bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel nomogram for predicting the prolonged length of stay in post-anesthesia care unit after selective operation.
Authors: fang fuquan , Liu Tiantian , Li Jun , Yang Yanchang , Hang Wenxin , Yan Dandan , Ye Sujuan , Wu Pin , Hu Yuhan , Hu Zhiyong
Published: September 2023

Background Prolonged length of stay (PLOS) in post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) is a combination of risk factors and complications that can compromise quality of care and operating room efficiency. Our study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict PLOS of patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods Data from 24017 patients were collected. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to screen variables. A logistic regression model was built on variables determined by a combined method of forward selection and backward elimination. Nomogram was designed with the model. The nomogram performance was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for discrimination, calibration plot for consistency between predictions and actuality, and decision curve analysis (DCA) for clinical application value. Results A nomogram was established based on the selected ten variables, including age, BMI < 21 kg/m2, American society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA), surgery type, chill, delirium, pain, naloxone, operation duration and blood transfusion. The C-index value was 0.773 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.765–0.781] in the development set and 0.757 (95% CI = 0.744–0.770) in the validation set. The AUC was > 0.75 for the prediction of PLOS. The calibration curves revealed high consistencies between the predicted and actual probability. The DCA showed that if the threshold probability is over 10%, using the models to predict PLOS and implement intervention adds more benefit. Conclusions This study presented a nomogram to facilitate individualized prediction of PLOS patients undergoing elective surgery.
Development and psychometric properties of a tool to assess the Occupational Neck Pain Prevention Behaviors
Authors: Moradi Zohre , Tavafian Sedigheh Sadat , Kazemi Seyedeh Somayeh
Published: September 2023

Background: Neck pain is a common problem among teachers. This study aimed to develop and evaluate an instrument for measuring occupational neck pain preventive behaviors among teachers.
Method: In order to develop a neck pain preventive behavior this study was conducted in December 2020 in two phases: qualitative, and quantitative. In qualitative phase a purposeful sample of teachers were interviewed to generate an item pool. Then content validity and face validity were performed to provide a provisional version of the questionnaire. In the next stage, to evaluate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, a cross sectional study was conducted. In total, 146 teachers participated in this study (with a mean age 36.7; SD 8.92 years). The questionnaire was distributed among a sample of teachers. Exploratory factor analysis was used to obtain the factor structure of the questionnaire. The item-scale correlation matrix was examined to further evaluate the validity of the questionnaire. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was calculated to assess reliability and intra class correlation coefficient (ICC) to assess stability.
Results: Based on analysis of the exploratory factor, 8 factors with 43 substances, that together accounted for 65,25% variances were obtained. Also, the correlation matrix in the case scale to establish the validity of the questionnaire showed satisfactory results. The results of face validity showed that 4 factors were not approved and were removed from the questionnaire. Reliability evaluation with internal consistency method (Cronbach's alpha) showed excellent compatibility (0.87). The intra class correlation reliability assessment showed that the questionnaire has satisfactory stability (ICC) (0.92).
Conclusion: This study provides the reliability and validity of the Occupational Pain Neck Preventive Behaviors Questionnaire. This study provides an instrument for evaluating occupational neck pain prevention behaviors among teachers. The instrument is useful for teachers and staff of administrative units and healthcare settings to implement appropriate interventions.
Trial Registration: IRCT20210301050542N1
ChatGPT's Performance on Iran's Medical Licensing Exams
Authors: Keshtkar Alireza , Hayat Ali-Asghar , Atighi Farnaz , Ayare Nazanin , Keshtkar Mohammadreza , Yazdanpanahi Parsa , Sadeghi Erfan , Deilami Noushin , Reihani Hamid , Karimi Alireza , Mokhtari Hamidreza , Hashempur Mohammad Hashem
Published: September 2023

Background: A 175 billion parameter Transformer architecture is used by OpenAI's ChatGPT language model to perform tasks requiring natural language processing. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and interpretive abilities of ChatGPT on three types of Iranian medical license exams: basic sciences, pre-internship, and pre-residency.
Methods: The study involved administering three different levels of Iran's medical license exams, which included basic sciences, pre-internship, and pre-residency, to Chat GPT 3.5. Two versions of each exam were used, corresponding to the ChatGPT 3.5's internet access time: one during the access time and one after. These exams were input to Chat GPT in Persian and English languages without any justifications. The accuracy and concordance of each question were extracted by two blinded adjudicators.
Results: A total of 2210 questions, including 667 basic sciences, 763 pre-internship, and 780 pre-residency questions, were presented to ChatGPT in both English and Persian languages. Across all tests, the overall accuracy was found to be 48.5%, with an overall concordance of 91%. Notably, English questions exhibited higher accuracy and concordance rates, with 61.4% accuracy and 94.5% concordance, compared to 35.7% accuracy and 88.7% concordance for Persian questions.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that ChatGPT performs above the required passing score on the three categories of exam questions. Moreover, the model showcases its ability to provide reasoning and contextual information in the majority of responses, owing to its dialogic character when addressing inquiries. These results provide compelling evidence for the potential use of ChatGPT in medical education.
Development of an analytical method based on QuEChERS and GC-ECD for the determination of deltamethrin residue in pine needles and pine nuts
Authors: Bellot Marina , Teixidó Anna , Torrell Antoni , Aletà Neus , Gomez-Canela Cristian
Published: September 2023

In recent years, recurrent droughts have weakened the stone pine (Pinus pinea) forests and favoured the emergence of harmful pests and diseases, including the Leptoglossus occidentalis. The stone pine’s nuts production has declined over the past five years. To control this hemipteran pest, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide called deltamethrin is being tested. However, it is necessary to estimate the residue left by these treatments in forest stands. Therefore, a fast and robust analytical procedure was developed based on QuEChERS clean-up extraction, followed by gas chromatography coupled with an electron capture detector. This optimized method can detect residual concentrations of deltamethrin in pine needles and pine nuts up to a few µg kg− 1. The results showed that two weeks after spraying, the deltamethrin content in the needles of stone pines decreased up to 75%, and after 9 months, its presence was like the nontreated trees.
Enfortumab-Vedotin for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma Refractory to Platinum-Based Chemotherapy and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Single Institution Experience
Authors: Endo Yuki , Akatsuka Jun , Kimura Go , Takeda Hayato , Hasegawa Hiroya , Yanagi Masato , Toyama Yuka , Mikami Hikaru , Shibasaki Mikio , Taniuchi Mami , Kondo Yukihiro
Published: September 2023

Background:
The efficacy of enfortumab-vedotin as a third-line therapy for metastatic urothelial carcinoma refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy and immune-checkpoint inhibitors was demonstrated in an enfortumab-vedotin -301 trial. Our study presents the analysis of enfortumab-vedotin treatment at our institution.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who were treated with enfortumab-vedotin between January 2021 and April 2023. enfortumab-vedotin was administered at a dose of 1.25 mg/kg on days 1, 8, and 15 in a 28-day cycle. Whole-body CT scans were performed every two–three months to assess the treatment response. Patient characteristics, treatment histories, response rates, progression-free survival, and adverse events were evaluated. Response rates were determined using RECIST version 1.1, and adverse events were recorded based on CTCAE version 4.03.
Results:
Among the 20 patients, 70% were male and 60% had bladder tumors. Most patients had lung (55%) or lymph node (50%) metastases. The median follow-up was 7.8 months, with 25% of the patients succumbing to the disease. The overall response rate was 45%. The median progression-free survival was 6.5 months. Severe adverse events occurred in 30% of patients.
Conclusions:
In this real-world study, enfortumab-vedotin demonstrated promising efficacy and manageable safety profiles in Japanese patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The overall response rate and disease control rate were consistent with those of previous clinical trials, although a longer follow-up period was required. Our findings support enfortumab-vedotin use as a treatment option for patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma who exhibit disease progression after platinum-based chemotherapy and immune-checkpoint inhibitors therapy.
Dendritic Cell Vaccination in Conjunction with a TLR Agonist Polarizes Interferon Immune Responses in Malignant Glioma Patients
Authors: Prins Robert , Everson Richard , Hugo Willy , Sun Lu , Antonios Joseph , Lee Alexander , Ding Lizhong , Bu Melissa , Khattab Sara , Chavez Carolina , Billingslea-Yoon Emma , Salazar Andres , Ellingson Benjamin , Cloughesy Timothy , Liau Linda
Published: September 2023

Autologous tumor lysate-pulsed dendritic cell (ATL-DC) vaccination is a promising immunotherapy for patients with high grade gliomas, but responses have not been demonstrated in all patients. To determine the most effective combination of autologous tumor lysate-pulsed DC vaccination, with or without the adjuvant toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists poly-ICLC or resiquimod, we conducted a Phase 2 clinical trial in 23 patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent WHO Grade III-IV malignant gliomas. We then performed deep, high-dimensional immune profiling of these patients to better understand how TLR agonists may influence the systemic immune responses induced by ATL-DC vaccination. Bulk RNAseq data demonstrated highly significant upregulation of type 1 and type 2 interferon gene expression selectively in patients who received adjuvant a TLR agonist together with ATL-DC. CyTOF analysis of patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) showed increased expression of PD-1 on CD4+ T-cells, decreases in CD38 and CD39 on CD8+ T cells and elevated proportion of monocytes after ATL-DC + TLR agonist administration. In addition, scRNA-seq demonstrated a higher expression fold change of IFN-induced genes with poly-ICLC treatment in both peripheral blood monocytes and T lymphocytes. Patients who had higher expression of interferon response genes lived significantly longer and had longer time to progression compared to those with lower expression. The results suggest that ATL-DC in conjunction with adjuvant poly-ICLC induces a polarized interferon response in circulating monocytes and specific activation of a CD8+ T cell population, which may represent an important blood biomarker for immunotherapy in this patient population.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01204684
Development of an Artificial Intelligence Diagnostic Model for Thyroid Nodules Based on Ultrasound Images and Videos
Authors: Jing Chen , Wu Linghu , Li Guoqiu , Liu Xiaowen , Tang Shuzhen , Zhou Yuli , Su Youhuan , Huang Sijin , Lai Xiaosu , Bai Song , xu Jinfeng , dong Fajin
Published: September 2023

Purpose:
Thyroid nodules are a common occurrence in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic model for thyroid nodules based on ultrasound images and videos, and to compare its diagnostic effectiveness with that of an ultrasonographer.
Methods:
Ultrasound images and videos of thyroid nodules were analyzed using deep learning (DL). An expert sonographer, who was unaware of the AI data, evaluated the ultrasound images and videos of the lesions according to the ACR-TIRADS criteria, using the pathology results as a reference.
The study cohort comprised 500 thyroid nodules with an average age of 45 ± 10 years. The diagnostic performance of the AI model and the sonographer were compared using metrics such as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. The AI model exhibited the highest diagnostic accuracy for ultrasound longitudinal videos (AUC: 0.88 (0.85-0.91)). Additionally, the AI model demonstrated a high correlation with the ACR-TIRADS grading by ultrasonographers for thyroid nodules (R=0.85).
Conclusion:
The AI model performed well in grading benign and malignant thyroid nodules. It has the potential to be employed in clinical practice to enhance diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary biopsies of thyroid lesions.
Reappraisal of a renovated cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (KM-CART) for malignant ascites
Authors: Kim Yongsik , Ajiki Tetsuo , Ueda Yasuhiro , Yoshida Yuko , Takahashi Tsuyoshi , Fukuyama Hitoshi , Fukuyama Tsuyoshi , Hori Yuichi
Published: September 2023

Background
Renovated cell-free and concentrated ascites reinfusion therapy (KM-CART) has become widely practiced, but the actual clinical efficacy has been reported rarely. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of KM-CART for malignant ascites.
Methods
We performed 226 KM-CART procedures in 104 patients with malignant ascites in three hospitals from August 2013 to September 2018. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for ascites data, related complications, symptoms before and after each CART and prognosis after the first CART. We reviewed the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) before every procedure, as an indicator of nutritional status.
Results
Pancreatic cancer was the most common indication for the CART procedure, followed by gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, ovarian cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma (five major diseases). The 50% survival times of these five major diseases after the first procedure were 25, 39, 31, 49, and 33 days, respectively. The mean survival time for all patients was 73.5 days, and 75.6 days for those with the five major diseases. All patients experienced symptomatic relief, and complications were rare. Repeated KM-CART was performed in 47.1% of the patients, most often in those with ovarian cancer (66.7%). As for the mGPS at the first CART procedure, 89% of patients were in the group with the poorest nutritional status. The mGPS score improved in only two patients during treatment and was not related to prognosis.
Conclusions
KM-CART gives the benefit of improved ascites-related symptoms and general condition, even in a short time and with a poor nutritional status.
Nonlinear operator extensions of Korovkin's theorems
Authors: Gal Sorin Gheorghe , Niculescu Constantin
Published: September 2023

In this paper we extend Korovkin's theorem to the context of sequences of weakly nonlinear and monotone operators defined on certain Banach function spaces. Several examples illustrating the theory are included.
Date: August 29, 2023.
2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 41A35, 41A36, 41A63.
Bladder Xanthoma: Clinical Analysis of 22 Cases from Multiple Centers
Authors: Li Song , Zhao Xiaolei , Zhang Jianhua , Liu Ruoxuan , Liu Xiaoqiang
Published: September 2023

Objective This study aims to describe the clinical and pathological features of bladder xanthoma, along with its diagnostic and treatment methods. Methods We gathered literature about bladder xanthoma published over the past 60 years from databases like PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Medline. We also collected clinical data from a single case of bladder xanthoma treated at our hospital. Patient details such as age, gender, symptoms, tumor size, related neoplasms, imaging results, and pathological findings were noted. Tumors were removed through surgery, followed by examining the removed tissues pathologically. After surgery, patients underwent cystoscopy follow-up after 3 months. Results Out of the 22 identified cases of bladder xanthoma, 15 were isolated (including both single and multiple lesions), while 7 were connected with urinary tract epithelial tumors. There were 6 male patients and 1 female patient with concurrent urinary tract epithelial carcinoma. Males had an average onset age of 56.0 years, with an average tumor diameter of 21.57 mm. Females had an average onset age of 63.00 years, with an average tumor diameter of 20.86 mm. The onset age for females was notably lower than that for males, and their tumor diameter was significantly smaller than that of males (P < 0.05). Among the 9 patients with lipid metabolism disorders, 7 were males and 2 were females, showing a significant male predominance. No instances of recurrence or malignant transformation were noted during follow-up. In this study, we treated a 65-year-old female patient who, during cystoscopy, showed a round, hanging lesion measuring about 2.5 x 1 x 1 cm on the left side of the ureteral opening in the bladder trigone. After surgery, pathological examination revealed bladder xanthoma with multiple groups of foam cells. Immunohistochemistry findings were as follows: CD68 (+), CD163 (+), Vimentin (+), CK (-), Desmin (-). A follow-up cystoscopy after 3 months did not uncover any tumor recurrence. Conclusion Bladder xanthoma is a rare non-cancerous condition that mainly affects older males. It often appears on the side walls and trigone region of the bladder and could be associated with lipid metabolism disorders. Around 50% of patients have simultaneous urinary tract epithelial tumors, and diagnosis mainly depends on examining tissues under a microscope. Prolonged follow-up after surgery is not necessary.
Evaluation of an integrated knowledge translation approach used for updating the Cochrane Review of Patient Decision Aids
Authors: Lewis Krystina B , Smith Maureen , Stacey Dawn , Carley Meg , Graham Ian D , applicable Cochrane Review of Patient Decision Aids Research Team Not
Published: September 2023

Background: We know little about knowledge users’ involvement in the conduct of systematic reviews. We aimed to evaluate team members’ degree of meaningful engagement and their perceptions of having used an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) approach when updating the Cochrane Review of Patient Decision Aids. Methods: We conducted a pre-post mixed methods study. We surveyed all team members at two time points. Before systematic review conduct, participating team members indicated their preferred level of involvement within each of the 12 steps of the systematic review process from “Screen titles/abstracts” to “Provide feedback on draft article.” After, they reported on their degree of satisfaction with their achieved level of engagement across each step and the degree of meaningful engagement using the Patient Engagement In Research Scale (PEIRS-22) across 7 domains scored from 100 (extremely meaningful engagement) to 0 (no meaningful engagement). We solicited their experiences with the IKT approach using open-ended questions. We analyzed quantitative data descriptively and qualitative data using content analysis. We triangulated data at the level of study design and interpretation. Results: Of 21 team members, 20 completed the baseline survey (95.2% response rate) and 17/20 (85.0% response rate) the follow-up survey. At baseline, preferred level of involvement in the 12 systematic review steps varied from n=3(15%) to n=20(100%). At follow-up, 16 (94.1%) participants were totally or very satisfied with the extent to which they were involved in these steps. All (17, 100%) agreed that the process was co-production. Total PEIRS-22 scores revealed most participants reported extremely (13, 76.4%) or very (2, 11.8%) meaningful degree of engagement. Triangulated data revealed that participants indicated benefit to having used a process that was authentic and incorporated diverse perspectives, and they perceived it resulted in better and more relevant output. Reported challenges were about time, resources, and the logistics of collaborating with a large group. Conclusion: Following the use of an IKT approach during the conduct of a systematic review, team members reported high levels of meaningful engagement. These results contribute to our understanding of ways to co-produce a systematic review.
A low-energy particle experiment for both ion and electron measurements using a single microchannel plate detector
Authors: Yokota Shoichiro , Saito Yoshifumi , Asamura Kazushi
Published: September 2023

We have developed a low-energy particle experiment that alternately measure ions and electrons in space. The ability to switch between ion and electron measurements is achieved by simply adding ultra-thin carbon foil and positive and negative outputs to a conventional top-hat electrostatic analyzer and a high-voltage power supply, respectively. The advantage of this experiment is that it can perform both ion and electron measurements using only one MCP detector for electrons, since it detects secondary electrons emitted from the carbon foil. For the SS520-3 sounding rocket program, we prepared two identical energy analyzers, one for ions and the other for electrons to demonstrate this technique. Laboratory tests confirmed that the performance of the two analyzers was comparable to that of conventional analyzers for ion and electrons. The SS520-3 rocket experiment in the high latitude auroral region yielded observations that captured typical features of ions and electrons, which were similar to previous observations.
A MIMIC model examining the relationships among perceived teachers’ goals, achievement-goal orientations, self-efficacy, and their effects on strategies in writing
Authors: Stavropoulou Georgia , Stamovlasis Dimitrios , Gonida Sofia-Eleftheria
Published: September 2023

Achievement Goal Theory is an approach that interprets academic attitude and behavior toward the learning process in an academic environment. The current study explores the relationships among perceived teachers' goals, achievement-goal orientations, self-efficacy, and their effects on cognitive and metacognitive strategies in writing. The participants (N = 2049) were students in secondary junior and senior high school, completed self-report questionnaires (Greek version of Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale) measuring achievement goal orientations, perceived teachers' goals, self-efficacy, cognitive and metacognitive strategies in writing (Baker & Boonkit). Structural equation modeling was applied, specifically, a multiple-indicator multiple-cause model, to examine the relationship among the variables under study. The findings from the current research highlight the crucial role of goal orientations, especially mastery goals. Mastery, performance-approach goals and self-efficacy directly predict writing strategies. On the other hand, the perceived teacher goals predict student goal orientations, and specifically, perceived mastery teachers' goals predict students' mastery goals and self-efficacy and, interestingly, predict writing strategies. Perceived performance teachers' goals predict both types of students' performance goals, while the perceived performance avoidance teachers' goals are negatively associated with self-efficacy. The findings are interpretable and consistent with previous reports in the literature, contributing to both theory development and practical implications.
Generative Modeling towards Model-Free Kinship Verification Attack
Authors: Zhu Jiaxuan , Xia Chao , Shao Ming , Xia Siyu
Published: September 2023

Visual kinship understanding has raised privacy concerns in the past few years. That being said, the kinship relationship can be simply detected and exposed to the public, with or without the permission of photo owners, leading to severe privacy leaks or malicious retaliation against families. Visual kinship verification, a procedure that determines whether two people have kin relations through facial images, is the primary concern among kinship applications. To that end, this paper explores practical approaches to compromising CNN and Transformer based deep kinship verification models, to protect users' kinship privacy. Specifically, two generative models, Kinship-advGAN and Kinship-advTransGAN, are proposed to generate small perturbation vectors in face images to flip the verification results. To validate our methods, we conduct extensive experiments on visual kinship benchmarks, including FIW, KinFaceW datasets, and Kaggle Kinship Verification Challenges. The results show that our methods outperform several state-of-the-art methods and reveal vital insights: the CNN-based method attains a higher success rate of attacks, while the Transformer-based method provides more decentralized adversarial attacks on kinship verification.
Field Surveys in Heterogeneous Rock Masses Aimed at Hydraulic Conductivity Assessment
Authors: Mandrone Giuseppe , Vacha Damiano , Chicco Jessica Maria , Vagnon Federico , Comina Cesare
Published: September 2023

In heterogeneous and fractured rock masses, joints are the most important elements controlling the hydraulic conductivity. Joints parameters are therefore crucial for estimating transport of mass and energy in many technical problems (e.g. slope stability, tunnels, geothermal and oil and gas studies). Hydraulic conductivity conceptual models follow well understood generalizations, but their quantitative estimation is not simple. Both laboratory and field tests have many limitations due to representativeness and scale effects. This study proposes a methodology for a preliminary hydraulic conductivity estimation in fractured and/or heterogeneous rock masses through a combination of in-situ geomechanical and geophysical measurements. Contact and non-contact geomechanical surveys were coupled with electric resistivity tomographies in two selected test sites within a Mexican geothermal area in the framework of the Ge-Mex H2020 project. The test sites are representative of two different geological settings: a faulted rock mass with expected high hydraulic conductivity in proximity of the faulted areas and an abandoned marble quarry, with very good mechanical characteristics and negligible degree of fracturing. Moreover, both of them are located in remote areas with limited accessibility, in which rapid, time and cost-effective procedures are welcomed and recommended. The preliminary findings of this study were promising: estimated hydraulic conductivities were compared with independent laboratory measurements performed by other researchers showing a good correspondence and reliability. The proposed methodology demonstrated its reliability in decision making, in the technical support and its economical applicability also in similar difficult logistic situations.
The impact of leg length discrepancy after total hip arthroplasty on function and quality of life in Chinese
Authors: Gou Wenlong , Lu Xingchen , Wang Ziming , Chen Jiying
Published: September 2023

Background
Postoperative leg length discrepancy (LLD) has been reported as an important factor for Chinese patients' satisfaction after total hip arthroplasty (THA). This study investigated the impact of postoperative LLD on function and quality of life in Chinese patients.
Methods
Patients who underwent primary unilateral THA with a single prosthesis were identified from our hospital. The patients were divided into two groups according to postoperative LLD: a small LLD group(LLD༜9 mm) and a large LLD group (LLD ≥ 10 mm). The Harris hip score (HHS) and the 12-item Short-Form health survey (SF-12) were used to compare the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors associated with postoperative LLD.
Results
A total of 147 patients were included, with a mean follow-up of 6.22 ± 1.66 years. Of these patients, 119 had a small LLD (< 9 mm) and 28 had a large LLD (≥ 10 mm), and the average postoperative LLD was 6.48 ± 5.18mm. There were no significant differences between the two groups for HHS and SF-12 physical component score (PCS), but the SF-12 mental component score (MCS) was significantly lower in the large LLD group than the small LLD group (P = 0.008). Patient height was found to be an important risk factor for postoperative LLD (OR 0.909, 95% CI [0.843–0.979], P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Postoperative LLD does not affect hip function after THA in Chinese patients; however, large LLDs of over 10 mm may lead to decreased quality of life. Low height of patients was identified as a risk factor for postoperative LLD.
Differential repair of osteonecrosis due to alternating freezing-heating insult and local absolute alcohol injection in rats
Authors: Gou Wenlong , Wang Cheng , Qin Nan , Wang Ziming , Peng Jiang
Published: September 2023

Background
Osteonecrosis (ON) is a relatively common musculoskeletal disorder seen by the surgeons in clinic, which results in osteocyte death and destruction of the bony structure. However, the pathophysiologic mechanisms have not been completely elucidated. It has been found that there are differences in the process of ON repair between different impairment modalities in emus. The primary purpose of this study was to further advance a murine model of ON to determine the relationship between the repair types and the impairment modalities.
Methods
Thirty right knees of the rats were randomly divided into two groups for molding: 1. Alternating freezing-heating insult group (FHI); 2. Local absolute alcohol injection group (LAA). All the left knees were included in the control group. After eight weeks, every femoral condyle was harvested and analyzed by micro-CT, histology and nanoindentation test.
Results
A large number of osseous lacuna were observed in both two groups. The average bone mineral density, numbers of osteoblast, bone formation rate, elastic modulus and hardness of trabecular were higher with LAA than control (p＜0.05). On the other hand, the average numbers of osteoclast were higher and the elastic modulus and hardness of trabecular were lower with FHI than control (p＜0.05).
Conclusion
Both FHI and LAA can cause osteonecrosis in the femoral condyle in rats, but there are differences in the repair process.The increased number of osteoclasts may be implicated in the decreased mechanical properties of trabecula leading to collapse of the skeletal architecture in FHI. Conversely, the increase of osteoblasts may be responsible for the improvement of trabecular mechanical properties, with new bone formation being promoted in the LAA group. Further research is needed to determine the long-term effects of these repair mechanisms and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
Spinal tDCS is superior to both M1 and cerebellar tDCS in supporting balance ability. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Veldema Jitka , Steingräber Teni , Grönheim Leon , Wienecke Jana , Regel Rieke , Schack Thomas , Schütz Christoph
Published: September 2023

Objectives
Existing applications of non-invasive brain stimulation in the modulation of balance ability are focused on the primary motor cortex (M1). It is conceivable that other brain and spinal cord areas may be comparable or more promising targets in this regard. This study compares transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over (i) the M1, (ii) the cerebellum and (iii) the spinal cord in the modulation of balance ability.
Methods
Forty-two sports students were randomized in this placebo-controlled study. Twenty minutes of anodal 1.5 mA tDCS over (i) the M1, (ii) the cerebellum, and (iii) the spinal cord, as well as (iv) sham tDCS were applied to each subject. The Y Balance Test, Single Leg Landing Test, and Single Leg Squat Test were performed prior to and after each intervention.
Results
The Y Balance Test showed significant improvement after real stimulation of each region compared to sham stimulation. While spinal tDCS supported the balance ability of both legs, M1 and cerebellar tDCS supported right leg stand only. No significant differences were found on the Single Leg Landing Test and the Single Leg Squat Test.
Conclusions
Our data indicate that the spinal cord is a highly promising target for the application of non-invasive brain stimulation in supporting balance control. Future research could compare the effects of different spinal cord stimulation protocols on healthy people and examine the potential of this approach in neurorehabilitation.
Landscape properties and density dependence shape movement patterns of three threatened butterflies
Authors: Franzen Markus , Askling John , Kindvall Oskar , Johansson Victor , Sunde Johanna , Forsman Anders
Published: September 2023

Context.
Conservation of endangered species necessitates an in-depth understanding of their ecological requirements. Particularly in landscape ecology, the behavioural tendencies of threatened butterfly species in Gotland, a biodiversity-rich island in the Baltic Sea, become crucial.
Objectives.
The primary aim of this study was to elucidate the movement patterns of three threatened butterfly species—Euphydryas aurinia, Parnassius apollo, and Phengaris arion—in Gotland and to identify the influence of specific land characteristics on these patterns.
Methods.
The study was conducted from 2017 to 2020 within a 60 km² area in Gotland. Data collection involved 29,584 captures, encompassing 16,223 distinct individuals. Variables such as open vegetated land, ground moisture index, and forest cover were assessed.
Results.
Among the 4821 arrivals and 5083 departures documented, the species exhibited differential responses to the evaluated habitat features. Both E. aurinia and P. apollo displayed a positive density-dependent dispersal, while P. arion's movements were not significantly associated with any habitat features examined. Landscape properties like open vegetated land and ground moisture index statistically influenced the likelihood of arrival and departure.
Conclusions.
The study accentuates the intricate relationship between land cover and the behavioural tendencies of the subject butterfly species. It has broader implications for the targeted habitat management strategies that would benefit threatened butterfly populations in Gotland.
Effect of posterolateral fusion versus posterior lumbar interbody fusion on sagittal radiographic parameters in adult patients with low-grade isthmic spondylolisthesis: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Ibrahim Mahmoud Fouad , Saeed Fady Samy , Hassan Khaled Mohammed , Hassan Mohamed Gamal , El-Morshidy Essam Mohammed
Published: September 2023

Background: This randomized controlled study aims to specifically investigate and compare the effects of posterolateral fusion (PLF) and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) on sagittal radiographic parameters, and to evaluate the correlation between the changes in these parameters and the clinical outcome.
Methods: A total of 42 patients with single level low-grade isthmic spondylolisthesis were included in the study. The patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups: PLF group (21 patients) and PLIF (group 21 patients). The mean age was 40.23 ± 10.25 years in the PLF group and 35.81 ± 10.58 in the PLIF group. Of the 42 patients, 13 cases were male and 29 cases were female. All patients had a follow-up period of at least 24 months. Radiographic outcomes included pelvic incidence (PI), pelvic tilt (PT), sacral slope (SS), lumbar lordosis (LL), sagittal vertical axis (SVA), T1 pelvic angle (TPA), slip angle (SA), slip degree (SD) and disc height (DH). Clinical outcomes were assessed by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analogue scale (VAS).
Results: Upon comparing postoperative measurements of both groups, only SA, SD and DH were significantly better in PLIF group. However, when comparing the means of correction (postoperative values- preoperative values), all radiographic parameters were found to be significantly better in PLIF group. Additionally, SA and DH showed significantly less correction loss in the PLIF group. ODI and VAS scores improved significantly in both groups during the final follow-up, with no significant differences between the two groups. Changes in ODI and VAS were significantlycorrelated with changes in SD, DH, and LL.
Conclusion: PLIF exhibits greater strength in correcting sagittal radiographic parameters. Nevertheless, this difference does not seem to influence short-term clinical results. Notably, changes in DH, SA, and LL displayed significant correlations with changes in ODI and VAS, underscoring the importance of restoring disc height, rectifying slip angle, and reestablishing normal lumbar lordosis as crucial steps in the surgical management of isthmic spondylolisthesis.
Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03877341, registered on March 15, 2019.
Five novel mutations identified in the COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5 genes in 10 families with Alport syndrome
Authors: wang duocai , Pan Meize , Li Hang , Li Minchun , Li Ping , Xiong Fu , Xiao Hongbo
Published: September 2023

Background
Alport syndrome (AS) is an inherited nephropathy caused by mutations in the type IV collagen genes. It is clinically characterized by damage to the eyes, ears and kidneys. Diagnosis of AS is hampered by its atypical clinical picture, particularly when the typical features, include persistent hematuria and microscopic changes in the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), are the only clinical manifestations in the patient.
Methods
We screened nine families with suspected AS using whole exome sequencing (WES) and analyzed the harmfulness, conservation, and protein structure changes of mutated genes. In further, we performed in vitro functional analysis of two missense mutations in the COL4A5 gene (c.2359G > C, p.G787R and c.2605G > A, p.G869R).
Results
We identified 11 pathogenic variants in the type IV collagen genes (COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5). These pathogenic variants include eight missense mutations, two nonsense mutations and one frameshift mutation. Notably, Family 2 had degenic mutations in the COL4A3 (p.G1170A) and UMOD genes (p.M229K). Family 3 had a degenic missense mutation (p.G997E) in COL4A3 and a frameshift mutation (p.P502L fs*151) in COL4A4. To our knowledge, five of the 11 mutations are novel mutations. In addition, We found that COL4A5 mutation relation mRNA levels were significantly decreased compared to control, while the cellular localization remained the same.
Conclusions
Our research expands the spectrum of COL4A3-5 pathogenic variants, which is helpful for clinical and scientific research.
Development and validation of a prediction model on spontaneous preterm birth in twin pregnancy: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Xiaofeng , Zong Qimei , Li Li , Chen Ya , Tang Chunyan , Liu Ting , Luo Shujuan , Xiong Jing , Wang Lan
Published: September 2023

Background:This study was conducted to develop and validate an individualized prediction model for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) in twin pregnancies.Methods:This case-control study included 3,845 patients who gave birth at the Chongqing Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2017 to December 2022.Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to find factors associated with sPTB. The associations were estimated using the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI).Model performance was estimated using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).Results:A total of 1,313 and 564 cases were included in the training and testing sets, respectively. In the training set, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age ≥ 35 years (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.67-3.13), pre-pregnancy underweight (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.60-3.47), pre-pregnancy overweight (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09-2.56), and obesity (OR, 10.45; 95% CI, 3.91-27.87), nulliparity (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41-0.82), pre-pregnancy diabetes (OR, 5.81; 95% CI, 3.24-10.39), pre-pregnancy hypertension (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.44-5.41), and cervical incompetence (OR,  5.12; 95% CI, 3.08-8.48) are independent risk factors for sPTB in twin pregnancies.The AUC of the training and validation set was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.68-0.74) and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.64-0.73), respectively. And then we integrated those risk factors to construct the nomogram.Conclusions:The nomogram developed for predicting the risk of sPTB in pregnant women with twins demonstrated good performance. The prediction nomogram serves as a practical tool by including all necessary predictors that are readily accessible to practitioners.
Development of an annotated Yoruba text corpus for automatic event extraction
Authors: Ademusire Adebisi Joseph , Ninan Olufemi D.
Published: September 2023

The study documents the development of an annotated Yoruba text corpus which serves as a fundamental reference for training and evaluating automatic event extraction models specifically designed for the Yoruba language. While notable corpora like ACE and ERE have been established for high-resource and extensively annotated languages, African languages such as Yoruba have faced limitations in information extraction due to the lack of annotated datasets for training and model evaluation. In this study, the researchers took the initiative to preprocess raw Yoruba text obtained from selected Yoruba folktale books, ensuring the correct placement of tone marks, and proceeded to annotate the data with events and their corresponding arguments, including temporal and spatial information, utilizing the widely recognized BIO annotation format. This meticulously developed corpus now fills a critical void and can serve as a solid foundation for any future research endeavours involving the Yoruba language in the domain of information extraction.
Self-fertilization does not lead to inbreeding depression in Typha parent species or hybrids
Authors: Rock Danielle , Whitehead Amanda , Parno Kimberly , Bhargav Vikram , Freeland Joanna , Dorken Marcel
Published: September 2023

Some of the most impactful invasive plants are hybrids that exhibit heterosis and outperform their parent species. Heterosis can result from multiple genetic processes, and may also be more likely when parental populations are inbred. However, although outcrossing between relatives and self-fertilization occur in many widespread plants, no study to our knowledge has investigated whether inbreeding in parental populations could help to explain heterosis in hybrid plants that have displaced their parent species. In the wetlands of southeastern Canada there is a widespread Typha (cattail) hybrid zone in which native T. latifolia (broad-leafed cattail) interbreeds with introduced T. angustifolia (narrow-leafed cattail) to produce the invasive hybrid T. × glauca. Typha reproduce through self-fertilization, outcrossing, and clonal propagation. Heterosis has been identified in T. × glauca by comparing proxy fitness measures between hybrids and parent species, but these studies did not consider the potential importance of inbreeding in parental populations. Because F1 hybrids have higher heterozygosity than their parent species, the self-fertilized offspring of hybrids should have higher heterozygosity than the self-fertilized offspring of parent species; the latter should therefore be more inbred, and potentially more susceptible to inbreeding depression (ID). We tested the hypothesis that self-fertilization leads to greater ID in the offspring of T. latifolia and T. angustifolia compared to the offspring of F1 T. × glauca. We conducted common-garden and wetland experiments using seeds from hand-pollinated plants sourced from natural populations, and quantified several fitness-related measures in the offspring of self-fertilized versus outcrossed parent species and hybrids. Our experiments provided no evidence that inbreeding leads to ID in self-fertilized T. angustifolia, T. latifolia or T. × glauca in either a common garden or a natural wetland, and thus show that heterosis in a widespread invasive hybrid does not rely on comparisons with inbred parents.
Influence of copper concentration on structural, morphological, and optical properties of tin oxide (Sn 1−x Cu x O 2−δ )
Authors: verma Archana , Das B.
Published: September 2023

The main purpose of this article is to discuss a few advantages
of Cu (transition metal) doped SnO2
(Sn1 − xCuxO2−δ) bulk
nanoparticles that have been prepared by applying a simple and
reasonably priced technique solid-state reaction method. To analyze
especially, tunning of bandgap and other structural, morphological
properties of Cu-doped SnO2 materials are examined by
different innovative methods. Samples were characterized by XRD
which confirms that SnO2 has a rutile type
tetragonal-shaped structure that goes to the space group
P42/mnm (number 136). SEM images indicate
that SnO2 nanoparticles are inhomogeneous and densely
closed with each other and an average particle size is approx
225–430 nm. The TEM images indicate that grains are present in a
few cubic and spherical shapes. We observed grain size also
increased (20-90nm) when we doped Copper in SnO2
nanoparticles. UV-Vis spectroscopy inspected that the band gap of
(Sn1 − xCuxO2−δ) sample is
increased from 3.531eV to 3.701eV. XPS (X-ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy) identifies the electronic state of Sn and Cu atoms
found to be 4+ and 2+ respectively. RAMAN
spectroscopy identifies only three vibrational modes, i.e.,
(A1g, B2g, and doubly degenerate
Eg) in pure and Cu-doped SnO2 nanomaterial
(Sn1 − xCuxO2−δ).
Graph representation learning on street networks
Authors: Neira Mateo , Villanueva Roberto Murcio
Published: September 2023

Street networks provide an invaluable source of information about the different temporal and spatial patterns emerging in our cities. These streets are often represented as graphs where intersections are modelled as nodes and streets as links between them. Previous work has shown that raster representations of the original data can be created through a learning algorithm on low-dimensional representations of the street networks. In contrast, models that capture high-level urban network metrics can be trained through convolutional neural networks. However, the detailed topological data is lost through the rasterisation of the street network, and the models cannot recover this information from the image alone, failing to capture complex street network features. This paper proposes a model capable of inferring good representations directly from the street network. Specifically, we use a variational autoencoder with graph convolutional layers and a decoder that outputs a probabilistic fully-connected graph to learn latent representations that encode both local network structure and the spatial distribution of nodes. We train the model on thousands of street network segments and use the learned representations to generate synthetic street configurations. Finally, we proposed a possible application to classify the urban morphology of different segments, investigating their common characteristics in the learnt space.