bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computerized electrocardiogram data transformation enables effective algorithmic differentiation of wideQRScomplex tachycardias
Authors: Kashou Anthony H. , LoCoco Sarah , Shaikh Preet A. , Katbamna Bhavesh B. , Sehrawat Ojasav , Cooper Daniel H. , Sodhi Sandeep S. , Cuculich Phillip S. , Gleva Marye J. , Deych Elena , Zhou Ruiwen , Liu Lei , Deshmukh Abhishek J. , Asirvatham Samuel J. , Noseworthy Peter A. , DeSimone Christopher V. , May Adam M.
Published: November 2022

Background

Accurate automated wide QRS complex tachycardia (WCT) differentiation into ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia (SWCT) can be accomplished using calculations derived from computerized electrocardiogram (ECG) data of paired WCT and baseline ECGs.

Objective

Develop and trial novel WCT differentiation approaches for patients with and without a corresponding baseline ECG.

Methods

We developed and trialed WCT differentiation models comprised of novel and previously described parameters derived from WCT and baseline ECG data. In Part 1, a derivation cohort was used to evaluate five different classification models: logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), Random Forests [RF], support vector machine (SVM), and ensemble learning (EL). In Part 2, a separate validation cohort was used to prospectively evaluate the performance of two LR models using parameters generated from the WCT ECG alone (Solo Model) and paired WCT and baseline ECGs (Paired Model).

Results

Of the 421 patients of the derivation cohort (Part 1), a favorable area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) by all modeling subtypes: LR (0.96), ANN (0.96), RF (0.96), SVM (0.96), and EL (0.97). Of the 235 patients of the validation cohort (Part 2), the Solo Model and Paired Model achieved a favorable AUC for 103 patients with (Solo Model 0.87; Paired Model 0.95) and 132 patients without (Solo Model 0.84; Paired Model 0.95) a corroborating electrophysiology procedure or intracardiac device recording.

Conclusion

Accurate WCT differentiation may be accomplished using computerized data of (i) the WCT ECG alone and (ii) paired WCT and baseline ECGs.
Effectiveness of strengths use interventions in organizations: A pre‐registered meta‐analysis of controlled trials
Authors: Virga Delia , Rusu Andrei , Pap Zselyke , Maricuțoiu Laurențiu , Tisu Luca
Published: November 2022

This meta‐analysis aims to clarify where we stand and where we are heading regarding the effectiveness of employee strengths use interventions. The systematic literature search yielded 21 independent controlled trials. Random‐effects meta‐analyses revealed a weak but significant effect for increasing individual strategies at post‐intervention (d = .37, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.07, .67]) and a non‐significant one at follow‐up (d = .15, 95% CI [−.11, .40]); personal resources demonstrated a moderate post‐intervention increase (d = .53, 95% CI [.25, .81]) and a small one at follow‐up (d = .33, 95% CI [.18, .49]); and small and significant improvements were also observed for workplace well‐being (post‐intervention: d = .31, 95% CI [.21, .41]; follow‐up: d = .27, 95% CI [.10, .43]), general well‐being (post‐intervention: d = .24, 95% CI [.10, .38]; follow‐up: d = .18, 95% CI [.07, .30]), and post‐intervention performance (d = .28, 95% CI [.11, .45]). Follow‐up performance ceased to be significant (d = .22, 95% CI [−.15, .59]). Lengthier interventions were associated with stronger long‐term gains in personal resources and workplace well‐being; younger participants had stronger immediate boosts to personal resources. Strengths use interventions are a promising new approach in the evidence‐based practice of organizational and occupational health psychologists, highlighting the benefits of building on human potential for employees and organizations alike.
Loss of nervous system complexity – Morphological analyses shed light on the neuronal evolution in Myzostomida (Annelida)
Authors: Beckers Patrick , Gebhardt Tobias , Helm Conrad
Published: November 2022

Myzostomida are putatively nested within the errant Annelida and exhibit a unique morphology. The latter fact might possibly be related to their long host‐dependent radiation. Hence, an incomplete segmentation, lack of prominent sensory structures in adults and a dorso‐ventrally flattened body are just some examples. Although numerous investigations of the nervous system exist for myzostomids, detailed ultrastructural as well as histological examinations of neuronal structures are lacking so far. Therefore, we investigate the nervous system of Myzostoma cirriferum Leuckart, 1836 using a comparative approach including paraffin histology, serial semi‐thin sections, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural investigations. Our analyses reveal a lack of complexity within the anterior‐most neuronal condensation (herein called brain) of adult specimens. Hence, prominent tracts or glomeruli are absent, and a glial layer surrounding the brain or radial‐like glial cells are lacking. Nevertheless, the ultrastructure of the ventral nervous system is comparable to other Errantia. Therefore, our investigations hint towards a reduction of neuronal complexity in Myzostomida. Additionally, an ontogenetic simplification seems plausible, although further investigations are necessary to verify such a hypothesis. A simplification of neuronal structures due to a drastic change in lifestyle was so far mainly observed for basally branching annelid clades.
Exploring sexual differences in external morphology and limb muscles of Hylarana guentheri (Anura: Ranidae) during non‐breeding season
Authors: Li Hui , Chen Shunde , Jiang Jianping , He Bing , Zhang Meihua
Published: November 2022

Studying sexual dimorphism facilitates better understanding of the general intersexual divergence of the same species and gives insights into the impact of selective forces on each sex. The sexual dimorphism in anuran external morphology or limb muscles has been well studied in reproductive context, but less so outside the breeding season. Herein, the intersexual differences in 12 external morphological characteristics, 11 forelimb and 12 hindlimb muscles of Hylarana guentheri during non‐breeding season were investigated. We found that the males possessed significantly greater head width and tympanum diameter, while the females had significantly larger body size and head length; there was no sexual differences in the examined limb muscles, except for the mass of flexor carpi radialis. The larger body size means greater fertility for the females, and the longer head may be related to the allometry and reduce resource competition. For the males, the wider head is likely correlated with prey size and male–male competition, and also, the larger tympanum and heavier flexor carpi radialis probably aid the productive success. This study provides the comprehensive morphological accounts about the sexual differences of H. guentheri during non‐breeding season, which will contribute to clarify the sex‐specific resource allocation and reproductive strategies of anurans.
Adherence to prescription medication during pregnancy: Do pregnant women use pharmacological treatment as prescribed?
Authors: de Korte Beau A. C. , Smeets Nori J. L. , Colbers Angela , van den Bemt Bart J. F. , van Gelder Marleen M. H. J.
Published: November 2022

Aims

Pregnant women are hypothesized to have low adherence to prescribed medication, because of concerns about harmful effects on the unborn child. However, very little is known about the actual adherence to prescribed medication during pregnancy. We determined to what extent women follow treatment recommendations regarding prescribed medication use in mid‐pregnancy.

Methods

Dutch women participating in the PRIDE Study completed a 6‐week diary on medication use. Additionally, pharmacy records were obtained. For each medication dispensed, we determined 3 measures of adherence: (i) whether use was reported in the diary (actual use); (ii) difference between dispensing date and date of first reported use (initiation time); and (iii) proportion of days with at least the correct number of doses taken (implementation adherence).

Results

During the 6‐week study period, 235 of 816 women (29%) were dispensed medication. Actual use was highest for medications used for chronic conditions (88%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 81–93), followed by medication for pregnancy‐related conditions (79%; 95% CI 71–86) and medication for occasional and short‐time use (69%; 95% CI 60–77). We observed a ≥1‐day delay in treatment initiation for 42% of medications dispensed for the first time in the study period. Mean implementation adherence was 74.2% (95% CI 69.3–79.2) for medications that were actually used.

Conclusion

Although actual use of medications dispensed was high, many pregnant women did not adhere to treatment recommendations. This nonadherence may impact maternal and child health and lead to overestimation of medication use in studies in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology relying on administrative databases.
Effect of regulated add‐on sodium chloride intake on stabilization of serum lithium concentration in bipolar disorder: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: George Seena , Maiti Rituparna , Mishra Biswa Ranjan , Jena Monalisa , Mohapatra Debadatta
Published: November 2022

Objective

Lithium‐induced natriuresis may lead to lithium retention and fluctuation of lithium levels during maintenance therapy. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of add‐on sodium chloride on serum lithium levels in bipolar disorder.

Methods

This RCT was conducted in 60 patients with type I bipolar disorder who were randomized into the control group that received lithium carbonate with the advice not to take additional salt (at the table) and the test group that received sachets of sodium chloride (1 g/d) as an add‐on to lithium carbonate and were advised to restrict their additional salt intake (at the table) to 1 g/d. After baseline assessments, all patients were followed up at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks when serum lithium, sodium, and potassium were estimated. Serum creatinine and aldosterone were repeated at 12 weeks. The percentage of patients showing fluctuations in serum lithium level (serum lithium <0.6 mEq/L or >0.8 mEq/L) was considered as the primary outcome measure.

Results

In the test group, the fluctuation rate in serum lithium (26.7%) was significantly (p = 0.01) lower than that in the control group (63.3%). Serum lithium values varied significantly across sampling times in the control group but not in the test group. There was a significant difference in serum lithium between the groups at 8 and 12 weeks of follow‐up. There were no significant differences in the change in serum sodium, potassium, creatinine, aldosterone, creatinine clearance, and blood pressure within the group and between the groups. A significant positive correlation was found between serum lithium and aldosterone at baseline.

Conclusions

Intake of add‐on sodium chloride (1 gm/day) may reduce the fluctuations in serum lithium during the maintenance phase of lithium therapy in type I bipolar disorder.

ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier

NCT04222816.
Discussion on: Instrumented Difference-in-Differences, by Ting Ye, Ashkan Ertefaie, James Flory, Sean Hennessy and Dylan S. Small
Authors: DiazOrdaz Karla
Published: November 2022

I discuss the assumptions needed for identification of average treatment effects and local average treatment effects in instrumented difference-in-differences (IDID), and the possible trade-offs between assumptions of standard IV and those needed for the new proposal IDID, in one- and two-sample settings. I also discuss the interpretation of the estimands identified under monotonicity. I conclude by suggesting possible extensions to the estimation method, by outlining a strategy to use data-adaptive estimation of the nuisance parameters, based on recent developments.
ABRACADABRA literacy instruction for children with Down syndrome via telepractice during COVID‐19: A pilot study
Authors: Murphy Annemarie , Bailey Benjamin , Arciuli Joanne
Published: November 2022

Background

COVID‐19 has resulted in some educators and allied health practitioners transitioning to online delivery of literacy instruction. As far as we are aware, no studies have investigated online delivery of comprehensive literacy instruction for children with Down syndrome.

Aims

In this pilot study, we explore the efficacy of online delivery of ABRACADABRA (a free literacy web application) for children with Down syndrome, alongside supplementary parent‐led shared book reading, during the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Sample

Six children with Down syndrome, aged 8–12 years, participated in this within‐participants design study.

Methods

Participants acted as their own controls with outcome variables measured at three timepoints: baseline, pre‐instruction and post‐instruction. Children participated in 16–18 hrs of one‐to‐one literacy instruction online over a 6‐week instruction phase, along with twice weekly parent‐led shared book reading activities.

Results

Outcomes from standardized assessments revealed statistically significant improvements in word‐ and passage‐level reading accuracy skills over the instruction phase (pre‐instruction to post‐instruction) compared with the no‐instruction control phase (baseline to pre‐instruction). Improvements in reading comprehension skills were inconsistent across assessment measures and statistical analyses.

Conclusion

Children with Down syndrome can benefit from comprehensive literacy instruction delivered via telepractice. Our study provides critical initial evidence of successful service delivery during a global pandemic and beyond.
Policy shops, hired guns, and gatekeepers: The organization and distribution of policy analysts in Ontario
Authors: Migone Andrea , Howlett Michael
Published: November 2022

Policy professionals play an important role in political and administrative systems. However, the exact configuration and distribution of such personnel within agencies remains largely unknown. Early works noted the creation of small dedicated “policy shops” in many governments after 1960 where many policy professionals were located. Studies in Canada and elsewhere subsequently confirmed this organizational form but questions such as how many professionals are employed and where these units are located within existing departmental structures remain opaque. In this article, we provide an organizational mapping of professional policy personnel in the Ontario Public Service (OPS). We find that four major personnel distribution patterns exist within the OPS with only some analysts and professionals working in “classical” policy shops. These findings underscore the need to re‐evaluate the organization and staffing of professional policy analysts in government in order to better account for the kinds of work policy professionals do in modern administrations.
Salviolone protects against high glucose‐induced proliferation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis of human renal mesangial cells by upregulating membrane metalloendopeptidase expression
Authors: Wang Xichao , Song Ruili , Li Zhuo
Published: November 2022

As one of complications of diabetes mellitus, diabetic nephropathy is related to renal dysfunction. Membrane metalloendopeptidase (MME) is associated with the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy and exerts a protective function in high glucose (HG)‐treated podocytes. Salviolone, one of important bioactive components from Salvia miltiorrhiza, possesses an anti‐inflammatory activity. However, the roles of salviolone in renal mesangial cell dysfunction under HG condition remain unknown. The targets of salviolone in diabetic nephropathy were predicted by bioinformatics analysis. Relative mRNA level of MME was detected by qPCR in HG‐treated human renal mesangial cells (HRMCs). Cell viability was analyzed using CCK‐8 assay. Cell proliferation was investigated by EdU staining. Oxidative stress was evaluated by detection of ROS generation and levels of oxidative stress‐related biomarkers. The inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis‐related biomarkers were examined by ELISA. Our results showed that MME expression was decreased in diabetic nephropathy and HG‐treated HRMCs. Salviolone increased MME level in HG‐treated HRMCs. Salviolone mitigated HG‐induced HRMC proliferation by increasing MME expression. Salviolone attenuated HG‐induced ROS generation, MDA level increase, and SOD activity decrease through upregulating MME expression. Moreover, salviolone suppressed HG‐induced increase of levels of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐6, fibronectin, and collagen IV through upregulating MME expression. In conclusion, salviolone attenuates proliferation, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis in HG‐treated HRMCs through upregulating MME expression.
Staging Arts in the Historic City: Development Funding, Social Media Images, and Tunisia's Contemporary Public Art Scene
Authors: Malachowski Justin
Published: November 2022

In this paper, I examine how public art projects in the Medina of Tunis “stay in the game,” a reference to the (social) media management strategies that projects pursue to attract and keep funding. Following the 2011 “Arab Spring,” revolution, known locally as the thawra, a vibrant public art scene has formed centered in the Medina of Tunis, the highly visible but economically marginalized historic center of the city of Tunis. The formation of this public art scene is due largely to a post‐revolution influx of foreign development funding. The public art scene in the Medina of Tunis, bolstered by social media, has been widely articulated as providing visibility to marginalized communities through participatory methods. I argue that this claim paradoxically obscures the diverse lifestyles and imaginaries of the communities that public art projects aim to benefit. This paradox is rooted in both a history of mediating the historic city as an image of a modern nation, and public art's dependency on foreign funding, which draws it into maintaining foreign neoliberal interests while expressing these interests as essentially local. Meanwhile, improvements in the material conditions for residents of the Medina, expressed in terms of mirtah(comfort), remain elusive.
Immigration and economic freedom of the US states: Does the institutional quality of immigrants' origin countries matter?
Authors: Padilla Alexandre , Cachanosky Nicolás
Published: November 2022

When people immigrate to the United States from countries with less economic freedom, they do not dampen economic freedom in their destination states. We use the Economic Freedom of North America report to rate the economic freedom of US states, and we group immigrants by how far below the United States their origin countries score in the Economic Freedom of the World report. Our major findings hold true even when states receive immigrants from countries with far less economic freedom. Most relationships between immigration and the US states' economic freedom scores are neither statistically nor economically significant.
Detailed investigation of multiple resting cardiovascular parameters in relation to physical fitness
Authors: Lind Lars , Michaëlsson Karl
Published: November 2022

Objective

Maximal oxygen consumption at an exercise test (VO2‐max) is a commonly used marker of physical fitness. In the present study, we aimed to find independent clinical predictors of VO2‐max by use of multiple measurements of cardiac, respiratory and vascular variables collected while resting.

Methods

In the Prospective study of Obesity, Energy and Metabolism (POEM), 420 subjects aged 50 years were investigated regarding endothelial function, arterial compliance, heart rate variability, arterial blood flow and atherosclerosis, left ventricular structure and function, lung function, multiple blood pressure measurements, lifestyle habits, body composition and in addition a maximal bicycle exercise test with gas exchange (VO2 and VCO2).

Results

When VO2‐max (indexed for lean mass) was used as the dependent variable and the 84 hemodynamic or metabolic variables were used as independent variables in separate sex‐adjusted models, 15 variables showed associations with p < 0.00064 (Bonferroni‐adjusted). Eight independent variables explained 21% of the variance in VO2‐max. Current smoking and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were the two major determinants of VO2‐max (explaining each 7% and 3% of the variance; p < 0.0001 and p = 0.008, respectively). They were in order followed by vital capacity, fat mass, pulse pressure, and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol. The relationships were inverse for all these variables, except for vital capacity and HDL.

Conclusion

Several metabolic, cardiac, respiratory and vascular variables measured at rest explained together with smoking 21% of the variation in VO2‐max in middle‐aged individuals. Of those variables, smoking and PWV were the most important.
Nestin+ Peyer's patch resident MSCs enhance healing of inflammatory bowel disease through IL‐22‐mediated intestinal epithelial repair
Authors: Chen Jieying , Huang Jing , Shi Jiahao , Li Minrong , Zhao Erming , Li Gang , Chen Xiaoyong , Wang Tao , Li Qiaojia , Li Weiqiang , Ma Jianping , Mao Wenzhe , Fang Rui , Hao Jiang , Huang Weijun , Xiang Andy Peng , Zhang Xiaoran
Published: November 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition characterized by gastrointestinal tract inflammation and still lacks satisfactory treatments. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show promising potential for treating IBD, but their therapeutic efficacy varies depending on the tissue of origin. We aim to investigate whether intestine Peyer's patch (PP)‐derived MSCs have superior immunomodulatory effects on T cells and better therapeutic effects on IBD compared with bone marrow‐derived MSCs. We isolated PPs‐derived Nestin+ MSCs (MSCsPP) and bone marrow‐derived Nestin+ MSCs (MSCsBM) from Nestin‐GFP transgenic mice to explore their curative effects on murine IBD model. Moreover, we tested the effects of IL‐22 knockdown and IL‐22 overexpression on the therapeutic efficacy of MSCsPP and MSCsBM in murine IBD, respectively. We demonstrated that Nestin+ cells derived from murine PPs exhibit MSC‐like biological characteristics. Compared with MSCsBM, MSCsPP possess enhanced immunoregulatory ability to suppress T cell proliferation and inflammatory cytokine production. Moreover, we observed that MSCsPP exhibited greater therapeutic efficacy than MSCsBM in murine IBD models. Interestingly, IL‐22, which was highly expressed in MSCsPP, could alleviate the severity of the intestinal inflammation, while knockdown IL‐22 of MSCsPP remarkably weakened the therapeutic effects. More importantly, IL‐22 overexpressing MSCsBM could significantly improve the symptoms of murine IBD models. This study systemically demonstrated that murine MSCsPP have a prominent advantage in murine IBD treatment, partly through IL‐22.
Retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Dammann Olaf , Hartnett M. Elizabeth , Stahl Andreas
Published: November 2022

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a devastating neurovascular disease of the retina in newborn infants that can lead to vision deficits or even blindness. In this concise review we discuss our current knowledge about diagnosis, etiology, pathogenesis, intervention, and outcomes of the disease. Major advancements have been made both in categorizing the disease in the new International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity, Third Edition classification and in treating severe ROP with anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. New development always creates new questions and opens up new areas of research. We will discuss in this review both the benefits and downsides of the new anti‐VEGF treatment approaches in ROP, especially in light of our improved understanding of the underlying ROP pathophysiology. We also offer pointers to areas where more research is needed.

What this paper adds

Concise update on all aspects of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), including advances in understanding and treatment.

Benefits and risks of the new treatment method of anti‐vascular endothelial growth factor injections in ROP are discussed.

New research areas that deserve attention in the coming years are identified.
Gross motor change after inpatient rehabilitation for children with acquired brain injury: A 10‐year retrospective review
Authors: Ryan Jennifer L. , Zhou Chuanlin , Levac Danielle E. , Fehlings Darcy L. , Beal Deryk S. , Hung Ryan , Wright F. Virginia
Published: November 2022

Aim

To estimate gross motor change in inpatient school‐aged children with subacute acquired brain injury (ABI), identify factors associated with gross motor change, and describe inpatient physiotherapy focus.

Method

This retrospective chart review involved inpatient children (5–18 years) with subacute ABI who had either two Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM‐88) assessments or one GMFM‐88 with another pre/post gross motor outcome measure. Outcome change scores and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) T scores were calculated. Regression analyses examined factors predicting gross motor change. GAS goal areas were analysed to determine physiotherapy focus.

Results

Of the 546 charts screened, 266 (118 female) met study criteria. The GMFM‐88 was generally administered first, followed by other measures. GMFM‐88 (n = 202), Community Balance and Mobility Scale (n = 89), and Six‐Minute Walk Test (6MWT) (n = 98) mean change scores were 18.03% (SD 19.34), 17.85% (SD 10.77), and 142.3 m (SD 101.8) respectively. The mean GAS T score was 55.06 (SD 11.50). Lower baseline scores and increased time between assessments were most predictive of greater GMFM‐88 change (r ≥ 0.40). Twenty‐five percent of GAS goals were ambulation‐based.

Interpretation

Appropriate outcome measure selection is integral to detecting gross motor change in pediatric inpatient ABI rehabilitation. Mean change score estimates can be used to compare standard inpatient rehabilitation with new treatment approaches.
Clinical utility of intraoperative electrocorticography for epilepsy surgery: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Goel Keshav , Pek Valérie , Shlobin Nathan A. , Chen Jia‐Shu , Wang Andrew , Ibrahim George M. , Hadjinicolaou Aristides , Roessler Karl , Dudley Roy W. , Nguyen Dang K. , El‐Tahry Riëm , Fallah Aria , Weil Alexander G.
Published: November 2022

Despite the widespread use of intraoperative electrocorticography (iECoG) during resective epilepsy surgery, there are conflicting data on its overall efficacy and inability to predict benefit per pathology. Given the heterogeneity of iECoG use in resective epilepsy surgery, it is important to assess the utility of interictal‐based iECoG. This individual patient data (IPD) meta‐analysis seeks to identify the benefit of iECoG during resective epilepsy surgery in achieving seizure freedom for various pathologies. Embase, Scopus, and PubMed were searched from inception to January 31, 2021 using the following terms: "ecog", "electrocorticography", and "epilepsy". Articles were included if they reported seizure freedom at ≥12‐month follow‐up in cohorts with and without iECoG for epilepsy surgery. Non‐English articles, noncomparative iECoG cohorts, and studies with <10% iECoG use were excluded. This meta‐analysis followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The primary outcome was seizure freedom at last follow‐up and time to seizure recurrence, if applicable. Forest plots with random effects modeling assessed the relationship between iECoG use and seizure freedom. Cox regression of IPD was performed to identify predictors of longer duration of seizure freedom. Kaplan–Meier curves with log‐rank test were created to visualize differences in time to seizure recurrence. Of 7504 articles identified, 18 were included for study‐level analysis. iECoG was not associated with higher seizure freedom at the study level (relative risk = 1.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.96–1.23,p = .19,I2 = 64%), but on IPD (n = 7 studies, 231 patients) iECoG use was independently associated with more favorable seizure outcomes (hazard ratio = 0.47, 95% CI = .23–.95,p = .037). In Kaplan–Meier analysis of specific pathologies, iECoG use was significantly associated with longer seizure freedom only for focal cortical dysplasia (FCD;p < .001) etiology. Number needed to treat for iECoG was 8.8, and for iECoG in FCD it was 4.7. We show iECoG seizure freedom is not achieved uniformly across centers. iECoG is particularly beneficial for FCD etiology in improving seizure freedom.
Biomedical knowledge graph embeddings for personalized medicine: Predicting disease‐gene associations
Authors: Vilela Joana , Asif Muhammad , Marques Ana Rita , Santos João Xavier , Rasga Célia , Vicente Astrid , Martiniano Hugo
Published: November 2022

Personalized medicine is a concept that has been subject of increasing interest in medical research and practice in the last few years. However, significant challenges stand in the way of practical implementations, namely in regard to extracting clinically valuable insights from the vast amount of biomedical knowledge generated in the last few years. Here, we describe an approach that uses Knowledge Graph Embedding (KGE) methods on a biomedical Knowledge Graph (KG) as a path to reasoning over the wealth of information stored in publicly accessible databases. We built a Knowledge Graph using data from DisGeNET and GO, containing relationships between genes, diseases and other biological entities. The KG contains 93,657 nodes of 5 types and 1,705,585 relationships of 59 types. We applied KGE methods to this KG, obtaining an excellent performance in predicting gene‐disease associations (MR 0.13, MRR 0.96, HITS@1 0.93, HITS@3 0.99, and HITS@10 0.99). The optimal hyperparameter set was used to predict all possible novel gene‐disease associations. An in‐depth analysis of novel gene‐disease predictions for disease terms related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) shows that this approach produces predictions consistent with known candidate genes and biological pathways and yields relevant insights into the biology of this paradigmatic complex disorder.
Better together: Relationship quality and mental health among cardiac patients and spouses
Authors: Bouchard Karen , Gareau Alexandre , Sztajerowska Karolina , Greenman Paul S. , Lalande Kathleen , Tulloch Heather
Published: November 2022

Reductions in marital relationship quality are pervasive post‐cardiac event. It is not yet understood how relationship quality is linked to mental health outcomes in couples where one member has established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the interdependence within dyads is seldom measured. This research is required as psychological distress has been independently linked to CVD incidence, morbidity, and mortality. This study assessed associations of relationship quality with depression and anxiety among patients with CVD and their spouses. Participants completed questionnaires measuring four dimensions of relationship quality and mental health. Data were analyzed using an Actor‐Partner Interdependence Model with hierarchical moderation analyses. 181 dyads (N = 362 participants) comprised the study sample. Most patients had coronary artery disease (66.3%) and 25.9% were female. Patients reported higher relationship satisfaction and fewer anxiety symptoms than did spouses. Patients and spouses with high dyadic consensus and affectional expression reported fewer mental health symptoms, but only when the other partner also perceived high levels of consensus and affectional expression in the relationship. Patients and spouses with low dyadic cohesion reported worse mental health symptoms (actor effects), but those effects were no longer significant when both the patient and the spouse appraised the relationship as having high levels of dyadic cohesion. Taken together, relationship quality is linked to mental health symptoms in patients with CVD and their spouses. Longitudinal and experimental studies are now warranted to further substantiate the cross‐sectional findings of this study.
A novel damage constitutive model for creep deformation and damage evolution prediction
Authors: Zhao Xu , Niu Xuming , Song Yingdong , Sun Zhigang
Published: November 2022

In order to accurately predict creep deformation and damage evolution of nickel‐based superalloy GH4169, a novel damage constitutive model, that is, TTC CDM‐based model, was proposed based on TTC relations and continuum damage mechanics (CDM). This model combined the best features of the TTC relations and CDM. The recently developed TTC relations were intrinsic relations between threshold stress, tensile properties, and creep behavior and exhibited better prediction ability than Wilshire equations. It was determined that the model accurately predicted the minimum creep rate, rupture time, creep deformation, and damage evolution process of GH4169. Microstructural study has revealed that the creep fracture mode gradually converts from intergranular brittle fracture to transgranular ductile fracture as the stress decreases. Furthermore, the nonlinear creep damage accumulation effect was also revealed by the novel model.
Effect of carbide precipitation on Coffin–Manson relationship of a polycrystalline nickel‐based superalloy
Authors: Rai R. K. , Jena P. S. M. , Paulose N. , Sahu J. K.
Published: November 2022

This study explores the dual‐slope Coffin–Manson (C–M) behavior of a polycrystalline nickel‐based superalloy, EA, used in turbine engine applications with an emphasis on discerning the micro‐mechanisms responsible for it. The motivation for distinguishing the micro‐mechanisms responsible for bi‐linear C–M behavior stemmed from the earlier evolved comprehensions that state that the fatigue life estimation based on the extrapolation of any single line gives inaccurate results. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations of fatigue fractured specimens at low strain amplitudes, Δε/2, revealed that dislocations are homogeneously distributed in the γ‐channels and occasionally form networks at γ/γ′ interface. Whereas deformation is heterogeneous at high Δε/2 owing to the complex dislocation reactions. Cr23C6 carbides are precipitated during the high Δε/2 fatigue tests, which act as obstacles for dislocations. The deformation heterogeneity resulting from the dislocation–γ′ precipitate interactions and the dislocation–M23C6 carbide interactions accounts for the dual‐slope C–M behavior.
Alterations in soil pH emerge as a key driver of the impact of global change on soil microbial nitrogen cycling: Evidence from a global meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhong Yangquanwei , Yan Weiming , Canisares Lucas P. , Wang Shi , Brodie Eoin L.
Published: November 2022

Aim

Soil nitrogen (N) cycling is critical to the productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the impact of global change factors (GCFs) on the microbial mediators of N cycling pathways has yet to be synthesized, and it also remains unclear whether the response of the abundance of N‐cycling genes can predict changes in their corresponding processes.

Location

Global.

Time period

2000–2021.

Major taxa studied

Archaea, bacteria.

Methods

We synthesized 8322 paired observations of soil microorganisms related to N cycling from field experiments in which GCFs (climate change and nutrient addition) were manipulated.

Results

We found that the abundance of soil microbes and most N‐cycling genes were resistant to elevated CO2, experimental warming and water addition/reduction; however, N addition and the combination of N addition with other GCFs significantly increased the abundance of ammonia oxidizer bacteria (amoA‐AOB). The results indicated that in steady‐state (natural) conditions, the main factors driving the global abundance of soil bacteria, archaea and N‐cycling genes varied in terms of the contributions of climatic and edaphic factors. However, upon manipulation of GCFs, the induced change in soil pH was the most essential factor associated with changes in the abundance of soil microbes and N‐cycling genes. Notably, the changes in ammonia‐oxidizing archaea (amoA‐AOA) and amoA‐AOB genes, in addition to genes involved in denitrification (nirS and nirK), were significantly correlated with the rates of their corresponding processes, but GCF‐induced shifts in the potential nitrification rate (PNR) were explained well by changes in the abundance of the amoA‐AOB gene under GCFs.

Main conclusions

Our study highlights how ongoing GCFs impact the abundance of soil microbes and N‐cycling genes, which might have a profound impact on terrestrial N cycling. Our field‐based results provide new insights into the drivers of the abundance of soil microbes and N‐cycling genes.
Effect of a single application of silver diamine fluoride on root caries after 12 months in institutionalised older adults—A randomised clinical trial
Authors: Ericson Dan , Carlsson Peter , Gabre Pia , Wårdh Inger , Zimmerman Mikael , Sjögren Petteri
Published: November 2022

Objective

Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been shown to be highly effective against caries, in particular for arresting root surface caries and for dentine caries in primary teeth. SDF may complement fluoride varnish routines for treatment of root caries in nursing home residents. The aim of this randomised, single‐blinded, placebo‐controlled trial was to evaluate the additive effect of a single annual application of SDF for prevention and treatment of incipient root caries in older adult nursing home residents.

Method

Four hundred older adult nursing home residents (≥70 years old) with at least one exposed root surface (on teeth 15, 14, 13, 23, 24, or 25) were identified during routine dental examination visits in the domiciliary dental care setting. Eligible patients, who were able to understand the implication of consenting to the study, were invited to participate. Their cleaned root surfaces were randomly allocated to treatment with SDF (Advantage Arrest Silver Diamine Fluoride 38%, Advantage Arrest, LLC, Redmond, OR 97756, USA, Lot 16 152) or with placebo (tap water), each for 1 minute.

Results

Of the 400 eligible individuals, 42 declined to participate and two forms were destroyed. The remaining 356 participants (89.0%; mean age 87.7 years) were randomly allocated, with 174 going to the SDF group and 182 to the placebo group. At 1 year, 273 participants (76.7%) were available for assessment: 135 in the SDF group and 138 in the placebo group. By that time, 109 individuals (39.9%) demonstrated root caries progression or regression. Among those 118 (16.7%) of the 708 included root surfaces had developed caries There were no statistically significant differences in the primary outcome related to treatment with SDF or placebo, at either patient or root surface level.

Conclusion

Based on the finding of this clinical trial, it is concluded that a single SDF application to complement a risk‐based preventive programme including fluoride varnish applications did not have a statistically significant additional preventive effect on root caries development in a group of older adult nursing home residents with limited caries activity and cognitive capacity to cooperate in oral care activities.
Liminality as wage penalty for India's women community health workers
Authors: Marwah Vrinda
Published: November 2022

In this paper, I analyze the experiences of the world's largest all‐women community health workforce through the lens of liminality. Originally used to describe transition from one state to the other, the concept of liminality in the study of work and organizations can frame workers' experiences of being in‐between established structures and roles in varying degrees, times, and/or places. India's ASHAs, or Accredited Social Health Activists, are community women at the frontlines of the state's health care provisioning. But the state does not categorize them as workers or employees. ASHAs are considered volunteers. Instead of salaries, they are paid task‐based incentives. Based on 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork, including 80 interviews, I find that ASHAs' liminal occupational status as ‘paid volunteers’ produces conditions of chronic underpayment and control for them, further lowering their already low wages. This has implications for how we understand the gender wage gap. I argue that we need to consider not just how much women are paid, but how the payment is structured, and how that places marginalized women workers in relation to others in the workplace. Moving beyond whether liminality is a negative or positive experience, future research should delineate the conditions under which liminality is negative or positive.
Clinical outcomes of low‐dose pharmacokinetic‐guided extended half‐life versus low‐dose standard half‐life factor VIII concentrate prophylaxis in haemophilia A patients
Authors: Rakmanotham Arunothai , Moonla Chatphatai , Sosothikul Darintr
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Despite receiving standard half‐life (SHL) factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates prophylaxis, some severe haemophilia A (HA) patients still encounter spontaneous breakthrough bleeding. Individualized pharmacokinetic (PK)‐guided dosing of extended half‐life (EHL) FVIII concentrates may reduce their bleeding events.

Aim

To compare clinical outcomes before and after switching low‐dose prophylaxis using weight‐based SHL FVIII to PK‐guided EHL FVIII concentrates, taking into consideration of a trough FVIII activity at 1 IU/dl above natural baseline.

Methods

In this single‐centre prospective cohort, Thai severe or moderate HA (FVIII activity ≤3 IU/dl) patients receiving low‐dose weight‐based SHL FVIII prophylaxis were enrolled. After a 3‐day wash‐out period, participants underwent low‐dose EHL FVIII prophylaxis with PK‐based adjustment (myPKFiT®) for 6 months. The annualized bleeding rates (ABR), the annualized joint bleeding rates (AJBR), the haemophilia‐specific quality‐of‐life (Haemo‐QoL or Haemo‐QoL‐A) scores, the Hemophilia Joint Health Scores (HJHS) and the annualized FVIII consumption were compared between the two prophylactic periods.

Results

Of 15 eligible subjects (mean age 18.7 ± 6.7 years), ABR, AJBR and HJHS were significantly reduced (mean differences of ‐11.1 ± 4.9 bleeds/year, ‐10.4 ± 5.2 joint bleeds/year and ‐5.1 ± 1.5 marks, respectively; P < .001 for all comparisons) after switching regimen. The quality‐of‐life scores had also improved (P = .001). Nonetheless, FVIII consumption tended to increase despite no statistical significance (means of 1240.9 ± 531.3 SHL FVIII IU/kg/year versus 1591.7 ± 438.9 EHL FVIII IU/kg/year; P = .05).

Conclusions

This is the first low‐dose, PK‐guided, EHL FVIII prophylaxis clinical study in Thailand. Benefits and practicability of this personalized regimen may support the implementation of regular FVIII prophylaxis in developing countries with budget constraints. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05281185.
COMPOSING HISTORY FOR THE WEB: DIGITAL REFORMULATION OF NARRATIVE, EVIDENCE, AND CONTEXT
Authors: BASHIR SHAHZAD
Published: November 2022

I recently published A New Vision for Islamic Pasts and Futures, a digital book that presents a new way to understand Islam. This article describes the process and conceptual work that went into designing the book's interface. It emphasizes that hypertext enabled through digital means is not intrinsically more dynamic than print since work in both forms requires equally intensive hermeneutical effort. However, the digital realm provides a more expansive spectrum of tools to formulate concepts and to build on them. Digital presentation can be integrated into processes of theorizing, describing, and advocating that form the core of scholarship in the humanities. The article focuses on three areas—narrative, evidence, and context—that are central to modern historical work. My book's interface demonstrates that web capabilities are compositional tools whose deployment should be mulled over in a manner similar to how authors treat writing and editing. Moreover, we should take account of the quotidian fact that, in our environment, information and knowledge reach us extensively via computer‐based mediation. Whether in books or in articles, academic work is assimilated through piecemeal delivery rather than bound volumes. Instead of romanticizing traditional forms whose import may be diminishing, historians and other humanities scholars can create new arguments by being attentive to the web's capabilities and to the current social conditions of possibility pertaining to the circulation of knowledge. Facility with digital composition can then feed back into all forms of humanistic thinking and writing.
Supercritical CO2‐assisted Ru‐Pd/USY synchronised isomerisation to produce rice bran oil rich in conjugated linoleic acid
Authors: Wu Fei , Zhong Wen , Dai Yajie , Hu Xiaohuan , Huang Zhe , Gao Shan , Xie Fengying , Yu Dianyu
Published: November 2022

In this work, the catalytic efficiency and influencing factors of supported bimetallic catalysts for the synchronised isomerisation of rice bran oil (RBO) to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)‐rich RBO under supercritical conditions were investigated. The morphology and internal composition of the metal catalysts were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that Ru and Pd were successfully supported by ultra‐stable Y(USY). The catalyst and oil were synchronously isomerised in the supercritical CO2 environment, and the change in the fatty acid composition of the oil was measured by gas chromatography. The results showed that when the CO2 pressure was 8.0 MPa, the catalyst addition was 5% and the reaction temperature was 160 °C, the conversion of linoleic acid in the RBO catalysed by Ru‐Pd/USY was 68.25 ± 0.08%, and the produced oil met the edible standard.
Focusing on papain release in the intestine: The effects of Chitinous materials on alginate microsphere properties
Authors: Du Yuehong , Zhao Kaixuan , Tian Xiaojing , Zhang Hongjie , Zhou Xunyong , Wang Wenhang
Published: November 2022

Exogenous enzymes, accompanied by a function of assisting digestion, can be employed in therapeutic application which supplement the daily diet for the patients suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. To prevent the degradation of the enzymes in gastric fluid, papain was encapsulated into alginate microspheres with the external wrap of chitin nanocrystals. The protective effect of the assembled alginate microspheres (PAM‐ChNC) on papain was studied and compared with traditional chitosan‐coated alginate microspheres (PAM‐Ch). Scanning electron microscopy results showed that ChNC could form a dense structure on the surface of alginate microspheres. The swelling rate of PAM‐ChNC was lower than that of PAM‐Ch at pH 1.2. The effect of papain (encapsulated in microspheres) on the digestion of myofibrillar protein gels (MP) was investigated by in vitro digestion. The results showed that the degree of hydrolysis of MP + PAM‐ChNC was significantly higher than that of MP+ PAM‐Ch, indicating that PAM‐ChNC was expected to become a controlled release system for oral exogenous enzymes that assist digestion.
Sugarcane blanching at specific temperature and time combination preserves juice physio‐biochemical, microbial and sensory attributes
Authors: Singh Priyanka , Anam  , Chaurasia Saachi , Kumar Dilip , Singh AK , Singh Pushpa
Published: November 2022

Fresh sugarcane juice packed with sugars, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants and proteins is vulnerable to quality losses caused by enzymatic inversion, chemical interactions and microbiological intrusions. Three temperatures (70, 80 and 90 °C) and four time interval combinations (5, 10, 15 and 20 min) were used to thermally blanch sugarcane billets for comparing the effects on physio‐biochemical, microbiological and sensory properties of juice recovered. The optimum and acceptable combination determined was 90 °C for 10 min. The physio‐biochemical parameters vis a vis pH (5.03), titratable acidity (0.198%), electrical conductivity (4.77 mScm−1), total soluble solids (20.67°B), sucrose (18.19%), reducing sugar (0.38%), total plate count (4.42 cfu ml−1), residual PPO activity (12.21%) and colour (L*, b*, chroma) along with sensory profile was most acceptable. A 9‐point hedonic ratings of blanched SCJ retained appearance (9), taste (9), aroma (8.8) and quantitative descriptive analysis showed a close resemblance with fresh sugarcane juice.