bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of the preoperative ratio of fibrinogen to prealbumin in patients undergoing radical resection for lung cancer
Authors: Huang Zhining , Wang Gaoxiang , Xu Liangdong , Cui Shijun , Sun Xiaohui , Li Tian , Wang Jun , Xu Meiqing , Xie Mingran
Published: February 2025

Background

To investigate the significance of preoperative fibrinogen‐to‐prealbumin ratio (FPR) in the prognosis of non‐small cell lung cancer.

Methods

The clinical follow‐up pathological data of 289 patients who underwent radical lung cancer resection and were pathologically diagnosed with non‐small cell lung cancer after surgery were retrospectively analysed, and the FPR value was calculated according to the serological test results within 1 week before surgery. The cut‐off value of FPR was obtained by analysing the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to describe the survival curve, and Cox proportional hazards model was used to explore the risk factors affecting prognosis.

Results

When the FPR value was 10.96, the Youden index was the highest, with a sensitivity of 62.4% and a specificity of 69.6%. The cumulative five‐year survival rate in the low FPR group was significantly higher than that in the high FPR group (81.4% versus 54.7%). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that FPR level was a risk factor for prognosis.

Conclusion

There is a correlation between FPR level and the prognosis of lung cancer patients, and early intervention should be implemented for patients with high FPR before surgery.
Upadacitinib for Induction of Remission in Paediatric Crohn's Disease: An International Multicentre Retrospective Study
Authors: Cohen Shlomi , Spencer Elizabeth A. , Dolinger Michael T. , Suskind David L. , Mitrova Katarina , Hradsky Ondrej , Conrad Máire A. , Kelsen Judith R. , Uhlig Holm H. , Tzivinikos Christos , Henderson Paul , Wlazlo Magdalena , Hackl Lukas , Shouval Dror S. , Bramuzzo Matteo , Urlep Darja , Olbjørn Christine , D'Arcangelo Giulia , Pujol‐Muncunill Gemma , Yogev Dotan , Kang Ben , Gasparetto Marco , Rungoe Christine , Kolho Kaija‐Leena , Hojsak Iva , Norsa Lorenzo , Rinawi Firas , Sansotta Naire , Rimon Ramit Magen , Granot Maya , Scarallo Luca , Trindade Eunice , Rodríguez‐Belvís Marta Velasco , Turner Dan , Yerushalmy‐Feler Anat
Published: February 2025

Background

There are scarce data available on upadacitinib in children with Crohn's disease (CD).

Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of upadacitinib as an induction therapy in paediatric CD.

Methods

This was a multicentre retrospective study between 2022 and 2024 of children treated with upadacitinib for induction of remission of active CD conducted in 30 centres worldwide affiliated with the IBD Interest and Porto group of the ESPGHAN. We recorded demographic, clinical and laboratory data and adverse events (AEs) at week 8 post‐induction. The analysis of the primary outcome was based upon the intention‐to‐treat (ITT) principle.

Results

We included 100 children (median age 15.8 [interquartile range 14.3–17.2]). All were previously treated with biologic therapies including 89 with ≥ 2 biologics. At the end of the 8‐week induction period, we observed clinical response, clinical remission and corticosteroid‐ and exclusive enteral nutrition‐free clinical remission (CFR) in 75%, 56% and 52%, respectively. By the end of induction, 68% had achieved normalisation of C‐reactive protein, and 58% had faecal calprotectin (FC) < 150 mcg/g. There was combined CFR and FC remission in 13/31 children with available data at 8 weeks (13% of the ITT population). AEs were recorded in 24 children; the most frequent was acne in 12. Two AEs (severe acne and hypertriglyceridemia) led to discontinuation of therapy.

Conclusion

Upadacitinib is an effective induction therapy for refractory paediatric CD. Efficacy should be weighed against the potential risks of AEs.
Identification of new small molecules for selective inhibition of SERCA 1 in patient‐derived metastatic papillary thyroid cancer
Authors: Kim Seok‐Mo , Park Keunwan , Yun Hyeok Jun , Kim Jung Min , Choi Kyung Hwa , Park Ki Cheong
Published: February 2025

Background and Purpose

Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is a general thyroid cancer subtype; however, PTC is associated with metastasis or recurrence via anti‐cancer drug resistance, rendering it practically incurable. Therefore, effective and reliable clinical approaches are urgently required.

Experimental Approach

We demonstrated the coordinated up‐regulation of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium ATPase 1 (SERCA1) in metastatic PTC under treatment with sorafenib or lenvatinib. We screened novel drug candidates in a patient‐derived lymph node metastatic PTC and compared outcomes with those in non‐metastatic and main mass PTC in an in vitro and in vivo model to propose a new clinical strategy.

Key Results

In the current study using patient‐derived metastatic PTC cells, SERCA1 was considerably increased under sorafenib‐ or lenvatinib‐treated conditions. SERCA is a critical component in cytosolic free calcium regulation and is regulated by calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase 2 alpha (CaMK2α) via NFκB. However, cardiac dysfunction was inevitable in vivo because of non‐specific inhibition of SERCA isoforms by conventional SERCA inhibitors. This study designed a therapeutic approach with decreased cardiac dysfunction via SERCA1 isoform–specific inhibition by novel small molecules, CKP1 and CKP2, under severe ER stress conditions in patient‐derived metastatic PTC. These novel SERCA1‐specific inhibitors remarkably increased tumour shrinkage in the patient‐derived metastatic PTC xenograft tumour model without cardiac dysfunction when used in combination with sorafenib or lenvatinib.

Conclusion and Implications

These outcomes suggest the potential efficacy of the novel combination strategy that uses targeted therapy to treat malignant cancer cells, such as sorafenib‐ or lenvatinib‐resistant cancer cells.
From developmentalism to developmentality: How development constructs its geographies of control and contempt
Authors: Waheed Arslan
Published: February 2025

Development is not a set of performative actions. Rather, it is produced and reproduced over the years as a discourse (in the Foucauldian sense) that operates through a variety of categories of knowledge. In this way, development is a set of socio‐political and economic beliefs—an undeniable truth—that is exported to Pakistan through international institutions and technocrats. This paper attempts to understand the dissemination of development in Pakistan by focusing on the constructivist tendencies of development that employ various discursive strategies and language techniques to naturalize the socio‐economic and political hierarchies both socially and spatially. Taking the planning and development of Islamabad—a model urban settlement and a crown jewel of development in the country's history—as the case study, this research finds that various labels, linguistics contrasts, othering, and socio‐economic hierarchies were constructed and employed to construct the socio‐materiality of development as a natural order of things. This developmentality (drawing on Foucault's governmentality) is found in more than 150 planning and policy‐related documents from 1957 to 2018, showing the patronization and reproduction of power hierarchies, inequalities, exclusion, discrimination, and control.
Two Gaps in Studying High‐Fidelity Imitation Across Diverse Childhood Ecologies
Authors: Fong Frankie T. K. , Haun Daniel B. M.
Published: February 2025

Recent empirical investigations have concentrated primarily on studying imitation as a social tool that satisfies social motivations, while other potential reasons for and forms of imitation have attracted less attention. These investigations have also focused on studying the role of pedagogy in imitative learning and set up most experiments in a pedagogical framework. In this article, we present two gaps in studying high‐fidelity imitation. First, social motivation may not be the only motivation, especially in less socially stratified communities. Second, imitative learning in observational contexts is understudied. We discuss these gaps by providing examples of alternative imitative learning scenarios and aspects that may have been overlooked and thus underexplored. Moving forward, cross‐cultural investigations targeting other aspects and forms of imitative learning can provide insights into how observational and pedagogical learning together foster effective learning across diverse childhood ecologies.
Seasonal Variation in HLA‐B27 Associated Uveitis
Authors: Samalia Priya D. , Brodie James , Sims Joanne L. , Niederer Rachael L.
Published: February 2025

Background

To examine if there was a monthly variation in HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis.

Methods

Retrospective review of all individuals presenting to a single centre with HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis from 2009 to 2020.

Results

577 participants with HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis were included. The median age at presentation was 40.4 years (IQR 31.1–51.4) and 356 (61.7%) were male. 141 (24.4%) participants were diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. The incidence of HLA‐B27 uveitis was greatest in August (winter) and lowest in March (autumn). On univariate analysis, there was an inverse relationship between HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis incidence and mean air temperature (β−2.704, p < 0.001) and sunlight hours (β−0.221, p = 0.003), and a positive relationship between uveitis incidence and rainfall (β 0.324, p = 0.006) and humidity (β 1.741, p = 0.006). On multivariate analysis, there was an inverse relationship with temperature (β−4.846, p = 0.002) and a positive association with humidity (β 2.033, p = 0.008). On multivariate analysis, the impact of rainfall shifted to negative (β−0.446, p = 0.017) and sunlight hours lost significance. The monthly effect was more pronounced for non‐Caucasian ethnicities and for those without ankylosing spondylitis.

Conclusion

In New Zealand, HLA‐B27‐associated uveitis episodes are influenced by monthly changes with higher incidence in winter months.
Combined Effect of Abutment Height and Restoration Emergence Angle on Peri‐Implant Bone Loss Progression: A Retrospective Analysis
Authors: Misch Jonathan , Abu‐Reyal Sawsan , Lohana Danyal , Mandil Obada , Saleh Muhammad H. A. , Li Junying , Wang Hom‐Lay , Ravidà Andrea
Published: February 2025

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the combined effect of trans‐mucosal abutment height (TmAH) and restorative emergence angle (REA) on marginal bone loss (MBL) around bone‐level implants.

Methods

Implant radiographs 12–18 months after crown placement (T0) and at least one year later (T1) were retrospectively analyzed. Sites were separated into four groups: Long/Narrow‐Angle (LN) with TmAH > 2 mm and REA < 30°, Long/Wide‐Angle (LW) with TmAH > 2 mm and REA ≥ 30°, Short/Narrow‐Angle (SN) with TmAH < 2 mm and REA < 30°, and Short/Wide‐Angle (SW) with TmAH < 2 mm and REA ≥ 30°. MBL was calculated, and multiple linear regression analysis was performed to control for patient‐level and implant/prosthesis‐level factors.

Results

192 implants pertaining to 119 patients were included. Group significantly influenced MBL experience (p < 0.001). Group SW experienced on average 0.48 mm (95% CI: 0.25–0.71, p < 0.001), 0.43 mm (95% CI: 0.18–0.68, p = 0.001), and 0.25 mm (95% CI: 0.00–0.45, p = 0.013) greater MBL compared to Groups LN, LW, and SN, respectively. Group was also a significant factor impacting the development of peri‐implantitis (p = 0.041), with Group SW displaying a roughly 4× greater likelihood of having peri‐implantitis (PI) diagnosed compared to Groups LN (OR: 4.04; p = 0.091) and LW (OR: 4.19; p = 0.013). Every 1 mm increase in TmAH significantly decreased the likelihood of MBL > 0 mm (OR = 0.63; p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Abutment height > 2 mm may play a role in reducing PI and MBL related to ≥ 30° REA around bone‐level implants. REA was found to only be a significant factor when TmAH is less than 2 mm.
Diagnostic accuracy of quantitative faecal immunochemical test in symptomatic patients for the investigation of colorectal cancer once accounting for anaemia severity and iron deficiency
Authors: Lucocq James , Barron Emma , Holmes Heather , Donnelly Peter D. , Cruickshank Neil
Published: February 2025

Aim

The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for colorectal cancer (CRC) in symptomatic patients with different levels of anaemia severity or the presence of iron deficiency.

Method

Symptomatic patients (2018–2021) from primary care were followed up prospectively for CRC for 2 years. The positive predictive values (PPV) for CRC of FIT subgroups were compared between anaemia severity groups and iron deficiency groups once stratified for symptom type and demographics. The diagnostic accuracy of FIT for CRC was investigated for different definitions of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA).

Results

A total of 17 538 symptomatic patients were investigated, including 310 with CRC (1.8%). In FIT < 100 μg haemoglobin (Hb)/g subgroups, the PPV for CRC was unchanged between anaemia severity levels (p > 0.05). In groups with FIT < 100 μg Hb/g, the PPV for CRC was unchanged in the presence of IDA, non‐iron‐deficiency anaemia and iron deficiency without anaemia (p > 0.05). In the anaemia and IDA subgroups investigated, FIT 10–19 μg Hb/g had a PPV of <3% for CRC and increasing the FIT cut‐off to 20 μg Hb/g could have hypothetically saved 28.6% of colonoscopies. Including transferrin saturation in the definition of IDA increased the detection of CRC in FIT‐negative patients (sensitivity 9.1% vs. 3.9%) but with a low CRC pick‐up rate (PPV = 0.6%; 165 colonoscopies per CRC). Investigating FIT‐negative functional IDA would increase the detection of CRC by 1.3% but with a PPV of 0.5%.

Conclusion

The diagnostic accuracy of FIT is excellent regardless of the severity of anaemia, iron deficiency, symptom type or demographics. The FIT cut‐off can be increased safely to 20 μg Hb/g irrespective of anaemia severity or iron deficiency. Altering the definition of IDA does not pragmatically increase the detection of CRC in negative/low FIT patients.
Personalized Recommendation Method Based on Rating Matrix and Review Text
Authors: Wang Shiru , Du Wenna , Bhuiyan Amran , Chen Zehua
Published: February 2025

In recent years, the algorithm based on review text has been widely used in recommendation systems, which can help mitigate the effect of sparsity in rating data within recommender algorithms. Existing methods typically employ a uniform model for capturing user and item features, but they are limited to the shallow feature level, and the user's personalized preferences and deep features of the item have not been fully explored, which may affect the relationship between the two representations learned by the model. The deeper relationship between them will affect the prediction results. Consequently, we propose a personalized recommendation method based on the rating matrix and review text denoted PRM‐RR, which is used to deeply mine user preferences and item characteristics. In the process of processing the comment text, we employ ALBERT to obtain vector representations for the words present in the review text firstly. Subsequently, taking into account that significant words and reviews bear relevance not solely to the review text but also to the user's individualized preferences, the proposed personalized attention module synergizes the user's personalized preference information with the review text vector, thereby engendering an enriched review‐based user representation. The fusion of the user's review representation and rating representation is accomplished through the feature fusion module using cross‐modal attention, yielding the final user representation. Lastly, we employ a factorization machine to predict the user's rating for the item, thereby facilitating the recommendation process. Experimental results on three benchmark datasets show that our method outperforms the baseline algorithm in all cases, demonstrating that our method effectively improves the performance of recommendations. The code is available at https://github.com/ZehuaChenLab/PRM‐RR.
Deep Learning and X‐Ray Imaging Innovations for Pneumonia Infection Diagnosis: Introducing DeepPneuNet
Authors: Chakraborty Sanjay , Nag Tirthajyoti , Pandey Saroj Kumar , Ghosh Jayasree , Dey Lopamudra
Published: February 2025

This paper aims to develop a new deep learning model (DeepPneuNet) and evaluate its performance in predicting Pneumonia infection diagnosis based on patients' chest x‐ray images. We have collected 5856 chest x‐ray images that are labeled as either “pneumonia” or “normal” from a public forum. Before applying the DeepPneuNet model, a necessary feature extraction and feature mapping have been done on the input images. Conv2D layers with a 1 × 1 kernel size are followed by ReLU activation functions to make up the model. These layers are in charge of recognizing important patterns and features in the images. A MaxPooling 2D procedure is applied to minimize the spatial size of the feature maps after every two Conv2D layers. The sparse categorical cross‐entropy loss function trains the model, and the Adam optimizer with a learning rate of 0.001 is used to optimize it. The DeepPneuNet provides 90.12% accuracy for diagnosis of the Pneumonia infection for a set of real‐life test images. With 9,445,586 parameters, the DeepPneuNet model exhibits excellent parameter efficiency. DeepPneuNet is a more lightweight and computationally efficient alternative when compared to the other pre‐trained models. We have compared accuracies for predicting Pneumonia diagnosis of our proposed DeepPneuNet model with some state‐of‐the‐art deep learning models. The proposed DeepPneuNet model is more advantageous than the existing state‐of‐the‐art learning models for Pneumonia diagnosis with respect to accuracy, precision, recall, F‐score, training parameters, and training execution time.
Food Insecurity Is Associated With Current Asthma, Wheeze, and Lung Function in Children and Adults
Authors: Kong Weiliang , Xie Yilian , Xiong Kunlong , Hu Jingjing , Huang Weina , Cao Chao
Published: February 2025

Background

Food insecurity (FI) has been a global threat, as a social determinant in connection with the prevalence of diseases requiring dietary interventions, such as asthma, has been established. This study aims to examine the relationship between FI and respiratory health outcomes.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study included 7626 children and 17 530 adults from the 2007 to 2012 National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) in the United States. Weighted multivariate regression models were used to evaluate the associations between FI and respiratory outcomes, including current asthma, wheezing, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and lung function.

Results

The weighted prevalence of high FI was 19.68% in children and 13.74% in adults. In adults, high FI was significantly associated with current asthma (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.19–1.67) and wheezing (OR: 1.72, 95% CI: 1.48–1.99). The association with asthma was stronger in women (p for interaction = 0.02) and non‐Hispanic Whites (p for interaction = 0.04), whereas wheezing showed stronger associations in non‐Hispanic Whites (p for interaction = 0.01). High FI was linked to lower percent‐predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in children (β: −15.93%, 95% CI: −27.82%, −4.03%) and adults (β: −1.13%, 95% CI: −2.22%, −0.04%) without asthma or wheezing. Additionally, high FI was inversely associated with FeNO in adults with current asthma (β: −3.36, 95% CI: −5.54, −1.17) and wheezing (β: −4.40, 95% CI: −7.79, −1.02).

Conclusions

FI is associated with increased asthma and wheezing in adults, particularly among women and non‐Hispanic Whites, and with reduced FEV1 in both adults and children without asthma and wheezing.
A Randomized Hybrid‐Effectiveness Trial Comparing Pharmacogenomics (PGx) to Standard Care: The PGx Applied to Chronic Pain Treatment in Primary Care (PGx‐ACT) Trial
Authors: Smith D. Max , Beyene Rut , Kolm Paul , Young Theresa A. , Zifa Sara , Natividad Victoria , Licata Andrea , Podolsky Robert H. , Moore Troy , Walsh Richard , Deva Shikha , Walker Alexander D. , Jacobs Michael B. , Peshkin Beth N. , Swain Sandra M.
Published: February 2025

This trial aimed to identify the effects of providing pharmacogenomic (PGx) results and recommendations for patients with chronic pain treated in primary care practices compared to standard care. An open‐label, prospective, largely virtual, type‐2 hybrid effectiveness trial randomized participants to PGx or standard care arms. Adults with pain ≥ 3 months who were treated with tramadol, codeine, or hydrocodone enrolled. Alternative analgesics were recommended for CYP2D6 intermediate or poor metabolizers (IM/PMs). Prescribing decisions were at providers' discretion. The trial randomized 253 participants. A modified intent‐to‐treat primary analysis assessed change in pain intensity over 3 months among IM/PMs (PGx: 49; Standard care: 57). The PGx and standard care arms showed no difference in pain intensity change (−0.10 ± 0.63 vs. −0.21 ± 0.75 standard deviation; p = 0.74) or PGx‐aligned care (69% vs. 63%; standardized difference [SD] = 0.13). In IM/PMs, secondary analyses of pain intensity change suggested improvements with PGx‐aligned (n = 70; −0.21 ± 0.70) vs. unaligned care (n = 36; −0.06 ± 0.69) (SD = −0.22), with this difference increasing when examining IM/PMs with an analgesic change (aligned: n = 31, −0.28 ± 0.76; unaligned: n = 36, −0.06 ± 0.69; SD = −0.31). This approach to PGx implementation for chronic pain was not associated with different prescribing (i.e., similar proportions of PGx‐aligned care) or clinical outcomes. Secondary analyses suggest that prescribing aligned with PGx recommendations showed a small improvement in pain intensity. However, the proportion of patients with a clinically meaningful improvement (≥ 30%) in pain intensity was similar. Future efforts should identify effective implementation methods.
Barriers to the use of no and low alcohol products in high‐risk drinkers
Authors: Davies Emma L. , Perman‐Howe Parvati , Seddon Jennifer , Piatkowski Timothy , Puljevic Cheneal , Barratt Monica J. , Winstock Adam R. , Ferris Jason A.
Published: February 2025

Introduction

Consuming no or low (NoLo) alcohol products in place of regular strength alcohol products could reduce alcohol‐related harms in high risk drinkers. This study provides a new perspective by exploring beliefs about NoLo products and motives for their use by level of risky drinking using a model of behaviour change.

Methods

The 2022 Global Drug Survey included items on NoLo product use, beliefs, and motives for consuming or not consuming NoLo products. Findings were mapped onto the COM‐B (capability‐opportunity‐motivation) model.

Results

In a sample of 33,033 respondents (59.5% cis men; 37.3% cis women; 3.2% trans/non‐binary) over half (52.2%) reported NoLo product use in the last 12 months. Recent NoLo use was associated with older age, employment status and more common in respondents who drank alcohol compared to non‐drinkers. High‐risk drinkers were more likely to believe NoLo products could help them to drink less and to avoid embarrassment. However, higher risk drinkers who had never consumed NoLo products were more likely to report that they drank to be intoxicated and believed they would not have a good time if they switched.

Discussion and Conclusions

People who are drinking for enhancement motives (e.g., for fun, to feel intoxicated) may be less amenable to substituting regular strength alcohol products for NoLo products. NoLo use may help some higher risk drinkers consume less alcohol, and social and motivational factors could be targeted to increase their use. There should be renewed focus on broader intervention strategies, such as creating viable social alternatives to consuming alcohol.
Oscillatory But Not Aperiodic Frontal Brain Activity Predicts the Development of Executive Control From Infancy to Toddlerhood
Authors: Rico‐Picó Josué , Garcia‐de‐Soria Bazan M. del Carmen , Conejero Ángela , Moyano Sebastián , Hoyo Ángela , Ballesteros‐Duperón María de los Ángeles , Holmboe Karla , Rueda M. Rosario
Published: February 2025

Executive control (EC) emerges in the first year of life, with the ability to inhibit prepotent responses (inhibitory control [IC]) and to flexibly readapt (cognitive flexibility [CF]) steadily improving. Simultaneously, electrophysiological brain activity undergoes profound reconfiguration, which has been linked to individual variability in EC. However, most studies exploring this relationship have used relative/absolute power and tasks that combine different executive processes. In addition, brain activity conflates aperiodic and oscillatory activity, which hinders the interpretation of the relationship between power and cognition. In the current study, we used the Early Childhood Inhibitory Touchscreen Task (ECITT) to examine the development of EC skills from 9 to 16 months in a longitudinal sample, and related performance of the task to resting‐state EEG (rs‐EEG) power, separating oscillatory and aperiodic activity. Our results showed improvement in IC but not in CF with age. In addition, alpha and theta oscillatory activity were concurrent (9‐mo.) and longitudinal predictors of CF in toddlerhood, whereas the aperiodic exponent of the EEG signal did not contribute to EC. These findings demonstrate the relevance of oscillatory brain activity for cognitive development and provide an early brain marker for the early development of EC.
Safety and effectiveness of stiripentol in patients with Dravet syndrome: A prospective, 3‐year, postmarketing surveillance study
Authors: Kitamura Yuki , Ohyabu Hiroaki , Miura Tatsuo , Takei‐Masuda Naomi , Matsui Daisuke , Inoue Yushi , Ohtsuka Yoko
Published: February 2025

Aim

To conduct a postmarketing surveillance study of patients with Dravet syndrome in Japan to investigate the safety and effectiveness of long‐term, real‐world, clinical use of stiripentol (STP).

Method

This prospective study was conducted over 156 weeks in all patients with Dravet syndrome who started STP treatment from its launch in Japan in November 2012 until August 2017. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were investigated by degree of seriousness. Effectiveness was determined based on a comprehensive assessment by the physician in charge as well as on the percentage change in the number of seizures from the pretreatment period.

Results

In total, 520 patients (266 males, 254 females; mean age [SD] 10 years 6 months [9 years 10 months]; age range 0–50 years) were included in the safety analysis set, and 515 patients in the effectiveness analysis set. ADRs occurred in 69.2%, including somnolence, decreased appetite, dizziness, in order of frequency. Twelve deaths occurred, the rate of which was not higher than the reported rates. No new safety concerns were identified. The rate of overall improvement (marked or moderate) after 156 weeks or at treatment discontinuation was 37.7%. Decreases in the number of all seizure types over the long term were confirmed.

Interpretation

In real‐world clinical settings, long‐term STP treatment can be safe and effective in patients with Dravet syndrome.
Characterization of the effect of naltrexone/bupropion on body composition
Authors: Tardio Vanessa , Yin Peter , Camacho Fernando , Barakat Maxime , Tsoukas Michael A.
Published: February 2025

Aims

Oral treatment extended‐release naltrexone/bupropion (NB) leads to significant weight loss, but its effect on body composition remains unclear. We investigated changes in body composition with dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry after treatment with NB or placebo in a subgroup of participants from a randomized control phase 3 study (COR‐I).

Materials and Methods

Observed changes from baseline to week 52 were estimated for total, lean, and fat mass. Changes in body composition were evaluated using linear regression and adjusted for baseline covariates.

Results

The analysis included 82 participants (placebo, n = 26; NB, n = 56) with comparable baseline characteristics (age, BMI, sex). The NB group experienced a significant −7.8% change of total mass (−12.9% change in fat mass and −4.1% in lean mass), compared with a −2.8% change of total mass (−4.8% change in fat mass and −1.4% in lean mass) in the placebo group. The adjusted changes in lean‐to‐fat mass ratio of 0.069 in the NB group and −0.056 in the placebo group were significantly different (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

NB‐induced weight loss is associated with significant reductions in total percent fat mass, increase in total percent lean mass, and change in lean‐to‐fat mass ratio, in comparison to placebo. Larger studies are needed to further elucidate the clinical significance of these changes and impact of a potentially healthier metabolism.
Mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy: Focus on inflammation
Authors: Bellemare Myriam , Bourcier Liane , Iglesies‐Grau Josep , Boulet Jacinthe , O'Meara Eileen , Bouabdallaoui Nadia
Published: February 2025

Purpose of Review

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) significantly increases the risk of heart failure (HF), either through the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD) or through direct myocardial alterations, termed diabetic cardiomyopathy. This review examines key pathophysiological mechanisms underlying diabetic cardiomyopathy, focusing on the role of inflammation. It also addresses diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to mitigate myocardial damage in T2D.

Recent Findings

Chronic low‐grade inflammation is considered as a major contributor to diabetic cardiomyopathy. T2D‐related factors, including hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, activate inflammatory pathways that worsen myocardial dysfunction. Despite advances in understanding these mechanisms, no therapies specifically targeting the cardiac changes in T2D have been identified.

While significant advances have been made in elucidating the inflammatory mechanisms contributing to diabetic cardiomyopathy, therapeutic advancements remain limited, potentially due to an incomplete understanding of regulatory pathways. A comprehensive investigation into the specific roles of immune cells and inflammatory mediators in diabetic cardiomyopathy is essential for identifying novel therapeutic targets. Expanding our knowledge of these molecular mechanisms has the potential to facilitate the development of innovative therapeutic strategies, thereby improving clinical outcomes in patients with T2D.
Characterizing insulin dosing behaviour and glycaemic excursions: Development of metrics using connected insulin pen and continuous glucose monitoring
Authors: Wolpert Howard , Rodbard David , Xue Jie , Johnson Jennal , Dassau Eyal
Published: February 2025

Aims

Connected insulin pens (CIPs) provide insulin dosing data that can be leveraged to drive improvements in glycaemic control. To realize this potential in routine care, insulin data need to be distilled into actionable insights for clinicians. We describe two algorithms for detecting glucose excursions using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data and then link excursions to CIP data to derive “insulin metrics” characterizing suboptimal bolus dosing practices.

Materials and Methods

This post hoc analysis used CGM and CIP data from a 12‐week observational study (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03368807) of 64 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes receiving multiple daily injection insulin therapy and glycated haemoglobin ≥8%. Two updated algorithms were applied to analyse glucose excursions associated with pre‐meal boluses, missed bolus doses (MBDs), delayed boluses and correction boluses.

Results

Glycaemic metrics obtained using both algorithms were similar. Time in range (%TIR) was lower, and time above range (%TAR) and glycaemic variability (%GV) were higher, on days with MBDs. Compared with pre‐meal boluses, delayed and correction boluses were followed by glucose excursions with larger change in glucose, longer duration with glucose >180 mg/dL, lower post‐excursion %TIR and higher post‐excursion %TAR; excursions following MBDs showed lower %TIR, higher %TAR and lower percent recovery. Glucose excursions were larger and longer when CGM was masked than when unmasked.

Conclusions

This analysis demonstrates “insulin metrics”—characterizations of insulin dosing behaviour derived from integrated CGM and CIP data—and provides a foundation for future work that will expand the understanding of an individual's insulin self‐administration practices and improve clinical decision‐making.
Three‐Objects‐Three‐Places Episodic Memory Test to Screen Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia: Validation in a Memory Clinic Population
Authors: Ribaldi Federica , Krug Sophie , Altomare Daniele , Garibotto Valentina , Scheffler Max , Mendes Augusto J. , Lathuiliere Aurelien , Assal Frederic , Fernandez Aldara Vazquez , Cappa Stefano F. , Chicherio Christian , Frisoni Giovanni B.
Published: February 2025

Background

The Three‐Objects‐Three‐Places (3O3P) test is a 5‐min screen for episodic memory impairment due to Alzheimer's disease, known for its briefness and easy administration, culture‐ and language‐free nature, and the absence of specific equipment. However, no studies have validated its potential in memory clinic cohorts. The aim of this study was to test its convergent, discriminant, and known‐group validities and to define thresholds for its clinical use.

Methods

We included 2062 cognitively unimpaired (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia patients from the Geneva Memory Center cohort who underwent the 3O3P test in the context of clinical practice. Convergent and discriminant validities were assessed using an exploratory factor analysis. The known‐group validity was assessed in CU vs. MCI and dementia using the area under the curve (AUC). 3O3P test scores vs. amyloid and tau positivity, neurodegeneration, and cognition (ATNC) were assessed using the Kruskal‐Wallis test. The 3O3P test cut‐offs were calculated using sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy.

Results

Mean age was 72 years (SD = 11), 60% were female, mean education was 13 years (SD = 4), and mean MMSE was 25 (SD = 5). The 3O3P and Delayed Total Recall tests loaded strongly on the “memory” factor and weakly on “non‐memory” factors. The 3O3P test can discriminate CU vs. MCI (AUC = 0.71) and dementia (AUC = 0.92). Higher 3O3P scores were associated with lower prevalence of ATNC (p < 0.001). A 3O3P value of 7 can detect MCI and dementia patients.

Conclusions

The 3O3P test has demonstrated good convergent, discriminant, and known‐group validity in a large memory clinic population.
Designing AI to Think with Us, Not for Us
Authors: HUTKA STEFANIE
Published: February 2025

This paper establishes a framework and toolkit for designing Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) that address foundational challenges of these technologies and reframe the problem‐solution space. The stakes are high for human‐centered solutions: genAI is rapidly disrupting existing markets with technologies that exhibit increasingly complex and emergent abilities, and accelerate scale, cognitive offloading, and distributed cognition. The Problem‐Solution Symbiosis framework and toolkit extends, rather than displaces, human cognition, including tools for envisioning, problem (re)framing and selection, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the alignment of stakeholder needs with the strengths of a genAI system. Applying the toolkit helps us guide the development of useful, desirable genAI by building intuition about system capabilities, developing a systemic understanding of emerging problem spaces, and using a matrix to identify if and when to offload tasks to the system. The framework is informed by systems theory, frame analysis, human‐computer interaction research on current AI design approaches, and analogous approaches from spatial computing design research.
Ethnographers as Intermediaries: Plurality as a Double‐Edged Sword in Web3
Authors: TANKHA MRINALINI , ROGERS CHRIS
Published: February 2025

This paper addresses a misalignment between market motivations and community needs in Web3, arguing that comparative ethnographic work can identify strategic opportunities in the industry. Comparing findings across different design research projects, we show how Web3 builders and founders are driving a plurality of projects and products and enabling cross‐chain operability to build diverse blockchain‐based ecosystems. Although this plurality is generative for innovation in the industry, it de‐prioritizes fully fleshed out, end‐to‐end Web3 solutions to urgent social problems, and is increasingly displacing community‐centered perspectives. We found that users desire a different kind of plurality—interoperable financial instruments across traditional banking and blockchain ‐ based platforms.
Ethnographic Perspectives on AI Chatbots in Customer Support
Authors: RHEAMS DAVID
Published: February 2025

This study on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) presents key findings for the effective and ethical deployment of AI in organizations. It presents original research on the deployment of an AI‐powered assistant at Atlassian that was designed to support engineers by summarizing technical documentation and generating example customer responses. Using ethnographic methods and computational analysis, the study examined the nuanced impacts of AI on labor dynamics, efficiency, and empathetic communication within technical support roles. Findings include the importance of understanding the socio‐technical environment of AI integration and the ethical considerations associated with AI deployment in customer service settings.
“I Pick My Poison”: Agency and Addiction in the Age of Subscriptions
Authors: HAJDAKOVA IVETA , WILLIAMS MORGAN
Published: February 2025

This paper illuminates key aspects of the subscription economy and offers a framework for understanding customer decision making and willingness to pay. Subscriptions are aimed at becoming embedded in our lives, habits, and behaviours, and our in‐depth research explored how people see themselves as agents in the subscription economy, how they value subscriptions, and how they navigate a complex market characterized by ever‐changing bundles of features and deals. We argue that a new kind of customer agency emerges from the complexities and uncertainties of the subscription economy—one that recognises dependencies and even addictions to subscriptions and navigates their activity and passivity to produce desired outcomes. The paper describes 4 key factors that play a role in people's evaluations of subscriptions. Building on the work of Michel Callon, we also describe subscriptions as attachments and reframe ‘willingness to pay’ to better reflect the complexity of subscriptions. The paper is based on self‐funded research (not commissioned by any client) conducted by Stripe Partners to improve our approach to willingness‐to‐pay studies.
The Transformative Potential of Participatory Research in International Development Programming
Authors: AUDU OLUCHI
Published: February 2025

In 2022, UNICEF launched the Adolescent Girls Programme Strategy to enhance programming for adolescent girls, focusing on their well‐being and empowerment. In Northern Nigeria, the Reaching and Empowering Adolescent Girls in Northwest Nigeria program was introduced in Sokoto and Katsina states. YUX conducted formative research to develop Social and Behavior Change strategies addressing harmful social and gender norms impacting girls' education. The study found that entrenched patriarchal norms and practices such as child marriage and purdah significantly hinder girls' educational access. Socioeconomic factors, including poverty and inadequate school facilities, further exacerbate these challenges. Girls expressed a strong desire for education to benefit both themselves and their communities. Through co‐creation workshops, the girls proposed strategies like engaging fathers and community leaders to advocate for girls' education. The resulting strategies emphasize community involvement and targeted messaging to challenge harmful norms. UNICEF Nigeria is now implementing these strategies, ensuring they reflect the girls' needs and aspirations while promoting sustainable change. This case study details the significant value that a participatory research approach can bring to international development programming.
Forget Nature, Forget Humans: Redefining Our Approach toward Biodiversity
Authors: MORIER MARC‐ANTOINE
Published: February 2025

PechaKucha Presentation Abstract

While human‐centred approaches have enabled considerable progress to be made in the design of innovative and socially responsible solutions, they fail to take account of a decisive factor in maintaining our societies. Medicine, food, drinking water and breathable air… Biodiversity underpins many of the “services” that “nature” provides free of charge, and on which we are largely dependent. With biodiversity collapsing, how is it that we take so little account of it in our work? So how can we include living non‐humans in our investigations and creations?
A History of EPIC in 20 Unwritten Proposals
Authors: HANOVER EVAN
Published: February 2025

Given we will be up the road from Hollywood, I explore the history of this conference – its themes and contexts – by pitching a series of unwritten submission proposals, one for each year. Reflection and humor are features throughout, and essential at moments of such achievement (20 years!) and anxiety (see: the world). This may be more performance than presentation. I sure hope it works.
How to Avoid Path Dependency: Learnings from Neuroscience, Physics and Organizational Theory
Authors: MAURY CYRIL
Published: February 2025

PechaKucha Presentation Abstract

In 1814, the polymath Pierre Simon Laplace posited that “We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future”. This presentation will examine this core idea – the fact that what will happen next is determined by what happened before – from different vantage points: neuroscience (Hebbian plasticity, Canalization), economic theory (Bayes's Theorem) and organisational theory. How and how much does legacy narrow down what is possible next? How can we, at the individual and collective levels, carve out the space for alternative, unexpected futures?
“If Today's Problems Are So Urgent, Why Are We So Stuck?”
Authors: KINNEY MEG
Published: February 2025

PechaKucha Presentation Abstract

We are surrounded by messages urging us to see the suffering, injustice, and corruption of both the natural and built world. But today, people seem to be gripped by passive despair. Why is that? Perhaps we are weighted by a loss of optimism. This presentation questions if optimism is misunderstood and if, as ethnographers, we are getting in our own way and underestimating it as a powerful tool of social transformation. Optimism requires us to examine our own emotional intelligence, capacity for change, and belief in our own human potential.
Surgical management of a bilateral mandibular fracture in a foal using LCPs as external fixator
Authors: Dias A. B. M. , Gustafsson K. , Kieffer P. J.
Published: February 2025

This report describes the use of locking compression plates (LCP) as external skeletal fixators (ESF‐LCP) in the surgical repair of a bilateral open mandibular fracture in a foal. A 3‐week‐old 90‐kg Swedish Warmblood colt presented with reluctance to nurse, bilateral mandibular swelling and haemorrhagic discharge from the mouth. Clinical examination and radiographs revealed a fracture of both mandibles, with complete fracture anatomy defined by computed tomography (CT). The right mandible had a complete, displaced, open fracture between the deciduous premolars Triadan 806 and 807. The left mandible had a minimally displaced, comminuted fracture in the caudal aspect of the interdental diastema (705–706). Both mandibles were surgically repaired using narrow 4.5 mm LCP plates as external skeletal fixators (ESF‐LCP) under general anaesthesia. The ESF‐LCPs were removed 36 days post‐operatively after radiographic healing was observed. Three months post‐operatively repeat radiographs were performed showing no abnormalities of the mandibular or dental function. At 3 years of age, a routine dental examination was performed that showed normal occlusion and function of the mandible with only a mild external callus. The use of LCP plates as ESF‐LCP in a bilateral mandibular fracture in a neonatal foal resulted in an excellent outcome and complete fracture healing with minimal complications.
Modelling Context and Content Features for Fake News Detection
Authors: Phan Huyen Trang , Hwang Dosam , Seo Yeong‐Seok , Nguyen Ngoc Thanh
Published: February 2025

With the emergence and rapid development of social networks, an increasing amount of news has been spreading. In addition to the benefits of factual information, there are always risks associated with the dissemination of fake news and preventing the spread of fake news has been a concern for researchers. Many methods have been proposed to detect fake news, but they do not fully extract important information related to news content and context, and rarely consider modelling the simultaneous exploitation of the news context and content in fake news detection. This study proposes a method to improve the performance of fake news detection by modelling features related to news context and content. First, we combine contextualised embeddings (e.g., BERT) and dependency‐based embeddings (e.g., dependency‐based GCN) to enhance the performance of the content representations of news and reviews posting them. Second, we combine all available review texts related to news belonging to the user. Third, we explore all the reviews that other users had posted about current news by clearly creating review representations posted by the same user about the same news. This leads the model to quickly memorise all reviews related to news from one user. Finally, we model the news content features and the modelled news context features to enhance the richness of the news feature representations. Experimental results on the PolitiFact and GossipCop datasets show improvement to the state‐of‐the‐art method of more than three percentage points in the best case.
Feature Identification Using Hypotheses of Relevance and a 2D‐Cascade of SEQENS Ensembles
Authors: Arlandis Joaquim , Llobet Rafael , Navarro Cerdán J. Ramón , Arnal Laura , Signol François , Perez‐Cortes Juan‐Carlos
Published: February 2025

SEQENS is an ensemble method aimed at feature identification that has demonstrated strong performance in identifying relevant genes in high‐dimensional spaces, across different synthetic tasks. In this paper, we first introduce the differences between feature importance, feature selection (FS) and feature identification concepts. Following this, we present a framework based on SEQENS covering the following contributions: (1) computing the hypergeometric p‐value of the features of a SEQENS output ranking in order to be able to establish a threshold between relevant and non‐relevant features; (2) extending SEQENS by introducing the use of preselected features as hypotheses of relevance in the sequential FS, which may help to attract other features that might exhibit weak correlation with the target on their own, but gain relevance when combined with the preselected ones and; (3) designing an automated process based on a 2D‐cascade of SEQENS ensembles to obtain a purged feature set, or PFS, that is, having as many relevant features, and as few non‐relevant, as possible. The framework presented, named pc–SEQENS, integrates the former techniques so that the PFS is used as a hypothesis of relevance in a SEQENS ensemble. Performance is analysed in a gene expression identification task using the E‐MTAB‐3732 public database and synthetic targets. pc–SEQENS is compared to other state‐of‐the‐art methods, including SEQENS to check the effect of using hypotheses of relevance. On average, the proposed framework identifies better the relevant genes, especially in unfavourable sample‐to‐dimension rates, and exhibits a stronger stability.