from Japan and China. Herein, we report the first genetically confirmed case of CARASIL in the Arabic population.

Case Presentation:
We present the case of a 35-year-old Bahraini woman diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke after experiencing right-sided weakness and slurred speech. She had complained of persistent headaches, decreased memory, hair loss, joint pain, and personality changes. CARASIL was suspected on her medical history and brain imaging results, and genetic testing confirmed the diagnosis.

Conclusion:
This case contributes to our understanding of CARASIL, which is an extremely rare disease. It adds to the growing data on disease reporting outside China and Japan. We also report the first case of CARASIL in an Arabic patient and describe magnetic resonance spectroscopy finding partially different from what has been reported before.
AP2XII-2 coordinates transcriptional repression forToxoplasma gondiisexual commitment
Authors: Srivastava Sandeep , Holmes Michael J. , White Michael W. , Sullivan William J. 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACTToxoplasma gondiiis a widespread protozoan parasite that has significant impact on human and veterinary health. The parasite undergoes a complex life cycle involving multiple hosts and developmental stages. HowToxoplasmatransitions between life cycle stages is poorly understood, yet central to controlling transmission. Of particular neglect are the factors that contribute to its sexual development, which takes place exclusively in feline intestines. While epigenetic repressors have been shown to play an important role in silencing spurious gene expression of sexually committed parasites, the specific factors that recruit this generalized machinery to the appropriate genes remains largely unexplored. Here, we establish that a member of the AP2 transcription factor family, AP2XII-2, is targeted to genomic loci associated with sexually committed parasites along with the epigenetic regulators of transcriptional silencing, HDAC3 and MORC. Despite widespread association with gene promoters, AP2XII-2 is required for silencing of relatively few genes. Using CUT&Tag methodology, we identify two major genes associated with sexual development downstream of AP2XII-2 control, AP2X-10 and the amino acid hydroxylase AAH1. Our findings show that AP2XII-2 is a key contributor to the gene regulatory pathways modulatingToxoplasmasexual development.IMPORTANCEToxoplasma gondiiis a parasite that undergoes its sexual stage exclusively in feline intestines, making cats a major source of transmission. A better understanding of the proteins controlling the parasite’s life cycle stage transitions is needed for the development of new therapies aimed to treat toxoplasmosis and transmission of the infection. Genes that regulate the sexual stages need to be turned on and off at the appropriate times, activities that are mediated by specific transcription factors that recruit general machinery to silence or activate gene expression. In this study, we identify a transcription factor called AP2XII-2 as being important for repression of a subset of sexual stage genes, including a sexual stage-specific AP2 factor (AP2X-10) and a protein (AAH1) required to construct the infectious oocysts expelled by infected cats.
Detection of IL23p40 via Positron Emission Tomography Visualized Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Rezazadeh Farzaneh , Ramos Nicholas , Saliganan Allen-Dexter , Al-Hallak Najeeb , Chen Kang , Mohamad Bashar , Wiesend Wendy N. , Viola Nerissa T. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackground and aimsInflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes both Crohn’s Disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a relapsing inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Long term chronic inflammatory conditions elevate patients’ risk for colorectal cancer (CRC). Currently, diagnosis requires endoscopy with biopsy. This procedure is invasive and requires bowel preparatory regimen, adding to patient burden. Interleukin 23 (IL23) plays a key role in inflammation especially in the pathogenesis of IBD and is an established therapeutic target. We propose that imaging of IL23 via immunopositron emission tomography (immunoPET) will potentially lead to a new non-invasive diagnostic approach.MethodsThe aim of the present study is to investigate the potential of immunoPET to image inflammation in a chemically induced mouse model of colitis using dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) by targeting IL23 via its p40 subunit with a89Zr-radiolabeled α-IL23p40 antibody.ResultsHigh uptake of the IL23p40 immunoPET agent in mice were displayed in DSS-administered mice, which correlated with increased IL23p40 present in sera. Competitive binding studies confirmed the specificity of the radiotracer for IL23p40 in the GI tract.ConclusionTaken together, these promising results set the stage for developing this radiotracer as an imaging biomarker for IBD diagnosis. Noninvasive imaging of IBD with IL23p40 immunoPET may help physicians in their treatment decisions for IBD management.
Adult neurogenesis improves spatial information encoding in the mouse hippocampus
Authors: Frechou M. Agustina , Martin Sunaina S. , McDermott Kelsey D. , Gökhan Şölen , Tomé Wolfgang A. , Coen-Cagli Ruben , Gonçalves J. Tiago 
Published: December 2022

ABSTRACTAdult neurogenesis is a unique form of neuronal plasticity in which newly generated neurons are integrated into the adult dentate gyrus in a process that is modulated by environmental stimuli. Adult-born neurons can contribute to spatial memory but it is unknown whether they alter neural representations of space in the hippocampus. Usingin vivotwo-photon calcium imaging, we found that mice that were previously housed in an enriched environment, which triggers an increase in neurogenesis, had increased spatial information encoding in the hippocampal dentate gyrus during novel context exposure. Ablating adult neurogenesis by prior focal irradiation of the hippocampus blocked the effect of enrichment and lowered spatial information content, as did the chemogenetic silencing of adult-born neurons. Both ablating neurogenesis and silencing adult-born neurons decreased the calcium activity rates of dentate gyrus neurons, resulting in a decreased amplitude of place-specific responses. These findings are in contrast to previous studies that suggested a predominantly inhibitory action for adult-born neurons. We propose that adult neurogenesis improves neural representations of space by increasing the gain of dentate gyrus neurons and thereby improving their ability to tune to spatial features. This mechanism may mediate the beneficial effects of environmental enrichment on spatial learning and memory.
Distributed UAV swarm control framework with limited interaction for obstacle avoidance
Authors: Zhu Baitao , Deng Yimin 
Published: December 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a distributed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm control method to ensure safety and obstacle avoidance during swarm flight and realize effective guidance.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a distributed UAV swarm control framework with limited interaction. UAVs in the swarm realize the selection of limited interactive neighbors according to the random line of sight and limited field of view. The designed interaction force and obstacle avoidance mechanism are combined to ensure the safety of UAVs and avoid collisions and obstacles. Informed UAVs are deployed to guide the swarm to move in the desired direction.

Findings
The proposed distributed swarm control framework achieves high safety of swarm motion and the participation of informed UAVs is conducive to the guidance of the UAV swarm. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Practical implications
The UAV swarm control method developed in this paper can be applied to the practice of UAV swarm control.

Originality/value
A distributed UAV swarm control method is proposed to ensure the effective control of the consistency and safety of swarm motion.
The impact of Covid-19 on the capital structure in emerging economies: evidence from India
Authors: Prakash Nisha , Maheshwari Aditya , Hawaldar Aparna 
Published: December 2022

PurposeCapital structure is an important corporate financing decision, particularly for companies in emerging economies. This paper attempts to understand whether the pandemic had any significant impact on the capital structure of companies in emerging economies. India being a prominent emerging economy is an ideal candidate for the analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes three leverage ratios in an extended market index, BSE500, for the period 2015–2021. The ratios considered are short-term leverage ratio (STLR), long-term leverage ratio (LTLR) and total leverage ratio (TLR). A dummy variable differentiates the pre-epidemic (2015–2019) and pandemic (2020–2021) period. Control variables are used to represent firm characteristics such as growth, tangibility, profit, size and liquidity. Dynamic panel data regression is employed to address endogeneity.FindingsThe findings point out that Covid-19 has had a significant, negative effect on LTLR, while the impact on STLR and TLR was insignificant. The findings indicate that companies based in a culturally risk-averse environment, such as India, would reduce the long-term debt to avoid bankruptcy in times of uncertainty.Research limitations/implicationsThe study covers the impact of the pandemic on Indian companies. Hence, generalization of the findings to global context might not be valid.Practical implicationsTo maintain economic growth in the post-crisis period, Indian policymakers should ensure accessibility to low-cost capital. The findings provide impetus to deepen the insignificant corporate bond market in India for future economic revival.Originality/valueDeveloping countries are struggling to revive the economies postpandemic. This is particularly true for Asian economies which are heavily reliant on banks for survival. This research finds evidence to utilize bond market as a source of raising capital for economic revival.
Food demand and the nutrient intake of households in underdeveloped rural regions of China: an instrumental variable approach
Authors: Kuhlgatz Christian H. , Huang Jiaqi , Antonides Gerrit 
Published: December 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of price and income changes on food and nutrient demand of rural households by including own-produced food and production-side effects in the demand estimation to correct potential measurement bias in the income and price elasticities for rural households in underdeveloped areas. Simulation results of income and grain price changes on food and nutrition security are provided for economic nutrition security policy applications.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes survey data of 1,555 households from underdeveloped rural areas of China to find out how price and income changes affect food and nutrition insecurity of rural households. The authors employ the quadratic almost ideal demand system (QUAIDS) in a two-stage budgeting framework, using quality adjusted prices that were retrieved with regressions of the difference between the unit value surveyed at household level and its village average on household characteristics. The bias correction is implemented by using an augmented IV (instrumental variable) method, in which each market price is instrumented with farm-specific variables. Important macro- and micronutrient elasticities are computed for (a) households with agriculture as main income and (b) other households (of which still many have agriculture as a side business). Finally, the authors use these elasticities to simulate how changes in income or grain prices affect the food and nutrition security in the studied areas.FindingsIn general, food income elasticities of agricultural households are at a higher level than those for other households, and so are the food price elasticities. Income changes also have a greater nutritional effect on agricultural households than on other households. Nutrient income elasticities ranged from 0.22 (energy) to 0.27 (Vitamin A) for agricultural households and from 0.19 (energy) to 0.23 (Vitamin A) for other households. Grain price increases have greater effect on nutritional status of non-agricultural households, while a grain price reduction is not clearly favoring the nutritional situation of a particular household group.Originality/valueThis demand study contributes to the literature by taking into account differences in consumption of own production between households and the potential endogeneity of prices resulting thereof. The authors also demonstrate that merely reporting nutrient elasticities might not be sufficient for policy recommendations, and simulations should be reported as a valuable addition.