bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pain-related evoked potentials with concentric surface electrodes in patients and healthy subjects: a systematic review
Authors: Bubenzer Laura Josephine , Konsolke Lena , Enax-Krumova Elena , Eberhardt Frederic , Tegenthoff Martin , Höffken Oliver , Özgül Özüm Simal
Published: August 2023

Pain-related evoked potentials with concentric surface electrodes (PREP with CE) have been increasingly used in the diagnostics of polyneuropathies as well as in pain research. However, the study results are partly inconsistent regarding their utility to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings. The present systematic review aimed to summarise and compare study results, where PREP with CE were used in healthy subjects or patients and to identify possible influencing factors. We found 36 research articles, of which 21 investigated disorders in patients compared to healthy controls, while the other 15 focussed on basic research in healthy subjects. Patients with polyneuropathies showed the most consistent PREP results with similar prolonged latencies and reduced amplitude values. Findings in other patient groups or in healthy subjects were more heterogeneous. There was evidence for an influence by age and height as well as by central effects like emotions, which should be considered in further studies. Further systematic research analysing PREP results depending on individual and disease-specific factors is needed to develop optimal normative values.
Clinical characteristics and pathologic complete response (pCR) rate after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in postpartum women with breast cancer
Authors: Dou He , Jia Siyuan , Ba Yuling , Luo Danli , Yu Pingyang , Li Fucheng , Wang Youyu , Chen Xingyan , Xiao Min
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Breast cancer (BC) is currently the leading cause of death in women worldwide. Studies have confirmed that pregnancy is an independent factor affecting the survival of BC patients. BC found during pregnancy, lactation, or shortly after delivery is what we used to think of as pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC). The current expert definition of this concept is not uniform; however, there is growing evidence that postpartum breast cancer (PPBC) differs from other types of BC in terms of both biological features and prognosis, with a slightly different focus on diagnosis and treatment. With the increase of female reproductive age population and changes in fertility policies in China, patients with PPBC are receiving increasing attention. Here, we systematically analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics and chemotherapeutic response of patients with PPBC. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological data, molecular subtypes, chemotherapy regimens, and pathological complete remission (pCR) rates of 1343 patients with non-metastatic BC at Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 1, 2012 to May 31, 2023. The categorical data were compared by chi-square test and Fisher exact test using logistic regression model. Predictor variables with P < 0.05 in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariate regression analysis to investigate the relationship between different age groups and pCR.

Results

A total of 714 patients were eligible for analysis in this study, and 667 patients had a history of pregnancy, 40 (5.6%) of whom were PPBC patients. When diagnosed with BC, patients with PPBC were younger, more likely to undergo breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and more likely to achieve pCR (P < 0.05). In molecular typing, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-positive and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were more frequent. In the entire cohort, HER-2 expression and delivery status were independent predictors of pCR rates in BC patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that postpartum status is an independent predictor of pCR attainment in BC patients. PPBC is more sensitive to chemotherapy than other patients.We need to pay more attention to this group and achieve individualized treatment, which will help us treat BC better and provide new targets and blueprints for our clinical therapy.
Microbiota as the unifying factor behind the hallmarks of cancer
Authors: Benešová Iva , Křížová Ľudmila , Kverka Miloslav
Published: August 2023

The human microbiota is a complex ecosystem that colonizes body surfaces and interacts with host organ systems, especially the immune system. Since the composition of this ecosystem depends on a variety of internal and external factors, each individual harbors a unique set of microbes. These differences in microbiota composition make individuals either more or less susceptible to various diseases, including cancer. Specific microbes are associated with cancer etiology and pathogenesis and several mechanisms of how they drive the typical hallmarks of cancer were recently identified. Although most microbes reside in the distal gut, they can influence cancer initiation and progression in distant tissues, as well as modulate the outcomes of established cancer therapies. Here, we describe the mechanisms by which microbes influence carcinogenesis and discuss their current and potential future applications in cancer diagnostics and management.
Stationary and non-stationary temperature-duration-frequency curves for Australia
Authors: Laz Orpita U. , Rahman Ataur , Ouarda Taha B. M. J. , Jahan Nasreen
Published: August 2023

Australian summer heat events have become more frequent and severe in recent times. Temperature-duration-frequency (TDF) curves connect the severity of heat episodes of various durations to their frequencies and thus can be an effective tool for analysing the heat extremes. This study examines Australian heat events using data from 82 meteorological stations. TDF curves have been developed under stationary and non-stationary conditions. Generalised Extreme Value (GEV) distribution is considered to estimate extreme temperatures for return periods of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years. Three major climate drivers for Australia have been considered as potential covariates along with Time to develop the non-stationary TDF curves. According to the Akaike information criterion, the non-stationary framework for TDF modelling provides a better fit to the data than its stationary equivalent. The findings can be beneficial in offering new information to aid climate adaptation and mitigation at the regional level in Australia.
Modic change is associated with increased BMI but not autoimmune diseases in TwinsUK
Authors: Gualdi Francesco , Smith Isabelle Granville , Boixader Roger Compte , Williams Frances M. K.
Published: August 2023

Purpose

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the largest causes of morbidity worldwide. The aetiology of LBP is complex, and many factors contribute to the onset. Bone marrow lesions within the vertebra adjacent to an intervertebral degenerate disc named Modic change (MC) have been suggested as a diagnostic subgroup of LBP. Autoimmune response has been proposed to be one of the causes that promote the development of MC. The aim of the current investigation is to assess prevalence and severity of MC and LBP in participants with an autoimmune disease diagnosis in a well-documented cohort of adult twin volunteers.

Methods

Multivariate generalized mixed linear models (GLMM) were implemented in order to calculate the association between having an autoimmune disorder and MC prevalence, width and severe and disabling LBP. The model was corrected for family structure as well as for covariates such as age, BMI and smoking.

Results

No association was found between diagnosis of autoimmune disorder and MC. Interestingly, BMI was independently associated with MC width but not to MC prevalence. These results help to shed light on the relationship between MC and autoimmunity as well as the role of BMI in the development of the lesions.

Conclusion

This study is the first to examine autoimmune disorders and MC prevalence in a large, population-based female cohort. The study was well powered to detect a small effect. No association was found between having a diagnosis of one or more autoimmune conditions and MC prevalence, width or LBP.
Assessing the Fracturing Process of Rocks Based on Burst–Brittleness Ratio (BBR) Governed by Point Load Testing
Authors: Khadivi Babak , Masoumi Hossein , Heidarpour Amin , Zhang Qianbing , Zhao Jian
Published: August 2023

Brittleness is an intrinsic mechanical property of rock materials that has attracted significant attention to be properly quantified as it plays an important role in characterization of brittle fracturing. Endeavors have led to the establishment of many Brittleness Indices (BIs) for various rock types and widespread engineering applications. Among them, assessing burst proneness as a serious challenge in underground mining has received considerable attention. Parallel to BIs' development, various Bursting Liability Indices (BLIs) have been proposed to specifically assess coal bursting phenomenon. Despite having different names, both BI and BLI in principle have aimed at evaluating the burst–brittleness level of different rocks for different applications. In this study, the principles of burst and brittleness were discussed followed by the development of a novel so-called burst–brittleness ratio (BBR) to assess the relative burst–brittleness of rock types irrespective of their applications. To do so, the proposed BBR was governed by point load testing (PLT) which has significant advantages over the other rock testing methods used in BI estimation such as direct or indirect tensile testing. To examine the suitability of the proposed ratio, three different rock types from various geological origins including coal, granite and sandstone were selected and tested under uniaxial compressive, indirect tensile Brazilian and point loadings. The high-speed imaging technique and Acoustic Emission (AE) were utilized to characterize the cracking process (e.g., failure under shear or tension) and to monitor the real-time failure behavior of samples under different loading conditions. The resulting data revealed that the severity of strength loss in coal samples was significantly higher than that observed in other rock types particularly under uniaxial compression endorsing the validity of the proposed BBR.
Long-term follow-up and comparison of programmable and non-programmable ventricular cerebrospinal fluid shunts among adult patients with different hydrocephalus etiologies: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Chen Kuan-Hung , Hsu Peng-Wei , Wu Bo-Chang , Tu Po-Hsun , Wang Yu-Chi , Lee Cheng-Chi , Huang Yin-Cheng , Chen Ching-Chang , Chuang Chi-Cheng , Liu Zhuo-Hao
Published: August 2023

Background

Programmable valve (PV) has been shown as a solution to the high revision rate in pediatric hydrocephalus patients, but it remains controversial among adults. This study is to compare the overall revision rate, revision cause, and revision-free survival between PV and non-programmable valve (NPV) in adult patients with different hydrocephalus etiologies.

Method

We reviewed the chart of all patients with hydrocephalus receiving index ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt operations conducted at a single institution from January 2017 to December 2017. Patients included in the study were followed up for at least 5 years. Statistical tests including independent t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test were used for comparative analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curve using log-rank test was performed to compare the revision-free survival between the PV and NPV groups.

Results

A total of 325 patients were included in the study, of which 181 patients were receiving PVs and 144 patients receiving NPV. There were 23 patients (12.8%) with PV and 22 patients (15.3%) with NPV receiving initial revision. No significant statistical difference in the initial revision rate was observed between the two groups (p = 0.52). No survival difference was found between the PV and NPV groups. However, better revision-free survival was noted in the PV group among idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) (p = 0.0274) and post-traumatic hydrocephalus (p = 0.017).

Conclusions

The combination of the different etiologies of hydrocephalus and the features of PV and NPV results in different outcomes—revision rate and revision-free survival. PV use might be superior to NPV in iNPH and post-traumatic hydrocephalus patients. Further studies are needed to clarify the indications of PV use in adult hydrocephalus patients.
Adverse events in spine surgery: a prospective analysis at a large tertiary center in Germany
Authors: Lenga Pavlina , Trong Philip Dao , Papakonstantinou Vassilios , Kiening Karl , Unterberg Andreas W. , Ishak Basem
Published: August 2023

Study design

Prospective study

Objectives

The occurrence of adverse events (AEs) during surgery is a major cause of increased economic costs, disability, or even death. This study aimed to prospectively identify and quantify AEs in patients undergoing spinal surgery at a neurosurgical tertiary care hospital.

Methods

Patients who underwent spinal surgery and were discharged between January 2019 and December 2022 were enrolled prospectively. Each patient underwent a peer-reviewed AE evaluation at discharge. An AE was defined as any event that occurred up to 30 days postoperatively and resulted in an undesirable outcome. Patients were allocated to four groups according to spinal pathology (degenerative, oncologic, traumatic, and infectious).

Results

During the study period, 1778 patients with a mean age of 55.4 ± 10.5 years underwent surgery. Elective surgery was performed in 90.8% (1615/1778) of patients, while emergency surgery was performed in 9.2% (163/1778). The overall rate of surgery-related AEs was relatively low (8.7%). Degenerative pathologies were the most frequent reasons for surgery (78.5%, 1396/1778). Wound infection was the most prevalent AE in patients with degenerative diseases (1.4%), of which 1.1% required revision surgery. Wound infection, dural leakage, and new neurological deficits had the same prevalence (2.1%) in patients with spinal tumors. Among patients with spinal trauma, two presented with postoperative epidural bleeding and underwent emergency surgery. Postoperative wound infection was the most prevalent AE in this group (9.5%), with 7.0% of affected patients requiring revision surgery. The overall rate of non-surgery-related AEs was 4.3%, and the overall mortality rate was low (0.4%).

Conclusion

AEs in spinal surgery remained low, with a prevalence of 8.7%. Documentation of AEs as part of clinical routine may be a key tool for identifying the occurrence of surgery-related and non-surgery-related AEs.
Dimensionality selection for hyperbolic embeddings using decomposed normalized maximum likelihood code-length
Authors: Yuki Ryo , Ike Yuichi , Yamanishi Kenji
Published: August 2023

Graph embedding methods are effective techniques for representing nodes and their relations in a continuous space. Specifically, the hyperbolic space is more effective than the Euclidean space for embedding graphs with tree-like structures. Thus, it is critical how to select the best dimensionality for the hyperbolic space in which a graph is embedded. This is because we cannot distinguish nodes well with dimensionality that is considerably low, whereas the embedded relations are affected by irregularities in data with excessively high dimensionality. We consider this problem from the viewpoint of statistical model selection for latent variable models. Thereafter, we propose a novel methodology for dimensionality selection based on the minimum description length principle. We aim to introduce a latent variable modeling of hyperbolic embeddings and apply the decomposed normalized maximum likelihood code-length to latent variable model selection. We empirically demonstrated the effectiveness of our method using both synthetic and real-world datasets.
Factors associated with non-carbapenemase mediated carbapenem resistance of Gram-negative bacteria: a retrospective case-control study
Authors: Müller Marius , Wiencierz Andrea , Gehringer Christian , Muigg Veronika , Bassetti Stefano , Siegemund Martin , Hinic Vladimira , Tschudin-Sutter Sarah , Egli Adrian
Published: August 2023

Infections with carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria are related to increased morbidity and mortality, yet little is known regarding infections caused by non-beta-lactamase mediated carbapenem-resistant bacteria. Our objective was to identify risk factors for, and the clinical impact of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant carbapenemase-negative Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This retrospective matched case-control study was performed at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, in 2016. We focused on other resistance mechanisms by excluding laboratory-confirmed carbapenemase-positive cases. Carbapenem resistance was set as the primary endpoint, and important risk factors were investigated by conditional logistic regression. The clinical impact of carbapenem resistance was estimated using regression models containing the resistance indicator as explanatory factor and adjusting for potential confounders. Seventy-five cases of infections with carbapenem-resistant, carbapenemase-negative bacteria were identified and matched with 75 controls with carbapenem-susceptible infections. The matched data set was well-balanced regarding age, gender, and comorbidity. Duration of prior carbapenem treatment (OR 1.15, [1.01, 1.31]) correlated with resistance to carbapenems. Our study showed that patients with carbapenem-resistant bacteria stayed 1.59 times (CI [0.81, 3.14]) longer in an ICU. The analyzed dataset did not provide evidence for strong clinical implications of resistance to carbapenems or increased mortality. The duration of prior carbapenem treatment seems to be a strong risk factor for the development of carbapenem resistance. The higher risk for a longer ICU stay could be a consequence of a carbapenem resistance. In contrast to carbapenemase-producers, the clinical impact of carbapenamase-negative, carbapenem-resistant strains may be limited. Trial registration: The study design was prospectively approved by the local Ethics Commission on 10.08.2017 (EKNZ BASEC 2017-00222).
Length of hospital stays and financial incentives: evidence from Dutch rehabilitation centers
Authors: Gaspar Katalin , Croes Ramsis , Mikkers Misja , Koolman Xander
Published: August 2023

Non-linear reimbursement contracts in healthcare have been increasingly used to quantify providers’ responses to financial incentives. In the present research, we utilize a large one-off increase in the reimbursement of rehabilitation care to assess to what extent providers are willing to modify their treating behavior to maximize profits. In order to disincentivize the use of short inpatient stays for rehabilitation care, Dutch policy-makers have instated a two-part stepwise tariff-schedule. A lower tariff-schedule is applied for short hospital stays (≤ 14 days), while a higher tariff-schedule is utilized for longer treatments. Switching from one schedule to the other at day 15 of inpatient care leads to a sudden and large increase in tariffs. We show that, for most care-types, patients are seldom treated in an inpatient setting for less than 15 days, while the majority of patients are discharged after the threshold. Therefore, we conclude that the financial incentive at day 15 leads to considerable distortions in treatment. However, instead of discharging all patients at the threshold point where marginal tariffs are maximized, providers tend to continue treatment indicating altruistic behavior. As healthcare payment systems move away from piecewise reimbursement (e.g., fee-for-service arrangements), and services are increasingly ‘lumped’ together into e.g., DRGs and bundled payments, the likelihood of such discontinuities in tariff-schedules radically increases. Our research illustrates how such discontinuities in reimbursements can lead to distortions in the amount of healthcare provided contributing to the debate on optimal healthcare contracting design.
An update on mechanisms of pruritus and their potential treatment in primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Hu Man , Scheffel Jörg , Elieh-Ali-Komi Daniel , Maurer Marcus , Hawro Tomasz , Metz Martin
Published: August 2023

Primary cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), which include mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sézary syndrome (SS), are a group of lymphoproliferative disorders characterized by clonal accumulation of neoplastic T-lymphocytes in the skin. Severe pruritus, one of the most common and distressing symptoms in primary CTCL, can significantly impair emotional well-being, physical functioning, and interpersonal relationships, thus greatly reducing quality of life. Unfortunately, effectively managing pruritus remains challenging in CTCL patients as the underlying mechanisms are, as of yet, not fully understood. Previous studies investigating the mechanisms of itch in CTCL have identified several mediators and their corresponding antagonists used for treatment. However, a comprehensive overview of the mediators and receptors contributing to pruritus in primary CTCL is lacking in the current literature. Here, we summarize and review the mediators and receptors that may contribute to pruritus in primary CTCL to explore the mechanisms of CTCL pruritus and identify effective therapeutic targets using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Studies were included if they described itch mediators and receptors in MF and SS. Overall, the available data suggest that proteases (mainly tryptase), and neuropeptides (particularly Substance P) may be of greatest interest. At the receptor level, cytokine receptors, MRGPRs, and TRP channels are most likely important. Future drug development efforts should concentrate on targeting these mediators and receptors for the treatment of CTCL pruritus.
Streamlined quantitative BOLD for detecting visual stimulus-induced changes in oxygen extraction fraction in healthy participants: toward clinical application in human glioma
Authors: Arzanforoosh Fatemeh , Berman Avery J. L. , Smits Marion , Warnert Esther A. H.
Published: August 2023

Objective

Monitoring brain oxygenation is critical in brain tumors, as low oxygenation influences tumor growth, pathological angiogenesis, and treatment resistance. This study examined the ability of the streamlined quantitative (sq)BOLD MRI technique to detect oxygenation changes in healthy individuals, as well as its potential application in a clinical setting.

Methods

We used the asymmetric spin echo (ASE) technique with FLAIR preparation, along with model-based Bayesian inference to quantify the reversible transverse relaxation rate (R2') and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) across the brain at baseline and during visual stimulation in eight healthy participants at 3T; and two patients with glioma at rest only.

Results

Comparing sqBOLD-derived parameters between baseline and visual stimulation revealed a decrease in OEF from 0.56 ± 0.09 at baseline to 0.54 ± 0.07 at the activated state (p = 0.04, paired t test) within a functional localizer-defined volume of interest, and a decline in R2' from 6.5 ± 1.3s−1 at baseline to 6.2 ± 1.4s−1 at the activated state (p = 0.006, paired t test) in the visual cortex.

Conclusion

The sqBOLD technique is sensitive enough to detect and quantify changes in oxygenation in the healthy brain and shows potential for integration into clinical settings to provide valuable information on oxygenation in glioma.
The impact of pre-processing and disease characteristics on reproducibility of T2-weighted MRI radiomics features
Authors: Dewi Dyah Ekashanti Octorina , Sunoqrot Mohammed R. S. , Nketiah Gabriel Addio , Sandsmark Elise , Giskeødegård Guro F. , Langørgen Sverre , Bertilsson Helena , Elschot Mattijs , Bathen Tone Frost
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the reproducibility of radiomics features derived via different pre-processing settings from paired T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) prostate lesions acquired within a short interval, to select the setting that yields the highest number of reproducible features, and to evaluate the impact of disease characteristics (i.e., clinical variables) on features reproducibility.

Materials and methods

A dataset of 50 patients imaged using T2WI at 2 consecutive examinations was used. The dataset was pre-processed using 48 different settings. A total of 107 radiomics features were extracted from manual delineations of 74 lesions. The inter-scan reproducibility of each feature was measured using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), with ICC values > 0.75 considered good. Statistical differences were assessed using Mann–WhitneyUand Kruskal–Wallis tests.

Results

The pre-processing parameters strongly influenced the reproducibility of radiomics features of T2WI prostate lesions. The setting that yielded the highest number of features (25 features) with high reproducibility was the relative discretization with a fixed bin number of 64, no signal intensity normalization, and outlier filtering by excluding outliers. Disease characteristics did not significantly impact the reproducibility of radiomics features.

Conclusion

The reproducibility of T2WI radiomics features was significantly influenced by pre-processing parameters, but not by disease characteristics. The selected pre-processing setting yielded 25 reproducible features.
Phosphorus Sources and Sheep Manure Fertilization for Soil Properties Enhancement and Sugar Beet Yield
Authors: Ali Ahmed Mahmoud , Mahdy Ahmed Yousef , Al-Sayed Hassan Mohamed , Bayomi Khaled Megahed
Published: August 2023

Inorganic fertilizers abundant used cause hazardous environmental effects and unsafe food. Contrarily, organic fertilizers are usually utilized as soil amendments and they boost crop yield quantity and quality. A field experiment was carried out to study the effect of some phosphorus (P) sources, such as rock phosphate (RP), superphosphate (SP), and sheep manure (SM), on some soil chemical properties, growth and yield in sugar beet plants. The field experiment was arranged in a completely randomized block design with three replicates for two growing seasons (2020/21and 2021/22). Results showed significant increases in yield and physiological parameters in all treatments. Co-applying of RP with SP caused a significant increase in the SOM, N, P, and K by 70.45, 31.52, 128.35, and 24.85% respectively compared to T1. All applications to the soil significantly increased the fresh weights of sugar beet roots were significantly increased by 24.71, 17.92 and 25.72% for T2, T3, and T4 respectively over the control. Also co-application of SM and SP (T3) lead to the highest sucrose content which increased by 5.09% than the control. Therefore, we concluded that integrated fertilizer management improves soil properties and yield so these results can be used to employ to reduce the detrimental consequences of using chemical fertilizers.
Land use changes in globally important cultural forests. The case of two traditionally managed forests for non-wood forest products (NWFPs) in China and Japan
Authors: Piras Francesco , Santoro Antonio
Published: August 2023

Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFPs) still have a key role for the economy of many rural areas, for their sustainable development and for preserving traditional culture, landscape and biodiversity. Two sites inscribed in the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are based on traditional forest management devoted to shitake production: the Kunisaki Peninsula System (Japan) and the Qingyuan Forest-Mushroom Co-culture System (China). This study investigated the landscape structure of the two sites, assessing the land use changes in the last 10 years, and identifying the main drivers responsible of changes, through GIS-based spatial analyses of 2008 and 2019 land use maps. An accuracy assessment of the original databases has also been performed to validate the research findings. Results demonstrated that the maintenance of the traditional forest management has effectively contributed to the preservation of two different but both traditional landscape structures, but the methodology also allowed to identify some external pressures. In the Kunisaki peninsula the abandonment of agricultural surfaces (-4.3%) and consequent spread of grasslands (+ 63%) and forests (+ 1.3%) mainly affects areas at lower altitudes; in Qingyuan County deforestation (+ 280 ha/year), expansion of new cultivations (+ 250 ha/year) and urban sprawl (+ 67%), represent the main changes. Traditional forest practices represent effective examples of sustainable forest management, capable of providing high-quality NWFPs and ecosystem services to local communities, contributing to the preservation of local natural resources, of cultural heritage, and of biodiversity at the landscape scale.
Myco-fabricated ZnO nanoparticles ameliorate neurotoxicity in mice model of Alzheimer’s disease via acetylcholinesterase inhibition and oxidative stress reduction
Authors: Abd Elmonem Hanan A. , Morsi Reham M. , Mansour Doaa S. , El-Sayed El-Sayed R.
Published: August 2023

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the primary health problems linked to the decrease of acetylcholine in cholinergic neurons and elevation in oxidative stress. Myco-fabrication of ZnO-NPs revealed excellent biological activities, including anti-inflammatory and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory potentials. This study aims to determine if two distinct doses of myco-fabricated ZnO-NPs have a positive impact on behavioral impairment and several biochemical markers associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in mice that have been treated by aluminum chloride (AlCl3) to induce AD. Sixty male mice were haphazardly separated into equally six groups. Group 1 was injected i.p. with 0.5 ml of deionized water daily during the experiment. Mice in group 2 received AlCl3 (50 mg/kg/day i.p.). Groups 3 and 4 were treated i.p. with 5 and 10 mg/kg/day of ZnO-NPs only, respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were given i.p. 5 and 10 mg/kg/day ZnO-NPs, respectively, add to 50 mg/kg/day AlCl3. Results showed that the AlCl3 caused an increase in the escape latency time and a reduction in the time spent in the target quadrant, indicating a decreased improvement in learning and memory. Moreover, acetylcholinesterase enzyme (AChE) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) levels were significantly increased, and the content of glutathione (GSH), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), as well as levels of serotonin and dopamine, were decreased in brain tissues only in AlCl3 treated mice. However, treatment of mice with myco-fabrication of ZnO-NPs at doses of 5 or 10 mg/kg improves learning and memory function through ameliorate all the previous parameters in the AD mice group. The low dose of 5 mg/kg is more effective than a high dose of 10 mg/kg. In accordance with these findings, myco-fabricated ZnO-NPs could enhance memory and exhibit a protective influence against memory loss caused by AlCl3.
Writing Self-Efficacy in Postsecondary Students: a Scoping Review
Authors: Mitchell Kim M. , Zumbrunn Sharon , Berry Danielle N. , Demczuk Lisa
Published: August 2023

In this review, we examine studies of writing self-efficacy conducted with postsecondary students published between 1984 and 2021. We aimed to inventory the methodological choices, writing contexts, and types of pedagogies explored in studies of writing self-efficacy with postsecondary students, and summarize the practical implications noted across the included studies. A total of 50 studies met eligibility criteria. All studies used quantitative methods, were conducted in English language settings, focused on undergraduate or graduate students, and included at least one writing self-efficacy measure. Across the 50 studies, the two variables most commonly appearing alongside writing self-efficacy were writing performance and writing apprehension. Many studies also assessed change in writing self-efficacy over time. Writing contexts and measures of writing self-efficacy varied across the included studies. Common practical implications noted across studies included students’ tendency to overinflate their writing self-efficacy, recognition of the developmental nature of writing ability, the importance of teacher attitudes and instructional climate, the influence of feedback on writing self-efficacy, and approaches to teaching and guiding writing. Based on this review, we see several directions for future research including a need for longitudinal studies, consideration of situated approaches, identification of diversity impacts, and attention to consistent use of strong multidimensional measures of writing self-efficacy.
Talc concentration effect on shelf life of acetaminophen tablets
Authors: Calvino Martina Maria , Cavallaro Giuseppe , Lazzara Giuseppe , Milioto Stefana
Published: August 2023

Excipients in pharmaceutical formulations are inactive ingredient from the biological point of view, but they have a key role in the preparation, and they can alter the stability of the active principle. In this work, we prepared acetaminophen tablets with different amounts of talc as excipient and the thermal stability was deeply investigated by thermogravimetric studies. Isoconversional analysis by Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose method and “Master plot” analysis have been successfully employed to describe the kinetics of degradation under inert atmosphere, and the shelf lives have been calculated as a function of the talc content. The shelf-life values as well as the activation energy, which is the dominant factor, evidenced that the inorganic filler enhances the drug degradation to a certain extend and that the composition dependence has a peculiar trend reflecting the particle cluster formation at a critical concentration value. An effort of physico-chemical explanation for this behaviour is put forward by a simple geometrical model from the microparticle-size analysis to predict the critical talc concentration.
Thermal analysis and FTIR study of 4-n-hexadecyloxybenzoic acid (16OB)
Authors: Rudzki Arkadiusz , Chruściel Janusz , Zalewski Sławomir , Zając Wojciech
Published: August 2023

We have carried out phase polymorphism studies of 4-n-hexadecyloxybenzoic acid (16OB) in temperature range: from 10 to 150 °C with the use of Differrential Scanning Calorimeter, Thermal Microscopic Polarization and Transmitted Light Intensity. 16OB is a liquid crystal which has smectic C phase (SmC) and rich polymorphism in solid phase. Particularly interesting is one of the transitions in solid state possessing characteristic clear exothermic effect (during heating cycle) which is associated with the transition between the metastable and stable phases. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a function of temperature was used to analyze changes in the nature of hydrogen bonds. The exact analysis of effects shows an existence of the metastable phases. The stable and metastable phases differ from each other in the structure made of hydrogen bonds.
Qualifizierung für die Transformation der Organisation nutzen – das Praxisbeispiel der IAV
Authors: Dahm Johanna , Dornoff Karolina , Handlbauer Stefanie , Lemke Anja , Heidelberger Maria , Kauffeld Simone
Published: August 2023

Der Praxisbericht der Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)“ beschreibt die Transformationsqualifizierung des führenden Entwicklungsdienstleisters Ingenieurgesellschaft Auto und Verkehr (IAV GmbH). Durch die Transformation der Automobilindustrie, gesteuert durch Digitalisierung, Dekarbonisierung, Deglobalisierung und den demografischen Wandel, wurden bei der IAV Rollen identifiziert, die in Zukunft abgebaut oder vermehrt gebraucht werden. 1500 Mitarbeitende, vor allem Ingenieure, sind von der Transformation betroffen. Die Beschäftigungssicherung wird durch Umqualifizierungen strategisch geplant und, anders als in vorangegangenen Qualifizierungsprogrammen, basiert die Teilnahme auf Freiwilligkeit und ist nicht als top-down Prozess angelegt. Der erste Schritt ist die Bedarfsanalyse, der zweite Schritt ist die Kommunikation im Unternehmen, der dritte Schritt ist das Bewerbungs- und Auswahlverfahren, der vierte Schritt ist die Qualifizierungsmaßnahme, basierend auf einer Qualifizierungsmatrix, um einen individuellen Weiterbildungsplan zu erstellen und zuletzt findet im fünften Schritt der Funktionsrollenwechsel statt. Herausforderungen und Potenziale werden diskutiert und sollen in Form von Wissenstransfer von der Transformation betroffene Unternehmen unterstützen, Qualifizierung effektiv zu gestalten.
Solidification of Al12Si Melt Pool in Laser Powder Bed Fusion
Authors: Ghomashchi Reza , Nafisi Shahrooz
Published: August 2023

An understanding of the solidification characteristics of the melt pool during laser powder bed fusion, L-PBF, metal printing is essential to ensure the manufacture of sound parts. This is the main theme of this article where it is attempted to unlock the solidification black box through calculation/measurement of the main solidification parameters of cooling rate, growth rate, temperature gradient, and undercooling. The very small melt pool size and its rapid cooling hinder the application of conventional tools to extract such information. A knowledge of these parameters and their effect on the microstructure and morphology of constituent phases could help to better control the L-PBF process and indeed all the fusion-based additive manufacturing routes, to fabricate high-quality parts. Al12Si alloy solidification during the L-PBF fabrication route is examined to highlight the extreme changes in solidification parameters and their effect on the morphology and size of eutectic Si. This is because the morphology of Si controls the mechanical properties of the finished part. The Al–Si eutectic has a divorced architecture attributed to the difficulty associated with Si growth resulted from rapid solidification. The generation of a temperature gradient of about 7700 °C/mm resulted in cooling rates in the range of 1.1 × 106 °C/s and a growth rate of 140 mm/s. Such values were then used to predict the morphology of eutectic Si based on the traditional approach.
Consequences of undertreatment of hypothyroidism
Authors: Feldt-Rasmussen Ulla , Effraimidis Grigoris , Bliddal Sofie , Klose Marianne
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To provide an overview of consequences of undertreatment with levothyroxine (LT4) in the common non-communicable disease, hypothyroidism.

Methods

Narrative review of the literature.

Results

Hypothyroidism is globally very prevalent at all age groups and represents a non-communicable disease in which the risks and consequences are preventable. In children and adolescents, the most devastating consequences of undertreatment are poor growth and development. Lack of early treatment in congenital hypothyroidism can lead to permanent damage of brain function. In young to middle-aged adults, consequences are often overlooked, and treatment delayed by many years. The resulting consequences are also at this age group compromised brain and physical functioning but less severe and partly reversible with treatment. The undertreated condition often results in a higher risk of several secondary devastating diseases such as increased cardiovascular disease burden, obesity, hypertension, poor physical capacity, poor quality of life. In young women of fertile age the consequences of undertreatment with LT4 are subnormal fertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, compromised fetal growth and neurocognitive development. There is a further risk of 30–50% of developing postpartum thyroiditis. In the elderly population care must be given to avoid confusing a slightly high serum TSH as result of physiological age adaptation with a requirement for LT4 treatment in a truly hypothyroid patient.

Conclusion

Undertreatment of the preventable non-communicable disease hypothyroidism requires more focus both from caretakers in the healthcare system, but also from the global political systems in order to prevent the personally devastating and socioeconomically challenging consequences.
Current understanding and future perspectives on the impact of changing NAFLD to MAFLD on global epidemiology and clinical outcomes
Authors: Vaz Karl , Clayton-Chubb Daniel , Majeed Ammar , Lubel John , Simmons David , Kemp William , Roberts Stuart K.
Published: August 2023

Introduction

For the first time in nearly half a century, fatty liver disease has undergone a change in name and definition, from the exclusive term, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), to the inclusion-based, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This has led investigators across the globe to evaluate the impact the nomenclature change has had on the epidemiology and natural history of the disease.

Methods

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview on how the shift in name and diagnostic criteria has influenced point prevalence in different geographic regions, as well as morbidity and mortality risk, whilst highlighting gaps in the literature that need to be addressed.

Conclusions

MAFLD prevalence is higher than NAFLD prevalence, carries a higher risk of overall mortality, with greater granularity in risk-stratification amongst MAFLD subtypes.

Graphical abstract
The Effects of Using Psychotherapeutic e-Mental Health Interventions on Men’s Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Opozda Melissa J. , Oxlad Melissa , Turnbull Deborah , Gupta Himanshu , Vincent Andrew D. , Ziesing Samuel , Nankivell Murray , Wittert Gary
Published: August 2023

While psychotherapeutic e-mental health interventions may circumvent barriers that many men face in accessing mental health care, the effects of men using these interventions have not been evaluated. We aimed to synthesise the characteristics of psychotherapeutic e-mental health interventions for depression or anxiety that have been trialled and evaluated in men, and synthesise and meta-analyse the effects of these interventions on men’s depression and anxiety, including examining influences of participant, intervention, and study characteristics on outcomes. Seven papers (N = 552 participant men) identified from systematic literature searches met inclusion criteria. A total 177 studies were excluded because although they met all other inclusion criteria, they did not present analysable data on participant men. The seven included interventions varied in content, length, and format; only one intervention was gender sensitive, having been designed specifically for men. All three randomised controlled trials detected no post-trial difference in men’s depression symptoms between intervention and control participants. All four treatment studies presenting pre-post data reported post-intervention improvements in depression or social anxiety symptoms; this was supported by our meta-analysis of two studies, which found a medium-sized, positive effect of depression treatment interventions on depression symptoms in pre-post data (g = 0.64, p < 0.005). Further meta-analyses could not be conducted due to data limitations. Psychotherapeutic e-mental health treatment interventions result in pre- to post-intervention improvements in men’s depression symptoms. There is urgent need for consideration of gender and sex in the development, evaluation, and dissemination of e-mental health interventions for men, and for further information on their effects.
A preliminary study on the relationship between cultural identification, racial discrimination, and well-being of Chinese Malaysians Young adults
Authors: Ting Rachel Sing-Kiat , Lim Xin-Jean , Lim Joy Yung-Re , Choo Jia-Yee
Published: August 2023

It was well documented that racial minorities struggle with discrimination that jeopardizes their mental well-being. However, the interaction between cultural identification (CI) and mother tongue (MT) on perceived discrimination among minority communities was unclear. This study adopted a cross-sectional survey to investigate how different Chinese in Malaysia (CIM) groups experience in-group versus out-group discrimination based on their MT, and its impact on well-being. We hypothesized that (1) different CIM-MT groups would differ in their in-group discriminations; (2) there would be a pathway from CI to discrimination and to mental well-being; (3) MT would have a moderation effect on the pathway. A standardized online survey measuring CI (national vs. ethnic), perceived discrimination (in-group vs. out-group), and mental well-being (life satisfaction vs. mental distress) was administered to CIM college students. Analysis using ANCOVA and PLS-SEM (N = 288) showed that the English-MT group reported higher in-group discrimination than the Chinese-MT group. Moreover, the PLS-SEM analysis showed that ethnic identity, not national identity, displayed a significant negative association with in-group discrimination, which then significantly predicted mental distress in general. Furthermore, MT was a significant moderator between national identity and out-group discrimination. The findings confirmed that MT could predispose CIM to different exposure of racial dynamics and contexts. In lieu of the detrimental effect of both forms of racial discrimination, we advocate for culturally responsive mental health services for ethnic minorities around the world.
IgG4 Disease-Related Ataxia
Authors: Hadjivassiliou Marios , Blackburn Daniel , O’Malley Ronan , Hoggard Nigel
Published: August 2023

We describe a male patient presenting with cerebellar ataxia and behavioural frontotemporal dementia in whom imaging showed cerebellar atrophy. He had significantly low N-acetyl aspartate to creatine (NAA/Cr) area ratio on MR spectroscopy of the cerebellum, primarily affecting the vermis. CT body scan showed extensive abnormal tissue within the mesentery, the retroperitoneum and perinephric areas. PET-CT showed increased tracer uptake within the wall of the aorta suggestive of an aortitis and within the perinephric tissue bilaterally. Biopsy of the perinephric tissue confirmed IgG4 disease. Treatment with steroids and mycophenolate improved his clinical state, but he developed symptoms attributed to pericardiac effusion that necessitated treatment initially with drainage and subsequently with pericardial window. After a course of rituximab, he had an episode of sepsis that did not respond to appropriate treatment and died as a result. Both the imaging findings and neurological presentation with cerebellar ataxia and behavioural frontotemporal dementia are novel in the context of IgG4 disease.