bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atrial Fibrillation: a Marker or Risk Factor for Stroke
Authors: Tatarsky B. A. , Napalkov D. A.
Published: March 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is strongly associated with stroke risk, but an association by itself does not necessarily imply causation. The question remains whether AF is a risk factor for stroke and whether treatment that reduces the severity of AF will also reduce the burden of stroke. On the other hand, it is possible that AF is a risk marker associated with atrial insufficiency, in which structural and electrical atrial remodeling coexist, leading  to the clinical manifestations of AF and the risk of stroke simultaneously. Atrial fibrillation and stroke are inextricably linked to the classic Virchow pathophysiology, which explains thromboembolism as blood stasis in a fibrillating left atrium. This concept has been reinforced by the proven efficacy of oral anticoagulants for the prevention of stroke in AF. However, a number of observations showing that the presence of AF is neither necessary nor sufficient for stroke cast doubt on the causal role of AF in vascular brain injury. The growing recognition of the role of atrial cardiomyopathy and the atrial substrate in the development of stroke associated with AF, as well as stroke without AF, has led to a rethinking of the pathogenetic model of cardioembolic stroke. A number of recent studies have shown that AF is a direct cause of stroke. Studies in which cardiac implantable devices have been used to collect data on pre-stroke AF do not appear to show a direct time relationship. The presence of AF is neither necessary nor sufficient for stroke, which casts doubt on the causal role of AF in cerebrovascular injury. Known risk factors for stroke in the presence of AF are also recognized risk factors for ischemic stroke, regardless of the presence of AF. The risk of stroke in patients with AF in the absence of risk factors differs little from that in patients without AF. This work is devoted to an attempt to answer the question whether AF is a marker or a risk factor for ischemic stroke.
Inflammatory Activity in Patients with Obstructive and Non-obstructive Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Pakhtusov N. N. , Yusupova A. O. , Lishuta A. S. , Slepova O. A. , Privalova E. V. , Belenkov Yu. N.
Published: March 2023

Aim. To study the levels of pro-inflammatory biomarkers  in patients with obstructive  and non-obstructive coronary  artery disease (CAD), to identify possible differences  for diagnosing the degree of coronary  obstruction.

Material and methods. The observational  study included two groups of patients: with non-obstructive (main group,  coronary artery stenosis <50%; n=30) and obstructive  (comparison group,  hemodynamically significant  coronary  artery stenosis according to the results of coronary  angiography; n=30) CAD.  The levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured in plasma using enzyme  immunoassay.

Results. IL-6  levels were significantly higher in patients with obstructive  CAD  (p=0.006) than in patients with non-obstructive CAD.  There were no significant  differences  in the level of IL-1β in both groups  (p=0.482). When  constructing the ROC  curve,  the threshold  value of IL-6  was  26.060 pg/ml. At the level of IL-6  less than this value, CAD  was diagnosed with hemodynamically insignificant stenoses of the coronary  arteries.

Conclusion. The results of this study confirm that in patients with different types of coronary  artery lesions, there are differences  in the activity of the inflammation process in the arterial wall. IL-6  was higher in the obstructive  lesion group,  and IL-1β levels did not differ between groups.  Thus, it can be assumed  that hemodynamically significant  obstruction  of the coronary  arteries develops  as a result of highly  active inflammation of the vascular wall. Given the presence of a proven biological  basis and the available data on the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies to IL-1β, one cannot exclude their possible benefit in a cohort of patients with CAD  and hemodynamically insignificant stenoses.
Arterial Hypertension and Severe COVID-19 in Hospitalized Patients: Data from a Cohort Study
Authors: Podzolkov V. I. , Bragina A. E. , Tarzimanova A. I. , Vasilyeva L. V. , Ogibenina E. S. , Bykova E. E. , Shvedov I. I. , Ivannikov A. A. , Druzhinina N. A.
Published: March 2023

Aim. To assess the association  of hypertension  with the severe forms and fatal outcomes of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Material and Methods. This retrospective  cohort study involved adult patients (≥18 years old),  admitted to the University  hospital №4 of Sechenov University (Moscow, Russia) between 08 April 2020 and 19 November 2020 with clinically diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. The cohort included 1637 patients. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcomes included intensive care unit admission (ICU) and invasive ventilation. Multiple logistic regression was performed to assess the independent association  between risk factors and endpoints.

Results. A total of 1637 patients were included in the study. 51.80% (n=848) of the subjects were males. The median age was 59.0 (48.0; 70.0) years and 55.90% (n=915) had pre-existing diagnosis of hypertension. Patients with hypertension  had significantly more severe lung injury based on chest CT scan findings  as well as lower oxygen saturation  (SрO2). More of them were admitted to ICU  and  placed  on invasive  ventilation.  The hypertension  group  also  had  higher  mortality.  Age,  hypertension, glucose, C-reactive protein and decreased platelet count were independently associated with mortality, hypertension  having the strongest association (OR 1.827, 95% CI 1.174-2.846, p=0.008). Age,  hypertension, neutrophil count, platelet count, glucose, and CRP were independently associated  with ICU  admission, with hypertension  having  the strongest  association  (OR  1.595, 95% CI 1.178-2.158, p=0.002). Age, hypertension, glucose, CRP and decreased platelet count were independently associated with invasive ventilation, with hypertension having the strongest association  (OR  1.703, 95% CI 1.151-2.519, p=0.008).Based on the multiple logistic regression models, odds of death, ICU admission, and invasive ventilation were higher in the hypertension  group as compared  to the group without hypertension.

Conclusion. Hypertension can be an independent predictor of severe COVID-19 and adverse outcomes, namely death, ICU admission, and invasive ventilation in hospitalized  patients.
Effect of Antibiotic Therapy on the Sensitivity of Etiological Diagnostic Methods in Patients with Infective Endocarditis after Surgery
Authors: Kotova E. O. , Moiseeva A. Yu. , Kobalava Zh. D. , Domonova E. A. , Pisaruk A. S. , Silveistrova O. Yu. , Kakhktsyan P. V. , Vladimirov V. V.
Published: March 2023

Aim. Assessment of impact  of the duration  of preoperative  antimicrobial  therapy  (AMT) on the sensitivity  of microbiological examination and polymerase  chain reaction (PCR) of blood/tissues of resected valves in operated patients with infective endocarditis  (IE).

Materials and methods. 52 operated patients with active IE were included prospectively (Duke criteria, 2015). All patients underwent microbiological examination of blood  before  admission  to the cardiac  surgery  hospital,  as well as parallel  simultaneous microbiological examination and  PCR  of blood/tissues of excised  valves,  followed  by Sanger  sequencing. The duration  of preoperative  treatment  was  calculated  from the first day of AMT according to IE diagnosis to the day of surgery.

Results. The causative agent of IE was established in 84.6% (n=44) patients by means of complex etiological diagnosis. A significant  decrease in the sensitivity of microbiological examination of venous blood was revealed when performed  in the period before and after hospitalization to a surgical hospital (up 44.2% to 17.3%, p<0.05). When comparing microbiological examination of blood/tissues of resected valves and PCR of blood/tissues of resected valves, molecular biological  methods demonstrated the greatest sensitivity, with a great advantage when examining the tissues of resected valves (17.3% and 19.2% vs. 38.5% and 75.0%, respectively;  p<0.001). The microbiological examination of venous blood performed  at an early date before admission  to the cardiac  surgery  hospital was comparable in sensitivity to the PCR blood test performed  at a later date after prolonged AMT,  and significantly less sensitive in relation to the PCR of resected valve tissues [44.2% and 38.5% (p>0.05) vs. 75.0% (p<0.05)]. In course of AMT 1-28 days,  there were comparable results of microbiological examination with PCR blood examination and significantly better results of PCR of resected valve tissues [31.0% and 34.5% and 41.4% (p>0.05) vs 72.4% (p<0.001), respectively], and with AMT ≥ 29 days, microbiological examination of any biological  material was negative  in all patients,  and PCR of blood/tissues of resected valves retained high sensitivity (0% and 0% vs. 34.8% and 78.3%, respectively; p<0.01).

Conclusion. Long-term preoperative AMT significantly reduced the sensitivity of microbiological examination of resected valve blood/tissue in operated patients with IE, whereas PCR of resected valve blood/tissue was highly sensitive even with preoperative AMT for more than 29 days.
Design and Implementation of a Nationwide Population-Based Longitudinal Survey of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Spain: The ENE-COVID Study
Authors: Pastor-Barriuso Roberto , Pérez-Gómez Beatriz , Oteo-Iglesias Jesús , Hernán Miguel A. , Pérez-Olmeda Mayte , Fernández-de-Larrea Nerea , Molina Marta , Fernández-García Aurora , Martín Mariano , Cruz Israel , Sanmartín José L. , León-Paniagua José , Muñoz-Montalvo Juan F. , Blanco Faustino , Yotti Raquel , Pollán Marina
Published: March 2023

Data System. The Spanish National Seroepidemiological Survey of SARS-CoV-2 (or ENE-COVID; SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] is the causative agent of COVID-19) was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and the Spanish National Health System.

Data Collection/Processing. A stratified 2-stage probability sampling was used to select a representative cohort of the noninstitutionalized population of Spain. ENE-COVID collected longitudinal data from epidemiological questionnaires and 2 SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody tests. From April 27 to June 22, 2020, 68 287 participants (77.0% of contacted persons) received a point-of-care test and 61 095 (68.9%) also underwent a laboratory immunoassay. A second follow-up phase was conducted between November 16 and 30, 2020.

Data Analysis/Dissemination. Analyses use weights to adjust for oversampling and nonresponse and account for design effects of stratification and clustering. ENE-COVID data for research purposes will be available upon request from the official study Web page.

Public Health Implications. ENE-COVID, a nationwide population-based study, allowed monitoring seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 at the national and regional levels, providing accurate figures by gender, age (from babies to nonagenarians), and selected risk factors; characterizing symptomatic and asymptomatic infections; and estimating the infection fatality risk during the first pandemic wave. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(5):525–532. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307167 )
Design and Implementation of a National SARS-CoV-2 Monitoring Program in England: REACT-1 Study
Authors: Elliott Paul , Whitaker Matthew , Tang David , Eales Oliver , Steyn Nicholas , Bodinier Barbara , Wang Haowei , Elliott Joshua , Atchison Christina , Ashby Deborah , Barclay Wendy , Taylor Graham , Darzi Ara , Cooke Graham S. , Ward Helen , Donnelly Christl A. , Riley Steven , Chadeau-Hyam Marc
Published: March 2023

Data System. The REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) Study was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care in England to provide reliable and timely estimates of prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection over time, by person and place.

Data Collection/Processing. The study team (researchers from Imperial College London and its logistics partner Ipsos) wrote to named individuals aged 5 years and older in random cross-sections of the population of England, using the National Health Service list of patients registered with a general practitioner (near-universal coverage) as a sampling frame. We collected data over 2 to 3 weeks approximately every month across 19 rounds of data collection from May 1, 2020, to March 31, 2022.

Data Analysis/Dissemination. We have disseminated the data and study materials widely via the study Web site, preprints, publications in peer-reviewed journals, and the media. We make available data tabulations, suitably anonymized to protect participant confidentiality, on request to the study’s data access committee.

Public Health Implications. The study provided inter alia real-time data on SARS-CoV-2 prevalence over time, by area, and by sociodemographic variables; estimates of vaccine effectiveness; and symptom profiles, and detected emergence of new variants based on viral genome sequencing. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(5):545–554. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307230 )
Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Leading to Foot Deformity
Authors: Hale Julia L. , Valenzuela-Moss Jacquelyn N. , Tolo Vernon T.
Published: March 2023

A 14-year-old boy was diagnosed with mixed phenotype acute leukemia and underwent 28 months of chemotherapy with vincristine and methotrexate. Early in his chemotherapy treatment, he developed hyperalgesia of his feet and ankles, particularly on the left side, believed to be due to the vincristine. Despite medical treatment, he continued to have hyperalgesia and increasing left foot deformity and pain that markedly affected his walking. He presented for orthopaedic evaluation at the end of his chemotherapy and had foot deformities that were corrected surgically with substantial improvement in his foot position and walking ability. He remains in remission for his leukemia. The effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy on the lower extremities are reviewed.
Marked Disparities in COVID-19 Prevalence by Racial/Ethnic, Socioeconomic, Geographic, and Health Care Characteristics, United States, January – April, 2021
Authors: Singh Gopal , Lee Hyunjung
Published: March 2023

Background: Since the start of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, racial/ethnic minorities and socially-disadvantaged populations in the United States (US) have experienced disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 incidence, mortality and hospitalization. However, the extent of disparities in the prevalence of COVID-19 diagnosis have not been well-documented. Using nationally representative data, this study examines racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequalities in COVID-19 prevalence among US adults aged ≥18 years. Methods: Using the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey from January 6-April 26, 2021 (N=521,203), social inequalities in COVID-19 prevalence were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: During January-April 2021, 34.7 million or 14.2% of US adults reported ever being diagnosed with COVID-19. Those aged 18-24 and 45-54 were two times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those aged ≥75. Disease prevalence ranged from 10.0% for Asians to 14.2% for Black/African Americans and 23.0% for Hispanics. Controlling for covariates, non-Hispanic Whites, Black/African Americans, and Hispanics had, respectively, 23%, 31%, and 134% higher odds of being diagnosed with COVID-19 than Asians. Educational gradients were marked; adults with less than a high school education had twice the prevalence of COVID-19 than those with a graduate degree (19.0% vs. 9.4%). Controlling for covariates, those with less than high school and high school education had, respectively, 66% and 48% higher odds of being diagnosed with COVID-19 than those with a graduate degree. Those experiencing job/income losses during the pandemic had a significantly increased risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, adjusting for other factors. Prevalence of COVID-19 ranged from a low of 7.4% in Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) to a high of 30.0% in Riverside-San Bernardino MSA. Conclusions and Implications for Translational Research: Black/African Americans, Hispanics, NonHispanic Whites, socially-disadvantaged adults, and those living in Riverside-San Bernardino, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Los Angeles-Long Beach MSAs had substantially higher likelihood of being diagnosed with COVID-19.
Sex-specific associations between birthweight and objectively measured energy intake in adulthood
Authors: Guerithault Nicolas , Stinson Emma , De Baca Tomás Cabeza , Looker Helen , Votruba Susanne , Paolo Piaggi , Gluck Marci , Krakoff Jonathan , Chang Douglas
Published: March 2023

Background/Objectives: Lower birthweight has been previously identified as a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases which are also associated with poor diet. We sought to determine whether birthweight is related to objectively measured energy intake in adulthood. We hypothesized a negative association between birthweight and overall energy intake in adulthood.
Subjects/Methods: Healthy Indigenous American adults (n=65; age 33.2±8.0 years; female n=29; BMI 33.2±8.1 kg/m2) with measures of birthweight (mean 3465±376g; mean gestational age 40.1±1.2 weeks), ad libitum energy intake, and body composition were included. Three-day energy intake was measured using vending machines and categorized as high (≥45% kcal) or low in fat (<20% kcal) and as high in complex-carbohydrates (≥30% kcal), simple-sugars (≥30% kcal), or protein (≥13% kcal). Body composition was measured by DXA. General linear models assessed relationships between birthweight and intake, including age, sex, sex-birthweight interactions, fat mass index, and fat-free mass index as covariates.
Results: A birthweight-by-sex interaction was found such that birthweight was associated with energy intake negatively in males and positively in females (interaction p=0.04; simple slopes: male β=−64, female β= 93 kcal/day per 100 g birthweight). This pattern was evident in fat (interaction p=0.01; simple slopes: male β=−48, female β=42 kcal/day per 100g birthweight), protein (interaction p=0.02; simple slopes: male β=−5, female β=20 kcal/day per 100g birthweight), and high-fat/high-protein (interaction p=0.01; simple slopes: male β=−46, female β=45 kcal/day per 100g birthweight) consumption.
Conclusion: Birthweight was negatively associated with energy intake in adult males but was positively associated with energy intake in adult females.
Mapping Research to the Sustainable Development Goals: A Contextualised Approach
Authors: Wang Weiwei , Kang Weihao , Mu Jingwen
Published: March 2023

The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet using 17 interlinked global goals commonly known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mapping research publications in concordance with the SDGs is important in understanding research activities and intensities in supporting each of the SDGs at global, country, institutional, and individual levels. Such mapping is challenging as what research outcomes and innovations belong to a specific SDG category is subject to interpretation and can be highly complex and contextual.
Several SDG mapping approaches have been proposed and tested by organisations and researchers, but tend not to produce consistent mapping results. In this study, an enhanced method to conductSDG research mapping, Auckland Approach, is proposed based on the pioneering SDG mapping work conducted by Elsevier, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and United Nations (UN). The Auckland Approach uses text-mining techniques and n-gram analyses to extract global and local SDG keywords from publication metadata (i.e. title, keywords, and abstracts). The keywords are sorted according to the number of publications that contain the terms, and the keywords’ term frequency–inverse document frequency (tf-idf) values, respectively. After result validation, the top-ranked terms (i.e., top 200) are manually reviewed to retain keywords that are meaningful and relevant. The selected keywords are combined with those adopted by Elsevier, SDSN, and UN SDG Indicators to form our final SDG keyword lists, and the corresponding bibliometric queries are compiled. The enhanced Auckland Approach captures a significant number of unique research publications that are SDG-related and contextually relevant.
Our approach promotes SDG mapping that is data-driven, transparent, comprehensive, and contextualised. The Auckland Approach also provides an example of forming local SDG narratives and themes from a generic, global approach to make a research mapping more relevant to its local communities and research priorities.
Denitrification assays for testing effects of xenobiotics on aquatic denitrification and their degradation in aquatic environments
Authors: Pániková Kristína , Weigelhofer Gabriele , Bílková Zuzana , Mala Jitka
Published: March 2023

We developed, tested, and optimized two laboratory denitrification assays for both managers and scientists to assess the effects of xenobiotics on the denitrification process over 7 days (short batch assay, SBA) and 28 days (long semi-continuous assay, LSA). The assays facilitate (1) measuring the efficiency of the nitrate removal under the influence of xenobiotics, (2) determining the removal of the tested xenobiotic via adsorption or biotic decomposition, and (3) testing influencing parameters for optimizing the denitrification process. The adsorption of the xenobiotic was assessed by inhibiting all biological processes through the addition of HgCl2. Our tests demonstrate that the ratio of the initial nitrate concentration to the amount of bioavailable organic matter provided is essential to avoid organic carbon or nitrate limitation. While pH < 7 resulted in decreased denitrification, pH > 8 led to nitrite accumulation, indicating incomplete denitrification. Over durations of more than a week, weekly replenishments of the nitrate and the HgCl2, and weekly purging with argon gas to reduce oxygen concentrations are needed. The assays provide information about the accumulation of xenobiotics in the bioreactors necessary for an environmentally friendly treatment of the bioreactor fillings and provide insight into their potential to remove pesticides from polluted water resources.
A database for lung cancer prediction models - a Danish cohort study of nearly 40,000 patients
Authors: Henriksen Margrethe Bang , Hansen Torben Frøstrup , Jensen Lars Henrik , Brasen Claus Lohman , Peimankar Abdolrahman , Ebrahimi Ali , Wiil Uffe Kock , Hilberg Ole
Published: March 2023

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer related deaths due to late-stage diagnosis resulting in a poor prognosis. Several risk models have been presented to refine LC screening, although mainly based on unrepresentative populations and limited clinical parameters.
In order to create accurate risk models targeting the relevant population, systematic data collection and data preparation should always consider the clinical application and relevant population at risk. Based on a combination of multiple data sources this study aims to describe differences between LC patients and non-LC patients in a population at risk. This will serve as the foundation for future analysis in the creation of prediction models.
All patients were included who underwent examinations on suspicion of LC in the Region of Southern Denmark during 2009-2018. A large variety of clinical and laboratory data were collected and distributions between the LC and non-LC cohorts were compared using standard statistical methods.
The number of patients examined in the LC fast-track clinics increased substantially over the study period from 2,806 in 2009 to 4,740 in 2018. The proportion of LC patients decreased from 30% in 2009 to 25% in 2018. More patients were diagnosed in stage I-II, from 18% in 2009 to 31% in 2018. The stereotypical LC patient is likely to be an around 70-year old female, smoker with a history of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and blood analysis indicating inflammation, hyponatremia and hypoalbuminemia. Considering missing results and applying relevant filters resulted in a cohort of 9,940 patients with complete results of all datasets.
The patients of the study cohort share many baseline risk factors and are all considered to be at risk of LC. However, several differences between LC patients and non-LC patients were found. Using methods based on artificial intelligence, we will exploit these differences in order to create risk estimates of specific patients. A high-performing risk model providing decision support to the general practitioner would facilitate earlier referral of potential LC-patients.
Multiomics strategies for decoding seed dormancy breakdown in Paris polyphylla
Authors: Zheng Guowei , Li Wenchun , Zhang Shunzhen , Mi Qi , Luo Wenxiu , Zhao Yanli , Qin Xiangshi , Li Weijiao , Pu Shibiao , Xu Furong
Published: March 2023

The disruption of seed dormancy is a complicated process and is controlled by various factors. Among these factors, membrane lipids and plant hormones are two of the most important ones. In this study, we integrated multiomics data to systematically investigate the global metabolic and transcriptomic profiles of Paris polyphylla, an important Chinese herbaceous species, during seed dormancy breaking. Untargeted metabolomics revealed that lysophospholipids (lysoPLs) were positively correlated with P. polyphylla seed dormancy breaking, and the increase in lysoPLs may be mediated by phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Abscisic acid (ABA) decreased dramatically during seed dormancy breaking of P. polyphylla, and gibberellins (GAs) increased. The catabolism of ABA may occur through conjugation rather than catalytic hydroxylation. The changes in the contents of different GA molecules varied during P. polyphylla seed germination: 13-OH GAs such as GA1 and GA3 were not detected and decreased, respectively, and 13-H GAs such as GA4 and its precursors increased. The change in contents of 13-OH GAs may be attributed to the absence of GA 13-oxidase, and the upregulation of GA20ox may cause an increase in bioactive GA4. P. polyphylla may selectively synthesize strong bioactive GA4 to participate in the breaking of seed dormancy.
Monocyte to High‐density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio (MHR) as a Predictor of the Activity of Thyroid-associated Ophthalmopathy (TAO)
Authors: Sun Xinghong , Zhang Xiaowen , Han Chen , Dou Xin , He Xueying , Wu Di , Jiang Feng , Xie Zhenggao
Published: March 2023

Objective
To evaluate the relationship between monocyte to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio(MHR) and the disease activity of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO).
Methods
A total of 87 subjects were classified into two groups based on clinical activity score(CAS) scoring criteria: high CAS group (n = 62, the CAS score was ≥ 3); low CAS group (n = 25, the CAS score was < 3). In addition, we included a group of healthy people (n = 114) to compared the MHR. Proptosis, MHR, average signal intensity ratio (SIR), average lacrimal gland (LG)-SIR, average extraocular muscles (EOM) area from 87 patients with TAO were calculated in magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), and compared between these two groups. Correlation testing was utilized to evaluate the association of parameters among the clinical variables.
Results
Patients in high CAS group had a higher proptosis (p = 0.041 < 0.05) and MHR (p = 0.048 < 0.05). Compared to the healthy group ,the MHR in the TAO group was higher(p = 0.001 < 0.05).Correlation testing declared that CAS score was strongly associated with proptosis and average SIR, and MHR was positively associated with CAS score, average SIR, and average LG-SIR. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of MHR was 0.6755.
Conclusion
This study identifies MHR, which is a novel inflammatory biomarker that has a significant association with CAS score and MRI imaging (average SIR and LG-SIR). These results support that MHR can be a new promising predictor during the active phase of TAO.
Parameter prediction of coiled tubing drilling based on GAN-LSTM
Authors: Zhang Wanxing , Bai Kai , Zhan ce , Tu binrui
Published: March 2023

As coiled tubing drilling technology becomes more and more developed, the advantages of continuous tubing drilling technology are becoming more and more apparent. In the operation process of coiled tubing, Due to various different drilling parameters, manufacturing defects, and improper human handling, the coiled tubing can curl up and cause stuck drilling or shortened service life problems. Cyclic pressure, wellhead pressure, and total weight have an important influence on the working period of coiled tubing. For production safety, this paper predicts circulation pressure, drilling rate, wellhead pressure, and finger weight using GAN-LSTM after studying drilling engineering theory and analyzing a large amount of downhole data. Experimental results show that GAN-LSTM can predict the parameters of cyclic pressure, wellhead pressure ROP and total weight to a certain extent. After much training, the accuracy is about 90%, which is about 3% higher than that of the traditional Bp neural network and LSTM. It has a certain guiding significance for coiled tubing operation, increasing operational safety and drilling efficiency, thus reducing production costs.
Self-reported unintentional injuries among youth (15-24 years) from Peshawar Pakistan: A cross-sectional survey on youth working in vocation institutes
Authors: Masud Sarwat , Hyder Adnan , Khan Uzma Rahim , Khan Nadeem Ullah , Raheem Ahmed , Petrucka Pammla
Published: March 2023

Background:
The burden of unintentional injuries among youth 15-24 years is high. There is paucity of data on unintentional injuries in youth working in Vocational Training Institutes.
Objective: To determine the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of non-fatal self-reported unintentional injuries among youth.
Methods:
Design: This was a retrospective cross-sectional survey of youth recruited from vocational training centers in Peshawar Pakistan between February 2022 to October 2022.
Participants: There were 547 study participants with 356 males and 191 females. Data were collected on self-reported unintentional injuries in the previous 12 months, using the WHO tool for injuries and violence [1]. Analysis for total injuries as an outcome and sociodemographic risk factors was done using a multilevel negative binomial regression model, adjusting for age and sex.
Results: We documented a total of 503 injuries, with road traffic injuries being the most common (n=197, 39%), followed by burns (n=89, 18%) and falls (n=79,16%). Poisonings n=13%) and drownings (n=23, 7.1%) were the least common injuries. In-training occupational injuries reported were (n=95,18%). Females had a higher incidence rate of burns 2.19 [1.785-3.46] compared to males, while males had a higher incidence of RTI 3.24[2.35-5.3], falls 1.30 [0.74-2.27], poisonings 2.14 [0.57-7.58] and drownings 2.46(0.84-7.21).
lack of education 4.6 [1.12 -18.91] (p=0.034), lack of helmet use 4.54 [2.12 -9.76] (p=<0.001), lack of seat belt use 1.3 [1.14 -1.69] (p= <0.001), smoking 1.25 [1.05 -2.69] (p=0.049), lack of fathers education 4.71 [2.12 -10.49] (p=<0.001), carrying a gun 6.59 [2.54 -17.11] (p=<0.001), crowded families 3.59 [3.11 -5.07] (p=<0.001) and lower family income 2.04 [1.04 -4.02](p=0.039*) were significant risk factors for unintentional injuries in youth.
Conclusion Added value of the study:
This study provides up-to-date counts and incidence rates of unintentional injuries in youth from Peshawar Pakistan. It also provides a recent trend of the types of unintentional injuries among youth with sex-adjusted rates. The area of concern remains an increasing number of RTIs in both males and females and a higher rate of burn among females compared to males and falls among youth. A high incidence of in-training occupational injuries was reported among the vocational youth.
Cell culture media dependent in vitro dynamics and culture characteristics of adult caprine dermal fibroblast cells
Authors: Pathak Juhi , Singh Shiva Pratap , Kharche Suresh Dinkar , Goel Anjana , Soni Yogesh Kumar , Kaushik Rakesh , Kose Megha , Kumar Ashish
Published: March 2023

The enhanced availability of functional fibroblasts from precious tissue samples requires an ideal cell-culture system. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the performance of caprine adult fibroblast cells (cadFibroblast) when cultivated in different culture media. The cadFibroblast cell lines from adult Barbari bucks were established and the effect of different media viz. DMEM/F-12 [with low glucose (5.5 mM; DL) and high glucose (30 mM; DH)], α-MEM [with low glucose (5.5 mM; ML) and with high glucose (30 mM; MH)], and fibroblast growth medium (FGM) were evaluated and compared for growth characteristics and in-vitro dynamics through cellular morphology, proliferation, population doubling time, double-immunocytochemistry, colony forming units, wound healing, transwell migration and differential expression of fibroblast-specific markers [FSP-1 and vimentin]. The results of immunocytochemistry, transwell migration/invasion, and wound healing assays showed the superiority of DH over DL and other media tested. Whereas, similar effects of glucose supplementation and expression of FSP-1 were not observed in α-MEM. Transwell migration was significantly (p<0.05) lower in FGM compared with other media tested. Overall, our results illustrate the media-dependent deviation in in-vitro dynamics and culture characteristics of cadFibroblasts that may be useful to develop strategies to cultivate these cells efficiently for research and downstream applications.
Distinguishing Sterile Inflammation from Graft Infection
Authors: Atsuyuki Mitsuishi
Published: March 2023

Background:
It is often difficult to distinguish a noninfectiousinflammatory response from infection in peri-graft fluid collection. The diagnosis of graft infection is usually based on clinical findings supported by the clinical course and radiological and microbiological investigations.
Case presentation:
We describe a 68-year-old man who underwent ascending aortic replacement and thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Four years later, the patient noticed right neck pain, and CT showed that the fluid in the mediastinum had expanded and extended to the neck. Echocardiography revealed progressive severity of aortic regurgitation and decreased ejection fraction. Given the progression of aortic regurgitation, decreased cardiac function, and rapidly expanding fluid collection causing neck pain, surgery was indicated. All microbiological tests, including polymerase chain reaction, were negative. The patient was being followed without antibiotics, and CT did not show peri-graft fluid 2 years postoperatively.
Conclusions:
We cannot exclude the infection completely, but we report the importance of medium selection, additional medium orders, extension of culture, genetic testing, and communication with microbiology laboratories when normal culture tests for general bacteria and fungi were all negative, which can successfully avoid increased drug-resistant bacteria count, elevated medical costs, and drug side effects due to the improper use of antibiotics through proper diagnosis.
Evaluating person-centered care in neurological outpatient care
Authors: Olsson Mia , Bala Sidona-Valentina , Hagell Peter
Published: March 2023

Background
Person-centered care (PCC) is gaining increased attention. PCC concerns the whole person behind the disease and can improve care for people with long-term conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, there is a lack of tools to assess PCC from the patients’ perspective, particularly in outpatient care. The PCCoc is a new instrument under development with the intention to fill this gap. Here we tested the user-friendliness and content validity of the Person-Centered Care instrument for outpatient care (PCCoc) as experienced by persons with MS and PD in neurological outpatient care.
Methods
Twenty persons with MS or PD completed the 35-item PCCoc followed by an interview regarding the instrument’s intelligibility and ease of use to assess its user-friendliness. Participants then rated the relevance of each item. These ratings were used to calculate the content validity index (CVI) for individual items (I-CVI) and for the overall scale (S-CVI).
Results
It took a median of 5 minutes for participants to complete the PCCoc. Instrument instructions were found clear, items easy to understand, and response categories distinct. No important missing areas were reported. I-CVI values ranged between 0.75 and 1, and S-CVI was 0.96.
Conclusions
We found support for the user-friendliness and content validity of the PCCoc among persons with MS and PD, suggesting that the PCCoc can be useful for evaluating and developing PCC in neurological outpatient care. Further testing in broader contexts, including psychometric testing, is warranted to establish its usefulness.
Sequential propagation of chaos
Authors: Du Kai , Jiang Yifan , Li Xiaochen
Published: March 2023

A new class of particle systems with sequential interaction is proposed to approximate the McKean-Vlasov process that originally arises as the limit of the mean-field interacting particle system. The weighted empirical measure of this particle system is proved to converge to the law of the McKean-Vlasov process as the system grows. Based on the Wasserstein metric, quantitative propagation of chaos results are obtained for two cases: the finite time estimates under the monotonicity condition and the uniform in time estimates under the dissipation and the non-degenerate conditions. Numerical experiments are implemented to demonstrate the theoretical results.
Terrestrial records of the Early Cretaceous paleoclimate changes in the Liupanshan Basin, NW China: Evidence from sedimentology and geochemistry
Authors: Dong Yingchun , Zhao Xiaochen , Pang Qiang , Ma Yan , Du Fangpeng , Chen Yingtao , Li Delu , Mao Zhengzheng , Feng Zeyi
Published: March 2023

The Early Cretaceous paleoclimate has significant influence on global ecosystem and abundant clues were recorded in both marine and terrestrial sediments. However, much less studies were conducted on the terrestrial strata than the marine strata, leading to the significance of the Early Cretaceous paleoclimate in terrestrial systems is currently unclear. In this study, we present the terrestrial sedimentary characteristics and geochemical data of the upper member of the Lower Cretaceous Liupanshan Group (Liwaxia, Madongshan and Naijiahe formations) in the Liupanshan Basin (North China) and revealed the evolution of paleoenvironment and paleoclimate recorded in the terrestrial lake. The results show that the total REE concentrations of samples from these formations range from 79.94 to 195.54 ppm, 76.94 to 162.37 ppm, and 30.06 to 205.78 ppm, respectively. All samples display obvious negative Eu anomaly and negligible Ce anomaly with the enrichment of LREE and depletion of HREE. These mudstones were rich in Na2O, TFe2O3 and several trace elements (e.g., Ba, Sr, and Rb) and depleted in other elements (e.g., Al2O3, CaO, Th, Zr, and Hf,). The major element composition and other geochemical indicators (e.g., CIA) indicate that the collected mudstones have experienced weak weathering during transportation. Based on the geochemical characteristics, the source of the Liwaxia-Naijiahe Formation has a felsic provenance, derived from the predominantly acidic magmatic rocks in the Qinling-Qilian Orogenic Belt. Multiple geochemical indicators show that the Liwaxia Formation was deposited in a semiarid-arid, anoxic, and low-moderate salinity environment, while the Madongshan-Naijiahe Formation were deposited an arid, anoxic, and high salinity environment. As a typical terrestrial salified lake in North China, the salinization of the sedimentary water bodies and the formation of black shales in the Madongshan-Naijiahe Formation might be related to an oceanic anoxic event in the hothouse climate in the Early Cretaceous.
The uniqueness of meromorphic functions sharing small functions dealing with multiple values in one angular domain *
Authors: Tan Yang , Wang Yue
Published: March 2023

In this paper, we use Tsuji characteristic to investigate the uniqueness of meromorphic functions that share five small functions dealing with multiple values in one angular domain. We obtain several uniqueness theorems of meromorphic functions in the angular domain. These results extend the results obtained by some scholars and enrich the uniqueness theory of meromorphic functions.
2010 MR Subject Classi cation: 30D30, 30D35.
Spectroscopic comparative study of the red giant binary system gamma Leonis A and B
Authors: Takeda Yoichi
Published: March 2023

γ Leo is a long-period visual binary system consisting of K0III (A) and G7III (B) giants, in which particular interest is attracted by the brighter A since the discovery of a planet around it. While detailed spectroscopic comparative study of both components would be worthwhile (e.g., for probing any impact of planet formation on chemical abundances), such a research seems to have been barely attempted as most available studies tend to be biased toward A. Given this situation, the physical properties of A and B along with their differences were investigated based on high-dispersion spectra in order to establish their stellar parameters, evolutionary status, and surface chemical compositions. The following results were obtained.(1) The masses were derived as ~1.7Msun and ~1.6Msunfor A and B, respectively, both of which are likely to be in the stage of red clump giants after He-ignition. The mass of the planet around A has also been revised as m*sin(i) = 10.7M_Jupiter (increased by ~20%). (2) These are normal giants of subsolar metallicity ([Fe/H]~-0.4) belonging to the thin-disk population.(3) A as well as B show moderate C deficiency and N enrichment, which arein compatible with the prediction from the standard stellar evolution theory. (4) The chemical abundances of 26 elements are practically the samewithin <~0.1 dex for both components, which implies that the surface chemistry is not appreciably affected by the existence of a planet in A.
Using a Bayesian approach to reconstruct graph statistics after edge sampling
Authors: Arnold Naomi A. , Mondragón Raúl J. , Clegg Richard G.
Published: March 2023

Often, due to prohibitively large size or to limits to data collecting APIs, it is not possible to work with a complete network dataset and sampling is required. A type of sampling which is consistent with Twitter API restrictions is uniform edge sampling. In this paper, we propose a methodology for the recovery of two fundamental network properties from an edge-sampled network: the degree distribution and the triangle count (we estimate the totals for the network and the counts associated with each edge). We use a Bayesian approach and show a range of methods for constructing a prior which does not require assumptions about the original network. Our approach is tested on two synthetic and three real datasets with diverse sizes, degree distributions, degree-degree correlations and triangle count distributions.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Seasonal Fluctuations of Wood Mouse Populations in Fields Surrounded by Woodlands
Authors: Bartolommei Paola , Savazza Sara , Bonacchi Andrea , Gasperini Stefania , Manzo Emiliano , Cozzolino Roberto
Published: March 2023

The wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus is common in woodlands and open areas of Western Palearctic. Despite extensive research, little is known about its population ecology in fields in the Mediterranean area, where climate involves great seasonal changes in environmental features. Here, we investigated wood mice seasonal fluctuations in abundance and population structure by sampling long-fallow fields and two woodland types, i.e. oak forest and conifer plantation, in a heterogeneous landscape of central Italy. Mice were live-trapped in three sites per habitat type, every other month for three years (23.814 trap-days). Population abundance, age structure, mice body weight and proportion of residents and breeding individuals were analysed. Sampling effort resulted in 350 captures of 245 individuals. Mice dynamics changed across seasons and habitats. In fields, we recorded more captures, more reproductive individuals, and fewer immature and resident individuals in warmer than in colder months; mice were heavier in warmer months. These results suggest that fields may better suit the species ecological requirements (i.e. food and cover resources) in spring-summer, representing a seasonally suboptimal habitat for mice. Population abundance in fields was lower than in woodlands during the cold season, when immatures were more frequent in fields than in resource-rich woodlands. Conversely, breeding and non-resident mice were more abundant in fields than in woodlands in warmer months. Overall, the seasonal demographic variations we recorded evidence that fields can represent a suboptimal habitat in Mediterranean heterogeneous landscapes and can nonetheless act as a source of resources, mates and space for mice in spring-summer.
Diving into Deep Learning: On Reading and Interpreting Black Boxes
Authors: Dobson James
Published: March 2023

The deep neural networks used in computer vision and in recent large language models are widely recognized as black boxes, a term that describes their complicated architectures and opaque decision-making mechanisms. This essay outlines several different strategies through which humanist researchers and critics of machine learning might better understand and interpret the class of deep learning methods known as transformers. These strategies expose different aspects of what might be “learned” as transformers are trained and used in the analysis of language and can help critics at least partially open the black box of machine learning. They are also especially useful for digital humanists using these models as part of a research program informed by tool criticism in which the use of computational tools is conceived of as a metainterpretive act.
Prevalence of Maxillary and Mandibular Exostosis in Mississippi Population: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Wilson Landon , Snyder Dalton , Griggs Jason , Kurt-Bayrakdar Sevda , Bayrakdar İbrahim Şevki , Jagtap Rohan
Published: March 2023

Purpose
The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of exostosis in the Mississippi population.
Methods
Patient archives of the UMMC School of Dentistry between January 2018 and May 2021 were examined. The patients with exostosis were included in the study based on the findings in intraoral photographs, full-moth series (FMS), panoramic radiographs, and cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) images of the patients. The patients were excluded from the study if they do not have maxillary or mandibular exostosis. In addition, patients' age, gender, and ethnic origins as Caucasian, African-American, and Asian were recorded. All data of exostosis was evaluated and categorized according to age, gender, and ethnicity. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed for more detailed statistical analysis.
Results
A total of 1242 patients were examined for the presence of maxillary and mandibular exostosis. 303 patients were diagnosed to have maxillary and/or mandibular exostosis among the Mississippi population with a prevalence rate of 24.4%. Exostosis was seen more in females (57.4%) compared to males (42.6%). The highest prevalence of exostosis was seen in Caucasians (71.3%), African-Americans (23.8%), and Asians (5%).
Conclusion
High prevalence of exostosis was seen in the Mississippi population. Our findings will help clinicians to be more aware of these bony protuberances and thus better at diagnosing them. This may specifically help oral surgeons, periodontists, and prosthodontists in pre-prosthodontic surgery and denture fabrication.