bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Description of apps targeting stroke patients: A review of apps store
Authors: Cao Wenjing , Kadir Azidah Abdul , Wang Yuhui , Wang Juan , Dai Bolin , Zheng Yilin , Mu Pengjuan , Hu Chencheng , Chen Jianlu , Na Luo , Hassan Intan Idiana
Published: June 2023

Background

As a principal cause of mortality and disability worldwide, stroke imposes considerable burdens on society and effects on the lives of patients, families, and communities. Owing to their growing global popularity, health-related applications (apps) offer a promising approach to stroke management but show a knowledge gap regarding mobile apps for stroke survivors.

Methods

This review was conducted across the Android and iOS app stores in September–December 2022 to identify and describe all apps targeting stroke survivors. Apps were included if they were designed for stroke management and contained at least one of the following components: medication taking, risk management, blood pressure management, and stroke rehabilitation. Apps were excluded if they were unrelated to health, not in Chinese or English, or the targeted users were healthcare professionals. The included apps were downloaded, and their functionalities were investigated.

Results

The initial search yielded 402 apps, with 115 eligible after title and description screening. Some apps were later excluded due to duplicates, registration problems, or installation failures. In total, 83 apps were included for full review and evaluated by three independent reviewers. Educational information was the most common function (36.1%), followed by rehabilitation guidance (34.9%), communication with healthcare providers (HCPs), and others (28.9%). The majority of these apps (50.6%) had only one functionality. A minority had contributions from an HCP or patients.

Conclusion

With the widespread accessibility and availability of smartphone apps across the mHealth landscape, an increasing number of apps targeting stroke survivors are being released. One of the most important findings is that the majority of the apps were not specifically geared toward older adults. Many of the currently available apps lack healthcare professionals’ and patients’ involvement in their development, and most offer limited functionality, thus requiring further attention to the development of customized apps.
Online medical consultation in China: Evidence from obesity doctors
Authors: Yu Donglei , Hu Yaolin , Wang Jian , Nicholas Stephen , Maitland Elizabeth
Published: June 2023

Objective

Online medical consultation (OMC) is increasingly used in China, but there have been few in-depth studies of consultation arrangements and fee structures of online doctors in China. This research assessed the consultation arrangements and fee structure of OMC in China by undertaking a case study of obesity doctors from four representative OMC platforms.

Methods

Detailed information, including fees, waiting time and doctor information, was collected from four obesity OMC platforms and analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis.

Results

The obesity OMC platforms in China shared similarities in the use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) but differed across service access, specific consultation arrangements and fees. Big data search and AI response technologies were used by most platforms to match users with doctors and reduce doctors’ pressure. The descriptive statistical analysis showed that the higher the rank of the online doctor, the higher the online fee and the longer the wait time. Through a comparison with offline hospitals, we found online doctors’ fees exceeded offline hospital doctors’ fees by up to 90%.

Conclusions

OMC platforms can gain competitive advantages over offline medical institutions through the following measures: make fuller use of big data and AI technologies to provide users with longer duration, lower cost and more efficient consultation services; provide better user experience than offline medical institutions; use big data and fee advantages to screen doctors to match users’ consultation needs instead of screening by the rank of doctors only; and cooperate with commercial insurance providers to provide innovative health care packages.
Do Bubbles in the Bitcoin Market Impact Stock Markets? Evidence From 10 Major Stock Markets
Authors: Gemici Eray , Polat Muslum , Gök Remzi , Khan Muhammad Asif , Khan Mohammed Arshad , Kilic Yunus
Published: June 2023

In this paper, we examine the effect of explosive behaviors in the Bitcoin market on the top 10 largest stock markets of developed and emerging countries. The daily dataset, including the Dow Jones Industrial Index (DJIA), Nasdaq (NSQ), Shanghai Composite Index (SSE), Nikkei 225 (N225), Hang Seng Index (HSI), Shenzhen Composite Index (SZSE), Euronext Amsterdam Index (AEX), London Stock Exchange (LSE), Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), spans July 21, 2010, to December 9, 2022. We first investigate the existence of explosive price behaviors using the bubble detection test of Phillips and Shi and the results provide evidence of multiple bubble episodes, coinciding with the monetary policy actions of the FED and ECB. Then, we address the question of whether the explosive behaviors detected affect the variance of equity returns by employing a GARCH model. The impact is negative, albeit its magnitude and significance vary among stock indices.
Practical Implications of Smart Specialization Strategy: Barriers to Implementation, Role of the Public Sector, and Benefits for Entrepreneurs
Authors: Kogut-Jaworska Magdalena , Ociepa-Kicińska Elżbieta
Published: June 2023

Smart specialization is one of the major public policies aimed at stimulation of innovations. The aim of this paper is to examine the interactions between implementation of innovation strategy in the form of RIS3, barriers and bottlenecks of innovation diffusion, and development of innovativeness in enterprises on a regional level. The analysis was based on 30 individual in-depth interviews with representatives of institutions implementing the assumptions of smart specialization in the regions, as well as cross-sectional survey questionnaires on a sample of 250 enterprises engaged in innovative activities in Poland sample. The results of this study show that the applied forms of innovation support, implemented within the framework of RIS3, are not adapted to the realities of the operation of enterprises. Improving this situation requires understanding the actual needs of entrepreneurs. It is proposed to increase the level of stakeholder interaction and communication. Improved measures should be tested and evaluated based on their ability to stimulate business innovation.
Impact of COVID-19 on Research in Durham University Business School
Authors: Harris Richard
Published: June 2023

Statistically robust evidence that the pandemic (C19) has had an adverse impact on academic research carried out in Universities is limited. The new results presented are based on a survey of Business School academics who were entered into the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 assessment of research quality, confirming that C19 had a major effect during the March to September 2020 period on research activities. In terms of which sub-groups of staff have been most affected, the largest negative effects are associated with those (almost all female) staff who took paternity/maternity leave during the 7-year REF period; followed by female staff, those (mid-career researchers) in the Associate Professor grade, then staff classified as “other white ethnic” (as opposed to White British). The implications of this for equality, diversity, and inclusion are likely to be significant, as is discussed when looking at what universities might do to overcome the negative impacts of C19.
Establishing a Nuanced Phenomenographic Argument for the Prospective Teachers’ Conceptions of Teaching
Authors: Soysal Yilmaz , Soysal Somayyeh
Published: June 2023

The related literature implies that phenomenographic arguments on teaching conception are primarily developed for in-service teachers or university educators. There is also an ongoing tenet among educational phenomenographers that instructors’ conceptions of teaching are inquired into by discriminating teacher-centered and student-centered modes of teaching from each other. In addressing these two issues, first, the present study established a phenomenographic argument regarding prospective teachers’ (PTs) experience-based conceptions of the teaching phenomenon. Second, the current study considers teaching phenomenon in a broader sense within five hierarchical categories: monological, dialogical, dialectical, adaptive-pragmatic, and reflective. A phenomenographic research was conducted to comprehend 39 senior PTs’ teaching conceptions. It is concluded that the PTs mainly experienced and reported three focused dimensions of the phenomenon: monological, dialogical, and dialectical. However, two more sophisticated dimensions, adaptive-pragmatic and reflective teaching, were absent in the PTs’ experienced-based conceptions. Finally, suggestions are offered for educators who considerably fluctuate the PTs’ experiential cognition of the instruction and related conceptions of enacted teaching.
International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey: Socioeconomic and Healthcare Satisfaction in Spain
Authors: González-Viejo Miguel Angel , Avellanet Merce , Boada-Pladellorens Anna , Montesinos-Magraner Lluïsa , Jaúregui-Abrisqueta María Luisa , Bárbara-Bataller Enrique , Méndez-Ferrer Bosco , Sánchez-Raya Judith , Cívicos Nora , Méndez-Suarez José Luis , Barrera-Chacón Juana María
Published: June 2023

Study Design

Survey study.

Objectives

People living with spinal cord injury (SCI) are major healthcare and rehabilitation services consumers and have unmet healthcare needs. This study aimed to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of people living with SCI in Spain and to determine the level of use and satisfaction with the public healthcare system.

Methods

We conducted a survey (the Spanish version of the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey) consisting of 134 questions. We analyzed the age, sex, neurological classification of the injury on the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale, time of injury, socio-occupational and socioeconomic status, and level of use and satisfaction with the public health system.

Results

472 people responded to the survey [68.9% male; mean age 51.2 years (standard deviation: 13.9 years); 61.7% with paraplegia and 38.3% with tetraplegia]. 89.2% of those surveyed were unemployed and 77.1% received a disability pension. The number of medical visits was 2.3/year, and 19.8% of the patients required at least 1 hospital admission during the previous year. 94.7% of the people with SCI considered the health care received as good or very good.

Conclusions

Respondents with SCI in Spain considered they had good access to primary and specialized care and were satisfied with the healthcare system. Notably, we observed a high average of annual visits to medical professionals but a low rate of hospitalizations. Technical aids and state services related to disability should be the most important elements to be improved.
Cai Yuanpei’s Knowledge Taxonomy and the Divide Between Science and Metaphysics in Modern China
Authors: Lin Xiaoqing Diana
Published: June 2023

Cai Yuanpei was a renowned 20th century Chinese educator. He is best known for his role as the chancellor of Peking University and his belief in “inclusiveness and tolerance (jianrong bingbao).” This essay examines Cai Yuanpei’s knowledge taxonomy both in his early 20th century writings and in his academic policies as Chancellor of National Peking University (1917–1923). As chancellor, Cai made a conscious effort to recruit faculty members who aimed to bring about revolutionary changes to Chinese culture. While his original vision was to integrate scientific methodologies with the intuitive philosophies of xuanxue (玄学), the dominant trend in Chinese scholarship became heavily focused on science. This essay delves into Cai’s exposure to Japanese intellectual influences around 1900, and how it influenced Cai’s initial knowledge taxonomy and its connection to Cai’s definition of science disciplines in modern Chinese education. Cai’s view toward science and philosophy evolved from an emphasis on a continuum between the two in the early 1900s to their separation, as science gained momentum and philosophy became increasingly subordinate to science. The essay shows how Cai’s efforts to create a modern educational system in China where science would be balanced with intuitive learning played out to a predominance of science in Chinese learning.
Book review: Mukulika Banerjee, Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India
Authors: Pradhan Nirvan
Published: June 2023

Mukulika Banerjee, Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India. Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2022. 256pp., ₹995.
Book review: Jelle J. P. Wouters, ed. Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity & Indigeneity
Authors: Phukan Ankur Tamuli
Published: June 2023

Jelle J. P. Wouters, ed. Vernacular Politics in Northeast India: Democracy, Ethnicity & Indigeneity. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2022, 426 pages, ₹1,638.
Anticipating the Threat of Democratic Majoritarianism: Ambedkar on Constitutional Design and Ideology Critique, 1941–1948
Authors: Govind Rahul
Published: June 2023

This article analyses B. R. Ambedkar’s works written between 1941 and 1948, and it discerns a central set of concerns and arguments in this otherwise diverse corpus. It argues that since universal franchise as a political principle is uncontroversial, Ambedkar’s primary concern is geared towards the danger of democratic majoritarianism in a society riven by historically, legally and ideologically determined forms of inequality and their logic—a danger that can only be addressed at the dual levels of institutional design and ideological critique. Reading together Pakistan or the Partition of India and What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables, the initial sections argue that Ambedkar was critical of Congress and Muslim league politics because he saw in them both, albeit in distinct ways, the affirmation of religious identity as central to the formulation of political identity. Such an orientation, in the actual mechanics of mass politics and constitutional negotiation, is therefore read as inevitably leading to conflicts including demands for Partition, but at the same time such politics avoided fundamental questions of internal critique and instituted forms of socialized inequality. It is in this context, and the imminence of Partition, that the article analyses Ambedkar’s argument for the need of both a specific institutional design (constitutional provisions) and an ideology critique (his historical research including Who were the Sudras and The Untouchables). The analysis of the demand for partition and the category of the minority can only be understood through Ambedkar’s acute historical and theoretical understanding of the nation and its history, as well as the normative demands required for institutional justice, as will be shown through a reading of this corpus.
Book review: Subrata K. Mitra, Governance by Stealth: The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Making of the Indian State
Authors: Kapoor Shivani
Published: June 2023

Subrata K. Mitra, Governance by Stealth: The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Making of the Indian State. Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2021. 481 pages. ₹476.
Geography and the Political Economy of Pre-colonial Ehugbo
Authors: Oko-Out Chukwuemeka N. , Ajaegbo D. I.
Published: June 2023

Geography is often a major determinant of economic activities. Traditional African economic activities such as hunting, gathering, fishing, animal rearing, crop production and local industries were often determined by the geographical environment. In turn, economic activities could become instrumental in the formation and shaping of political institutions and social relations. By focusing on creating a cash crop economy and integrating African economies into the world capitalist system, European colonialism altered the longstanding economic and political base of African traditional societies. This article discusses the place of geography in the pre-colonial economic development of Ehugbo and shows how various economic activities influenced the formation of organised political and social institutions among the people in pre-colonial times.
‘Shah of Shahs’ or ‘Shah of India’? Some Observations on Territoriality and Power in the Mughal Empire (Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries)
Authors: Vanina Eugenia
Published: June 2023

Mughal statehood has been a much-debated problem in studies of pre-colonial Indian history. Discussing the character of this state as ‘patrimonial–bureaucratic’, ‘segmentary’, ‘feudal’, ‘centralised’ or ‘absolutist’, scholars have brought to light both valuable source materials and cogent arguments. However, their attention has been often focused primarily on economy, especially the agrarian system, administration, taxation, structure of elites and, more recently, culture. This article is an attempt to reflect on a hitherto less explored sphere, the territoriality of the Mughal state, especially studying the ruling elite’s perception of an association with the lands under its control.
Aditya Mukherjee, Political Economy of Colonial and Post-colonial India
Authors: Sharma Shubham
Published: June 2023

Aditya Mukherjee, Political Economy of Colonial and Post-colonial India (Delhi: Primus, 2022), hb., 559 pp. ₹1,950.
Book review: Lennart Bes, The Heirs of Vijayanagara: Court Politics in Early Modern South India
Authors: Subbarayalu Y.
Published: June 2023

Lennart Bes, The Heirs of Vijayanagara: Court Politics in Early Modern South India (Leiden: Leiden University Press), 2022, pp., 567 + illustrations + maps, price not stated.
Book review: Nandini Chatterjee, Negotiating Mughal Law: A Family of Landlords Across Three Indian Empires
Authors: Habib Irfan
Published: June 2023

Nandini Chatterjee, Negotiating Mughal Law: A Family of Landlords Across Three Indian Empires (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 2020, 298 pp., (Pb.).
Book review: Rakhshanda Jalil and Debjani Sengupta (eds.), Bangladesh: Writings on 1971, Across Borders
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Kausik
Published: June 2023

Rakhshanda Jalil and Debjani Sengupta (eds.), Bangladesh: Writings on 1971, Across Borders (Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan), 2022, hb., xvi + 276 pp., ₹875.
Book review: Walden Bello, Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far Right (Agrarian Change and Peasant Studies)
Authors: Elmas Furkan
Published: June 2023

Walden Bello, Counterrevolution: The Global Rise of the Far Right ( Agrarian Change and Peasant Studies) (Warwickshire: Practical Action Publishing), 2019, 196 pp.
An Innovative Master in Anatomy: Combining Anatomy With Educational Scholarship
Authors: Jalali Alireza , Ramnanan Christopher J.
Published: June 2023

The purpose of this article is to describe the design of a unique, bilingual (English and French) Master of Applied Sciences (M.Sc.) in Anatomical Sciences Education (ASE) program at a Canadian postsecondary institution. Anatomy is a core foundational discipline that is essential to many undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in the health sciences. However, the number of new individuals with the necessary knowledge base and the pedagogical training to teach cadaveric anatomy are in short supply and cannot satisfy the number of openings for trained educators in the field. The M.Sc. in ASE was created to meet the increasingly critical need for instructors trained in human anatomy. The program is designed to prepare students for a career teaching human anatomy to students in the health sciences, emphasizing hands-on cadaveric dissection. Moreover, this program aims to develop educational scholarship skills in trainees by leveraging faculty expertise in medical education research, particularly in the field of anatomy education research. This focus on scholarships will make graduates more competitive for future faculty positions. During their first year of the program, learners will develop clinically relevant anatomy knowledge, teaching skills, and anatomy education scholarship. In the second year, students will benefit from an immediate, hands-on application of this acquired knowledge. In the same year, students will serve as anatomy teachers in the faculty's Medical Program and conduct their education scholarship projects, culminating in a formal research paper. Although similar programs have been developed in recent years, this article provides the first description of the creation of a graduate program in anatomy education. It includes needs assessment, program development, challenges faced, and lessons learned during the approval process. The article serves as a valuable resource for other institutions aspiring to develop similar initiatives.
Infrastructures connecting people: A mechanistic model for terrestrial transportation networks
Authors: Prignano Luce , Font-Pomarol Lluc , Morer Ignacio , Lozano Sergi
Published: June 2023

Terrestrial Transportation Infrastructures (TTIs) are shaped by both socio-political and geographical factors, hence encoding crucial information about how resources and power are distributed through a territory. Therefore, analysing the structure of pathway, railway or road networks allows us to gain a better understanding of the political and social organization of the communities that created and maintained them. Network science can provide extremely useful tools to address quantitatively this issue. Here, focussing on passengers transport, we propose a methodology to shed light on the processes and forces that moulded transportation infrastructures into their current configuration, without having to rely on any additional information besides the topology of the network and the distribution of the population. Our approach is based on a simple mechanistic model that implements a wide spectrum of decision-making mechanisms (representing different power distributions) which could have driven the growth of a TTI. Thus, by adjusting a few model parameters, it is possible to generate several synthetic transportation networks, and compare across them and against the empirical system under study. An illustrative case study (i.e. the railway system in Catalonia, a region in Spain) is also provided to showcase the application of the proposed methodology. Our preliminary results highlight the potential of our approach, thus calling for further research.
Entrepreneurial Competencies in Action: Online Fundraising Initiatives by University Students
Authors: Cooney Thomas M. , Brophy Martina
Published: June 2023

It has been argued that entrepreneurship educators are inclined to let students learn in a safe controlled environment, with no pressure except to pass the module. Students working in groups of three were given 12 weeks (Target 1) to develop a fundraising initiative, work with various stakeholders, and execute their online fundraising initiative to meet a target goal of €2000 (Target 2) per group. Employing approaches such as Effectuation, Lean Start-Up and the Business Model Canvas, a self-directed learning approach ensured students were able to take ownership of their learning journey with the lecturer acting as coach or facilitator. The learning innovation stems from the highly experiential nature of the assignment, the various deadlines and targets that had to be met throughout the process, the promoted collaboration with real world environments, the introduction of mentors and other support actors, and the successful adaptation of the assignment to an online learning environment. The assignment can be undertaken in an online or offline environment, and it provides a highly practical learning experience that enables students to utilize and develop the 15 entrepreneurship competencies identified in the EntreComp framework under the pressure of meeting time and monetary targets.
Quantification of p-Cymene and Heptane in a Solvent-Based Green Process of Polystyrene Recycling
Authors: Kara Ali Zeinab , Pin Jean-Mathieu , Pellerin Christian
Published: June 2023

The development of an economically viable technology for recycling polystyrene (PS) is of crucial importance. Most postconsumer PS feedstocks cannot be handled by mechanical recycling due to severe contamination. A solvent-based process was developed by Polystyvert and uses p-cymene as a solvent to solubilize PS and heptane as an antisolvent to precipitate it. This leads to the production of recycled PS resin of high purity. However, the optimization of this process requires the knowledge of p-cymene, heptane, and PS concentrations at different stages, where the samples of interest can be a viscoelastic paste or a solid (pellets). Here, we present an infrared spectroscopy (IR) method that can rapidly quantify the content of these samples at the plant level. Partial least squares statistical modeling on the first derivative IR spectra allowed the simultaneous quantification of the components with a limit of quantification of 0.5% and 1% for p-cymene and heptane. To illustrate the usefulness of this method, samples from a pilot PS-recycling plant were tested to improve the washing efficiency of the process.
WormTensor: a clustering method for time-series whole-brain activity data from C. elegans
Authors: Tsuyuzaki Koki , Yamamoto Kentaro , Toyoshima Yu , Sato Hirofumi , Kanamori Manami , Teramoto Takayuki , Ishihara Takeshi , Iino Yuichi , Nikaido Itoshi
Published: June 2023

Background

In the field of neuroscience, neural modules and circuits that control biological functions have been found throughout entire neural networks. Correlations in neural activity can be used to identify such neural modules. Recent technological advances enable us to measure whole-brain neural activity with single-cell resolution in several species including$$Caenorhabditis\ elegans$$Caenorhabditiselegans. Because current neural activity data inC. eleganscontain many missing data points, it is necessary to merge results from as many animals as possible to obtain more reliable functional modules.

Results

In this work, we developed a new time-series clustering method, , to identify functional modules using whole-brain activity data fromC. elegans. uses a distance measure, modified shape-based distance to account for the lags and the mutual inhibition of cell–cell interactions and applies the tensor decomposition algorithm multi-view clustering based on matrix integration using the higher orthogonal iteration of tensors (HOOI) algorithm (), which can estimate both the weight to account for the reliability of data from each animal and the clusters that are common across animals.

Conclusion

We applied the method to 24 individualC. elegansand successfully found some known functional modules. Compared with a widely used consensus clustering method to aggregate multiple clustering results, showed higher silhouette coefficients. Our simulation also showed that is robust to contamination from noisy data. is freely available as an /CRAN packagehttps://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/WormTensor.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress-related gene model predicts prognosis and guides therapies in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Song Yuqi , Ma Jianzun , Fang Linan , Tang Mingbo , Gao Xinliang , Zhu Dongshan , Liu Wei
Published: June 2023

Background

The prognosis and survival of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients are still not promising despite recent breakthroughs in treatment. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is a self-protective mechanism resulting from an imbalance in quality control of unfolded proteins when cells are stressed, which plays an active role in lung cancer development, but the relationship between ERS and the pathological characteristics and clinical prognosis of LUAD patients remains unclear.

Methods

LASSO and Cox regression were applied based on sequencing information to construct the model, which was validated to be robust. The risk scores of the patients were calculated using the formula provided by the model, and the patients were divided into high and low-risk groups according to the median cut-off of risk scores. Cox regression analysis identifies independent prognostic factors for these patients, and enrichment analysis of prognosis-related genes was also performed. The relationship between risk scores and tumor mutation burden (TMB), cancer stem cell index, and drug sensitivity was explored.

Results

We constructed a 13-gene prognostic model for LUAD patients. Patients in the high-risk group had worse overall survival, lower immune score and ESTIMATE score, higher TMB, higher cancer stem cell index, and higher sensitivity to conventional chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, we constructed a nomogram that predicts 5-year survival in LUAD patients, which helps clinicians to foresee the prognosis from a new perspective.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the association of ERS with LUAD and the potential use of ERS in guiding treatment.
Evaluation of circulating microRNA profiles in blood as potential candidate biomarkers in a subacute ruminal acidosis cow model - a pilot study
Authors: Ojo O. E. , Hajek L. , Johanns S. , Pacífico C. , Sener-Aydemir A. , Ricci S. , Rivera-Chacon R. , Castillo-Lopez E. , Reisinger N. , Zebeli Q. , Kreuzer-Redmer S.
Published: June 2023

Background

Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a metabolic disorder often observed in high-yielding dairy cows, that are fed diets high in concentrates. We hypothesized that circulating miRNAs in blood of cows could serve as potential candidate biomarkers to detect animals with metabolic dysbalances such as SARA. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs, serving as regulators of a plethora of molecular processes. To test our hypothesis, we performed a pilot study with non-lactating Holstein–Friesian cows fed a forage diet (FD; 0% concentrate, n = 4) or a high-grain diet (HG; 65% concentrate, n = 4) to induce SARA. Comprehensive profiling of miRNA expression in plasma and leucocytes were performed by next generation sequencing (NGS). The success of our model to induce SARA was evaluated based on ruminal pH and was evidenced by increased time spent with a pH threshold of 5.8 for an average period of 320 min/d.

Results

A total of 520 and 730 miRNAs were found in plasma and leucocytes, respectively. From these, 498 miRNAs were shared by both plasma and leucocytes, with 22 miRNAs expressed exclusively in plasma and 232 miRNAs expressed exclusively in leucocytes. Differential expression analysis revealed 10 miRNAs that were up-regulated and 2 that were down-regulated in plasma of cows when fed the HG diet. A total of 63 circulating miRNAs were detected exclusively in the plasma of cows with SARA, indicating that these animals exhibited a higher number and diversity of circulating miRNAs. Considering the total read counts of miRNAs expressed when fed the HG diet, differentially expressed miRNAs ( log2 fold change) and known function, we have identified bta-miR-11982, bta-miR-1388-5p, bta-miR-12034, bta-miR-2285u, and bta-miR-30b-3p as potential candidates for SARA-biomarker in cows by NGS. These were further subjected to validation using small RNA RT-qPCR, confirming the promising role of bta-miR-30b-3p and bta-miR-2285.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that dietary change impacts the release and expression of miRNAs in systemic circulation, which may modulate post-transcriptional gene expression in cows undergoing SARA. Particularly, bta-miR-30b-3p and bta-miR-2285 might serve as promising candidate biomarker predictive for SARA and should be further validated in larger cohorts.
Goldenhar syndrome complicated with subglottic airway stenosis: a case report
Authors: Xing Fei , Deng Xiao ming , Yang Dong
Published: June 2023

Background

Goldenhar syndrome is a congenital disease that involves an absence or underdevelopment of structures that arise from the first and second pharyngeal arches and more or less severe extracranial anomalies. A variety of supraglottic malformations may be observed, including mandibular hypoplasia, mandibular asymmetry and micrognathia. Subglottic airway stenosis (SGS), which can cause difficulties in airway management during the perioperative period, is seldom emphasized in literature descriptions of Goldenhar syndrome, but can be clinically significant.

Case presentation

An 18-year-old female with a history of Goldenhar syndrome presented for placement of a right mandibular distractor, right retroauricular dilator, and stage I transfer of a prefabricated expanded flap under general anesthesia. During tracheal intubation, the endotracheal tube (ETT) met resistance unexpectantly when attempting to pass through the glottis. Subsequently, we attempted the procedure with a smaller size ETT but again met resistance. With fiberoptic bronchoscope, we found that the whole segment of the trachea and bilateral bronchi were obvious narrow. Given the finding of unexpected severe airway stenosis and the associated risks with proceeding with the surgery, the operation was cancelled. We removed the ETT once the patient was fully awake.

Conclusions

Anesthesiologists should be aware of this clinical finding when evaluating the airway of a patient with Goldenhar syndrome. Coronal and sagittal measurements on computerized tomography (CT) and three-dimensional image reconstruction can be used to evaluate the degree of subglottic airway stenosis and measure the diameter of the trachea.
Clinical presentation and angiographic findings of acute myocardial infarction in young adults in Jazan region
Authors: Haider Kamel H. , Alshoabi Sultan Abdulwadoud , Alharbi Ibrahim A. , Gameraddin Moawia , Abdulaal Osamah M. , Gareeballah Awadia , Alsharif Walaa M. , Alhazmi Fahad H. , Qurashi Abdualziz A. , Aloufi Khalid M. , Sayed Ahmed I.
Published: June 2023

Background

There is a paucity of information about the clinical features and angiographic findings in young patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), especially in the Arab Peninsula countries.

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess the proposed risk factors, clinical presentation, and angiographic findings of acute myocardial infarction in young adults.

Methods

This prospective study included young (range, 18 to 45 years) patients who presented with acute MI based on clinical evaluation, laboratory investigation, and electrocardiogram, and they underwent a coronary angiography procedure.

Key findings

Data of 109 patients with a diagnosis of acute MI were collected. Patients’ mean age was 39.98 ± 7.52 years (range, 31 to 45 years), and 92.7% (101) were male. Smoking was the highest risk factor in 67% of patients, obesity and overweight in 66%, sedentary lifestyle in 64%, dyslipidaemia in 33%, and hypertension in 28%. Smoking was the most common risk factor for acute MI in males (p = 0.009), whereas sedentary lifestyle was the most common risk factor in females (p = 0.028). Chest pain typical of acute MI was the most common presenting symptom in 96% of patients (p < 0.001). On admission, 96% of patients were conscious, and 95% were oriented. On angiography, the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was affected in 57%, the right coronary artery (RCA) was affected in 42%, and the left circumflex artery (LCX) was affected in 32% of patients. The LAD was severely affected in 44%, the RCA was severely affected in 25.7%, and the LCX was severely affected in 19.26% of patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension were the most common risk factors for acute MI. Smoking was the most common risk factor in males and sedentary lifestyle in females. The LAD was the most commonly affected coronary artery, followed by the RCA and LCX arteries, with the same order for severity of stenosis.
Age and gender differences of basic electrocardiographic values and abnormalities in the general adult population; Tehran Cohort Study
Authors: Ahmadi Pooria , Afzalian Arian , Jalali Arash , Sadeghian Saeed , Masoudkabir Farzad , Oraii Alireza , Ayati Aryan , Nayebirad Sepehr , Pezeshki Parmida Sadat , Lotfi Tokaldani Masoumeh , Shafiee Akbar , Mohammadi Mohammad , Sanei Elham , Tajdini Masih , Hosseini Kaveh
Published: June 2023

Background

Although several studies are available regarding baseline Electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters and major and minor ECG abnormalities, there is considerable controversy regarding their age and gender differences in the literature.

Methods

Data from 7630 adults aged ≥ 35 from the Tehran Cohort Study registered between March 2016 and March 2019 were collected. Basic ECG parameters values and abnormalities related to arrhythmia, defined according to the American Heart Association definitions, were analyzed and compared between genders and four distinct age groups. The odds ratio of having any major ECG abnormality between men and women, stratified by age, was calculated.

Results

The average age was 53.6 (± 12.66), and women made up 54.2% (n = 4132) of subjects. The average heart rate (HR) was higher among women(p < 0.0001), while the average values of QRS duration, P wave duration, and RR intervals were higher among men(p < 0.0001). Major ECG abnormalities were observed in 2.9% of the study population (right bundle branch block, left bundle branch block, and Atrial Fibrillation were the most common) and were more prevalent among men compared to women but without statistical significance (3.1% vs. 2.7% p = 0.188). Moreover, minor abnormalities were observed in 25.9% of the study population and again were more prevalent among men (36.4% vs. 17% p < 0.001). The prevalence of major ECG abnormalities was significantly higher in participants older than 65.

Conclusion

Major and minor ECG abnormalities were roughly more prevalent in male subjects. In both genders, the odds of having major ECG abnormalities surge with an increase in age.
Recommendations for post-implementation adaptations to optimize family navigation in pediatric primary care: a qualitative study with parents and navigators
Authors: Levinson Julia , Hickey Emily , Fuchu Plyce , Chu Andrea , Barnett Miya , Stadnick Nicole A. , Feinberg Emily , Broder-Fingert Sarabeth
Published: June 2023

Background

Family Navigation (FN) is an evidence-based care management intervention designed to reduce disparities in access to care by providing families with individually tailored support and care coordination. Early data suggest FN is effective, but effectiveness is significantly influenced by both contextual (e.g. setting) and individual (e.g., ethnicity) variables. To better understand how FN could be tailored to address this variability in effectiveness, we set forth to explore proposed adaptations to FN by both navigators and families who received FN.

Methods

This study was a nested qualitative study set within a larger randomized clinical trial of FN to improve access to autism diagnostic services in urban pediatric primary care practices in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut serving low-income, racial and ethnic minority families. Following FN implementation, key informant interviews were conducted based on the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Expanded (FRAME) with a purposeful sample of parents of children who received FN (n = 21) and navigators (n = 7). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and were coded using framework-guided rapid analysis to categorize proposed adaptations to FN.

Results

Parents and navigators proposed 38 adaptations in four domains: 1) content of the intervention (n = 18), 2) context of the intervention (n = 10), 3) training and evaluation (n = 6), and 4) implementation and scale-up (n = 4). The most frequently endorsed adaptation recommendations focused on content (e.g., lengthening FN, providing parents with additional education on autism and parenting children with autism) and implementation (e.g., increasing access to navigation). Although probes targeted critical feedback, parents and navigators were overwhelmingly positive about FN.

Conclusions

This study builds upon prior FN effectiveness and implementation research by providing concrete areas for adaptation and refinement of the intervention. Recommendations by parents and navigators have the potential to inform improvement of existing navigation programs and development of new programs in similarly underserved populations. These findings are critical as adaptation (cultural and otherwise) is an important principle in the field of health equity. Ultimately, adaptations will need to be tested to determine clinical and implementation effectiveness.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, registration number NCT02359084, February 9, 2015.
Trajectories of depressive symptoms and their predictors in Chinese older population: Growth Mixture model
Authors: Xie Yaofei , Ma Mengdi , Wang Wei
Published: June 2023

Background

Given the rapidly rising proportion of the older population in China and the relatively high prevalence of depressive symptoms among this population, this study aimed to identify the trajectories of depressive symptoms and the factors associated with the trajectory class to gain a better understanding of the long-term course of depressive symptoms in this population.

Methods

Data were obtained from four wave’s survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). A total of 3646 participants who aged 60 years or older during baseline survey, and completed all follow-ups were retained in this study. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). Growth mixture modelling (GMM) was adopted to identify the trajectory classes of depressive symptoms, and both linear and quadratic functions were considered. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of the associated factors to predict the trajectory class of participants.

Results

A four-class quadratic function model was the best-fitting model for the trajectories of depressive symptoms in the older Chinese population. The four trajectories were labelled as increasing (16.70%), decreasing (12.31%), high and stable (7.30%), and low and stable (63.69%), according to their trends. Except for the low and stable trajectory, the other trajectories were almost above the threshold for depressive symptoms. The multivariate logistic regression model suggested that the trajectories of chronic depressive symptoms could be predicted by being female, living in a village (rural area), having a lower educational level, and having chronic diseases.

Conclusions

This study identified four depressive symptom trajectories in the older Chinese population and analysed the factors associated with the trajectory class. These findings can provide references for prevention and intervention to reduce the chronic course of depressive symptoms in the older Chinese population.
Investigating the etiology of acute febrile illness: a prospective clinic-based study in Uganda
Authors: Kigozi Brian K. , Kharod Grishma A. , Bukenya Henry , Shadomy Sean V. , Haberling Dana L. , Stoddard Robyn A. , Galloway Renee L. , Tushabe Phionah , Nankya Annet , Nsibambi Thomas , Mbidde Edward Katongole , Lutwama Julius J. , Perniciaro Jamie L. , Nicholson William L. , Bower William A. , Bwogi Josephine , Blaney David D.
Published: June 2023

Background

Historically, malaria has been the predominant cause of acute febrile illness (AFI) in sub-Saharan Africa. However, during the last two decades, malaria incidence has declined due to concerted public health control efforts, including the widespread use of rapid diagnostic tests leading to increased recognition of non-malarial AFI etiologies. Our understanding of non-malarial AFI is limited due to lack of laboratory diagnostic capacity. We aimed to determine the etiology of AFI in three distinct regions of Uganda.

Methods

A prospective clinic-based study that enrolled participants from April 2011 to January 2013 using standard diagnostic tests. Participant recruitment was from St. Paul’s Health Centre (HC) IV, Ndejje HC IV, and Adumi HC IV in the western, central and northern regions, which differ by climate, environment, and population density. A Pearson's chi-square test was used to evaluate categorical variables, while a two-sample t-test and Krukalis-Wallis test were used for continuous variables.

Results

Of the 1281 participants, 450 (35.1%), 382 (29.8%), and 449 (35.1%) were recruited from the western, central, and northern regions, respectively. The median age (range) was 18 (2–93) years; 717 (56%) of the participants were female. At least one AFI pathogen was identified in 1054 (82.3%) participants; one or more non-malarial AFI pathogens were identified in 894 (69.8%) participants. The non-malarial AFI pathogens identified were chikungunya virus, 716 (55.9%); Spotted Fever Group rickettsia (SFGR), 336 (26.2%) and Typhus Group rickettsia (TGR), 97 (7.6%); typhoid fever (TF), 74 (5.8%); West Nile virus, 7 (0.5%); dengue virus, 10 (0.8%) and leptospirosis, 2 (0.2%) cases. No cases of brucellosis were identified. Malaria was diagnosed either concurrently or alone in 404 (31.5%) and 160 (12.5%) participants, respectively. In 227 (17.7%) participants, no cause of infection was identified. There were statistically significant differences in the occurrence and distribution of TF, TGR and SFGR, with TF and TGR observed more frequently in the western region (p = 0.001; p < 0.001) while SFGR in the northern region (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Malaria, arboviral infections, and rickettsioses are major causes of AFI in Uganda. Development of a Multiplexed Point-of-Care test would help identify the etiology of non-malarial AFI in regions with high AFI rates.
How contact patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic are related to pre-pandemic contact patterns and mobility trends
Authors: Lajot Adrien , Wambua James , Coletti Pietro , Franco Nicolas , Brondeel Ruben , Faes Christel , Hens Niel
Published: June 2023

Background

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were adopted in Belgium in order to decrease social interactions between people and as such decrease viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2. With the aim to better evaluate the impact of NPIs on the evolution of the pandemic, an estimation of social contact patterns during the pandemic is needed when social contact patterns are not available yet in real time.

Methods

In this paper we use a model-based approach allowing for time varying effects to evaluate whether mobility and pre-pandemic social contact patterns can be used to predict the social contact patterns observed during the COVID-19 pandemic between November 11, 2020 and July 4, 2022.

Results

We found that location-specific pre-pandemic social contact patterns are good indicators for estimating social contact patterns during the pandemic. However, the relationship between both changes with time. Considering a proxy for mobility, namely the change in the number of visitors to transit stations, in interaction with pre-pandemic contacts does not explain the time-varying nature of this relationship well.

Conclusion

In a situation where data from social contact surveys conducted during the pandemic are not yet available, the use of a linear combination of pre-pandemic social contact patterns could prove valuable. However, translating the NPIs at a given time into appropriate coefficients remains the main challenge of such an approach. In this respect, the assumption that the time variation of the coefficients can somehow be related to aggregated mobility data seems unacceptable during our study period for estimating the number of contacts at a given time.