Fairness in Music Recommender Systems: A Stakeholder-Centered Mini Review.

The performance of recommender systems highly impacts both music streaming platform users and the artists providing music. As fairness is a fundamental value of human life, there is increasing pressure for these algorithmic decision-making processes to be fair as well. However, many factors make recommender systems prone to biases, resulting in unfair outcomes.

Surface electromyographic activity of trunk muscles during trunk control exercises for people after stroke; effect of a mobile and stable seat for rehabilitation.

The aim of this study was to explore differences in trunk muscle activity on a stable and mobile seat for people after stroke and healthy participants. Trunk control exercises are known to have a beneficial effect on trunk control, balance, and mobility after stroke. The effect of such exercises could be enhanced by the use of a mobile seat to provide further training stimuli.

Increased Chondroprotective Effect of Combining Hyaluronic Acid with a Glucocorticoid Compared to Separate Administration on Cytokine-Treated Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes in a 2D Culture.

Intra-articular injections of glucocorticoids (GC) or hyaluronic acid (HA) are commonly used interventions for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (OA). Both substances are combined to achieve a chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect. Clinical studies have shown benefits, but data on the cellular level are still lacking.

An interaction between synapsin and C9orf72 regulates excitatory synapses and is impaired in ALS/FTD.

Dysfunction and degeneration of synapses is a common feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). A GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9ORF72 gene is the main genetic cause of ALS/FTD (C9ALS/FTD). The repeat expansion leads to reduced expression of the C9orf72 protein.

Infant Exposure to Acid Suppressant Medications Increases Risk of Recurrent Wheeze and Asthma in Childhood.

Background: Acid suppressant medications (ASMs) are commonly prescribed in infancy. Little is known about the relationship between ASM exposure and risk of childhood asthma and atopic conditions.

Objective: We sought to examine the association between infant ASM exposure and risk for developing recurrent wheeze, allergen sensitization, and asthma in early childhood.

Der p 23-specific IgE response throughout childhood and its association with allergic disease: A birth cohort study.

Background: The Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus molecule Der p 23 is a major allergen whose clinical relevance has been shown in cross-sectional studies. We longitudinally analysed the trajectory of Der p 23-specific IgE antibody (sIgE) levels throughout childhood and youth, their early-life determinants and their clinical relevance for allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Methods: We obtained sera and clinical data of 191 participants of the German Multicentre Allergy Study, a prospective birth cohort.

Neurovascular Coupling in Type 2 Diabetes With Cognitive Decline. A Narrative Review of Neuroimaging Findings and Their Pathophysiological Implications.

Type 2 diabetes causes substantial long-term damage in several organs including the brain. Cognitive decline is receiving increased attention as diabetes has been established as an independent risk factor along with the identification of several other pathophysiological mechanisms. Early detection of detrimental changes in cerebral blood flow regulation may represent a useful clinical marker for development of cognitive decline for at-risk persons.

Effect of intravenous lidocaine on pain after head and neck cancer surgery (ELICO trial): A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Treatment of postoperative pain after ear, nose and throat (ENT) cancer surgery is mainly morphine administration. Additional systemic lidocaine has shown promising results in some surgical procedures.

Objective: The main objective was to evaluate morphine consumption in the first 48 postoperative hours after intra-operative lidocaine infusion during major ENT cancer surgery.

Pulmonary surfactants and the respiratory-renal connection in steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome of childhood.

Steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS) in childhood is usually due to minimal change disease (MCD). Unlike many glomerular conditions, SSNS/MCD is commonly precipitated by respiratory infections. Of interest, pulmonary inflammation releases surfactants in circulation which are soluble agonists of SIRPα, a podocyte receptor that regulates integrin signaling.

Enlarged Perivascular Spaces Are Negatively Associated With Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scores in Older Adults.

Emerging evidence suggests that enlarged perivascular spaces (ePVS) may be a clinically significant neuroimaging marker of global cognitive function related to cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD). We tested this possibility by assessing the relationship between ePVS and both a standardized measure of global cognitive function, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and an established marker of cSVD, white matter hyperintensity volume (WMH) volume. One hundred and eleven community-dwelling older adults (56-86) underwent neuroimaging and MoCA testing.

Association of Puberty Stage and Weight Status with Cardiometabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents Living on the Texas-Mexico Border.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to examine the interaction effect between puberty stage and weight status on individual and clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) among Mexican American children and adolescents. A total of 333 children and adolescents (aged 8-18 years) enrolled in the Cameron County Hispanic Cohort (CCHC) from 2014 to 2020 were included in the study. CCHC is a longitudinal, randomly recruited cohort based on the United States Census tracts/blocks of Mexican Americans living on the Texas-Mexico border.

Pneumonitis after Stereotactic Thoracic Radioimmunotherapy with Checkpoint Inhibitors: Exploration of the Dose-Volume-Effect Correlation.

Thoracic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is extensively used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). While current evidence suggests that the occurrence of pneumonitis as a side effect of both treatments is not enhanced for the combination, the dose-volume correlation remains unclear. We investigate dose-volume-effect correlations for pneumonitis after combined SBRT + ICB.

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) Screening in Arizona: Lessons Learned from the First 2 Years.

Purpose: The incidence of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in the USA was reported as 1 in 58,000 live births. In Arizona, it was anticipated that newborn screening would identify two to four cases of SCID per year. This estimate did not consider ethnic nuances in Arizona, with higher percentages of Native American and Hispanic populations compared to national percentages.

Type I IFN Signaling Is Essential for Preventing IFN-γ Hyperproduction and Subsequent Deterioration of Antibacterial Immunity during Postinfluenza Pneumococcal Infection.

Postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia is a significant cause of hospitalization and death in humans. The mechanisms underlying this viral and bacterial synergy remain incompletely understood. Recent evidence indicates that influenza-induced IFNs, particularly type I IFN (IFN-I) and IFN-γ, suppress antibacterial defenses.

Improving Findability of Digital Assets in Research Data Repositories Using the W3C DCAT Vocabulary.

Research data management requires stable, trustworthy repositories to safeguard scientific research results. In this context, rich markup with metadata is crucial for the discoverability and interpretability of the relevant resources. SEEK is a web-based software to manage all important artifacts of a research project, including project structures, involved actors, documents and datasets.

The Response Regulator RegA Is a Copper Binding Protein That Covalently Dimerizes When Exposed to Oxygen.

In , the histidine kinase RegB is believed to phosphorylate its cognate transcriptional factor RegA only under anaerobic conditions. However, transcriptome evidence indicates that RegA regulates 47 genes involved in energy storage, energy production, signaling and transcription, under aerobic conditions. In this study, we provide evidence that RegA is a copper binding protein and that copper promotes the dimerization of RegA under aerobic conditions.

Structural Analyses of CrtJ and Its B-Binding Co-Regulators SAerR and LAerR from the Purple Photosynthetic Bacterium .

Among purple photosynthetic bacteria, the transcription factor CrtJ is a major regulator of photosystem gene expression. Depending on growing conditions, CrtJ can function as an aerobic repressor or an anaerobic activator of photosystem genes. Recently, CrtJ's activity was shown to be modulated by two size variants of a B binding co-regulator called SAerR and LAerR in .

Clinical characteristics and disease outcomes in non-diabetic chronic kidney disease: retrospective analysis of a US healthcare claims database.

Background: The observational, real-world evidence FLIEDER study aimed to describe patient clinical characteristics and investigate clinical outcomes in non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) using data collected from routine clinical practice in the United States.

Methods: Between 1 January, 2008-31 December, 2018, individuals aged ≥ 18 years, with non-diabetic, stage 3-4 CKD were indexed in the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart US healthcare claims database using International Classification of Diseases-9/10 codes for CKD or by laboratory values (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 15-59 mL/min/1.73 m).

Schwarzinicine A inhibits transient receptor potential canonical channels and exhibits overt vasorelaxation effects.

This study investigated the vasorelaxant effects of schwarzinicine A, an alkaloid recently reported from Ficus schwarzii Koord. Regulation of calcium homeostasis in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is viewed as one of the main mechanisms for controlling blood pressure. L-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) blockers are commonly used for controlling hypertension.

Within-sibship genome-wide association analyses decrease bias in estimates of direct genetic effects.

Estimates from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of unrelated individuals capture effects of inherited variation (direct effects), demography (population stratification, assortative mating) and relatives (indirect genetic effects). Family-based GWAS designs can control for demographic and indirect genetic effects, but large-scale family datasets have been lacking. We combined data from 178,086 siblings from 19 cohorts to generate population (between-family) and within-sibship (within-family) GWAS estimates for 25 phenotypes.

Minimal Change Disease Is Associated With Endothelial Glycocalyx Degradation and Endothelial Activation.

Introduction: Minimal change disease (MCD) is considered a podocyte disorder triggered by unknown circulating factors. Here, we hypothesized that the endothelial cell (EC) is also involved in MCD.

Methods: We studied 45 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (44 had steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome [SSNS], and 12 had biopsy-proven MCD), 21 adults with MCD, and 38 healthy controls (30 children, 8 adults).

Interdisciplinary Care and Preparedness for Kidney Failure Management in a High-Risk Population.

Rationale & Objective: Interdisciplinary care may improve health outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Few studies have evaluated this model of health care delivery in racial and ethnic minorities.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Pulse shape analysis in Gerda Phase II.

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) collaboration searched for neutrinoless double- decay in Ge using isotopically enriched high purity germanium detectors at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso of INFN. After Phase I (2011-2013), the experiment benefited from several upgrades, including an additional active veto based on LAr instrumentation and a significant increase of mass by point-contact germanium detectors that improved the half-life sensitivity of Phase II (2015-2019) by an order of magnitude. At the core of the background mitigation strategy, the analysis of the time profile of individual pulses provides a powerful topological discrimination of signal-like and background-like events.