Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Exp Bot 2022 May 23. Epub 2022 May 23.

Ghent University, Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.

The orientation of cell division is a major determinant of plant morphogenesis. In spite of considerable efforts over the past decades, the precise mechanism of division plane selection remains elusive. The majority of studies on the topic have addressed division orientation from a predominantly developmental or a cell biological perspective, respectively. Read More

Am J Perinatol 2022 May 17. Epub 2022 May 17.

Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Objective:  The objective of this study was to survey national utilization of cervical length (CL) ultrasound on labor and delivery (L&D) for the evaluation of preterm labor (PTL) and identify provider attitudes and barriers to utilization.

Study Design:  Survey was emailed to Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship program and advertised via links on obstetric-related Facebook interest groups. The survey was open from August 4, 2020 to January 4, 2021. Read More

Psychooncology 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Objective: Informal male caregivers of women with breast cancer (BC) have significant psychological, emotional, and social burdens that are inadequately addressed by current face-to-face interventions. Online interventions overcome barriers that limit engagement with face-to-face interventions. This study aimed to develop the contents of Care Assist, an online supportive care resource for male caregivers of BC patients, through expert consensus. Read More

Endocrinology 2022 May 13. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.

A high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been reported in multiple cohorts of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, most likely as one of the consequences of autoimmune pathogenesis. Although MetS has been associated with inflammation, its consequences on the lupus immune system and on disease manifestations are largely unknown. The metabolism of immune cells is altered and overactivated in mouse models as well as in patients with SLE, and several metabolic inhibitors have shown therapeutic benefits. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 9;12(1):7599. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Computer Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.

Hard-to-predict bursts of COVID-19 pandemic revealed significance of statistical modeling which would resolve spatio-temporal correlations over geographical areas, for example spread of the infection over a city with census tract granularity. In this manuscript, we provide algorithmic answers to the following two inter-related public health challenges of immense social impact which have not been adequately addressed (1) Inference Challenge assuming that there are N census blocks (nodes) in the city, and given an initial infection at any set of nodes, e.g. Read More

Menopause 2022 May 1;29(5):609-626. Epub 2022 May 1.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Royal Women's Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Importance: Cancer and its treatment negatively affect female sexual health and function. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction after cancer is between 33% and 43%. Numerous studies have addressed treatment options for sexual dysfunction in women with cancer, but it still remains a challenge to select the most efficacious option for patients. Read More

BMC Ecol Evol 2022 Apr 28;22(1):53. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

The Laboratory, Marine Biological Association of the UK, Plymouth, UK.

Background: Canalization, or buffering, is defined as developmental stability in the face of genetic and/or environmental perturbations. Understanding how canalization works is important in predicting how species survive environmental change, as well as deciphering how development can be altered in the evolutionary process. However, how developmental gene expression is linked to buffering remains unclear. Read More

Gels 2022 Apr 18;8(4). Epub 2022 Apr 18.

ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Squires Way, North Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

This brief review attempts to summarize research advances in the mechanical toughness and structures of double-network (DN) hydrogels. The focus is to provide a critical and concise discussion on the toughening mechanisms, damage recoverability, stress relaxation, and biomedical applications of tough DN hydrogel systems. Both conventional DN hydrogel with two covalently cross-linked networks and novel DN systems consisting of physical and reversible cross-links are discussed and compared. Read More

J Youth Adolesc 2022 Apr 15. Epub 2022 Apr 15.

School of Psychology, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK.

Links between parental personality, parenting, and adolescent behavior have been well established. However, extant research is limited by the sole focus on parental Big Five personality, and not taking home and family context into account. These gaps were addressed in two studies. Read More

Front Public Health 2022 15;10:841013. Epub 2022 Mar 15.

Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.

Background: In the Euregio-Meuse-Rhine (EMR), cross-border collaboration is essential for resource-saving and needs-based patient care within the emergency medical service (EMS) systems and interhospital transport (IHT). However, at the onset of the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, differing national measures highlighted the fragmentation within the European Union (EU) in its various approaches to combating the pandemic. To assess the consequences of the pandemic in the EMR border area, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects and "lessons learned" regarding cross-border collaboration in EMS and IHT. Read More

Front Psychol 2022 10;13:833948. Epub 2022 Mar 10.

Department of Child and Family Studies, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, South Korea.

Few studies have addressed the longitudinal links between early temperament types and later problematic smartphone use. This study aims to identify children's early temperament types at age 3 and to examine the link between the temperament types and smartphone overdependence at age 10. This study utilized a population-based data set presented by the Panel Study on Korean Children. Read More

Ecol Evol 2022 Mar 8;12(3):e8643. Epub 2022 Mar 8.

Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland.

Food web models explain and predict the trophic interactions in a food web, and they can infer missing interactions among the organisms. The allometric diet breadth model (ADBM) is a food web model based on the foraging theory. In the ADBM, the foraging parameters are allometrically scaled to body sizes of predators and prey. Read More

Child Neuropsychol 2022 Mar 25:1-19. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

We introduce a new touchscreen-based method measuring aspects of cognitive control and memory, in children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties, including intellectual disability (ID). FarmApp is a gamified, tablet-based assessment tool measuring go/no-go response speed, response inhibition, visuospatial short-term memory span, and long-term memory. Here, we assessed the feasibility, validity, and utility of the method, including the benefits of measuring change in performance over two weeks. Read More

JMIR Med Inform 2022 Mar 18;10(3):e32245. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Rehabilitation Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.

Natural language processing (NLP) in health care enables transformation of complex narrative information into high value products such as clinical decision support and adverse event monitoring in real time via the electronic health record (EHR). However, information technologies for mental health have consistently lagged because of the complexity of measuring and modeling mental health and illness. The use of NLP to support management of mental health conditions is a viable topic that has not been explored in depth. Read More

Front Physiol 2022 28;13:815874. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

Department of Systems Biology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología CSIC, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.

Knowledge of biological organisms at the molecular level that has been gathered is now organized into databases, often within ontological frameworks. To enable computational comparisons of annotations across different genomes and organisms, controlled vocabularies have been essential, as is the case in the functional annotation classifications used for bacteria, such as MultiFun and the more widely used Gene Ontology. The function of individual gene products as well as the processes in which collections of them participate constitute a wealth of classes that describe the biological role of gene products in a large number of organisms in the three kingdoms of life. Read More

Int J Health Plann Manage 2022 Mar 14. Epub 2022 Mar 14.

Université de Strasbourg, EM Strasbourg-Business School, HuManiS, Strasbourg, Alsace, France.

Introduction: Performance measurement systems have become essential managerial tools for healthcare organisations in the last few decades. They allow hospital managers to pilot their institution and assess the development of the organisation in helping managers in decision-making and viewing the different impacts of these decisions. However, there is a need to investigate further the dimensions of performance those performance measurement systems address. Read More

Front Psychol 2022 24;13:839125. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Department of Social Work, School of International Law and Sociology, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China.

Aging of population has brought great challenges to many regions throughout the world. It has been demonstrated that interpersonal relationship is closely related to the experiences of aging for older adults. However, it still remains unknown how and under what conditions thwarted belongingness links to successful aging. Read More

Microbiol Spectr 2022 Apr 1;10(2):e0083821. Epub 2022 Mar 1.

Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan Universitygrid.8547.e, Shanghai, China.

The complexity of genome-wide gene expression has not yet been adequately addressed due to a lack of comprehensive statistical analyses. In the present study, we introduce degree of freedom (DOF) as a summary statistic for evaluating gene expression complexity. Because DOF can be interpreted by a state-space representation, application of the DOF is highly useful for understanding gene activities. Read More

Conserv Biol 2022 Feb 24. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Institute of Geography Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK.

In conservation, trust and justice are increasingly recognized as both intrinsically valuable and critical for successful socio-ecological outcomes. However, the interdependence between these concepts has not been explored. In reviewing the conservation trust scholarship, we find efforts to build trust between conservation and local actors, yet this is often conceived to incentivize local cooperation within dominant paradigms. Read More

JBJS Case Connect 2022 02 24;12(1). Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Department of Spinal Surgery, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, China.

Case: A 48-year-old man presented to our facility with debilitating motor and sensory symptoms due to advanced T10-11 thoracic spinal stenosis secondary to diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). The patient's condition was addressed with endoscopic spine surgery through a yet-to-be-reported interlaminar approach, and at the 12-month follow-up, his neurologic function was significantly improved.

Conclusion: Select patients with symptomatic thoracic spinal stenosis secondary to DISH can be effectively managed with endoscopic spine surgery through an interlaminar approach by clinicians with extensive endoscopic spine experience. Read More

J Pineal Res 2022 May 10;72(4):e12794. Epub 2022 Mar 10.

Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

The melatonin system and circadian disruption have well-established links with aggressive behaviors; however, the biological underpinnings have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we aimed at examining the current knowledge regarding the neurobiological and psychopharmacological involvement of the melatonin system in aggressive/violent behaviors. To this end, we performed a systematic review on Embase and Pubmed/MEDLINE of preclinical and clinical evidence linking the melatonin system, melatonin, and melatoninergic drugs with aggressive/violent behaviors. Read More

Curr Med Res Opin 2022 04 4;38(4):541-551. Epub 2022 Mar 4.

Department of Gastroenterology, Western University & London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.

Objective: Few studies have examined the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) severity, and humanistic, and economic burden. We addressed this gap using a unique real-world data source that links self-reported patient data from the US National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS) to claims data.

Methods: This cross-sectional study linked the 2015-2018 US NHWS data with medical, and pharmacy claims. Read More

Z Evid Fortbild Qual Gesundhwes 2022 Apr 11;169:48-58. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Zentrum für Versorgungsforschung, Medizinische Hochschule Brandenburg, Rüdersdorf bei Berlin, Deutschland; Fakultät für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Gemeinsame Fakultät der Universität Potsdam, der Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus- Senftenberg und der Medizinischen Hochschule Brandenburg Theodor Fontane, Potsdam, Deutschland.

Introduction: The implementation of medical video consultations in nursing homes can support primary care in rural areas and counteract the shortage of physicians. So far, video consultations have been limited to pilot projects and have not yet been comprehensively implemented. The present study addresses potentials of video consultations and challenges that may arise during the implementation of medical video consultations. Read More

JBJS Case Connect 2022 02 2;12(1). Epub 2022 Feb 2.

Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri.

Case: A 61-year-old woman presented with a failed proximal ulna allograft-prosthetic composite after revision total elbow arthroplasty (TEA). The ulnar deficiency was addressed using an osteomuscular flap from the distal radius pedicled on the radial artery. At final follow-up, she had minimal pain and a flexion-extension arc of 0° to 130°. Read More

Nutr Cancer 2022 Feb 1:1-12. Epub 2022 Feb 1.

Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Cancer incidence is rising rapidly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Dietary intake is an established risk factor for certain cancers but only a few epidemiological studies have been conducted in SSA. This study systematically reviewed and summarized the published literature on this issue and identified gaps that can be addressed in future research. Read More

JBJS Case Connect 2021 12 6;11(4). Epub 2021 Dec 6.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Henry Ford Health System Detroit, Michigan.

Case: A 36-year-old woman with diabetic neuropathy presented with complete dorsal dislocation of the midfoot secondary to Charcot arthropathy. She was treated in a staged fashion with a Taylor spatial butt frame to distract and reduce the midfoot followed by percutaneous preparation of the tarsometatarsal (TMT) joints and fixator-assisted fusion. The arthrodesis healed successfully with maintenance of function at the 30-month follow-up. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2022 05 27;28(9):2846-2874. Epub 2022 Feb 27.

Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.

The two most urgent and interlinked environmental challenges humanity faces are climate change and biodiversity loss. We are entering a pivotal decade for both the international biodiversity and climate change agendas with the sharpening of ambitious strategies and targets by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Within their respective Conventions, the biodiversity and climate interlinked challenges have largely been addressed separately. Read More

Porcine Health Manag 2022 Jan 28;8(1). Epub 2022 Jan 28.

Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK.

Background: Pig production has been highlighted as one of the highest users of antibiotics amongst livestock, with several studies suggesting a variety of approaches to antibiotic reduction. We aimed to investigate links between antibiotic use (defined as total amount of critically (CIA) and non-critically important antibiotics, and as mg per kg of pig on farm), production stages present on farm (Breeder-Finisher, Nursery-Finisher, and Finisher), and pig farm characteristics using farm data collected through national recording systems in Great Britain for 2017 & 2018. Providing enrichment within pig pens may reduce the need for antibiotics by enhancing both pig welfare and resilience to infection; this was one of the hypotheses addressed by this paper. Read More

Acta Biomed 2022 01 19;92(6):e2021401. Epub 2022 Jan 19.

School of Law, Università politecnica delle Marche di Ancona, Italy.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been impacting the whole society in every aspect of the daily life, comprising the sport field. Several restrictive strategies have been implemented by governments in an effort to stem the spread of the disease and salvage public health. Such efforts have severely constrained access to non-essential services, leading to the closure of non-essential points of gathering and business and the enforcement of rigorous social distancing and prolonged lockdowns, in addition to masking and stay-at-home mandates. Read More

Zhonghua Wei Chang Wai Ke Za Zhi 2022 Jan;25(1):15-21

Department of General Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical Univeristy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Guangzhou 510515, China.

The incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer are among the top three cancers in China, which poses great threat to people's lives and health. So far, surgery remains to be the cornerstone of treatment for gastric cancer. With the development of laparoscopic surgery, minimally invasive treatment techniques, together with the deepening of clinical researches, as we review the research progress in 2021, the core controversial issues of gastric cancer surgery have been basically addressed. Read More