bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical analysis of temporary pacemaker implantation in 6 children with fulminant myocarditis
Authors: Zhang Min , Cai Xiaofang , Zhang Yong
Published: May 2024

Background

There is little literature on the use of temporary pacemakers in children with fulminant myocarditis. Therefore, we summarized the use of temporary cardiac pacemakers in children with fulminant myocarditis in our hospital.

Methods

The clinical data of children with fulminant myocarditis treated with temporary pacemakers in Wuhan Children’s Hospital from January 2017 to May 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

A total of 6 children were enrolled in the study, including 4 boys and 2 girls, with a median age of 50 months and a median weight of 15 kg. The average time from admission to pacemaker placement was 2.75 ± 0.4 h. The electrocardiogram showed that all 6 children had third-degree atrioventricular block (III°AVB). The initial pacing voltage, the sensory sensitivity of the ventricle and the pacing frequency were set to 5–10 mV, 5 V and 100–120 bpm respectively. The sinus rhythm was recovered in 5 patients within 61 h (17–134) h, and the median time of using temporary pacemaker was 132 h (63–445) h. One of the children had persistent III°AVB after the temporary pacemaker. With parental consent, the child was fitted with a permanent pacemaker on the 12th day of his illness.

Conclusions

When fulminant myocarditis leads to severe bradycardia or atrioventricular block in children, temporary pacemakers have the characteristics of high safety to improve the heart function.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing low-dose versus standard-dose computed tomography-guided lung biopsy
Authors: Li Teng , Xu Guanghui , Li Wenjun , Liu Yun
Published: May 2024

Background

Despite the existence of several Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) investigating Low-Dose Computed Tomography (LDCT) as a guide in lung biopsies, conclusive findings remain elusive. To address this contention, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of LDCT-guided lung biopsies.

Methods

A comprehensive search across major databases identified RCTs comparing the effectiveness of LDCT-guided with Standard-Dose Computed Tomography (SDCT)-guided lung biopsies. Subsequently, we utilized a random-effects model meta-analysis to assess diagnostic accuracy, radiation dose, operation duration, and clinical complications associated with these procedures.

Results

Out of 292 scrutinized studies, six RCTs representing 922 patients were included in the final analysis. Results indicated the differences between the LDCT and SDCT groups were not different with statistical significance in terms of diagnostic accuracy rates (Intent-to-Treat (ITT) populations: Relative Risk (RR) 1.01, 95% Confidence interval [CI] 0.97–1.06, p = 0.61; Per-Protocol (PP) populations: RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98–1.04, p = 0.46), incidence of pneumothorax (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.75–1.35, p = 0.98), incidence of hemoptysis (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.63–1.43, p = 0.80), and operation duration (minutes) (Mean Differences [MD] -0.34, 95% CI -1.67-0.99, p = 0.61). Notably, LDCT group demonstrated a lower radiation dose (mGy·cm) with statistical significance (MD -188.62, 95% CI -273.90 to -103.34, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The use of LDCT in lung biopsy procedures demonstrated equivalent efficacy and safety to standard methods while notably reducing patient radiation exposure.
MolPROP: Molecular Property prediction with multimodal language and graph fusion
Authors: Rollins Zachary A. , Cheng Alan C. , Metwally Essam
Published: May 2024

Pretrained deep learning models self-supervised on large datasets of language, image, and graph representations are often fine-tuned on downstream tasks and have demonstrated remarkable adaptability in a variety of applications including chatbots, autonomous driving, and protein folding. Additional research aims to improve performance on downstream tasks by fusing high dimensional data representations across multiple modalities. In this work, we explore a novel fusion of a pretrained language model, ChemBERTa-2, with graph neural networks for the task of molecular property prediction. We benchmark the MolPROP suite of models on seven scaffold split MoleculeNet datasets and compare with state-of-the-art architectures. We find that (1) multimodal property prediction for small molecules can match or significantly outperform modern architectures on hydration free energy (FreeSolv), experimental water solubility (ESOL), lipophilicity (Lipo), and clinical toxicity tasks (ClinTox), (2) the MolPROP multimodal fusion is predominantly beneficial on regression tasks, (3) the ChemBERTa-2 masked language model pretraining task (MLM) outperformed multitask regression pretraining task (MTR) when fused with graph neural networks for multimodal property prediction, and (4) despite improvements from multimodal fusion on regression tasks MolPROP significantly underperforms on some classification tasks. MolPROP has been made available at https://github.com/merck/MolPROP.

Scientific contribution

This work explores a novel multimodal fusion of learned language and graph representations of small molecules for the supervised task of molecular property prediction. The MolPROP suite of models demonstrates that language and graph fusion can significantly outperform modern architectures on several regression prediction tasks and also provides the opportunity to explore alternative fusion strategies on classification tasks for multimodal molecular property prediction.
Effect of oral administration of microcin Y on growth performance, intestinal barrier function and gut microbiota of chicks challenged with Salmonella Pullorum
Authors: Li Wenjing , Zeng Zhiwei , Zhou Di , Wang Guyao , Wang Zepeng , Li Yu , Han Yu , Qin Miaomiao , Luo Changqi , Feng Saixiang , Cao Weisheng
Published: May 2024

The lasso peptide microcin Y (MccY) effectively inhibits various serotypes of Salmonella in vitro, but the antibacterial effect against S. Pullorum in poultry is still unclear. This study was the first to evaluate the safety and anti-S. Pullorum infection of MccY in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicks. The safety test showed that the body weight, IgA and IgM levels of serum, and cecal microbiota structure of 3 groups of chicks orally administrated with different doses of MccY (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 20 mg/kg) for 14 days were not significantly different from those of the control group. Then, the chicks were randomized into 3 groups for the experiment of anti-S. Pullorum infection: (I) negative control group (NC), (II) S. Pullorum-challenged group (SP, 5 × 108 CFU/bird), (III) MccY-treated group (MccY, 20 mg/kg). The results indicated that compared to the SP group, treatment of MccY increased body weight and average daily gain (P < 0.05), reduced S. Pullorum burden in feces, liver, and cecum (P < 0.05), enhanced the thymus, and decreased the spleen and liver index (P < 0.05). Additionally, MccY increased the jejunal villus height, lowered the jejunal and ileal crypt depth (P < 0.05), and upregulated the expression of IL-4, IL-10, ZO-1 in the jejunum and ileum, as well as CLDN-1 in the jejunum (P < 0.05) compared to the SP group. Furthermore, MccY increased probiotic flora (Barnesiella, etc.), while decreasing (P < 0.05) the relative abundance of pathogenic flora (Escherichia and Salmonella, etc.) compared to the SP group.
Prognostic value of serum lactate level for mortality in patients with acute kidney injury
Authors: Chen Meng , Lv Dezhao
Published: May 2024

Background

Serum lactate is associated with mortality in diverse kinds of patients. This study aimed to investigate whether serum lactate level may independently predict mortality in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients.

Methods

A total of 4461 AKI patients were collected from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC III) database and followed up for 365 days. According to serum lactate tertiles, participants were divided into three groups (Q1–Q3) by: Q1 ≤ 1.60 mg/dl, Q2 = 1.61–2.70 mg/dl, and Q3 ≥ 2.71 mg/dl. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (Cls) for mortality across each tertile of lactate by using the Q1 as reference and constructed four models to adjust for the HR of mortality.

Results

Nonsurvivors had significantly higher lactate compared with patients in the survival group. Mortality rate gradually elevated with the increase in serum lactate level (Q1: 29.30%, Q2: 33.40%, Q3: 37.40%). When compared with Q1 after adjustment of all confounders, the HRs of Q3 still was 1.20 (95% Cl 1.05–1.37).

Conclusions

This study demonstrated that high serum lactate levels were an independent predictor of mortality in AKI patients.
An RNA-seq study in Friedreich ataxia patients identified hsa-miR-148a-3p as a putative prognostic biomarker of the disease
Authors: Vancheri Chiara , Quatrana Andrea , Morini Elena , Mariotti Caterina , Mongelli Alessia , Fichera Mario , Rufini Alessandra , Condò Ivano , Testi Roberto , Novelli Giuseppe , Malisan Florence , Amati Francesca
Published: May 2024

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a life-threatening hereditary ataxia; its incidence is 1:50,000 individuals in the Caucasian population. A unique therapeutic drug for FRDA, the antioxidant Omaveloxolone, has been recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FRDA is a multi-systemic neurodegenerative disease; in addition to a progressive neurodegeneration, FRDA is characterized by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal deformities. Cardiomyopathy is the predominant cause of premature death. The onset of FRDA typically occurs between the ages of 5 and 15. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of clinical features and the variability of their onset, the identification of biomarkers capable of assessing disease progression and monitoring the efficacy of treatments is essential to facilitate decision making in clinical practice. We conducted an RNA-seq analysis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from FRDA patients and healthy donors, identifying a signature of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) capable of distinguishing healthy individuals from the majority of FRDA patients. Among the differentially expressed sncRNAs, microRNAs are a class of small non-coding endogenous RNAs that regulate posttranscriptional silencing of target genes. In FRDA plasma samples, hsa-miR-148a-3p resulted significantly upregulated. The analysis of the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, combining the circulating expression levels of hsa-miR-148a-3p and hsa-miR-223-3p (previously identified by our group), revealed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.86 (95%, Confidence Interval 0.77–0.95; p-value < 0.0001). An in silico prediction analysis indicated that the IL6ST gene, an interesting marker of neuroinflammation in FRDA, is a common target gene of both miRNAs. Our findings support the evaluation of combined expression levels of different circulating miRNAs as potent epi-biomarkers in FRDA. Moreover, we found hsa-miR-148a-3p significantly over-expressed in Intermediate and Late-Onset Friedreich Ataxia patients’ group (IOG and LOG, respectively) compared to healthy individuals, indicating it as a putative prognostic biomarker in this pathology.
Analyzing the worldwide perception of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through Twitter
Authors: Breve Bernardo , Caruccio Loredana , Cirillo Stefano , Deufemia Vincenzo , Polese Giuseppe
Published: May 2024

In this paper, we analyze the worldwide perception of the Russia-Ukraine conflict (RU conflict for short) on the Twitter platform. The study involved collecting over 17 million tweets written in 63 different languages and conducting a multi-language sentiment analysis, as well as an analysis of their geographical distribution and verification of their temporal relationship to daily events. Additionally, the study focused on analyzing the accounts producing pro-conflict tweets to evaluate the possible presence of bots. The results of the analysis showed that the war had a significant global impact on Twitter, with the volume of tweets increasing as the war’s threats materialized. There was a strong correlation between the succession of events, the volume of tweets, and the prevalence of a specific sentiment. Most tweets had a negative sentiment, while tweets with positive sentiment mainly contained support and hope for people directly involved in the conflict. Moreover, a bot detection analysis performed on the collected tweets revealed the presence of many accounts spreading tweets including pro-conflict hashtags that cannot be identified as real users. Overall, this study sheds light on the importance of social media in shaping public opinion during conflicts and highlights the need for reliable methods to detect bots.
Young children’s trust and sharing decisions
Authors: Kotaman Hüseyin , Aslan Mustafa
Published: May 2024

The purpose of this study is to investigate how young children define trust and to find out if there is a relationship between the people whom they trust and the people with whom they share their favorite food and toy. The participants consist of 273 kindergarteners enrolled in five public kindergartens. Research assistants asked the participants questions such as what they think trust is, who they trust, with whom they want to share their favorite food and favorite toy, and why. Findings did not reveal age or gender as factors for children’s trust and sharing decisions. Children’s trust decisions were not associated with their sharing decisions. Accordingly, it appears that children perceive trust and sharing as two separate concepts. This might be due to the abstract nature of trust and the social nature of sharing, in which immediate reciprocity might play a more important role in children’s sharing decisions. Children mentioned reciprocity as the second highest reason for their sharing decisions.
Comparison of different diet plans on patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Fathy Shaimaa A. , Meligi Amr El , AlWakil Sahar S. , Ahmed Mohamed B. , Ahmed Ghada R.
Published: May 2024

Background

Obesity and diabetes are interrelated growing problems worldwide. Life style modifications including nutritional intervention are considered the first line in management of diabetes.

Materials and methods

Our study included 81 type 2 diabetic patients, all treated with Metformin 500 mg twice daily, with Body mass index (BMI) more than 25 kg/m2. They were randomized to one of three dietary interventions; high protein diet (Zone diet), high fat diet (Modified Atkins) and conventional high carbohydrates diet with consideration of being on a caloric deficit diet of 500 kcal per day. Patients were assessed by: body mass index, waist circumference and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method for assessment of body fat and muscle mass (FM, MM) before and after 12 weeks of following a dietary plan. Laboratory tests included: Hemoglobin A1c, C-reactive protein levels, lipid profile and insulin resistance before and after 12 weeks of following a dietary plan.

Results

Significant weight loss and reduction of BMI, reduction of waist circumference, significant fat mass reduction, significant muscle mass reduction, improvement of the insulin resistance, LDL and triglyceride reduction was achieved by the three dietary plans, with no significant difference between them. There was also significant improvement in HbA1c in all dietary plans; however Modified Atkins diet showed more significant improvement. Significant HDL improvement was seen with High carbohydrate diet and Modified Atkins diet, with more significant reduction with Modified Atkins diet, while Zone diet did not show significant improvement. CRP marker of inflammation showed significant improvement with High carbohydrate diet and Modified Atkins diet, while Zone diet did not show significant improvement.

Conclusion

All three dietary plans show benefit and improve the anthropometric and metabolic outcomes of type 2 diabetic patients. Modified Atkins diet showed superior benefit as regards improvement of HbA1c, HDL and CRP in comparison to the other dietary plans.
North County Jail
Authors: Han Sora
Published: May 2024

This article explores the history of jail construction and architecture on the occasion of a now vacant North County Jail that sits in the center of downtown Oakland. Put to use neither by the state as COVID-19 ravaged overcrowded prisons nor by the city trying to find ways of offering shelter to the houseless, its vacancy became all the more material during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What do abolitionists do with such vacancies? Inspired by the sonic geography of Angela Davis's memories of the New York Women's House of Detention, this article is a performance of how abolitionist thought both engages and exceeds the terms of panopticism by focusing on the curious boundary of the panoptic jail window. The sculptural abolitionist imaginaries provoked by conceptual artists Sonya Clark and Charisse Pearlina Weston provide new ways of doing things with the shadows and sounds these windows reflect, transmit, and occlude.
Spectacular Absence, Spectacular Presence: Experimenting with the Eucharist in the Play of the Sacrament
Authors: Hinojosa Bernardo S.
Published: May 2024

In the fifteenth-century Play of the Sacrament, a group of Jewish men torture a consecrated wafer, seeking to prove or disprove the Real Presence. The play juxtaposes their misguided empiricism, rooted in stereotypes about the literalism of Jewish reading, with an experimentalist hermeneutics that recognizes that knowledge of the material world requires the intellectual cognition of imperceptible operations. This hermeneutics, associated with later scientific inquiry, emerges from a broader scholastic project that approached transubstantiation with the tools of natural philosophy. The essay considers, in turn, how the play leverages theatrical devices to prompt its audience to grapple with the physical impossibilities of eucharistic change. It encourages the spectating Christians, like literal-minded Jews, to long for spectacular theatrical effects that will furnish empirical proof of transubstantiation. However, the artificiality or absence of these effects ultimately signals that eucharistic change is not an observable phenomenon that can be confirmed with the senses.
Heterogeneous Responses to Job Mobility Shocks in a HANK Model with a Frictional Labor Market
Authors: Birinci Serdar , Karahan Fatih , Mercan Yusuf , See Kurt
Published: May 2024

We use a heterogeneous agent New Keynesian model with a frictional labor market featuring on-the-job-search to study how job switching affects consumption decisions for individuals with different wealth levels. We find that an increased job switching rate, driven by an exogenous shift in employed individuals' job search efficiency—acting as a positive future income shock—results in a larger decline in current demand for the wealth rich relative to the wealth poor. This larger consumption reduction for the wealth rich is due to the equilibrium decline in their financial wealth.
Navigating Policy Specificity in Academia: The Evolution of Sexual Harassment Policies around #MeToo
Authors: Gertsberg Marina
Published: May 2024

I study how universities changed the specificity of their sexual harassment policies around #MeToo. I observe a trend toward increasing policy specificity after #MeToo, particularly in private universities, those with publicized harassment cases, or universities led by presidents from male-dominated academic backgrounds. Additionally, I present suggestive evidence of a link between the hiring of junior female faculty and the adoption of more specific policies in environments where the composition of senior faculty is more male dominated after #MeToo. Overall, my results indicate that universities prioritize clearer guidance for behavior through narrower policies over retaining flexibility with broader policies post-#MeToo.
Marriage Penalties and Bonuses by Race and Ethnicity: An Application of Race and Ethnicity Imputation
Authors: Costello Rachel , DeFilippes Portia , Fisher Robin , Klemens Ben , Lin Emily Y.
Published: May 2024

The Office of Tax Analysis of the Treasury Department imputes race and ethnicity information to its tax model. Applying the imputed information to the calculation of marriage penalties and bonuses for married couples, this paper finds differences in the penalty and bonus rates facing married couples of different races and ethnic backgrounds, and the group differences vary by income. The results show that for couples in higher-income classes, the penalty is more prevalent for Black and Hispanic couples than White couples, and the Black-White differences by income are consistent with the patterns of spousal income splits in the underlying data.
Refugees Are Hosted in Highly Vulnerable Communities
Authors: Davis C. Austin , López-Peña Paula , Mobarak Ahmed Mushfiq , Wen Jaya Y.
Published: May 2024

Low- and middle-income nations host 76 percent of the world's refugees. This study uses original data to explore within-country spatial variability in refugee-hosting responsibilities. We find that hosting responsibilities for the displaced Rohingya people in Bangladesh are allocated in similarly unequal fashion when analyzed at the national, regional, and microregional levels. Refugee camps are placed in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities relative to both Bangladesh as a whole and surrounding areas. Our findings underscore the importance of considering host communities in the coordination of humanitarian responses to refugee crises to prevent economic hardship and political backlash.
The Economic Burden of Dementia in India
Authors: Angrisani Marco , Casanova Maria , Lee Jinkook , Meijer Erik
Published: May 2024

This paper provides the first estimate of the economic cost borne by Indian individuals living with dementia and their families based on nationally and state-wise representative data from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). We found that the annual household cost attributable to dementia was $571. This is a significant figure, equivalent to 20 percent of annual healthcare spending by the Indian government. Our results identify important differences in cost components relative to high-income countries, emphasizing the need for culturally tailored interventions to support people living with the condition and their families in the Indian context.
Risk Scores for Long-Term Unemployment and the Assignment to Job Search Counseling
Authors: Ernst Sebastian , Mueller Andreas I. , Spinnewijn Johannes
Published: May 2024

This paper analyses how risk profiling is used to assign unemployed job seekers to job search counseling in Flanders, Belgium. We compare algorithmic selection to self-selection and selection by job search counselors. We discuss practical challenges for the implementation of risk profiling and highlight avenues for further research. We find that algorithmic assignment is used for only a small fraction of the sample and that job search counselors appear to have valuable private information on job seekers' reemployment prospects beyond what is captured by the algorithmic risk score.
Tribal Casinos and Identifying Who Moves to Opportunity
Authors: Simeonova Emilia , Akee Randall , Jones Maggie R.
Published: May 2024

In this analysis, we examine what types of households migrate to American Indian reservation lands after the start of casino operations using longitudinal household data for 1989-2017. We find heterogeneous effects on migration by households of different types. American Indians who are single parents are significantly more likely to move to reservation lands after gaming operations commence. No significant changes in mobility were found among married households with children. These results suggest that pull factors may also affect how households decide to relocate when there are changes to economic opportunities and other community or social amenities.
Analytic Approaches to Measuring the Black-White Wealth Gap
Authors: Toney Jermaine , Addo Fenaba R. , Hamilton Darrick
Published: May 2024

Does the measurement of the racial wealth gap shift depending on the model, method, and dataset used? We contrast the traditional mean Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition with the distributional Recentered Influence Function (RIF) methods. The untransformed, logarithm-transformed, and inverse hyperbolic sine-transformed versions in both the Survey of Consumer Finances and Panel Study of Income Dynamics datasets exhibit similarities. The Oaxaca-Blinder (mean) decomposition highlights that receiving an inheritance explains a larger portion of the racial wealth gap than educational attainment. Conversely, the RIF method at the median suggests that educational attainment accounts for more of the wealth gap than inheritance receipt.
A resonance frequency analysis to investigate the impact of implant size on primary and secondary stability
Authors: Khan Mahvish Wahad , Inayat Naveed , Zafar Muhammad Sohail , Zaigham Abdul Mueed
Published: May 2024

Objective: Recent years have seen a rise in the usage of dental implants to restore lost teeth. The stability of a dental implant is the main factor in determining its success. Implant stability is influenced by various factors. Several approaches have been employed clinically to evaluate stability at different time intervals. One non-invasive way to assess implant stability is by resonance frequency analysis. Utilizing the resonance frequency analysis method, this study seeks to understand how implant length and diameter affect primary and secondary stability.
Methods: The current prospective study was conducted in the Prosthodontics Department of Institute of Dentistry, CMH Lahore Medical College. The duration of the study was six months. A total of 90 implants of sizes 4.5 x 8.5 mm and 4 x 10mm were placed. Resonance frequency measurements were recorded using OsstellTM AB device for primary stability at implant insertion and at 12 weeks for secondary stability. All the measurements were carried out by only one of the researchers to minimize inter-observer bias.
Results: The average primary stability was 70.33±6.60, and the average secondary stability was 71.43±5.44. The data was stratified for age, gender, and implant site, and the mean primary and secondary stability of both sizes didn’t show any statistically significant differences.
Conclusion: Without forfeiting implant stability, both implant sizes (4x10mm and 4.5x8.5mm) can be used interchangeably, depending on available space and anatomical constraints.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8213
How to cite this: Khan MW, Inayat N, Zafar MS, Zaigham AM. A resonance frequency analysis to investigate the impact of implant size on primary and secondary stability. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1261-1266. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8213
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Mixed-phenotype (B-lymphocytic/myeloid) acute leukemia with ETV6-ABL1 expression
Authors: Wang Luting , He Dabao , Lu Lina , Wang Heng , Wang Suyun
Published: May 2024

Objectives: Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is rare in the clinic, accounting for approximately 2%-5% of acute leukemia cases.
Methods: In this study the cohort included 126 patients, of which 125 cases were from re-examined published data and current patients from Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, carrying an ETV6-ABL1 rearrangement from April 15, 2020 to December 19, 2020. The ETS variant transcription factor 6-Abelson proto-oncogene 1 (ETV6-ABL1) fusion gene is mainly seen in malignant hematological diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Positivity of both MPAL and ETV6-ABL1 suggest a poor prognosis. This is the first report of B lymphocytic/myeloid mixed-phenotype acute leukemia with ETV6-ABL1 fusion gene positivity. Complete remission was achieved with chemotherapy for lymphoid and myeloid leukemia and targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).
Results: The level of ETV6-ABL1/ABL decreased from 23.056% to 11.165%. After consolidation chemotherapy, the patient underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation but died due to intestinal rejection. There are 126 cases of ETV6-ABL1 fusion gene transcript expression in numerous hematologic malignancies reported to date, including 48 cases of ALL, 12 of AML, and 65 of MPN. Eosinophilia is a common characteristic, especially in MPN patients.
Conclusion: Survival analysis suggests that the survival time of ALL and MPN patients receiving TKI treatment is better than that of patients not receiving this treatment. Dasatinib or nilotinib, especially the former, is more effective than imatinib for MPN.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8497
How to cite this: Wang L, He D, Lu L, Wang H, Wang S. Mixed-phenotype (B-lymphocytic/myeloid) acute leukemia with ETV6-ABL1 expression. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1294-1299. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8497
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Observation on the therapeutic effect of laser acupuncture combined with Schroth therapy on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
Authors: Wang Zhaoqi , Lu Lei , Wang Liheng
Published: May 2024

Objective: To explore the clinical effect of laser acupuncture combined with Schroth therapy on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).
Method: This was a retrospective study. Eighty AIS patients were admitted to The Second People’s Hospital of Dalian from March 2021 to March 2022 and divided into control group and experimental group according to the treatment method, with 40 cases in each group. The control group received Schroth therapy, and the experimental group received Schroth therapy and laser acupuncture therapy (MLS® laser). All treatments are performed five times a week for four consecutive weeks we compared the clinical effects of the two groups before treatment, six months and 12 months after treatment, and compared the improvement of Cobb angle, axial trunk rotation (ATR), musculoskeletal stiffness(The PulStarG3 system), and gait evaluation (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System(MEMS) between the two groups of patients.
Result: After four weeks of treatment, the spinal condition of both groups of patients improved. After treatment, the experimental group showed greater improvement in Cobb angle, ATR, spinal range of motion, gait parameters, and clinical efficacy compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Laser acupuncture combined with Schroth therapy is safe and effective in the treatment of AIS, and is more effective in correcting scoliosis and related problems of AIS.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8636
How to cite this: Wang Z, Lu L, Wang L. Observation on the therapeutic effect of laser acupuncture combined with Schroth therapy on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1174-1179. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8636
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Exploring the experiences of content experts with item vetting during item bank development
Authors: Aziz Anbreen , Sabqat Mashaal , Kiran Faiza , Iftikhar Mirza Tayyeba
Published: May 2024

Objective: To explore content experts’ experiences with item vetting during item bank development at a public sector medical university of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Methods: An exploratory study was carried out from December 2022 to February 2023 at a public sector medical college of Rawalpindi. A purposive sampling technique was employed to collect data from all content experts of the study institute who participated in item vetting activity during pre-exam moderation in the university. A pilot-tested semi-structured interview guide was utilized, interviews were audio recorded and later transcribed. Participants’ anonymity was ensured. Various quality assurance strategies were employed to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcribed data and themes were finalized by achieving consensus among all authors.
Results: Six themes overarching the fourteen subthemes emerged from the data. Participants expressed a profound sense of satisfaction and valued their experience in refining expertise in constructing multiple-choice questions (MCQs). It was widely acknowledged that such activities not only contribute to the enhancement of item development skills but also improve quality of items.
Conclusions: The consistent implementation of item vetting routines, in conjunction with diligent adherence to item writing protocols, contributes to quality assurance measures in assessment. Item bank development for fair and transparent assessment ensures production of competent healthcare professionals filtering incompetent ones hence improving health care services in the community.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8664
How to cite this: Aziz A, Sabqat M, Kiran F, Mirza TI. Exploring the experiences of content experts with item vetting during item bank development. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1241-1246. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.8664
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Effectiveness of preoperative and perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation nursing program for the management of patients undergoing thoracic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Xu Ming , Yang Xiaoqin , Guo Lingyan
Published: May 2024

Background & Objective: Several studies have investigated the effectiveness of preoperative or perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation in thoracic surgery patients, but the results are inconsistent and inconclusive. This study attempts to summarize the existing data on the effect of the preoperative and perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation nursing program for the management of patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
Methods: Systematic search was done in PubMed Central, SCOPUS, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect for papers published until December 2022 and reporting data of postoperative complications and pulmonary health status in patients undergoing thoracic surgery and receiving preoperative or perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation nursing intervention or standard care. Meta-analysis was done by random-effects model and pooled standardised mean differences (SMD) or odds ratios (OR) along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported.
Results: Eighteen studies were included and analysed. Pooled SMD was 0.44 (95%CI: -0.21 to 1.08) for forced expiratory volume (FEV-1), -0.34 (95%CI: -0.94 to 0.26) for peak expiratory flow (PEF), 0.61 (95%CI: -0.60 to 1.81) for forced vital capacity (FVC), 0.42 (95%CI: -0.13 to 0.98) for diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO). Pooled SMD for length of hospital stay was -0.64 (95%CI: -1.09 to -0.19). Pooled OR was 0.87 [95%CI: 0.32 to 2.37] for all-cause mortality, 0.35 [95%CI: 0.25 to 0.50] for postoperative pulmonary complications, 0.98 [95%CI: 0.45 to 2.12] for respiratory failure, 0.52 [95%CI: 0.38 to 0.78] for pneumonia and 0.50 [95%CI: 0.33 to 0.76] for atelectasis.
Conclusion: Perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation nursing program is effective in reducing the postoperative lung complications and shortening the length of hospital stay in patients undergoing thoracic surgery.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9259
How to cite this: Xu M, Yang X, Guo L. Effectiveness of preoperative and perioperative pulmonary rehabilitation nursing program for the management of patients undergoing thoracic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(6):1280-1286.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.6.9259
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The Byzantine cosmopolis beyond western liberalism
Authors: Theodosiadis Michael
Published: May 2024

The present article reflects on Early Byzantine strands of political thought (more precisely, on viewpoints developed by Priscus of Panion and Procopius of Caesarea) in tandem with Anthony Kaldellis’ depiction of Byzantium as a representative politeia. It explains how Priscus’ and Procopius’ insights concerning the Eastern Roman Empire as lawful polity could allow us to envisage a new cosmopolitan paradigm, grounded on ‘bottom-up’ institutions of political representation. This paradigm could respond to a series of limitations that characterise the present standards of international cooperation, upon which transnational projects, such as the European Union, are predicated. These standards rely much on Immanuel Kant’s viewpoints on cosmopolitanism, but also on John Locke’s theory of Social Contract, which constitutes a genealogical evolution of Hobbes’ absolutist thought that I also intend to submit to scrutiny. In short, I set out to explain how this new cosmopolitan paradigm (based on this particular depiction of Byzantium as a ‘representative’ and ‘lawful constitution’) could respond to gaps identified in the liberal canon of international relations.
The World Crises in Hegel’s Dialectic Thinking & the Current Contradictions Confronted Europe
Authors: Skoulas Georgios , Skoula Despoina
Published: May 2024

The research objective of this paper emanates from a reasonable anxiety regarding the direction of things in the present world scene. For that, the Hegelian notion of the world crises is necessary to be traced in order to comprehend better the course of world economy and the contradictions that the EU is confronted with today. The main interest is focused on: the shaped order of the world, the political actions and strategies that are implemented by the dominant forces of the planet, the prospects and objectives that emerged in the European Union. This way, the political theory of neo-liberalism is traced in order to compare the results of the political actions which facilitated the increasing tendencies of the globalization. Yet, the prospects and possible developments of the European Union are studied carefully, while the latter is found today in the direction and stage of its endeavors of political integration. This attempt is made more or less to strong unification of EU, because with one united Europe it is possible to liberate itself from the tenet of neo-liberalism. It means, that EU could possibly line up one human, just and democratic alternative solution to the anarchist capitalism of the hegemonic forces of the West as well as to the authoritarian Asiatic capitalism. The research then, is to highlight the elements that compose the deepening for the real political unification of the European Union, without overseeing the obstacles that appear in that venture. Emphasis is given to the international economic system and to the neo-liberalist ideological doctrine which restricts the dynamic of the political integration.
From the Orphic texts to the Homeric Epics and to the Dramatic Poetry:
Authors: Makripoulias Vasileios
Published: May 2024

Logos is the most important requested thing, because this is the internal joint which unites beings and their evolution. We think of Logos as a gnosiological and not ontologiacal factor. We are making mention of Logos as a real process and not as a simple manner, because we believe that human Logos could be known by the man of thought and action. Orphic texts rasionalize the universe as a kind of movements and as a dynamic evolution. They can see inside the universal forces the very cause, manner and the purpose of proceeding and improvement, so far these forces are not naughtily thrown any more. Homer’s  epics offered an invaluable service to the Humane spiritual arsenal: They connected men with the macrocosm powers, Odysseus, Achilles are made of the same universal powers. These powers are the very God’s content, twelve Gods evolve kosmos according to these universal powers in a humane manner. Human qualities which are attributed to the gods help men to imitate this anthropomorphic way of the gods in order human Logos slowly intervene to the universe world. All these interventions could be transferred through Logos inside human society, inside human organizations. Odysseus learns to use Logos through his contact with the human form of goddess Athena – who represents the Wisdom. So, he can justify his actions, he is able of categorizing his life, he manages to complete his Nostos, the very purpose of Him. In the 5th century a.d. Athens was the sum of people like the Odysseus. The glory City of Athens was an aggregate of thinking people like a Kingdom of wisdom, which is projected in the poetical work of tragic poetry. The reasonable Subject of the Athenean Democracy came up through the Orphic texts and Homeric Epics (we should not forget that Peisistratus (an Athenean tyrant) introduced the Homeric Epics because he thought that these texts could cultivate Athenean adolescents). This reasonable Subject believed that he could transform the universal powers (which influence the earth movement) into ideal social forces, which are able to produce atomic and social happiness and eydaimonia. The bitter denial, which happened through Peloponnesian War, disappeared this kind of human individualism as a piece of universal power. So far kosmic forces separated into two parts: what I can think (idea) and what I could act (praxis). Humanity proceeded glorifying not the sense of what there really exists but glorifying the sense of what I am thinking that there really exists. Plato and Aristotle supported this appreciable process because they thought that idea and not what there really exist is the basis of Human skepsis and praxis.
Law’s diversity:
Authors: Howse Robert
Published: May 2024

Should the question of what is law be the central preoccupation of legal theory? Is this question inherently normative or could it be adequately answered by a purely descriptive or positive account?[1]  Does the question itself wrongly suppose that there is an ultimate unity in law or legality that permits the elaboration of a “concept of law”? In the short Platonic dialogue the Minos, Socrates asks an unnamed comrade, “what is law for us?” Throughout the work Plato puts in question whether an essentialist account of law is reasonable at all, with Socrates and the companion exploring various constructions of law as unitary, universal, and unchangeable. In the argument, all of these are forced to yield to the reality of law’s diversity.  This diversity, though, does not prevent a rational account of law’s functions of social order and control, nor exclude that there could be expert knowledge of law oriented to such ends. Yet this knowledge is never absolute or fixed, and always subject to question and modification based on experience of law over time. Hence law can only “wish” to be the discovery of what is. Ultimately law’s diversity does not do justice to human diversity. Law, in responding to collective needs, inevitably clashes with differences among humans to some extent, and even where protecting physical collective existence is unable to minister to the individuality and difference among human souls.
Leo Strauss’ “The Argument and the Action of Plato’s Laws”:
Authors: Konstantinou Konstantina
Published: May 2024

The presence of Leo Strauss in the 20th century in the field of political philosophy is one of the most crucial as far as important philosophical findings go, which drastically changed the principles and aspirations of political practice and philosophical process. Through his philosophy, Strauss connected antiquity with the present, theory with practice and criticized the evils of his time. One aspect of his work, his involvement with Plato’s Laws and especially the book “The Argument and the Action of Plato’s Laws”, which may shed more light on his views, has not been sufficiently researched, at least in terms of its connection with his overall work. The aim of the present paper is to highlight the relevant research of the philosopher, to find out the reasons why Strauss chose Plato as a thinker and the Laws as a dialogue and finally to evaluate what that choice means for his philosophy.
Towards a Political Theology of World Politics
Authors: Makris Spiros
Published: May 2024

Vassilios Paipais’ edited collective volume entitled Theology and World Politics. Metaphysics, Genealogies, Political Theologies constitutes one of the recent most illuminated and specialized books on the topic of political theology with regard to world politics. The book is divided into three individual parts that bring to the fore the basic aspects of the political theology of the International in our days: that is to say, Metaphysics, Genealogies, and Political Theologies.The preeminent contributors of the collective volume compose a disciplinarily diverse, however absolutely solid, group of contemporary academics and experts of political theology, who approach world politics from different theoretical angles, exploiting the radical conceptual edifice of political theology, in particular the rich and increasingly interconnected intellectual toolkits of philosophy -not only so-called Continental Philosophy (Kahn, 2016)- and theology -not only Christian Theology.
Command in war:
Authors: Valdés Guía Pedro
Published: May 2024

At a time when advances in technology are accelerating the trend towards blurring the boundaries between the different levels of conduct of military operations, this work provides a comprehensive analysis, with a historical perspective, of the subject of command in war. The book addresses the issue of the command of military operations during armed conflict, in order to elucidate whether its "operational occurrence" is a mere continuation of politics, when it brings its most serious means into play, or whether, on the contrary, it introduces a new logic into the political process, which could not be managed according to the parameters of instrumental reason. Aware that the hierarchical-instrumental subjection constitutes the "normal paradigm" of Western political-military relations for the conduct of war, the novelty of this book lies in the judgement of this paradigm, not from the political logic that, obviously, would like to express itself with a docile and versatile grammar, but from the intrinsic demands of its operational occurrence.