Effort‐based decision making and white matter tracts associated with dimensions of apathy in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Background: Apathy is marked by diminished motivation and goal‐directed behavior, prevalent in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Effort‐based decision‐making paradigms (EBDM), which require choices between tasks of varying effort levels for varying rewards, are effective assessments of goal‐directed behavior. Using a transdiagnostic approach, we are examining the neurodegeneration of networks on apathy and EBDM.

Race-Ethnicity, Rurality, and Age in Prospective Preferences and Concerns Regarding Closed-Loop Implanted Neural Devices.

Objective: Responsive and human-centered neurotechnology development requires attention to public perceptions, particularly among groups underserved by existing treatments.

Methods: The authors conducted a preregistered nationally representative survey (https://osf.io/ej9h2) using the NORC at the University of Chicago AmeriSpeak panel.

Development of a large animal orthotopic intestinal transplantation model with long-term survival for study of immunologic outcomes.

Introduction: Intestinal transplantation (ITx) is the last remaining therapy for patients with intestinal failure once parenteral nutrition is no longer an option, however its use is limited by immunological complications, including high rates of rejection and morbidity associated with immunosuppression, such as infection and malignancy. We aimed to develop a large animal model of ITx with which to study the immune response to ITx and to design and test tolerance induction regimens.

Methods: Learning from prior complications, we developed and progressively improved both surgical methods for the donor and recipient as well as postoperative management strategies.

The role of adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization following repeated curative resection/ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma with early recurrence: a propensity score matching analysis.

Background: The role of adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) following repeated resection/ablation for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of adjuvant TACE following repeated resection or ablation in patients with early recurrent HCC.

Methods: Information for patients who underwent repeated surgery or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for early recurrent HCCs (< 2 years) at our institution from January 2017 to December 2020 were collected.

Decreased expression of H19/miR-675 ameliorates hypoxia-induced oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer.

Hypoxic microenvironment, a hallmark of solid tumors, contributes to chemoresistance, and long noncoding (lnc) RNAs are involved in hypoxia-induced drug resistance. However, the role of lncRNAs in hypoxic tumor chemotherapy resistance remains unclear. Here, we aimed to elucidate the effects of lncRNAs in hypoxia-mediated resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Risk of colorectal cancer in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and concomitant inflammatory bowel disease compared with primary sclerosing cholangitis only.

Aim: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients; however, there is a paucity of literature to suggest PSC alone as an independent risk factor for CRC. We aimed to determine if PSC is an independent risk factor for CRC in a large tertiary care medical center. Optimizing screening intervals is of great importance, given the burden and risks associated with a lifetime of colonoscopy screening.

Cutting Edge: Hypoxia Sensing by the Histone Demethylase UTX (KDM6A) Limits Colitogenic CD4+ T Cells in Mucosal Inflammation.

Hypoxia is a hallmark of inflammatory conditions (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]), and adaptive responses have consequently evolved to protect against hypoxia-associated tissue injury.

ABO-adjusted cPRA metric for kidney allocation in an Asian-predominant population.

Recent studies showed that ABO-adjusted calculated panel reactive antibody (ABO-cPRA) may better reflect the histocompatibility level in a multi-ethnic population, but such data in Asians is not available. We developed an ABO-adjusted cPRA metric on a cohort of waitlist kidney transplant patients (n = 647, 99% Chinese) in Hong Kong, based on HLA alleles and ABO frequencies of local donors. The concordance between the web-based ABO-cPRA calculator and the impact on kidney allocation were evaluated.

Hypoxia-sensing by the Histone Demethylase UTX ( ) Controls Colitogenic CD4 T cell Fate and Mucosal Inflammation.

Hypoxia is a feature of inflammatory conditions [e.g., inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)] and can exacerbate tissue damage in these diseases.

Epigenetic Control of Translation Checkpoint and Tumor Progression via RUVBL1-EEF1A1 Axis.

Epigenetic dysregulation is reported in multiple cancers including Ewing sarcoma (EwS). However, the epigenetic networks underlying the maintenance of oncogenic signaling and therapeutic response remain unclear. Using a series of epigenetics- and complex-focused CRISPR screens, RUVBL1, the ATPase component of NuA4 histone acetyltransferase complex, is identified to be essential for EwS tumor progression.

The X-linked epigenetic regulator UTX controls NK cell-intrinsic sex differences.

Viral infection outcomes are sex biased, with males generally more susceptible than females. Paradoxically, the numbers of antiviral natural killer (NK) cells are increased in males. We demonstrate that while numbers of NK cells are increased in male mice, they display decreased effector function compared to females in mice and humans.

Effects of Brain Maintenance and Cognitive Reserve on Age-Related Decline in Three Cognitive Abilities.

Objectives: Age-related cognitive changes can be influenced by both brain maintenance (BM), which refers to the relative absence over time of changes in neural resources or neuropathologic changes, and cognitive reserve (CR), which encompasses brain processes that allow for better-than-expected behavioral performance given the degree of life-course-related brain changes. This study evaluated the effects of age, BM, and CR on longitudinal changes over 2 visits, 5 years apart, in 3 cognitive abilities that capture most of age-related variability.

Methods: Participants included 254 healthy adults aged 20-80 years at recruitment.

Mental disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: There is a lack of evidence related to the prevalence of mental health symptoms as well as their heterogeneities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Latin America, a large area spanning the equator. The current study aims to provide meta-analytical evidence on mental health symptoms during COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, the general population and university students in Latin America.

Methods: Bibliographical databases, such as PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and medRxiv, were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies up to August 13, 2021.

Meta-analytic evidence of depression and anxiety in Eastern Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To perform a systematic and meta-analysis on the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms including anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Eastern Europe, as well as three select sub-populations: students, general healthcare workers, and frontline healthcare workers.

Data Sources: Studies in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and medRxiv up to 6 February 2021.

Eligibility Criteria And Data Analysis: Prevalence rates of mental health symptoms in the general population and key sub-populations during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Europe.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Insomnia in Spain in the COVID-19 Crisis.

Background: General population, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), and adult students in Spain are at risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms during the COVID-19 crisis. A meta-analysis of the individual studies on these symptoms would provide systematic evidence to aid policymakers and researchers in focusing on prevalence, risk, and best interventions.

Objective: This paper aims to be the first meta-analysis and systematic review to calculate the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms in Spain's adult population (general population, frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), and adult students) during the Covid-19 epidemic.

Assessing the Trustworthiness of Saliency Maps for Localizing Abnormalities in Medical Imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the trustworthiness of saliency maps for abnormality localization in medical imaging.

Materials And Methods: Using two large publicly available radiology datasets (Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine-American College of Radiology Pneumothorax Segmentation dataset and Radiological Society of North America Pneumonia Detection Challenge dataset), the performance of eight commonly used saliency map techniques were quantified in regard to localization utility (segmentation and detection), sensitivity to model weight randomization, repeatability, and reproducibility. Their performances versus baseline methods and localization network architectures were compared, using area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) as metrics.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the mental health symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia.

Aims: The Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the mental health of the general public and high-risk groups worldwide. Due to its proximity and close links to China, Southeast Asia was one of the first regions to be affected by the outbreak. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety, depression and insomnia in the general adult population and healthcare workers (HCWs) in Southeast Asia during the course of the first year of the pandemic.

Mental Health during the COVID-19 Crisis in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

We aim to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence rates of mental health symptoms among major African populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We include articles from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and medRxiv between 1 February 2020 and 6 February 2021, and pooled data using random-effects meta-analyses. We identify 28 studies and 32 independent samples from 12 African countries with a total of 15,071 participants.

Novel strategy for applying hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise towards spectroscopic analysis and detection of melanocytic lesions.

Advancements in dermoscopy techniques have elucidated identifiable characteristics of melanoma which revolve around the asymmetrical constitution of melanocytic lesions consequent of unfettered proliferative growth as a malignant lesion. This study explores the applications of hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (HDBSCAN) in terms of the direct diagnostic implications of applying agglomerative clustering in the spectroscopic analysis of malignant melanocytic lesions and benign dermatologic spots. 100 images of benign (n = 50) and malignant moles (n = 50) were sampled from the International Skin Imaging Collaboration Archive and processed through two separate Python algorithms.

Topology in Nonlinear Mechanical Systems.

Many advancements have been made in the field of topological mechanics. The majority of the work, however, concerns the topological invariant in a linear theory. In this Letter, we present a generic prescription to define topological indices that accommodates nonlinear effects in mechanical systems without taking any approximation.

The role of gut microbiota in hepatitis B disease progression and treatment.

Current therapeutic interventions can only suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication or reduce complications without a cure. Therefore, further development of new treatment methods is critical for the global eradication of HBV. Accumulating evidence suggests that the liver and gut share an interconnected relationship referred to as the 'Gut-Liver Axis', where exchanges happen bi-directionally.