bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving mental health literacy using web- or app-based interventions: A scoping review
Authors: Tian Lidan , Wong Eliza Laiyi , Dong Dong , Cheung Annie Wailing , Chan Sherry Kit-wa , Cao Yuan , Mok Phoenix K.H. , Zhou Lingming , Xu Richard Huan
Published: April 2024

Background

Given the rapid advancement in technology, the Internet has grown to play a significant role in the field of healthcare. Individuals can now access a profusion of easily available materials for self-management of their health. The purpose of this review is to describe Web/App-based interventions that are primarily or secondarily designed to improve mental health literacy (MHL) and to investigate the effectiveness of online interventions for improving mental health.

Materials and Method

A scoping review was conducted by searching five databases: PsycINFO, EMBASE, PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journals published in English between 2000 and 2022. Studies focusing on enhancements of MHL or its constituent components were included.

Results

Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions primarily targeted patients or individuals exhibiting symptoms of mental disorders, with a higher representation of female participants. All the interventions yielded positive outcomes. The included studies were categorized according to three themes: knowledge, attitude, and self-care skills. Although numerous studies have focused on knowledge improvement, research on interventions targeting self-care skills is scarce. Furthermore, existing literature on knowledge enhancement is limited in terms of the coverage of risk factors.

Conclusion

This review indicates gaps in web/app interventions including limited evidence on risk factors, inconsistent help-seeking awareness, and inadequate self-care skills training. Further research is critically needed to address these deficiencies and promote comprehensive MHL.
An Evaluation of Command Agriculture and Food Security Among Communal Farmers in Rural Zimbabwe
Authors: Musonza Farai , Hlungwani Promise Machingo
Published: April 2024

The Zimbabwean government commissioned the Command Agriculture Programme as one of the follow-up programmes to the land reform programme in 2016–2017 seasons. The programme sought to increase food and nutrition security and reduce import bill by increasing sustainable agricultural production. Mixed sentiments and debates have emerged on whether the programme has been effective enough to fulfil its objective. In light of this background, this research sought to assess the effectiveness of Command Agriculture among communal farmers in Murehwa district who have been part of the beneficiaries of the scheme. The research is evaluative in nature as it adopted one of the OECD evaluation criteria of establishing the effectiveness of a programme. The evaluation placed much emphasis on the outcome level results as well as on implementation processes. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires were used in this study. The major finding was that there has only been a marginal improvement in food security and productivity in the beneficiary households. This means that sustainable food access, availability, utilisation and stability, which entails food security, has been low in the district in terms of feeding to the overall objective of the programme. Strict monitoring and evaluation is recommended for programme efficiency and effectiveness.
Examining the Impact of Burnout on Hospital Nurses Engaged in Shift Work: Insights From a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Malaysia
Authors: Lee Kun Yun , Zakaria Nursyahda , Zakaria Norhaniza
Published: April 2024

Introduction

Shift workers follow nonstandard schedules that encompass overnight duty, rotational timetables, or permanent night work which can lead to misaligned core circadian physiology. Shift work has been associated with sleep deprivation, burnout, and metabolic syndrome among healthcare workers.

Objective

We aimed to examine if shift nurses working in Malaysian public hospitals are more predisposed to burnout and to determine the predictors of burnout in this profession.

Method

This national-level cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses in public hospitals in Malaysia between July and November 2019 using self-administered questionnaires. Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey was used to determine burnout. Multistage stratified sampling was used to recruit nurses from 32 hospitals. A complex sampling analysis was performed.

Results

Among the 1,491 hospital nurses, more than half (70.8%) of them followed shift work schedules. Shift nurses were mostly below 40 years old (80.9%), diploma holders (87.2%), and of lower professional grades (64.2%). The prevalence of overall burnout, as well as the domains of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, was higher among shift nurses (27.1%) as compared to their counterparts (22.4%). Nurses who performed more than six night shifts per month were 2.6 times more predisposed to burnout.

Conclusion

Shift work is integral to ensure round-the-clock nursing care for patients. However, nurses are increasingly faced with more shift duties due to heavy patient loads and staff shortages. Modified work schedules must be implemented to provide sufficient rest time for shift nurses to mitigate burnout. Additionally, proper human resource projection and distribution are imperative to prevent worsening burnout.
Income Inequality and Human Wellbeing: An Empirical Analysis Using Atkinson Measure of Inequality
Authors: Singh Shashank Vikram Pratap , Shrotryia V. K.
Published: April 2024

This article is an attempt to determine whether India’s experience with economic growth improved or deteriorated human well-being (HWB) over a period of 30 years from 1990–1991 to 2019–2020. The net benefits of increased national income due to increased economic growth may be outweighed by the net cost of income inequality, resulting in a reduction in HWB. Past empirical findings reveal that rising income inequality profoundly dents the level of HWB via social unrest. Therefore, to reduce all of these dysfunctional aspects, we must employ a technique that allows some percentage of income to be relinquished to represent a more equitable share of income among citizens. As a result, we used Atkinson’s inequality measure and calculated adjusted national income (ANI) as an HWB function. The quantum of difference between net national income (NNI) per capita and inequality in ANI per capita assists us with policy interventions.
Post allogeneic stem cell transplant nephrotic syndrome secondary to de novo glomerulopathy: A case series
Authors: Forcey Dana S , Wong Vincent , Pham Alan , Patil Sushrut , Basu Gopal
Published: April 2024

Kidney disease is a frequent complication after haematopoietic stem cell transplant (SCT), with glomerulopathies reported in up to 1–6% of allogeneic SCT recipients. Membranous nephropathy is the commonest reported, followed by minimal change nephropathy. Recent work has identified a target antigen in post-SCT membranous nephropathy. We describe seven cases of post-SCT nephrotic syndrome due to de novo glomerulopathy. In the changing landscape of post-SCT glomerulopathy, we review the literature and describe how our cases demonstrate that heterogeneity of presentation and response to treatment is underscored by important clinical and histopathological factors that should be considered in the workup and management of these conditions.
Occlusive Thrombosis of the Superior Mesenteric Vein Following Duodenal Switch Procedure: A Case Study
Authors: Wiese Rachel , Kimbrow Lori
Published: April 2024

Thrombosis of the portomesenteric veins is an uncommon condition that can lead to serious complications, if left untreated. Bariatric reduction surgeries increase the probability for occurrence of this rare condition. This case study focuses on a patient who underwent a biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch procedure and consequently developed an occlusive thrombus in the superior mesenteric vein (SMV), which required stent placement. The patient ultimately developed a secondary thrombus, within the stent. Sonographic imaging aided in the diagnosis of occlusion of the SMV stent.
Integrative metagenomic analysis reveals distinct gut microbial signatures related to obesity
Authors: Hu Xinliang , Yu Chong , He Yuting , Zhu Songling , Wang Shuang , Xu Ziqiong , You Shaohui , Jiao Yanlei , Liu Shu-Lin , Bao Hongxia
Published: April 2024

Obesity is a metabolic disorder closely associated with profound alterations in gut microbial composition. However, the dynamics of species composition and functional changes in the gut microbiome in obesity remain to be comprehensively investigated. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis of metagenomic sequencing data from both obese and non-obese individuals across multiple cohorts, totaling 1351 fecal metagenomes. Our results demonstrate a significant decrease in both the richness and diversity of the gut bacteriome and virome in obese patients. We identified 38 bacterial species including Eubacterium sp. CAG:274, Ruminococcus gnavus, Eubacterium eligens and Akkermansia muciniphila, and 1 archaeal species, Methanobrevibacter smithii, that were significantly altered in obesity. Additionally, we observed altered abundance of five viral families: Mesyanzhinovviridae, Chaseviridae, Salasmaviridae, Drexlerviridae, and Casjensviridae. Functional analysis of the gut microbiome indicated distinct signatures associated to obesity and identified Ruminococcus gnavus as the primary driver for function enrichment in obesity, and Methanobrevibacter smithii, Akkermansia muciniphila, Ruminococcus bicirculans, and Eubacterium siraeum as functional drivers in the healthy control group. Additionally, our results suggest that antibiotic resistance genes and bacterial virulence factors may influence the development of obesity. Finally, we demonstrated that gut vOTUs achieved a diagnostic accuracy with an optimal area under the curve of 0.766 for distinguishing obesity from healthy controls. Our findings offer comprehensive and generalizable insights into the gut bacteriome and virome features associated with obesity, with the potential to guide the development of microbiome-based diagnostics.
Community stigma, victimization, and coping strategies among gay, bisexual, and other cis-gender men who have sex with men in slum communities in Ghana. BSGH-003
Authors: Shamrock Osman Wumpini , Abu-Ba’are Gamji Rabiu , Zigah Edem Yaw , Dakpui Henry Delali , Adjaka Gideon , LeBlanc Natalie M. , Alio Amina P. , Nelson LaRon
Published: April 2024

Background

Gay, bisexual, and cis-gender men who have sex with men (GBMSM) face severe consequences, especially within stigmatized environments. However, very little is known about the experiences of GBMSM living in slums in SSA and Ghana. This study investigates the experiences of stigma, victimization, and coping strategies and proposes some interventional approaches for combating stigma facing GBMSM in slum communities.

Methods

We engaged GBMSM living in slums in two major Ghanaian cities. We used a time-location sampling and collected data through in-depth individual interviews. Two major themes emerged from the study: (1) insecurities and criminalization of GBMSM activity, and (2) GBMSM coping strategies.

Results

Findings show GBMSM experienced negative attitudes from the community due to their sexual behavior/orientation. GBMSM also developed coping strategies to avert negative experiences, such as hiding their identities/behavior, avoiding gender non-conforming men, and having relationships with persons outside their communities.

Conclusion

We propose interventions such as HIV Education, Empathy, Empowerment, Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy as possible measures to improve the experiences of GBMSM living in Ghanaian slum communities.
Digital mental health interventions as stand-alone vs. augmented treatment as usual
Authors: Nelson Benjamin W. , Peiper Nicholas C. , Forman-Hoffman Valerie L.
Published: April 2024

Background

Smartphone-based digital mental health interventions (DMHI) have been described as a purported solution to meet growing healthcare demands and lack of providers, but studies often don’t account for whether patients are concurrently in another treatment modality.

Methods

This preregistered quasi-experimental intent-to-treat study with 354 patients enrolled in a therapist-supported DMHI examined the treatment effectiveness of the Meru Health Program (MHP) as a stand-alone treatment as compared to the MHP in combination with any other form of treatment, including (1) in-person therapy, (2) psychotropic medication use, and (3) in-person therapy and psychotropic medication use.

Results

Patients with higher baseline depressive and anxiety symptoms were more likely to self-select into multiple forms of treatment, an effect driven by patients in the MHP as adjunctive treatment to in-person therapy and psychotropic medication. Patients in combined treatments had significantly higher depressive and anxiety symptoms across treatment, but all treatment groups had similar decreasing depressive and anxiety symptom trajectories. Exploratory analyses revealed differential treatment outcomes across treatment combinations. Patients in the MHP in combination with another treatment had higher rates of major depressive episodes, psychiatric hospitalization, and attempted death by suicide at baseline.

Conclusions

Patients with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms tend to self-select into using DMHI in addition to more traditional types of treatment, rather than as a stand-alone intervention, and have more severe clinical characteristics. The use the MHP alone was associated with improvement at a similar rate to those with higher baseline symptoms who are in traditional treatments and use MHP adjunctively.
Unveilling the hidden skillset: exploring non-technical skills in surgical education across spanish medical universities
Authors: B Oves-Suarez , JA García-Marín , JL Aguayo-Albasini , V Soria-Aledo
Published: April 2024

Background

Non-Technical Skills (NTS) are cognitive, social, and personal resource skills that are crucial in complex and high-risk environments. The aims of our research are to determine the prevalence and content of NTS in the surgical rotation teaching guides of the Medicine Degree programs in Spanish Universities, to identify the most prevalent types and subtypes of NTS, and to analyze factors associated with the prevalence of surgical NTS in Medical Schools in Spain.

Methods

Descriptive observational cross-sectional study involving the identification and collection of competencies outlined in the surgical rotation teaching guides of Spanish Medical Schools. Information regarding university performance was obtained from the Foundation for Knowledge and Development Ranking webpage. The “Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons” (NOTSS) system was used to classify each competency in the teaching guides as NTS (categories and elements) and technical skills. Disagreements were resolved through group consensus.

Results

A total of 1,846 competencies were analyzed in surgical rotations of the Medicine Degree programs across 40 Spanish Universities, with 99 competencies identified as surgical NTS, accounting for 5% of the total. The most frequently identified surgical NTS were “Decision Making” (46%), “Communication & Teamwork” (25%), and “Leadership” (19%). Additionally, several NOTSS were not identified in any institution. Public universities and those including a greater number of competencies had a higher rate of surgical NTS competencies, and we did not find a correlation between surgical NTS competencies and quality indices of University Centers.

Conclusions

There is a limited presence of surgical NTS in the educational plans of Spanish Universities.
The COVID-19 pandemic and OBGYN residency training: We have a problem and it’s not just masks
Authors: Kraus Alexandria C. , Bui Anthony , Malloy Kimberly , Morse Jessica , Young Omar M.
Published: April 2024

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has left no one untouched. Resident trainees have been driven to reconsider virtually every component of their daily lives. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) residency training and education.

Methods

A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted between 2/2022 and 5/2022. A survey was created and distributed to OBGYN residents. The survey queried the effects of the pandemic on OBGYN residents’ procedure skills training and mental health.

Results

A total of 95 OBGYN residents across programs affiliated with each American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) district participated in the survey. Among them, just over half (n = 52, 55%) self-identified as under-represented minorities. A significant majority, 80% (n = 81), felt their gynecological training was inadequate, with 70% of fourth-year residents expressing a lack of confidence in their ability to independently practice gynecology after graduation. This lack of confidence among fourth-year residents suggests a notable disparity in readiness for independent gynecological practice, linked to meeting ACGME requirements before completing their residency (p = 0.013). Among the residents who reported a negative impact of the pandemic on their mental health (n = 76, 80%), about 40% (n = 31) had contemplated self-harm or knew a colleague who considered or attempted suicide (p < 0.001). This issue was especially pronounced in residents experiencing burnout (n = 44, 46%), as nearly half (n = 19, 43%) reported suicidal thoughts or knew someone in their program who had such thoughts or engaged in self-harm (p = 0.048).

Conclusions

Residents expressed concerns about reduced hands-on gynecological training and doubts about their readiness for independent practice post-residency, highlighting the need for enhanced support through mentorship and revised training curriculums. Additionally, despite the availability of mental health resources to address pandemic-induced burnout, their underuse suggests a need for more accessible time for residents to use at their discretion and flexible training schedules that encourage mental health support resource utilization.
Creation of a sustainable longitudinal women in Leadership Development (WILD) curriculum focused on graduate medical education trainees
Authors: McGourty Colleen A. , Castillo Francine , Donzelli Grace , Keenan Bridget P. , Gilbreth Margaret , Santhosh Lekshmi
Published: April 2024

Background

Although women comprise the majority of medical students, gender disparities emerge early and remain at the highest levels of academia. Most leadership courses focus on faculty or students rather than women graduate medical education (GME) trainees.

Aim

To promote the leadership development of women GME trainees through empowerment, community building, networking and mentorship, and concrete leadership skills development.

Setting

University of California, San Francisco.

Participants

359 women residents and fellows from 41 specialties.

Program description

A longitudinal curriculum of monthly workshops designed to support leadership development for women trainees. Sessions and learning objectives were designed via needs assessments and literature review.

Program evaluation

A mixed-methods evaluation was performed for 3 years of WILD programming. Quantitative surveys assessed participant satisfaction and fulfillment of learning objectives. Structured interview questions were asked in focus groups and analyzed qualitatively.

Discussion

23% of invited participants attended at least one session from 2018 to 2021, despite challenging trainee schedules. Surveys demonstrated acceptability and satisfaction of all sessions, and learning objectives were met at 100% of matched sessions. Focus groups highlighted positive impact in domains of community-building, leadership skills, mentorship, and empowerment. This program has demonstrated WILD’s longitudinal sustainability and impact for women trainees.
Hybrid disease prediction approach leveraging digital twin and metaverse technologies for health consumer
Authors: Kulkarni Chaitanya , Quraishi Aadam , Raparthi Mohan , Shabaz Mohammad , Khan Muhammad Attique , Varma Raj A. , Keshta Ismail , Soni Mukesh , Byeon Haewon
Published: April 2024

Emerging from the convergence of digital twin technology and the metaverse, consumer health (MCH) is witnessing a transformative shift. The amalgamation of bioinformatics with healthcare Big Data has ushered in a new era of disease prediction models that harness comprehensive medical data, enabling the anticipation of illnesses even before the onset of symptoms. In this model, deep neural networks stand out because they improve accuracy remarkably by increasing network depth and making weight changes using gradient descent. Nonetheless, traditional methods face their own set of challenges, including the issues of gradient instability and slow training. In this case, the Broad Learning System (BLS) stands out as a good alternative. It gets around the problems with gradient descent and lets you quickly rebuild a model through incremental learning. One problem with BLS is that it has trouble extracting complex features from complex medical data. This makes it less useful in a wide range of healthcare situations. In response to these challenges, we introduce DAE-BLS, a novel hybrid model that marries Denoising AutoEncoder (DAE) noise reduction with the efficiency of BLS. This hybrid approach excels in robust feature extraction, particularly within the intricate and multifaceted world of medical data. Validation using diverse datasets yields impressive results, with accuracies reaching as high as 98.50%. DAE-BLS’s ability to rapidly adapt through incremental learning holds great promise for accurate and agile disease prediction, especially within the complex and dynamic healthcare scenarios of today.
Barriers and facilitators to guideline for the management of pediatric off-label use of drugs in China: a qualitative descriptive study
Authors: Meng Min , Hu Jiale , Liu Xiao , Tian Min , Lei Wenjuan , Liu Enmei , Han Zhu , Li Qiu , Chen Yaolong
Published: April 2024

Background

Despite being a global public health concern, there is a research gap in analyzing implementation strategies for managing off-label drug use in children. This study aims to understand professional health managers’ perspectives on implementing the Guideline in hospitals and determine the Guideline’s implementation facilitators and barriers.

Methods

Pediatric directors, pharmacy directors, and medical department directors from secondary and tertiary hospitals across the country were recruited for online interviews. The interviews were performed between June 27 and August 25, 2022. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was adopted for data collection, data analysis, and findings interpretation to implement interventions across healthcare settings.

Results

Individual interviews were conducted with 28 healthcare professionals from all over the Chinese mainland. Key stakeholders in implementing the Guideline for the Management of Pediatric Off-Label Use of Drugs in China (2021) were interviewed to identify 57 influencing factors, including 27 facilitators, 29 barriers, and one neutral factor, based on the CFIR framework. The study revealed the complexity of the factors influencing managing children’s off-label medication use. A lack of policy incentives was the key obstacle in external settings. The communication barrier between pharmacists and physicians was the most critical internal barrier.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this study significantly reduces the implementation gap in managing children’s off-label drug use. We provided a reference for the standardized management of children’s off-label use of drugs.
Nearest advocate: a novel event-based time delay estimation algorithm for multi-sensor time-series data synchronization
Authors: Schranz Christoph , Mayr Sebastian , Bernhart Severin , Halmich Christina
Published: April 2024

Estimating time delays in event-based time-series is a crucial task in signal processing as it affects the data quality and is a prerequisite for many subsequent analyses. In particular, data acquired from wearable devices often suffer from a low timestamp precision or clock drift. Current state-of-the-art methods such as Pearson Cross-Correlation are sensitive to typical data quality issues, e.g. misdetected events, and Dynamic Time Warping is computationally expensive. To overcome these limitations, we propose Nearest Advocate, a novel event-based time delay estimation method for multi-sensor time-series data synchronisation. We evaluate its performance using three independent datasets acquired from wearable sensor systems, demonstrating its superior precision, particularly for short, noisy time-series with missing events. Additionally, we introduce a sparse variant that balances precision and runtime. Finally, we demonstrate how Nearest Advocate can be used to solve the problem of linear as well as non-linear clock drifts. Thus, Nearest Advocate offers a promising opportunity for time delay estimation and post-hoc synchronization for challenging datasets across various applications.
Innovation strategy and firm competitiveness: a systematic literature review
Authors: Agazu Biniam Getnet , Kero Chalchissa Amentie
Published: April 2024

This systematic review aims to review the effect of innovation strategy on firm competitiveness and to establish a theoretical background for future studies in the innovation and firm competitiveness literature. A total of 40 studies covering the innovation strategy and firm competitiveness were from 2015 to 2023 and analysed via a PRISMA method using the descriptive content analysis. These studies were found in the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Taylor and Francis databases. The findings from this review show that a large majority of the reviewed studies has concluded that innovation strategy have a positive relationship and effect between firm competitiveness. This study offers the chance to empirically examine innovation strategy and firm competitiveness from various angles. Despite a rapid recent increase in publications and special issue calls, many opportune research avenues within the innovation strategy and firm competitiveness field require further investigation.
Pelleting and particle size reduction of corn increase net energy and digestibility of fiber, protein, and fat in corn-soybean meal diets fed to group-housed pigs
Authors: Lee Su A , Rodriguez Diego A. , Paulk Chad B. , Stein Hans H.
Published: April 2024

Background

Reduction of the particle size of corn increases energy digestibility and concentrations of digestible and metabolizable energy. Pelleting may also reduce particle size of grain, but it is not known if there are interactions between particle size reduction and pelleting. The objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that particle size reduction and pelleting, separately or in combination, increase N balance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of fiber and fat, and net energy (NE) in corn-soybean meal diets fed to group-housed pigs.

Methods

Six corn-soybean meal-based diets were used in a 3 × 2 factorial design with 3 particle sizes of corn (i.e., 700, 500, or 300 μm) and 2 diet forms (i.e., meal or pelleted). Pigs were allowed ad libitum access to feed and water. Twenty-four castrated male pigs (initial weight: 29.52 kg; standard diviation: 1.40) were allotted to the 6 diets using a 6 × 6 Latin square design with 6 calorimeter chambers (i.e., 4 pigs/chamber) and 6 periods. Oxygen consumption and CO2 and CH4 productions were measured during fed and fasting states and fecal and urine samples were collected.

Results

Regardless of particle size of corn, the ATTD of gross energy (GE), N, and acid-hydrolyzed ether extract (AEE), and the concentration of NE were greater (P < 0.05) in pelleted diets than in meal diets. Regardless of diet form, the ATTD of GE, N, and AEE, and the concentration of NE were increased (linear; P < 0.05) by reducing the particle size of corn, but the increase was greater in meal diets than in pelleted diets (interaction; P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Both pelleting and reduction of corn particle size increased nutrient digestibility and NE, but increases were greater in meal diets than in pelleted diets.
TRIB3 silencing promotes the downregulation of Akt pathway and PAX3-FOXO1 in high-risk rhabdomyosarcoma
Authors: Gallo-Oller Gabriel , Pons Guillem , Sansa-Girona Júlia , Navarro Natalia , Zarzosa Patricia , García-Gilabert Lia , Cabré-Fernandez Paula , Guillén Burrieza Gabriela , Valero-Arrese Lorena , Segura Miguel F. , Lizcano José M. , Sánchez de Toledo José , Moreno Lucas , Gallego Soledad , Roma Josep
Published: April 2024

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), such as other childhood tumors, has witnessed treatment advancements in recent years. However, high-risk patients continue to face poor survival rates, often attributed to the presence of the PAX3/7-FOXO1 fusion proteins, which has been associated with metastasis and treatment resistance. Despite efforts to directly target these chimeric proteins, clinical success remains elusive. In this study, the main aim was to address this challenge by investigating regulators of FOXO1. Specifically, we focused on TRIB3, a potential regulator of the fusion protein in RMS. Our findings revealed a prominent TRIB3 expression in RMS tumors, highlighting its correlation with the presence of fusion protein. By conducting TRIB3 genetic inhibition experiments, we observed an impairment on cell proliferation. Notably, the knockdown of TRIB3 led to a decrease in PAX3-FOXO1 and its target genes at protein level, accompanied by a reduction in the activity of the Akt signaling pathway. Additionally, inducible silencing of TRIB3 significantly delayed tumor growth and improved overall survival in vivo. Based on our analysis, we propose that TRIB3 holds therapeutic potential for treating the most aggressive subtype of RMS. The findings herein reported contribute to our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms driving RMS progression and provide novel insights into the potential use of TRIB3 as a therapeutic intervention for high-risk RMS patients.
Longitudinal multi-omics analysis uncovers the altered landscape of gut microbiota and plasma metabolome in response to high altitude
Authors: Han Yang , Liu Xiaoshuang , Jia Qian , Xu Jiayu , Shi Jinlong , Li Xiang , Xie Guotong , Zhao Xiaojing , He Kunlun
Published: April 2024

Background

Gut microbiota is significantly influenced by altitude. However, the dynamics of gut microbiota in relation to altitude remains undisclosed.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the microbiome profile of 610 healthy young men from three different places in China, grouped by altitude, duration of residence, and ethnicity. We conducted widely targeted metabolomic profiling and clinical testing to explore metabolic characteristics.

Results

Our findings revealed that as the Han individuals migrated from low altitude to high latitude, the gut microbiota gradually converged towards that of the Tibetan populations but reversed upon returning to lower altitude. Across different cohorts, we identified 51 species specifically enriched during acclimatization and 57 species enriched during deacclimatization to high altitude. Notably, Prevotella copri was found to be the most enriched taxon in both Tibetan and Han populations after ascending to high altitude. Furthermore, significant variations in host plasma metabolome and clinical indices at high altitude could be largely explained by changes in gut microbiota composition. Similar to Tibetans, 41 plasma metabolites, such as lactic acid, sphingosine-1-phosphate, taurine, and inositol, were significantly elevated in Han populations after ascending to high altitude. Germ-free animal experiments demonstrated that certain species, such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which exhibited altitude-dependent variations in human populations, might play crucial roles in host purine metabolism.

Conclusions

This study provides insights into the dynamics of gut microbiota and host plasma metabolome with respect to altitude changes, indicating that their dynamics may have implications for host health at high altitude and contribute to host adaptation.
Clinician perspectives of the implementation of an early intervention service for eating disorders in England: a mixed method study
Authors: Richards Katie L , Phillips Matthew , Grycuk Luiza , Hyam Lucy , Allen Karina , Schmidt Ulrike
Published: April 2024

Background

The First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders (FREED) service has been shown to reduce the wait for care and improve clinical outcomes in initial evaluations. These findings led to the national scaling of FREED in England. To support this scaling, we conducted a mixed method evaluation of the perceptions and experiences of clinicians in the early phases of scaling. The Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used as a conceptual lens to understand if and how FREED becomes embedded in routine practice.

Methods

The convergent mixed method evaluation included 21 semi-structured interviews with clinicians from early adopter sites and 211 surveys administered to clinicians before, immediately after and 3 months after the FREED training. The interview guide and survey included questions evaluating attitudes towards early intervention for eating disorders (EDs) and NPT mechanisms. Interview data were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis. The NPT was applied to the inductively derived themes to evaluate if and how NPT domains impacted the implementation. Survey data were analysed using multilevel growth models.

Results

Six themes and 15 subthemes captured barriers and facilitators to implementation at the patient, clinician, service, intervention, implementation and wider system levels. These interacted with the NPT mechanisms to facilitate or hinder the embedding of FREED. Overall, clinicians were enthusiastic and positive towards early intervention for EDs and FREED, largely because of the expectation of improved patient outcomes. This was a considerable driver in the uptake and implementation of FREED. Clinicians also had reservations about capacity and the potential impact on other patients, which, at times, was a barrier for its use. The FREED training led to significant improvements in positive attitudes and NPT mechanisms that were largely maintained at the 3-month follow-up. However, negative attitudes did not significantly improve following training.

Conclusions

Positive attitudes towards early intervention for EDs increased enthusiasm and engagement with the model. Features of the model and its implementation were effective at developing adopter commitment and capabilities. However, there were aspects of the model and its implementation which require attention in the future (e.g., capacity and the potential impact on the wider service).
Housing debt and depressive symptoms: evidence from the China family panel studies
Authors: Chen Huan , Zhang Yuehua , Cao Kang
Published: April 2024

Background

There is limited evidence on the association between housing debt and depressive symptoms in China. This study aimed to examine the impact of housing debt on depressive symptoms and explore the heterogeneous impacts arising from two sources of housing debt and two types of housing demands.

Methods

Using data from the 2016 and 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study included 25,232 Chinese individuals. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the eight-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8). Housing debt was measured by dummy variables, indicating whether an individual had housing debt, and continuous variables, which were the logarithm of the total amount of housing debt. The two-way fixed effects model was used to examine the relationship.

Results

Housing debt had a significant positive impact on depressive symptoms in China. Individuals with housing debt had a 0.176-point higher depressive symptom score than those without housing debt. A 10% increase in the total amount of housing debt led to a 0.16-point increase in depressive symptoms. Non-bank housing loans significantly increased the level of depressive symptoms with a larger coefficient (coef = 0.289), while the impact of bank housing loans was small and not statistically significant. In terms of the types of housing demands, a positive impact was observed only among individuals who had only one property meeting their housing consumption demands.

Conclusions

This study found a significant positive impact of housing debt on depressive symptoms, primarily driven by non-bank housing loans. Furthermore, housing debt increased the depressive symptoms among individuals with consumption demands, while those with investment demands did not show a significant impact. Government interventions should prioritize easing formal financial constraints and providing support for individuals with housing consumption demands.
Motivation and emotional distraction interact and affect executive functions
Authors: Yeung Michael K. , Wan Jaden Cheuk-Hei , Chan Michelle Mei-Ka , Cheung Sam Ho-Yu , Sze Steven Chun-Yui , Siu Winnie Wing-Yi
Published: April 2024

Previous research on cool-hot executive function (EF) interactions has examined the effects of motivation and emotional distraction on cool EF separately, focusing on one EF component at a time. Although both incentives and emotional distractors have been shown to modulate attention, how they interact and affect cool EF processes is still unclear. Here, we used an experimental paradigm that manipulated updating, inhibition, and shifting demands to determine the interactions of motivation and emotional distraction in the context of cool EF. Forty-five young adults (16 males, 29 females) completed the go/no-go (inhibition), two-back (updating), and task-switching (shifting) tasks. Monetary incentives were implemented to manipulate motivation, and task-irrelevant threatening or neutral faces were presented before the target stimulus to manipulate emotional distraction. We found that incentives significantly improved no-go accuracy, two-back accuracy, and reaction time (RT) switch cost. While emotional distractors had no significant effects on overall task performance, they abolished the incentive effects on no-go accuracy and RT switch cost. Altogether, these findings suggest that motivation and emotional distraction interact in the context of cool EF. Specifically, transient emotional distraction disrupts the upregulation of control activated by incentives. The present investigation has advanced knowledge about the relationship between cool and hot EF and highlights the importance of considering motivation–emotion interactions for a fuller understanding of control.
Effect of adaptive laboratory evolution of engineered Escherichia coli in acetate on the biosynthesis of succinic acid from glucose in two-stage cultivation
Authors: Jiang Jiaping , Luo Yuanchan , Fei Peng , Zhu Zhengtong , Peng Jing , Lu Juefeng , Zhu Du , Wu Hui
Published: April 2024

Escherichia coli MLB (MG1655 ΔpflB ΔldhA), which can hardly grow on glucose with little succinate accumulation under anaerobic conditions. Two-stage fermentation is a fermentation in which the first stage is used for cell growth and the second stage is used for product production. The ability of glucose consumption and succinate production of MLB under anaerobic conditions can be improved significantly by using acetate as the solo carbon source under aerobic condition during the two-stage fermentation. Then, the adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) of growing on acetate was applied here. We assumed that the activities of succinate production related enzymes might be further improved in this study. E. coli MLB46-05 evolved from MLB and it had an improved growth phenotype on acetate. Interestingly, in MLB46-05, the yield and tolerance of succinic acid in the anaerobic condition of two-stage fermentation were improved significantly. According to transcriptome analysis, upregulation of the glyoxylate cycle and the activity of stress regulatory factors are the possible reasons for the elevated yield. And the increased tolerance to acetate made it more tolerant to high concentrations of glucose and succinate. Finally, strain MLB46-05 produced 111 g/L of succinic acid with a product yield of 0.74 g/g glucose.

Synopsis
Assessing efficiency in prices and trading volumes of cryptocurrencies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic with fractal, chaos, and randomness: evidence from a large dataset
Authors: Lahmiri Salim
Published: April 2024

This study examines the market efficiency in the prices and volumes of transactions of 41 cryptocurrencies. Specifically, the correlation dimension (CD), Lyapunov Exponent (LE), and approximate entropy (AE) were estimated before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, we applied Student’s t-test and F-test to check whether the estimated nonlinear features differ across periods. The empirical results show that (i) the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the means of CD, LE, and AE in prices, (ii) the variances of CD, LE, and AE estimated from prices are different across pre-pandemic and during pandemic periods, and specifically (iii) the variance of CD decreased during the pandemic; however, the variance of LE and the variance of AE increased during the pandemic period. Furthermore, the pandemic has not affected all three features estimated from the volume series. Our findings suggest that investing in cryptocurrencies is advantageous during a pandemic because their prices become more regular and stable, and the latter has not affected the volume of transactions.
Value of serum osteoprotegerin in the assessment of endothelial dysfunction in obesity
Authors: Shennawy Ahmed Mohammed , Hanna Hany William Z. , Raed Salma , Salam Randa , Ayman Sama
Published: April 2024

Objective

Osteoprotegerin is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily. The study aimed to assess serum osteoprotegerin and endothelial dysfunction relationship in obese non-diabetic subjects. Elucidating the association linking serum osteoprotegerin level to obesity and insulin resistance.

Materials and methods

Sixty obese non-diabetic subjects attending the outpatient endocrine clinic were compared with 20 controls. All subjects went through history taking, clinical examination, and anthropometric measuring. Laboratory tests included fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR, lipid profile, and serum osteoprotegerin level—assessment of endothelial dysfunction measured by carotid intimal thickening and flow meter dilatation.

Results

Obese subjects had significantly higher rates of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia compared with controls (P = 0.017 and 0.002, respectively). Serum osteoprotegerin levels were significantly lower in obese subjects compared with controls (P = 0.011). In obese subjects, there was a significant positive correlation between osteoprotegerin and HOMA-IR (r = 0.272; P = 0.035), whereas there was no significant correlation between OPG and endothelial dysfunction.

Conclusion

The study showed that osteoprotegerin significantly decreased in obese non-diabetic individuals in comparison with control subjects. A significant positive correlation between osteoprotegerin and HOMA-IR has been reported in obese non-diabetic subjects. OPG can be considered a serum biomarker to predict insulin resistance in obese individuals.
Translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of an Arabic version of the test of narrative language—second edition
Authors: Ibrahim Sara Magdy , Sobhy Ossama Ahmed , ElMaghraby Riham Mohamed , Hamouda Nesrine Hazem
Published: April 2024

Background

The significance of narrative skills is evident due to their role in the development of language and their connection to significant social and academic skills. This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Test of Narrative Language-Second Edition (TNL-2) for its use as a tool for the assessment of narrative language in Arabic-speaking Egyptian children. In a cross-sectional study design, the Arabic-translated version of the TNL-2 was administered to 200 typically developing Arabic-speaking Egyptian children ranging in age from 4 years to 15 years and 11 months for validation. The participants were categorized according to their age into ten groups and their scores were analyzed. Face validity was assessed by asking five expert phoniatricians to review the Arabic version of the TNL-2 and complete a questionnaire that assessed the test’s effectiveness in measuring different narrative skills.

Results

A statistically significant difference was found when comparing the TNL-2 scores among the age groups under study. In addition, there was a significant correlation between standardized Arabic language test scores and the total comprehension and total production subtests’ raw scores of the TNL-2. The test-retest reliability and inter-rater agreement demonstrated a high level of reliability and inter-rater agreement. Experts have reached a consensus that the Arabic version of the TNL-2 is capable of evaluating the primary microstructural and macrostructural components of Arabic narratives. Furthermore, it can provide insights into the overall narrative skills of Egyptian Arabic-speaking children.

Conclusion

The Arabic-translated version of the TNL-2 demonstrated validity and reliability as an instrument for assessing narrative language comprehension and production skills in Arabic-speaking Egyptian children.
Improving Inventory Control Through a Web-Based System in a Retail Company
Authors: Aguedo Cristhian , Espinoza José , Pacheco Alex
Published: April 2024

Background Currently, retail companies that fail to digitise their logistics processes experience difficulties in controlling stock, resulting in inaccuracies in the quantity of products and excess amounts in the warehouse. Consequently, the aim was to introduce a web-based system to enhance inventory control in retail firms within the city of Huaraz. Methods The Extreme Programming methodology was implemented in four phases. During the planning phase, roles and user stories were established. In the coding phase, Hypertext Preprocessor and JavaScript programming languages were utilised alongside the MySQL database management system. The testing phase involved evaluating each interface’s functionality to ensure that it was a part of the web system. The objective of this was to develop the web system and utilise it as an inventory control tool. Results The utilization of the web-based system within the logistics sector led to enhanced indicators, as seen through a 52.94% increase in inventory precision rate and 91.94% rise in the stock turnover rate. Conclusions The web system facilitates the minimisation of input errors in product quantity records while also enabling visualisation of such data. It further provides an illustrated representation, in the form of a bar graph, of each product’s indicator behaviour.