bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice of professional athletes in an Iranian population (a cross-sectional study)
Authors: Hasanpouri Amin , Rahmani Bita , Gharakhanlou Bahram Jamali , Solaimanian Shahabaddin , Shahsavari Saeed , Rasouli Ahmadreza , Abbasi Saeed , Ebrahimi-Kalan Abbas , Rouzitalab Tohid , Hoseinabadi Zahra , Shiri-Shahsavar Mohammad Reza
Published: December 2023

Background

Proper nutrition is vital in promoting community health, yet insufficient knowledge and improper dietary practices can lead to deficiencies and diseases. Professional athletes depend on optimal nutrition for their performance and recovery, but a lack of understanding can impede their potential. The nutritional status of athletes impacts their overall health and sports performance. Inadequate sports nutrition knowledge may result in suboptimal practices, reducing strength, power, endurance, and immunity. Additionally, disordered attitudes can lead to dietary imbalances and an increased risk of injury. This study, conducted in Qazvin, Iran, examined athletes’ nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices. By addressing these factors, there is potential to enhance dietary behaviors and ultimately improve athletes’ performance.

Methods

The study employed a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional design to investigate the nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of professional athletes in Qazvin, Iran. A total of 320 purposefully selected professional athletes (68.13% male, 31.87% female) from various sports fields participated in the research. The data collection tool consisted of demographic questions and a KAP questionnaire, including 27 nutritional knowledge questions, 16 nutritional attitude questions, and 14 nutritional performance questions. The quota sampling method was used to estimate sample sizes. Data analysis was carried out by SPSS v.26 using one sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient test.

Results

The results showed that nutritional knowledge (the mean value was 79.594 ± 7.015 - the optimal knowledge level = 84) and attitude (the mean value was 23.347 ± 5.300 - the optimal attitude level = 26) for athletes are low, but their nutritional practice (the mean value was 21.788 ± 3.450 - the optimal performance level = 24) was moderate. Also, professional athletes’ nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice were lower than normal (p < 0.05). Significant positive correlations were among knowledge, attitude, and practice (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice among the subjects of different age groups, genders, and sports types (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

This study showed that the nutritional knowledge, attitude, and practice of professional Iranian athletes in Qazvin province were low; therefore, the implementation of more theoretical and applied nutrition education, such as using knowledge assessment tools and interventions, irrespective of their age, sport’s field, and gender, is compelling.
Functional independence, frailty and perceived quality of life in patients who developed delirium during ICU stay: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Lobo-Valbuena Beatriz , Molina Rosario , Castañeda-Vozmediano Raúl , Lopez de la Oliva Calvo Leire , Abella Ana , Garcia-Arias María-Mercedes , Salinas Gabiña Irene , Gordo Federico
Published: December 2023

Background

Survivors of critical illness are frequently left with a long-lasting disability. We hypothesised that patients who developed delirium during ICU stay, compared with patients who did not, would have worse health-related quality of life following a critical illness.

Methods

Prospective longitudinal observational and analytical study assessing functional independence, frailty and perceived quality of life measured with the Barthel Index, the Clinical Frailty Scale, and the SF-36, comparing patients who developed delirium during ICU stay and patients who did not. The questionnaires were used at different times during the follow-up (upon ICU admission, at ICU discharge, at hospital discharge and 2 years after hospital discharge).

Results

In a cohort of 1462 patients, we matched 93 patients who developed delirium (delirium group) with 93 patients who did not develop delirium (no-delirium group). Of 156 completed questionnaires (84.7%), we observed that (a) in each of the two groups of patients, the scores related to functional independence (Barthel Index) and frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale) tended to improve over time (p < 0.001), being consistently less favourable in the delirium group compared to the no-delirium group (p < 0.001); (b) the patients who developed delirium also presented lower scores on the SF-36 scale, these differences being statistically significant, and therefore evidencing a worse quality of life, with impact on both the psychological and social spheres (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Patients who developed delirium had significantly lower scores 2 years after hospital discharge on the three used questionnaires, displaying a clear negative impact on the physical, psychological, and social dimensions. The study's results reinforce the need to support and strengthen the care of ICU survivors.
Research on the detection model of mental illness of online forum users based on convolutional network
Authors: Guo Yuliang , Zhang Zheng , Xu Xuejun
Published: December 2023

Recently, there will be more than 4.62 billion social media users worldwide. A large number of users tend to publish personal emotional dynamics or express opinions on social media. These massive user data provide data support for the development of mental illness detection research and have achieved good results. However, it is difficult for current mental illness detection models to accurately identify key emotional features from a large number of posts issued by users to detect problem users. In view of the fact that the existing models cannot more accurately extract the words with high emotional contribution in the content of user posts, this paper proposes two hierarchical user post feature representation models, named Single-Gated LeakReLU-CNN (SGL-CNN) and Multi-Gated LeakyReLU-CNN (MGL-CNN). We leverage these 2 models to identify users with mental illness in online forums. For all posts published by each user within a certain time span, the model proposed in this paper can identify key emotional features in them and filter out other unimportant information as much as possible. In addition, the addition of gating units in this paper can significantly improve the performance of emotion detection tasks. The experimental results based on the task of RSDD dataset prove that the performance of the model proposed in this paper is superior to that of the existing methods.
Antibiotics and antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a real-world disproportionality study of the FDA adverse event reporting system from 2004 to 2022
Authors: Huang Haining , Li Lanfang , Wu Mingli , Liu Zhen , Zhao Yanyan , Peng Jing , Ren Xiaolei , Chen Shuai
Published: December 2023

Background

Our study aimed to assess the risk signals of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) caused by various antibiotics using real-world data and provide references for safe clinical applications.

Methods

We analyzed data extracted from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, covering the period from the first quarter of 2004 to the third quarter of 2022. We computed the reporting odds ratio (ROR) for each antibiotic or antibiotic class to compare the signal difference. Furthermore, we also examined the differences in the onset times and outcomes of AAD caused by various antibiotics.

Results

A total of 5,397 reports met the inclusion requirements. Almost all antibiotics, except tobramycin and minocycline (ROR 0.98; 95%CI: 0.64–1.51 and 0.42; 95%CI: 0.16–1.11, respectively), showed a significant correlation with AAD. The analysis of the correlation between different classes of antibiotics and AAD revealed that lincomycins (ROR 29.19; 95%CI: 27.06–31.50), third-generation cephalosporins (ROR 15.96; 95%CI: 14.58–17.47), and first/second generation cephalosporins (ROR 15.29; 95%CI: 13.74–17.01) ranked the top three. The ROR values for antibiotics from the same class of antibiotics also varied greatly, with the ROR values for third-generation cephalosporins ranging from 9.97 to 58.59. There were also differences in ROR values between β-lactamase inhibitors and their corresponding β-lactamase drugs, such as amoxicillin-clavulanate (ROR = 13.31; 95%CI: 12.09–14.65) and amoxicillin (ROR = 6.50; 95%CI: 5.69–7.44). 91.35% of antibiotics have an onset time of less than four weeks.

Conclusions

There is a significant correlation between almost all antibiotics and AAD, particularly lincomycins and β-lactam antibiotics, as well as a different correlation within the same class. These findings offer valuable evidence for selecting antibiotics appropriately.
Glioblastoma pseudoprogression and true progression reveal spatially variable transcriptional differences
Authors: Wang Wesley , Tugaoen Jonah Domingo , Fadda Paolo , Toland Amanda Ewart , Ma Qin , Elder J. Brad , Giglio Pierre ,   James Cancer Center Integrated Neuro-Oncology Team, Giglio Pierre , Ong Shirley , Pillainayagam Clement , Gornanovich Justin , Gould Megan , Lima Judith , Lonser Russell , Elder Brad , Hardesty Douglas , Lucas Timothy , Ahmadian Saman , Kobalka Peter , Thomas Diana , Slone Wayne , Chakravarti Arnab , Raval Raju , Beyer Sasha , Palmer Joshua D. , Blakaj Dukagjin , Dawson Erica , Bell Erica , Otero José Javier
Published: December 2023

Post-resection radiologic monitoring to identify areas of new or progressive enhancement concerning for cancer recurrence is critical during patients with glioblastoma follow-up. However, treatment-related pseudoprogression presents with similar imaging features but requires different clinical management. While pathologic diagnosis is the gold standard to differentiate true progression and pseudoprogression, the lack of objective clinical standards and admixed histologic presentation creates the needs to (1) validate the accuracy of current approaches and (2) characterize differences between these entities to objectively differentiate true disease. We demonstrated using an online RNAseq repository of recurrent glioblastoma samples that cancer-immune cell activity levels correlate with heterogenous clinical outcomes in patients. Furthermore, nCounter RNA expression analysis of 48 clinical samples taken from second neurosurgical resection supports that pseudoprogression gene expression pathways are dominated with immune activation, whereas progression is predominated with cell cycle activity. Automated image processing and spatial expression analysis however highlight a failure to apply these broad expressional differences in a subset of cases with clinically challenging admixed histology. Encouragingly, applying unsupervised clustering approaches over our segmented histologic images provides novel understanding of morphologically derived differences between progression and pseudoprogression. Spatially derived data further highlighted polarization of myeloid populations that may underscore the tumorgenicity of novel lesions. These findings not only help provide further clarity of potential targets for pathologists to better assist stratification of progression and pseudoprogression, but also highlight the evolution of tumor-immune microenvironment changes which promote tumor recurrence.
Cryo-EM structures of Aβ40 filaments from the leptomeninges of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Authors: Yang Yang , Murzin Alexey G. , Peak-Chew Sew , Franco Catarina , Garringer Holly J. , Newell Kathy L. , Ghetti Bernardino , Goedert Michel , Scheres Sjors H. W.
Published: December 2023

We used electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) to determine the structures of Aβ40 filaments from the leptomeninges of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy. In agreement with previously reported structures, which were solved to a resolution of 4.4 Å, we found three types of filaments. However, our new structures, solved to a resolution of 2.4 Å, revealed differences in the sequence assignment that redefine the fold of Aβ40 peptides and their interactions. Filaments are made of pairs of protofilaments, the ordered core of which comprises D1–G38. The different filament types comprise one, two or three protofilament pairs. In each pair, residues H14–G37 of both protofilaments adopt an extended conformation and pack against each other in an anti-parallel fashion, held together by hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds between main chains and side chains. Residues D1–H13 fold back on the adjacent parts of their own chains through both polar and non-polar interactions. There are also several additional densities of unknown identity. Sarkosyl extraction and aqueous extraction gave the same structures. By cryo-EM, parenchymal deposits of Aβ42 and blood vessel deposits of Aβ40 have distinct structures, supporting the view that Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral amyloid angiopathy are different Aβ proteinopathies.
Biomechanical effects of different staging and attachment designs in maxillary molar distalization with clear aligner: a finite element study
Authors: Gao Jie , Guo Donghui , Zhang Xu , Cheng Yuxun , Zhang Hao , Xu Yuerong , Jin Zuolin , Ma Yanning
Published: December 2023

Background

In the present study, the effects of distalizations of one and two molars with different step distances and attachment designs have been analyzed.

Methods

A 3D finite element analysis model has been developed in order to determine the tendency of tooth displacement and stress distribution with clear aligner treatment.

Results

Under the condition of single-molar distalization, when the step distance was set to 0.25 mm, the total displacement was 0.086 mm for central incisors, 0.080 mm for lateral incisors, 0.084 mm for canines, 0.102 mm for the first premolar and 0.076 mm for the second premolar. The von Mises stress of roots and the principal stress of the periodontal ligament was slightly lower than in the control group when the step distance was set to 0.130 mm. Under the condition of two-molar distalization, when the step distance was set to 0.130 mm, the total displacements for central incisors, lateral incisors and canines as well as both the first and second maxillary molars were basically the same as with a distance of 0.250 mm for one-molar distalization. In addition, when the step distance was 0.130 mm with two-molar distalization, the rotation center of the first and second molar was closer to the apex of the root indicating that the smaller step distance led to more bodily movement during the two-molar distalization. However, displacement tendencies of the first molar and the second molar were basically the same whether horizontal or vertical rectangular attachments were added.

Conclusions

A step distance of moving two molars to 0.130 mm can achieve the same reaction force on the anterior teeth as moving one molar 0.250 mm without effects on horizontal or vertical rectangular attachments.

Clinical relevance

Our results provide a theoretical basis and guidance for simultaneously moving two molars backward in clinical practice using a clear aligner.
16-channel SiPM high-frequency readout with time-over-threshold discrimination for ultrafast time-of-flight applications
Authors: Nadig Vanessa , Hornisch Matthias , Oehm Jakob , Herweg Katrin , Schulz Volkmar , Gundacker Stefan
Published: December 2023

Background

Over the past five years, ultrafast high-frequency (HF) readout concepts have advanced the timing performance of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The shown impact in time-of-flight (TOF) techniques can further push the limits in light detection and ranging (LiDAR), time-of-flight positron-emission tomography (TOF-PET), time-of-flight computed tomography (TOF-CT) or high-energy physics (HEP). However, upscaling these electronics to a system-applicable, multi-channel readout, has remained a challenging task, posed by the use of discrete components and a high power consumption. To this day, there are no means to exploit the high TOF resolution of these electronics on system scale or to measure the actual timing performance limits of a full detector block.

Methods

In this work, we present a 16-channel HF readout board, including leading-edge discrimination and a linearized time-over-threshold (TOT) method, which is fully compatible with a high-precision time-to-digital converters (TDCs), such as the picoTDC developed at CERN. The discrete implementation allows ideal adaptation of this readout to a broad range of detection tasks. As a first step, the functionality of the circuit has been tested using the TOFPET2 ASIC as back-end electronics to emulate the TDC, also in view of its properties as a highly scalable data acquisition solution.

Results

The produced board is able to mitigate influences of baseline shifts in the TOFPET2 front end, which has been shown in experiments with a pulsed laser, increasing the achievable intrinsic coincidence timing resolution (CTR) of the TOFPET2 readout electronics from 70 ps (FWHM) to 62 ps (FWHM). Single-channel coincidence experiments including a $$\gamma$$
γ
-source, 2$$\times$$
×
2$$\times$$
×
3 mm$$^{3}$$

3

LYSO:Ce,Ca crystals and Broadcom NUV-MT SiPMs resulted in a CTR of 118 ps (FWHM). For a 4$$\times$$
×
4 matrix of 3.88$$\times$$
×
3.88$$\times$$
×
19 mm$$^{3}$$

3

LYSO:Ce,Ca crystals one-to-one coupled to a 4$$\times$$
×
4 array of Broadcom NUV-MT SiPMs, an average CTR of 223 ps (FWHM) was obtained.

Conclusion

The implemented 16-channel HF electronics are fully functionall and have a negligible influence on the timing performance of the back-end electronics used, here the TOFPET2 ASIC. The ongoing integration of the picoTDC with the 16-channel HF board is expected to further set the path toward sub-100 ps TOF-PET and sub-30ps TOF resolution for single-photon detection.
Induction of CYP3A activity by dexamethasone may not be strong, even at high doses: insights from a case of tacrolimus co-administration
Authors: Ohno Yoshiyuki , Oriyama Toyohito , Honda Akira , Kurokawa Mineo , Takada Tappei
Published: December 2023

Background

Dexamethasone (DEX) induces CYP3A activity in a concentration-dependent manner. However, no study has examined changes in the blood concentration of CYP3A substrate drugs when DEX is administered at high doses. Herein, we present a case in which tacrolimus (TAC), a typical CYP3A substrate drug, was co-administered with a chemotherapy regimen that included high-dose DEX.

Case presentation

A 71-year-old woman underwent liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma 18 years prior to her inclusion in this case study. She was receiving TAC orally at 2 mg/day and had a stable trough blood concentration of approximately 4 ng/mL and a trough blood concentration/dose (C/D) ratio of approximately 2. The patient was diagnosed with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (histological type: Burkitt's lymphoma) after admission. Thereafter, the patient received cyclophosphamide-prednisolone (CP), followed by two courses of R-HyperCVAD (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and DEX) and R-MA (rituximab, methotrexate, and cytarabine) replacement therapy. DEX (33 mg/day) was administered intravenously on days 1–4 and days 11–14 of R-HyperCVAD treatment, and aprepitant (APR) was administered on days 1–5 in both courses. The TAC C/D ratio decreased to approximately 1 on day 11 during both courses, and then increased. Furthermore, a decreasing trend in the TAC C/D ratio was observed after R-MA therapy. The decrease in the TAC C/D ratio was attributed to APR administration rather than to DEX.

Conclusion

The induction of CYP3A activity by a high dose of DEX may not be strong. The pharmacokinetic information on DEX and in vitro enzyme activity induction studies also suggested that CYP3A activity induction is not prominent under high-dose DEX treatment.
Political party offers of representation for minority voters: advertising in Chinese-language newspapers in New Zealand
Authors: McMillan Kate , Barker Fiona , Hoyle Caleb
Published: December 2023

For reasons of both electoral competitiveness and democratic legitimacy, political parties in diverse democracies increasingly compete for the votes of immigrant and ethnic minority voters. A considerable literature has examined the effects of electoral advertising on the partisanship and turnout of targeted groups. Little attention has been given, however, to the nature of the representational offers contained in advertising that targets ethnic minorities. Do party advertisements offer descriptive representation, by featuring ethnic candidates? Do they offer geographic representation, by focusing on districts where ethnic minorities live? Do they offer to represent ethnic minorities’ specific interests or experiences? Where ethnic minorities are internally diverse, what efforts do parties make to address such diversity in their advertising? How parties answer these questions affects the scope and inclusivity of the representational offers extended to ethnic minority voters, with consequences for their political inclusion and representation. We examine how these questions have been answered in New Zealand, a country characterised by high rates of inward migration and the enfranchisement of resident non-citizens. Using data from a novel study of New Zealand political parties’ election advertisements targeting Chinese voters, we assess the quantity and character of representational offers made to this internally diverse minority group. Our findings suggest that, even as the main political parties are increasingly making specific representational offers to Chinese New Zealanders, these offers vary across the political spectrum in their quantity, scope and inclusiveness.
Multicenter, prospective cohort study: immediate postoperative gains in active range of motion following robotic-assisted total knee replacement compared to a propensity-matched control using manual instrumentation
Authors: Fary Camdon , Cholewa Jason , Ren Anna N. , Abshagen Scott , Anderson Mike B. , Tripuraneni Krishna
Published: December 2023

Background

Range of motion (ROM) following total knee replacement (TKR) has been associated with patient satisfaction and knee function, and is also an early indicator of a successful procedure. Robotic-assisted TKR (raTKR) is considered to reproduce more precise resections, and, as a result, may be associated with improved early patient satisfaction compared to manual TKR (mTKR). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early postoperative active ROM (aROM) between raTKR and mTKR.

Methods

A total of 216 mTKR patients were propensity-matched, in terms of age, gender, comorbidities, and BMI, to 216 raTKR cases. Intraoperative and immediate postoperative adverse events were collected. Knee flexion and extension aROM were measured preoperatively and at one- and three months after operation.

Results

Changes in flexion aROM were significantly greater in raTKR vs. mTKR at one- (6.9°, 95% CI: 3.5, 10.4°) and three months (4.9°, 95% CI: 2.1, 7.7°). Flexion aROM was greater at three postoperative months compared to preoperative aROM only in the raTKR group, and raTKR patients had higher odds of achieving ≥ 90° of flexion at one month after operation (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.16, 3.99). There were no significant differences between groups in intraoperative (P > 0.999) or postoperative adverse events.

Conclusions

Compared with mTKR, raTKR resulted  in less loss of aROM immediately after operation and a faster recovery of aROM within three months after operation.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT# 03737149).
Olfactory reference disorder—a review
Authors: Soman Savitha , Nair Rajesh
Published: December 2023

Olfactory Reference Disorder (ORD) is a known clinical entity for several decades; however, it is only in ICD 11 that it has found its niche. Long considered a delusional disorder, it is currently classified as an obsessive–compulsive (OC) spectrum disorder.

ORD is characterised by an erroneous conviction that the body is emitting an unpleasant smell. Patients harbour referential thinking, practise rituals to eliminate or mask the perceived odour, and avoid social interactions. While the conviction can be at a delusional level in some patients, the preoccupation has an obsessive quality in others. The level of insight can be varied. Patients present to mental health settings after traversing a long pathway of care comprising of various specialists. Medical and psychiatric conditions which can present with ORD-like symptoms need to be ruled out. Establishing a therapeutic alliance is the first step in management. There are no randomised controlled trials comparing treatment options in ORD. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, and their combinations have been used with varying degrees of success, in addition to psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy. Data on prognosis is limited.
Tissue Doppler vs. conventional parameters for diagnosis of tamponading pericardial effusion: a cross-sectional study in tertiary referral center
Authors: Behairy Ahmed , Tantawy Amira Esmat El , Hamed Asmaa Mahmoud , AbdelMassih Antoine , Tarek Sara
Published: December 2023

Background

Conventional signs of tamponade include right ventricular and atrial collapse and respiratory variation in mitral inflow velocities. Despite being reliable, they are qualitative in nature and are not well correlated with clinical signs of deterioration or improvement. Tamponade is invariably preceded and associated with diastolic dysfunction, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) can help in early detection of it, earlier than conventional signs. For this purpose, 36 patients presenting with pericardial effusion have been subjected to echocardiography, including effusion dimensions, presence or absence of routine signs of tamponade and TDI-derived LV and RV E/E′ ratios, as well as clinical signs of tamponade to test the diagnostic accuracy of echocardiographic parameters against them.

Results

Right atrial and ventricular collapse were the least accurate in the detection of tamponade, while effusion dimension > 14 mm was the most accurate among conventional parameters to point toward tamponade. RV and LV diastolic dysfunction as evidenced by E/E′ ratio showed 100% sensitivity in predicting tamponade, while LV E/E′ ratio showed the highest specificity (100%) in the same context. The higher diagnostic accuracy of LV E/E′ ratio might be also related to the presence of chronic kidney disease patients, with an already jeopardized LV function.

Conclusions

TDI technology is now available in most of the portable echocardiography machines and can serve as part of point-of-care echocardiography in the early detection of cardiac tamponade and in decision making for pericardiocentesis. Larger studies can help in consolidating the impression driven from our small-scale cross-sectional study.
Fostering organisational citizenship behaviour in the Egyptian hospitality industry: the role of internal brand management and leadership styles
Authors: Halim Hazem Tawfik , Halim Yasser Tawfik , Elsawy Osman Mohamed
Published: December 2023

Purpose

This study explores the intricate interplay between internal brand management (IBM), leadership styles, and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in the dynamic Egyptian hospitality industry. The purpose is to investigate these relationships, considering the regional nuances of Southern and Northern Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive investigation was conducted to examine the influence of IBM on OCB and the varying effects of leadership styles in this context. The study also explores the moderating role of leadership styles in the IBM–OCB relationship. The research is based on meticulous data collection and rigorous analysis.

Findings

The results affirm the central role of IBM in enhancing OCB within the Egyptian hospitality sector, irrespective of the region. Additionally, transformational leadership consistently emerges as a potent catalyst for OCB, while the direct impact of transactional leadership remains inconclusive. Transformational leadership exerts a moderating influence, strengthening the positive relationship between IBM practices and OCB.

Originality/value

This research contributes novel insights to the field by examining IBM, leadership styles, and OCB in the unique context of the Egyptian hospitality industry. The findings provide valuable implications for hotel managers and practitioners to develop strategies for enhancing employee commitment, fostering OCB, and gaining a competitive advantage in this thriving sector. The study also underscores the importance of considering regional nuances and tailoring management practices to specific contextual characteristics within the hospitality industry. This research represents an essential contribution, highlighting the significance of aligning IBM, leadership styles, and OCB to promote organisational success in the Egyptian hospitality industry.

Graphical Abstract
Chemical profiling of antifungal Dicerocaryum senecioides and Diospyros mespiliformis extracts using TLC-p-iodonitrotetrazolium violet assay and GC–MS/MS
Authors: Zhou R. , Dzomba P. , Gwatidzo L.
Published: December 2023

Background

Despite the availability of conventional medication for fungal skin diseases, dermatophytic infections are now a major crisis in the whole world due to multidrug resistance. In an effort to search for complementary and alternative remedies, this study evaluated the chemical composition of Dicerocaryum senecioides and Diospyros mespiliformis leaf and fruit extracts, respectively, exhibiting significant in vitro antifungal activity. Ethyl acetate extracts of each plant were screened for antifungal activity against three fungi species: Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum using disc diffusion and poisoned food assays. Gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) was used to evaluate the chemical composition after isolation of active bands by thin-layer chromatography-p-iodonitrotetrazolium chloride assay.

Results

The composite crude ethyl acetate extracts of D. mespiliformis and D. senecioides (1:1) exhibited concentration-dependent antifungal potencies. C. albicans was susceptible to the crude extracts up to a minimum concentration of 6.25%. E. floccosum and T. rubrum were more susceptible up to a minimum extract concentrations of 1%. GC–MS/MS analysis of the isolated active TLC bands revealed bioactive compounds including flavonoids (quercetin, luteolin), together with their O-glycosylated counter parts and the C-monoglycosylated flavonoids (vitexin, orientin, isovitexin and isoorientin), terpenoids, esters and other phenolic acids. Some of the compounds were common to both plants.

Conclusion

The findings of this study show that D. senecioides and D. mespiliformis extracts consist of important bioactive compounds to warrant their use in complementary and alternative poly-herbal formulations against fungal infections.
Role of vitamin D in lateral epicondylitis among Egyptians
Authors: El-Leithy Sally A , Adly Nahla Nader , Galal Salwa
Published: December 2023

Background

Lateral elbow pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder affecting the elbow’s epicondyle region. One form of lateral elbow pain is lateral epicondylitis, which is a degenerative disorder of the musculotendinous system. Adequate levels of vitamin D are essential for maintaining musculoskeletal health. Our study aimed to assess the role of vitamin D in lateral epicondylitis among Egyptians.

Results

Our research revealed that there is a significant correlation between vitamin D deficiency and lateral epicondylitis. Patients with vitamin D deficiency displayed worse patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation score (PTREE), visual analog scale score (VAS), and grip strength. These findings indicate a statistically significant association between lateral epicondylitis patients with deficient vitamin D and each of the PTREE scores (p < 0.001), VAS score (p < 0.001), and hand grip strength (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The etiology of lateral epicondylitis is not yet fully understood. However, our study provides evidence supporting the notion that low levels of vitamin D may be one of the risk factors in the etiology of lateral epicondylitis among Egyptians.
Towards energy efficiency: retrofitting existing office buildings using smart technologies
Authors: Azouz Mona , Elariane Sarah
Published: December 2023

Buildings are considered one of the main causes of increasing CO2 emissions due to their excessive consumption of energy. The drive towards sustainability represents a challenge especially in existing buildings. The aim of the research is to support the built environment’s move onto a low-carbon path using smart technologies. This research highlights the role of smart building technologies in increasing energy savings of office buildings in Egypt, taking into consideration their incremental cost. Based upon data available on Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) website, association rule has been applied using Apriori Algorithm to identify the most used smart technologies in EDGE-certified office buildings, in addition to the different smart-orientated retrofitting scenarios that could be applied. Using EDGE software, energy assessment of an existing office building in Egypt was performed. This assessment acts as a “reference point” to quantify the impact of each smart technology and retrofitting scenario on the energy savings, incremental costs, and payback period. Limitations of the application of the different smart technologies impacted the selection process for the different scenarios. These limitations can be summarized in the suitability of application in the existing building’s systems, the availability and cost in the local market, and the potential of the building’s infrastructure adaptation to the proposed technologies. Based upon the above limitations, the best scenario was selected. Results showed that smart technologies have a great role in retrofitting of office buildings reaching more than 20% energy savings. In addition, the high initial cost of applying smart technologies could be covered within around 3 years of operation. This research could be used as a guide for improving energy performance of existing office buildings in Egypt using smart technologies.
Detection of Hofmeister effects at a single-molecule level
Authors: Qu Guangzhou , Liang Ting , Feng Yuyu , Li Jiaen , Deng Zhouhui , Chen Hu , Liu Yanhui
Published: December 2023

Metal cations are essential for the function of nucleic acids. Given their efficiency for DNA overwinding and the DNA hairpin folding/unfolding process coupled with DNA twist, we systematically investigated the effects of cation identities and increasing concentrations of NaCl, KCl, and LiCl from 50 mM to 300 mM on the folding/unfolding process by manipulating a DNA hairpin construct with magnetic tweezers. The critical forces and free energy of the unfolding transition of the DNA hairpin at a fixed concentration of KCl, NaCl, and LiCl followed the same ranking as

, and are reversed with the unfolding rate ranking of

. This highlights that the addition of Li+ in solution obviously enhances the stability of the DNA hairpin when compared to Na+, and K+, and their efficiency on the stability of the DNA hairpin was ranked as

.
Overcoming Obstacles: The Legacy of Fidel Pagés, Founder of the Epidural, 100 Years After His Passing
Authors: Chinn Gregory A. , Gray Andrew T. , Larson Merlin D.
Published: December 2023

Fidel Pagés, a Spanish surgeon, tragically died in 1923 at the age of 37, just 2 years after his publication “Anestesia Metamérica,” the first description of human thoracolumbar epidural anesthesia. In the intervening 100 years, epidural anesthesia has faced countless obstacles, starting with the dissemination of his initial report, which was not widely read nor appreciated at the time. However, the merits of the technique have fueled innovations to meet these challenges over the years. Even today, while epidural anesthesia is widely embraced, particularly in obstetric and chronic pain medicine, the pressures of the operating room for efficiency and a low tolerance for failure, pose modern-day challenges. Here, we revisit Pagés’ original report and highlight the key innovations that have allowed for the evolution of this essential anesthesia technique.
AS INCOERÊNCIAS DO SISTEMA DE PRECEDENTES NO SUPREMO TRIBUNAL FEDERAL: ANÁLISE DA ADPF 402 E DA AÇÃO PENAL 4070
Authors: Panutto Peter , Rangel Maria Lívia Custódio
Published: December 2023

Contextualização: O sistema de precedentes no Brasil foi positivado com o advento do Código de Processo Civil de 2015, vinculando os tribunais às teses firmadas pelas Cortes competentes. Entretanto, a mera positivação não gera eficácia, exigindo determinados comportamentos em prol da uniformização da interpretação do direito. Contudo, ainda que adote determinados precedentes, o Supremo Tribunal Federal mostra dar preferência às decisões monocráticas em detrimento do efetivo debate da Corte, o que gera incoerência na criação e aplicação dos precedentes vinculantes. O presente artigo estuda dois casos eminentemente políticos: a ADPF 402 e a Ação Penal 4070, os quais tiveram como sujeitos o então Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados, Eduardo Cunha, e o então Presidente do Senado Federal, Renan Calheiros.Objetivo: Demonstrar as incoerências do Supremo Tribunal Federal na criação e aplicação dos precedentes.Método: Priorizou-se o método hipotético-dedutivo e do estudo de casos das ADPF 402 e a Ação Penal 4070.Resultados: O artigo demonstra que, como regra, não há efetiva deliberação colegiada apta a demonstrar a ratio decidendi nas decisões do Supremo Tribunal Federal e que a ausência de plena deliberação colegiada impossibilita a geração de precedentes que resultem em entendimentos consolidados da Corte sobre o tema, o que pode acarretar instabilidade institucional quando as decisões proferidas possuem alto impacto político nos demais Poderes.Conclusões: O Supremo Tribunal Federal tende a não se utilizar dos precedentes judiciais vinculantes como fator limitante à sua atuação política, não se preocupando, via de regra, em manter sua jurisprudência estável, íntegra e coerente.
‘Science by consensus’ impedes scientific creativity and progress: A simple alternative to funding biomedical research
Authors: Düzgüneş Nejat
Published: December 2023

The very low success rates of grant applications to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are highly detrimental to the progress of science and the careers of scientists. The peer review process that evaluates proposals has been claimed arbitrarily to be the best there is. This consensus system, however, has never been evaluated scientifically against an alternative. Here we delineate the 15 major problems with the peer review process. We challenge the Science Advisor to the President, and the leadership of NIH, NSF, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and other funding agencies throughout the world to refute each of these criticisms. We call for the implementation of more equitable alternatives that will not constrain the progress of science. We propose a system that will fund at least 80,000 principal investigators, including young scientists, with about half the current NIH budget, seven-times as many as the current number of NIH “research project grants,” and that will forego the cumbersome, expensive, and counterproductive “peer” review stage. Further, we propose that the success of the two systems over 5–10 years be compared scientifically.
Efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells cultured low oxygen tension ameliorates apoptotic inhibitors, viability, and differentiation of ovarian tissue: A study in a rat model with ovarian failure
Authors: Safitri Erma , Purnobasuki Hery , Purnama Muhammad Thohawi Elziyad , Chhetri Shekhar
Published: December 2023

Background Stem cell therapy shows applications potential for malnutrition-induced ovarian failure in rat models. However, it is ineffective because of the lack of viability and differentiation of transplanted stem cells, resulting in low adaptation and survival rates. We aimed to determine whether stem cells cultured under low oxygen (O2) tension improves the adaptability and viability of stem cells, as well as ovarian failure. Methods After four days of culturing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in 21% oxygen (normoxia) as the T2 group and 1% oxygen (low O2 or hypoxia) as the T1 group, 200 million bone marrow-derived MSCs per rat were transplanted into female rats with ovarian failure (15 rats per treatment group). A total of 15 fertile and 15 infertile rats were categorized as the C+ and C− groups, respectively. Results The slight increase gradually in cells expressing HSP70 (C+, T2, T1, and C− groups were 0.5a±0.53, 1.7a±0.82, 6.2b±1.5, and 9.6c±1.3, respectively), decrease gradually in cells expressing caspase-3 as an apoptosis indicator (C+, T2, T1, and C− groups were 0.2a±0.42, 0.6a±0.52, 4.8b±1.03, and 7.3c±1.42, respectively), and increase gradually in cells expressing VEGF-1 (C+, T2, T1, and C− groups were 10.8c±1.55, 8.7b±0.48, 0.4a±0.52, and 0.2a±0.42, respectively) and GDF-9 (C+, T2, T1, and C− groups were 5.8c±1.47, 4.6b±0.97, 0.5a±0.53, and 0.3a±0.48, respectively) were used as markers for viability and differentiation in ovarian tissue, indicating that MSCs cultured under low O2 tension were more effective than those cultured under normoxic conditions as a treatment for female rats with ovarian failure. Furthermore, infertile female rats treated with MSCs cultivated under low O2 tension had an enhanced ovarian tissue shape, as indicated by the increasing Graafian follicle count gradually (C+, T2, T1, and C− groups were 8.9c±0.74, 4.5b±0.71, 0.5a±0.53, and 0.4a±0.52, respectively). Conclusions MSCs cultured under low O2 tension are an effective treatment for malnourished rats with ovarian failure.
Role of virtual modality for stroke caregivers in facilitating stroke survivors and assessing their perceptions in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic: A short review
Authors: Khoja Adeel , Ali Naureen Akber , Akber Noshaba , Harrison Jade , Kazim Fizzah
Published: December 2023

Background Stroke survivors become either partially or completely dependent on their family members for assistance. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a new set of challenges for caregiving, due to government-imposed lockdowns. In the current crisis, the crucial role of virtual modality in stroke caregiving can no longer be ignored. Therefore, this review aims to report the utilization of virtual modality to facilitate stroke caregivers in delivering care to stroke survivors in this pandemic. Moreover, it will also assess the perceptions of stroke caregivers in managing stroke survivors during pandemic. Methods An electronic search was carried out between 1 December 2019 to 31 March 2022 to explore the role of virtual platforms to assess stroke caregivers’ perceptions and the use of a distant medium in managing stroke survivors’ care in the COVID-19 era by using four electronic data bases that includes PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Science Direct, and Cochrane. Results The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly complicated the stroke caregiver’s life and their ability to deliver care. Therefore, utilizing virtual medium serves as a unique supplemental resource in warranting patient care continuity. The current review provides evidence for the integration of distant modality in facilitating stroke caregivers to manage stroke survivors and it also assesses their perception during pandemic. Conclusion The current review provides limited but encouraging data that promotes the efficacy of virtual models in healthcare. It was identified that distant healthcare services are suitable and accessible for the provision of care to the community of stroke caregivers during this pandemic.
Choroidal thickness measurement in central serous chorioretinopathy using swept source optical coherence tomography: an observational study
Authors: K. Al-Rubiay Yasser , K. Mohammad Najah
Published: December 2023

Background: Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a common retinal condition with an increased risk of recurrence. Traditional approaches have made choroidal visualization challenging, but recent advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) innovation have permitted the collection of more accurate choroidal visualizations. This study aimed to measure choroidal thickness in eyes with active CSCR as well as in the unaffected opposite eyes of these same individuals.

Methods: This research was conducted at the ophthalmology division in Ghazi Al-Hariri hospital from the 1st of October 2019 until the 31th of March 2020. A total of 49 people, corresponding to 65 eyes, were included in the study. Among these participants, 16 individuals presented with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR), affecting a total of 32 eyes. The CSCR individuals were further split into two groups: "group A" consisted of 20 eyes with active CSCR, and "group B" encompassed the remaining 12 unaffected opposite eyes. Additionally, 33 individuals who were age and gender-matched served as controls assigned as "group C".

Results: The choroid exhibited a substantial rise in thickness across each of the nine sectors in group A as compared to group C. Similarly, group B showed a significant increase in choroidal thickness in relation to group C. The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was measured as follows: 474.55μm, 437.5μm, and 292.03μm among groups A, B, and C, correspondingly. These differences were identified as clinically significant for both A vs. C and B vs. C.

Conclusions: This study's findings indicate a thickening of the choroid in both eyes exhibiting active CSCR, as well as in the unaffected opposite eyes of those with the disease.
ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКАЯ БЕЗОПАСНОСТЬ: ПСИХОДИАГНОСТИКА
Authors: Kislyakov Pavel A. , Shmeleva Elena A.
Published: December 2023

Учебное пособие включает психодиагностические методики, позволяющие исследовать различные аспекты психологической безопасности, как системы ценностных ориентаций и потребностей, как показателя психологического благополучия и устойчивости, как средовой, групповой, межличностной и личностной характеристики. Материал представлен в виде описания теоретико-методологической основы методик, стимульного материала, способов обработки и интерпретации. Учебное пособие адресовано психологам, социологам, педагогам, студентам и аспирантам соответствующих направлений подготовки, а также всем, кто проводит эмпирические исследования психологической безопасности и заинтересован в поиске инструментов ее диагностики и исследования.
This is What Democracy Looks Like: Racial Identity, Anger, and the Political Behavior of White Women
Authors:   , Niezgoda Meredith
Published: December 2023

What are the relationships between strength of racial identification, anger, and the political behavior of white women? Building on the literature on white identity politics and anger in political behavior, I argue that white identity and anger have a conditional relationship that leads to changes in multiple aspects of white women's political behavior. This dissertation uses the 2016 American National Election Survey and the 2016 Comprehensive Multiracial Post-election Survey to explore these associations. The findings show that there is a relationship between white racial identity conditioned on anger or threat and the strength of white women's partisanship and their issue opinions. When there is no anger or threat measure included, the relationship with political participation is weaker than expected which supports the importance of anger and its predecessor threat in the political behavior of white women. Overall, this dissertation expands the areas of white political behavior that are associated with strength of racial identity and anger as well as finding these relationships specifically with white women.