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Global productivity, international collaborations, and research trends in chronic spontaneous urticaria: A bibliometric overview
No full textBackground: The treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) remains a challenge despite novel therapies such as omalizumab. With growing international interest in research on CSU, a comprehensive review of the global productivity, collaborations, and trending topics in CSU research may help inform future directions in patient management. Objectives: This study aims to outline the trends in CSU research by using bibliometric analysis, focusing specifically on global productivity, collaborative efforts, and emerging research topics spanning from 1977 to 2023. Methods: Publications related to CSU, including original articles, reviews, and letters, were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection, and statistical analyses were performed using the Bibliometrix package in R and IBM SPSS Statistics. Results: A total of 2940 publications from 77 countries were analyzed. CSU research activity has increased exponentially since 2010, with more than half of the publications (50.2% [1477 of 2940]) published since 2016. These publications appeared in allergy, immunology, and dermatology journals led predominantly by European, Asian, and American researchers. International collaborations rose from 11.3% to 22.2%. Shifts in research focus, such as a shift in treatments from antihistamines to omalizumab, and growing emphasis on quality of life were noted. Conclusion: This study revealed a dynamic and increasingly collaborative CSU research landscape, emphasizing the need for continuous global partnerships to enhance treatment outcomes and improve patients’ quality of life. Challenges regarding access to advanced therapies persist, highlighting the importance of expanding international collaborations and inclusive research practices
HRHPE: FRoI guides heterogeneous relationship representation learning for precise head pose estimation
No full textThe ability to effectively detect head positions has raised concerns in the field of computer vision. However, head pose estimation (HPE) is prone to problems, such as extreme angles, occlusion, and lighting. To effectively address this critical missing information gap in the field of HPE, we propose a heterogeneous relationship guided learning method for the representation of transannular layers that effectively captures and uses “Facial Regions of Interest” (FRoI) and heterogeneous relationships through FRoI morphable modeling. Two key observations are revealed: 1) the saliency of the facial regions of interest; and 2) the heterogeneous relationships between the adjacent postures. On this basis, three modules are proposed, namely Region Feature Generation (RFG), Hierarchical Structure Modeling (HSM) and Heterogeneous Relationship Mining (HRM). In particular, we introduce a regional attention mechanism in the RFG, which assigns a higher weighting to FRoI. In HSM, the concept of the “Rugby style” design is proposed as a model for the cross-layer structure. In HRM, we use the Transformer to explore the interdependencies between facial regions and semantic relationships in rotation of the head. Experiments with three real HPE datasets (300 W_LP, AFLW2000 and BIWI) show that our HRHPE is more efficient than the state-of-the-art methods.</p
Hereditary Angioedema with Normal C1 Inhibitor: an Updated International Consensus Paper on Diagnosis, Pathophysiology, and Treatment
No full textHereditary angioedema (HAE) has been recognized for almost 150 years. The newest form of HAE, where C1 inhibitor levels are normal (HAE-nC1INH), was first described in 2000. Over the last two decades, new types of apparent non-mast cell–mediated angioedema with normal quantity and activity of C1INH have been described, in some cases with proven genetic pathogenic variants that co-segregate with angioedema expression within families. Like HAE due to C1INH deficiency, HAE-nC1INH patients are at risk of serious morbidity and mortality. Therefore, proactive management and treatment of HAE-nC1INH patients after an expert physician diagnosis is critically important. The underlying pathophysiology responsible for the angioedema has also been clarified in some of the HAE-nC1INH types. While several clinical guidelines and practice parameters including HAE-nC1INH have been published, we have made substantial progress in our understanding encompassing diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, and treatment outcomes. HAE International (HAEi) and the US HAE Association (HAEA) convened a symposium of global HAE-nC1INH experts to synthesize our current knowledge in the area. Given the paucity of high-level evidence in HAE-nC1INH, all recommendations are based on expert opinion. This review and expert opinion on the best practice approach to diagnosing and treating HAE-nC1INH will support physicians to better manage patients with HAE-nC1INH
Autoinducing peptides regulate antibiotic production to potentially shape root microbiome
Get PDFMicrobes use signaling molecules to regulate multiple physiological processes and mediate chemical interactions. Decoding these chemical languages is instrumental in comprehending microbial regulatory mechanisms within complex microbiota. Here, we discover previously unidentified autoinducing peptides (AIPs) derived from the plant probiotic bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa, identified as Pp-AIPs. Omics analyses coupled with genetic manipulations revealed that Pp-AIP1 could effectively modulate the production of multiple antimicrobial secondary metabolites at nanomolar concentration, expanding known AIP functions. Furthermore, through inoculating P. polymyxa in the natural rhizosphere microbiome and analyzing its antagonistic interactions against root microbes, we suggest that Pp-AIPs may influence the microbial community composition through modulating the antimicrobial spectrum. Global analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) reveal widespread co-occurrence of uncharacterized AIPs with secondary metabolite BGCs. This study underscores the unreported roles of AIPs in antibiotic regulation and the microbiome interactions, advancing knowledge of quorum-sensing mechanisms in microbial ecosystems.published_or_final_versio
Applying the Learning Design Studio in Inter-professional Practice Between Speech-Language Pathologists and Classroom Teachers
No full textCharacterizing chromosome instability reveals its association with lipid-associated macrophages and clonal evolution of lymph node metastasis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
No full textEsophageal cancer is an aggressive cancer, and metastasis is one of the major factors contributing to treatment failure, leading to poor clinical outcomes. Chromosome instability (CIN) is frequently observed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the functional impact of CIN is not well studied in ESCC metastasis. We aim to study the role and underlying mechanisms of CIN in lymph node (LN) metastasis. Integrated analysis was performed using single-cell RNA sequencing data with matched whole-exome sequencing in primary ESCC, genomic sequencing in ESCC organoids and clinical specimens, and spatial protein profiling to characterize CIN and relevant tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) associated with LN metastasis. CIN in primary ESCC is significantly associated with LN metastasis at diagnosis, particularly in those patients with homologous recombination deficiency and use of alternative end joining (alt-EJ). Primary CIN ESCC exhibited increased epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), hypoxia, angiogenesis, RNA metabolism, and heat stress, associated with a strong metastatic potential. Although CIN ESCC has elevated neoantigen loads, its TIME was enriched for immunosuppressive lipid-associated tumor-associated macrophages (LA-TAMs). Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) plays a key role in mediating the communications of CIN ESCC cells and LA-TAMs. In LN metastases, structural CIN (sCIN) with retrotransposon insertion and reactivation is important for ESCC clonal evolution and cell proliferation, associated with increased LA-TAMs infiltration and poor overall patient survival. ESCC with high CIN has a strong metastatic potential. Our findings reveal a novel link between error-prone DSB repair pathways and LA-TAMs through CIN in LN metastasis.</p
Uncertainties in Theoretical Chorus Chirping Rates: A Comparative Analysis
No full textWhistler-mode chorus waves play a critical role in the dynamics of energetic electrons in the inner magnetosphere. Extensive theoretical research has been conducted to explain the frequency chirping of chorus waves, with two primary theoretical chirping rates proposed: one associated with magnetic field inhomogeneity and the other linked to wave amplitude. The validity of these chirping rates has been a subject of debate. In this study, we compare these two theoretical chirping rates using a data set of 3,166 lower-band rising-tone chorus wave elements from Van Allen Probes observations, evaluating their statistical performance. Our analysis shows that the chirping rate associated with magnetic field inhomogeneity exhibits better agreement with observations, demonstrating higher correlation and smaller standard deviation compared to the nonlinear chirping rate. These findings suggest that both chirping rates should be considered valid expressions for chorus waves, supporting a key prediction of a recently proposed theoretical model of chorus
Will differences in keyboarding method of writing systems impact reading literacy performance: Insights from analyzing constructive response items in digital PIRLS 2021
No full textThe use of more digital devices in learning has motivated the transition from paper-based to computer-based formats in large-scale international assessments, with typewriting as the prevalent input method in such educational studies. However, there remains limited exploration on whether differences arising from varied encoding systems in keyboarding methods impact on students’ literacy performance. The current study, utilizing Item Response Theory, aims to investigate whether the use of different keyboarding methods has an effect on students’ reading performance based on the 2021 digital Progress of International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), with a particular focus on the constructive response items. The participating countries were divided into three groups based on the consistency between their test language’s writing system and its representations on the keyboard—with Group 1 having the highest consistency and Group 3 (Chinese is the only language in this group) the lowest. Results revealed that a significant keyboard effect exists for students with higher-than-average reading ability. Specifically, Group 3 scored lower than Groups 1 and 2, while Groups 1 and 2 did not exhibit significant differences in their reading performance. This suggests that for students with similar higher-than-average reading ability, typing in Chinese appears to be at a disadvantage compared to other input methods. This study emphasizes the importance of considering keyboard effects when designing and scoring future large-scale assessments in order to improve the overall validity of the tests.</p
Ropeginterferon alfa-2b for pre-fibrotic primary myelofibrosis and DIPSS low/intermediate-risk myelofibrosis
No full textBackground: There is currently no consensus on the optimal treatment for primary myelofibrosis (PMF) in pre-/early fibrotic stage (pre-PMF) and DIPPS low/intermediate-1 risk MF. Ropeginterferon alfa 2b (Ropeg-IFN-α2b) is a next-generation monopegylated interferon alfa-2b developed specifically to treat myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Methods: Key eligibility included morphologically confirmed pre-PMF, and DIPSS low/intermediate-1 risk overt PMF, post-polycythemia vera MF (PPV-MF), and post-essential thrombocythemia MF (PET-MF) in patients requiring cytoreduction. The primary end-points were responses in hemoglobin (from 10 g/dL to upper reference range), white blood cell (to 9/L) and platelet (to ≤ 400 x 109/L) at 24 and 52 weeks. Secondary endpoints included safety (adverse events, AEs), reductions in variant allele frequencies (VAF) of driver and non-driver genes, spleen length by palpation, Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Symptom Assessment Form Total Symptom Score (MPNSAF-TSS), and bone marrow fibrosis. Patients received Ropeg-IFN-α2b at a dose of 250 mcg at Week 0, followed by 350 mcg at Week 2 and 500 mcg every 2 weeks from Week 4 onwards. Results: At the data cut-off of 30 June 2024, 71 patients (40 men and 31 women) with a median age of 60 (range: 31-86) years were enrolled. At a median follow up of 119 (10-131) weeks, responses in hemoglobin, white blood cell and platelet counts were 73.9%, 82.6% and 100% at Week 24; and 76.2%, 79.4% and 100% at Week 52, respectively. Reduction in JAK2V617F VAF was found in 16 of 47 evaluable patients (34%) at Week 24, and 20 of 41 evaluable patients (44%) at Week 52. Reduction in CALR VAF was found in 10 of 19 evaluable patients (53%) at Week 24, and 6 of 14 evaluable patients (43%) at Week 52. Reduction of spleen size was found in 9 of 19 patients (47%) at Week 24, and 9 of 17 patients (53%) at Week 52. Reduction in MPNSAF-TSS of ≥50% was found in 27 of 63 evaluable patients (42.9%) at Week 24, and 23 of 57 patients (42.1%) at Week 52. The most common non-hematologic AEs included transaminitis (grade 1-2, N=35, 49.2%); malaise (grade 1-2, N=29, 40.8%; grade 3-4, N=1, 1.4%), and hair loss (grade 1-2, N=24, 33.8%). The most common hematologic AEs were anemia (grade 1-2, N=15, 21.1%; grade 3-4, N=6, 8.5%), neutropenia (grade 1-2, N=15, 21.1%; grade 3-4, N=4, 5.6%) and thrombocytopenia (grade 1-2, N=8, 11.2%; grade 3-4, N=3, 4.2%). Thrombohemorrhagic events or progression to blast-phase MF was not observed during the study. Conclusions: Ropeg-IFN-α2b was well-tolerated and induced clinical, hematologic and molecular responses in patients with pre-PMF and low/intermediate-1-risk MF. Clinical trial information: NCT04988815.</p