bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Validation of the transcranial Doppler rescue criteria for mechanical thrombectomy
Authors: Khan Adnan , Saqqur Maher , Shuaib Ashfaq , Khan Khurshid , Sharma Vijay K. , Brunser Alejandro , Eggers Jürgen , Mikulik Robert , Katsanos Aristeidis H. , Sergentanis Theodore N. , Vadikolias Konstantinos , Rubiera Marta , Shahripour Reza Bavarsad , Nguyen Huy Thang , Martínez‐Sánchez Patricia , Safouris Apostolos , Heliopoulos Ioannis , Salam Abdul , Derksen Carol , Voumvourakis Konstantinos , Psaltopoulou Theodora , Alexandrov Anne W. , Alexandrov Andrei V. , Tsivgoulis Georgios ,   CLOTBUST‐PRO Investigators
Published: May 2024

Background and Purpose

Transcranial Doppler (TCD) identifies acute stroke patients with arterial occlusion where treatment may not effectively open the blocked vessel. This study aimed to examine the clinical utility and prognostic value of TCD flow findings in patients enrolled in a multicenter prospective study (CLOTBUST‐PRO).

Methods

Patients enrolled with intracranial occlusion on computed tomography angiography (CTA) who underwent urgent TCD evaluation before intravenous thrombolysis was included in this analysis. TCD findings were assessed using the mean flow velocity (MFV) ratio, comparing the reciprocal ratios of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) depths bilaterally (affected MCA‐to‐contralateral MCA MFV [aMCA/cMCA MFV ratio]).

Results

A total of 222 patients with intracranial occlusion on CTA were included in the study (mean age: 64 ± 14 years, 62% men). Eighty‐eight patients had M1 MCA occlusions; baseline mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 16, and a 24‐hour mean NIHSS score was 10 points. An aMCA/cMCA MFV ratio of <.6 had a sensitivity of 99%, specificity of 16%, positive predictive value (PV) of 60%, and negative PV of 94% for identifying large vessel occlusion (LVO) including M1 MCA, terminal internal carotid artery, or tandem ICA/MCA. Thrombolysis in Brain Ischemia scale, with (grade ≥1) compared to without flow (grade 0), showed a sensitivity of 17.1%, specificity of 86.9%, positive PV of 62%, and negative PV of 46% for identifying LVO.

Conclusions

TCD is a valuable modality for evaluating arterial circulation in acute ischemic stroke patients, demonstrating significant potential as a screening tool for intravenous/intra‐arterial lysis protocols.
Influence of occlusal thickness on the fracture resistance of chairside milled lithium disilicate posterior full‐coverage single‐unit prostheses containing virgilite: A comparative in vitro study
Authors: Jurado Carlos A. , Davila Christian Edgar , Davila Alexandra , Hernandez Alfredo I. , Odagiri Yukari , Afrashtehfar Kelvin I. , Lee Damian
Published: May 2024

Purpose

To evaluate the fracture resistance of chairside computer‐aided design and computer‐aided manufacturing (CAD‐CAM) lithium disilicate mandibular posterior crowns with virgilite of different occlusal thicknesses and compare them to traditional lithium disilicate crowns.

Materials and Methods

Seventy‐five chairside CAD‐CAM crowns were fabricated for mandibular right first molars, 60 from novel lithium disilicate with virgilite (CEREC Tessera, Dentsply Sirona), and 15 from traditional lithium disilicate (e.max CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent). These crowns were distributed across five groups based on occlusal thickness and material: Group 1 featured CEREC Tessera crowns with 0.8 mm thickness, Group 2 had 1.0 mm thickness, Group 3 had 1.2 mm thickness, Group 4 with 1.5 mm thickness, and Group 5 included e.max CAD crowns with 1.0 mm thickness. These crowns were luted onto 3D‐printed resin dies using Multilink Automix resin cement (Ivoclar Vivadent). Subsequently, they underwent cyclic loading (2,000,000 cycles at 1 Hz with a 275 N force) and loading until fracture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assessed the fractured specimens. Statistical analysis involved one‐way ANOVA and the Kruskal‐Wallis Test (α = 0.05).

Results

Fracture resistance varied significantly (<0.001) across mandibular molar crowns fabricated from chairside CAD‐CAM lithium disilicate containing virgilite, particularly between crowns with 0.8 mm and those with 1.2 and 1.5 mm occlusal thickness. However, no significant differences were found when comparing crowns with 1, 1.2, and 1.5 mm thicknesses. CEREC Tessera crowns with 1.5 mm thickness exhibited the highest resistance (2119 N/mm2), followed by those with 1.2 mm (1982 N/mm2), 1.0 mm (1763 N/mm2), and 0.8 mm (1144 N/mm2) thickness, whereas e.max CAD crowns with 1.0 mm occlusal thickness displayed the lowest resistance (814 N/mm2).

Conclusions

The relationship between thickness and fracture resistance in the virgilite lithium disilicate full‐coverage crowns was directly proportional, indicating that increased thickness corresponded to higher fracture resistance. No significant differences were noted among crowns with thicknesses ranging from 1 to 1.5 mm. This novel ceramic exhibited superior fracture resistance compared to traditional lithium disilicate.
Periodontal pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum infection accelerates hepatic steatosis in high‐fat diet‐fed ApoE knockout mice by inhibiting Nrf2/Keap1 signaling
Authors: Wu Peiyao , Bie Mengyao , Zhou Jieyu , Wang Jun , Zhao Lei
Published: May 2024

Aims

This study sought to explore the impact of Fusobacterium nucleatum on hepatic steatosis in apolipoprotein E (ApoE) knockout (KO) mice induced by a high‐fat diet (HFD) and elucidate the underlying mechanism.

Methods

ApoE KO mice, on a HFD, received F. nucleatum oral inoculation every other day. After 24 weeks, body weight, liver weight, and liver index were assessed. Serum biochemistry and pro‐inflammatory factors in serum and liver were analyzed. The histopathology of right maxilla and live were performed. Oil red O, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence staining for the liver were conducted. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, apoptosis, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS), ROS, lipid peroxides, and hepatic lipids were also evaluated. Liver inflammation, fibrosis, de novo lipogenesis (DNL)‐related molecule, and Nrf2/Keap1‐related signaling molecule gene/protein expression were determined by real‐time PCR (RT‐PCR) and/or Western blot (WB) analysis.

Results

HFD‐fed ApoE KO mice infected by F. nucleatum demonstrated significant changes, including increased body and liver weight, elevated proinflammatory factors and lipids in serum and liver, as well as neutrophil infiltration, fibrosis, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation in the liver. Additionally, F. nucleatum stimulates hepatic lipid accumulation and activates de novo lipogenesis (DNL), while simultaneously suppressing the Nrf2/Keap1 antioxidant pathway.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our study reveals that oral inoculation of F. nucleatum might promote hepatic steatosis by inhibiting Nrf2/Keap1 pathway.
Comparison of Novel 3D‐printed Stepped Porous Metal Cones and Metaphyseal Sleeves for Reconstruction of Severe Knee Bone Defects: Short‐term Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Liu Yang , Shen Junmin , Tang Yuyu , Zhang Yanchao , Ma Haiyang , Zhou Yonggang
Published: May 2024

Objective

Both porous metal cones and metaphyseal sleeves are excellent implants for reconstructing severe bone defects in the knee joint, but they both exhibit design limitations. The porous metal cone, especially, has significant room for improvement in its shape design. The existing porous metal cones often feature a conical external surface with a relatively small taper, potentially compromising both rotational and axial stability. To improve both axial and rotational stability in porous metal cones, we developed a 3D‐printed stepped porous metal cone. This study aimed to assess the short‐term clinical outcome of the 3D‐printed stepped porous metal cone and to compare it with the clinical outcome of patients who underwent revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA) with the metaphyseal sleeves during the same period.

Method

Patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty revision with metaphyseal bone defect reconstruction from 2019 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 61 patients were enrolled in the study, including 15 patients using 3D‐printed stepped porous metal cones and 46 patients using metaphyseal metal sleeves. Thirty patients using metaphyseal sleeves were screened by propensity score matching method and compared with those using stepped cones. Analysis included the American Knee Society Score, the Hospital for Special Surgery knee score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis index, the Short Form 12 (SF‐12) health survey, and radiographic assessment with a mean follow‐up of 28.5 ± 8.3 months. To conduct comparative analyses, unpaired Student's t‐tests were employed for continuous variables, while categorical variables were analyzed using the appropriate Fisher exact or chi‐squared test.

Results

In this study, the survival rates of both the stepped cone and metaphyseal sleeve were 100%. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative knee function scores between the two groups (p > 0.05). However, patients in the cone group had significantly higher mental component summary scores on the SF‐12 scale (p < 0.05) and higher increases in mean postoperative physical component summary scores than patients in the sleeve group (p < 0.05). In addition, patients in the cone group experienced fewer intraoperative and postoperative complications compared to the sleeve group.

Conclusion

The 3D‐printed stepped porous metal cone can effectively reconstruct bone defects in complex rTKA and provide satisfactory early clinical and radiographic results. The 3D‐printed stepped cone provides a more stable structure similar to the sleeve while maintaining the original benefits of the cone making it a promising choice for rTKA.
Indoor hierarchy relation graph construction method based on RGB‐D
Authors: Jiang Jianwu , Kang Zhizhong , Li Jingwen
Published: May 2024

Fine‐grained indoor navigation services require obstacle‐level indoor maps to support, but since indoor environments are affected by human activities, resulting in frequent changes in indoor spatial layouts, and indoor environments are easily affected by light and occlusion, the vast majority of indoor maps are at room level, limiting indoor obstacle‐level navigation path planning. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a hierarchy relation graph (HRG) construction method based on RGB‐D. Firstly, the semantic information extraction of indoor scenes and elements is realized by the output transformed PSPNet and YOLO V8 models, and the bounding box of each element is obtained based on YOLO V8. Then an algorithm for determining the hierarchical relationship of indoor elements is proposed, which calculates the correlation between the two elements from both plane and depth dimensions and constructs a HRG of indoor elements based on directed trees. Finally, comparative experiments are designed to validate the proposed method. Experiments showed that the proposed method can construct HRGs in a variety of scenes; the hierarchy relation detection rate is 88.28%; the accuracy of hierarchy relation determination is 73.44%; and the single‐scene HRG can be generated in 3.81 s.
Vibrio pathogens and their toxins in aquaculture: A comprehensive review
Authors: Vandeputte Marieke , Kashem Md. Abul , Bossier Peter , Vanrompay Daisy
Published: May 2024

Aquaculture is an indispensable food source for the growing world population. In the last decades, its intensification has increased the incidence of viral and bacterial infections, emphasizing the need for novel disease management strategies. Vibrionaceae bacteria are widespread in aquatic environments, affecting various host species, including economically important fish, shrimp and bivalves. Also, human consumption of undercooked aquatic food contaminated with Vibrionaceae and/or their toxins poses a threat to human health, leading to conditions such as gastroenteritis, wound infection and sepsis. In addition, small fish and shrimp, in open aquaculture systems, can be eaten by birds that can then carry and spread this pathogen to livestock and humans. Many Vibrionaceae produce toxins, some detrimental or even lethal to the hosts, others affecting surrounding bacteria. This review provides a comprehensive overview of Vibrio toxins affecting aquatic (in)vertebrate, summarizing findings on molecular structures, mechanisms of action and regulation and secretion processes involved. Important toxin classes for microbe–host interactions, such as haemolytic, proteolytic and MARTX toxins, are discussed, along with other toxins like PirAB produced by the AHPND‐causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The review also emphasizes the importance of microbe–microbe interactions, particularly the production of bacteriocins by Vibrio species (Vibriocins) and antibacterial effectors produced by the Type 6 Secretion System (T6SS). While whole genome sequencing has identified putative virulence factors that are toxins, many toxins remain partially characterized or uncharacterized. Elucidating their regulation, secretion and molecular characteristics can provide valuable information and lead to novel solutions for managing Vibrio pathogens in aquaculture.
Partisanship, elections and lockdowns: Evidence from US states
Authors: Pacheco Gail , Wesselbaum Dennis
Published: May 2024

In this article, we use state‐level variation in Senate elections and partisanship to understand the variation in lockdown characteristics in the US. We argue that the state‐level decision makers and their parties weigh off the perceived political costs in an election year of a depressed economy against risks to public health. Democrats and Republicans, and their voters, vary in the weights they attach to these costs and benefits. We are thus exploring the marginal effect of the party–election interaction after accounting for other likely drivers of variations in lockdown characteristics. We find that Republican states with an election have less strict and shorter lockdowns compared to Democratic states with an election. Our results have implications for the communication of pandemic policies, including vaccination strategies.
“We don't show everything”: Queer identity concealment in rural Australia
Authors: Lewis Clifford , Redshaw Sarah
Published: May 2024

Rural communities can be perceived as conservative and, therefore, hostile towards queer people who depart from heteronormative renditions of sexual orientation and gender identity. Such perceptions can force rural queer people to conceal their identity, fostering an environment of invisibility and displacement. This study consequently explores why queer people conceal their identity in rural communities. Drawing on a sample of rural queer Australians, this study examines why those who are out (public about their orientation) adopt identity‐concealing strategies. Using semi‐structured in‐depth interviews, the study draws on the experiences of 9 participants from rural towns varying in population size from 50,000 to under 3000. The findings highlight how perceptions of prejudice were based on historical experiences and still emerged through the people, systems and institutions. Such prejudice serves to stigmatise queer identities and motivates the adoption of concealment strategies as a coping mechanism. Four reasons for identity concealment were reported: to avoid exclusion, to avoid accusations of inappropriate behaviour, to avoid confrontation and to enhance perceptions of the queer communities. The findings highlight that there remain beliefs that concealing identity to various extents is necessary within certain rural contexts.
Tuberculosis impacts multiple aspects in quality of life in a Romanian cohort of drug‐susceptible and drug resistant patients: A patient‐reported outcome measures study
Authors: Margineanu Ioana , Butnaru Teodora , Lam Marjolein , Baiceanu Dragos , Dragomir Raluca , Arbore Adriana Sorete , Mahler Beatrice , Munteanu Ioana , Mihaltan Florin , Akkerman Onno , Alffenaar Jan‐Willem , Stienstra Ymkje
Published: May 2024

Background

Tuberculosis (TB), and especially its drug resistant forms, is responsible for not only significant mortality, but also considerable morbidity, still under‐quantified. This study used four Patient‐Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) to assess the status of persons affected by drug‐susceptible and drug‐resistant TB during their TB treatment or after treatment completion, in Romania, the highest TB burden country in the EU.

Methods

People affected by TB in two different regions in Romania were included during and after treatment, following a cross‐sectional design. PROMs used were SF‐36, EQ‐5D‐5L, WPAI and the app‐based audiometry screening tool ‘uHear.’ Descriptive statistics and relevant statistical tests were used to compare groups between themselves and with the general Romanian population.

Results

Both patients with drug‐susceptible and drug‐resistant TB experience, with drug‐resistant patients experiencing statistically significantly more pain and hearing loss. PROMs show some improvement in the after‐treatment group; however, compared with the general Romanian population for which data were available, all groups scored lower on all outcome measures.

Conclusion

PROMs offer the possibility of obtaining a more comprehensive view of patients' status, by involving them directly in the medical process and could guide a rehabilitation strategy.
Isohemagglutinin titration in pooled and apheresis platelets
Authors: Hua QingYun , Lyon Bruce W. , Duke Jennifer , Felske Amanda , Hobbs Karen , Holman Ryan , Radwi Ghazala , Sidhu Davinder , Clarke Gwen , Nahirniak Susan
Published: May 2024

Background

Platelet inventory constraints necessitate ABO‐incompatible platelet transfusion. Many minimize the hemolytic impact by confirming low titre (LT) donor isohemagglutinins. This process is costly. Pathogen‐reduced platelets (PRP) in platelet additive solutions (PAS) will dilute plasma and decrease high‐titre isohemagglutinins (HT). We determined the proportion of HT platelets and incompatible transfusions for units suspended in plasma to reassess the need for titres following introduction of PRP/PAS.

Study Design and Methods

Our titre method is manual tube (1:50) dilution of platelet supernatant from apheresis or whole blood derived buffy coat pools suspended in plasma, tested with A1/B red cells. Testing included 49,058 pooled and 11,738 apheresis platelets over 4 years. The HT proportion, rate of out‐of‐group transfusions, and hemolytic reactions were determined. The impact of PAS dilution was estimated.

Results

Totally 60,796 platelet units were tested. Group O pooled and group B apheresis platelets had HT in 6.6% and 5.7%, respectively. Group A pooled and apheresis platelets included 2% with HT. Approximately 25% of platelets transfused were ABO‐incompatible and no hemolytic reactions were reported. Based on the proportions of PAS‐E and plasma for PRP platelets, plasma from each donor comprises 11 mL (6% of total volume) vs 20‐257 mL in untreated pools. PAS‐E will replace and dilute residual plasma by at least 50%.

Discussion

Rare platelet pools may demonstrate HT. PRP platelets with PAS will reduce titres and may abrogate the need for titration. A strategy of group specific transfusion or transfusion of group A PRP platelet transfusions may be a safe alternative.
A pro‐reparative bioelectronic device for controlled delivery of ions and biomolecules
Authors: Asefifeyzabadi Narges , Nguyen Tiffany , Li Houpu , Zhu Kan , Yang Hsin‐ya , Baniya Prabhat , Medina Lopez Andrea , Gallegos Anthony , Hsieh Hao‐Chieh , Dechiraju Harika , Hernandez Cristian , Schorger Kaelan , Recendez Cynthia , Tebyani Maryam , Selberg John , Luo Le , Muzzy Elana , Hsieh Cathleen , Barbee Alexie , Orozco Jonathan , Alhamo Moyasar A. , Levin Michael , Aslankoohi Elham , Gomez Marcella , Zhao Min , Teodorescu Mircea , Isseroff Roslyn Rivkah , Rolandi Marco
Published: May 2024

Wound healing is a complex physiological process that requires precise control and modulation of many parameters. Therapeutic ion and biomolecule delivery has the capability to regulate the wound healing process beneficially. However, achieving controlled delivery through a compact device with the ability to deliver multiple therapeutic species can be a challenge. Bioelectronic devices have emerged as a promising approach for therapeutic delivery. Here, we present a pro‐reparative bioelectronic device designed to deliver ions and biomolecules for wound healing applications. The device incorporates ion pumps for the targeted delivery of H+ and zolmitriptan to the wound site. In vivo studies using a mouse model further validated the device's potential for modulating the wound environment via H+ delivery that decreased M1/M2 macrophage ratios. Overall, this bioelectronic ion pump demonstrates potential for accelerating wound healing via targeted and controlled delivery of therapeutic agents to wounds. Continued optimization and development of this device could not only lead to significant advancements in tissue repair and wound healing strategies but also reveal new physiological information about the dynamic wound environment.
Exposure to urban particulate matter (UPM) impairs mitochondrial dynamics in BV2 cells, triggering a mitochondrial biogenesis response
Authors: Morris Rebecca H. , Counsell Serena J. , McGonnell Imelda M. , Thornton Claire
Published: May 2024

World Health Organisation data suggest that up to 99% of the global population are exposed to air pollutants above recommended levels. Impacts to health range from increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease to chronic respiratory conditions, and air pollution may contribute to over 7 million premature deaths a year. Additionally, mounting evidence suggests that in utero or early life exposure to particulate matter (PM) in ambient air pollution increases the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment with obvious lifelong consequences. Identifying brain‐specific cellular targets of PM is vital for determining its long‐term consequences. We previously established that microglial‐like BV2 cells were particularly sensitive to urban (U)PM‐induced damage including reactive oxygen species production, which was abrogated by a mitochondrially targeted antioxidant. Here we extend those studies to find that UPM treatment causes a rapid impairment of mitochondrial function and increased mitochondrial fragmentation. However, there is a subsequent restoration of mitochondrial and therefore cell health occurring concomitantly with upregulated measures of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial load. Our data highlight that protecting mitochondrial function may represent a valuable mechanism to offset the effects of UPM exposure in the neonatal brain.

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Key points

Air pollution represents a growing risk to long‐term health especially in early life, and the CNS is emerging a target for airborne particulate matter (PM).

We previously showed that microglial‐like BV2 cells were vulnerable to urban (U)PM exposure, which impaired cell survival and promoted reactive oxygen species production.

Here we find that, following UPM exposure, BV2 mitochondrial membrane potential is rapidly reduced, concomitant with decreased cellular bioenergetics and increased mitochondrial fission.

However, markers of mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial mass are subsequently induced, which may represent a cellular mitigation strategy.

As mitochondria are more vulnerable in the developing brain, exposure to air pollution may represent a greater risk to lifelong health in this cohort; conversely, promoting mitochondrial integrity may offset these risks.
Palabrandar: escrituras de resistencia desde el pueblo nasa en Colombia (1970-2020)
Authors: Ferrari Simone
Published: May 2024

Palabrandar es una noción y una práctica del pueblo indígena nasa, en el Cauca colombiano, que proviene de la expresión yuwe u’jya, cuya traducción literal es ‘el camino de la palabra’, es decir, la capacidad de tejer comunidad, territorio y autonomía por medio de la lengua. Para la comunidad nasa, la palabra escrita tiene una función colectiva y performativa: es un puente de conexión con el entorno físico, espiritual y social, y, a su vez, una herramienta de supervivencia de la cultura propia, en una de las regiones más afectadas por el conflicto armado colombiano. En este libro, Simone Ferrari recorre los montes del norte del Cauca para explicar los procesos de constitución de una escritura autónoma desde el pueblo nasa. Así, se vale del palabrandar como una clave de lectura de tres textualidades: las cartas y aforismos de Álvaro Ulcué Chocué, indígena nasa y sacerdote católico; un ensayo narrativo de Vilma Almendra, pensadora y activista nasa-misak, y los grafitis y murales que abarrotan el municipio de Toribío (Cauca). En ellos encuentra memorias y relatos de la resistencia no armada del pueblo nasa, que revelan, en definitiva, una nueva visión de la sociedad colombiana, sus conflictos, sus injusticias y sus enfermedades.
Tres debates en estudios del lenguaje hoy: Semiosis más allá de lo humano, translenguaje y literacidad(es)
Authors: Torres Perdigón Andrea
Published: May 2024

Cuando pensamos en el lenguaje, con frecuencia nos enfrentamos a una diversidad de problemas de investigación, pero también a equívocos y a falsos dilemas. Por ejemplo, tendemos a asumir que sabemos de qué hablamos, como si el fenómeno del lenguaje humano fuese diáfano para todas los comunidades científicas y discursivas, o como si todos lo entendiéramos de igual manera. También se piensa en ocasiones que es un tema de investigación que está superado o agotado, debido a que gran parte del siglo xx se dedicó a su estudio y a que esto produjo un influjo en múltiples disciplinas. Asimismo, algunos piensan hoy que el único debate relevante es el de la inteligencia artificial y cómo ha logrado, en los últimos años, producir enunciados y textos que imitan las construcciones más frecuentes de hablantes de algunas lenguas naturales, a partir de inmensos corpus de textos tomados principalmente de internet.
Mindfulness and Psychological Inflexibility in Portuguese Adolescent Athletes: A Novel Framework for Understanding the Link Between Shame and Sports Anxiety
Authors: de Oliveira Sara Margarida Simões , Cunha Marina Isabel Vieira Antunes , Rosado António Fernando Boleto , Saraiva Mariana , Ferreira Cláudia Rute Carlos
Published: May 2024

This study aimed to test a comprehensive model in adolescent athletes that explores the effect of shame on sports anxiety and whether psychological inflexibility and mindfulness influence this association. The sample study included 210 young Portuguese athletes from different competitive sports. The path analysis results confirmed the adequacy of the proposed model, which explained 49% of the variance in sports anxiety. Results demonstrated that athletes who experienced higher levels of shame tended to exhibit elevated levels of sports anxiety through lower levels of mindfulness and higher psychological inflexibility. The study offers new empirical data that may be relevant for clinical and sport psychology practitioners. These findings seem to underline the importance of addressing shame and, consequently, sports anxiety in adolescent athletes by developing greater psychological flexibility and, inherently, more mindfulness skills among adolescent athletes who are in a phase of their lives where sport can play a crucial role.
Are Young Female Basketball Players Adequately Prepared for a Force–Velocity Jumping and Sprinting Assessment?
Authors: Rial-Vázquez Jessica , Nine Iván , Rúa-Alonso María , Fariñas Juan , Fernández-Seoane Roberto , Jiménez-Reyes Pedro , Fernández-del-Olmo Miguel , Iglesias-Soler Eliseo
Published: May 2024

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the interday reliability of mechanical variables obtained from the horizontal and vertical force–velocity (FV) profiles in adolescent female basketball players. If found to be reliable, the associations between FV parameters (theoretical maximal force, velocity, and power), squat jump (SJ) height, 30-m sprint, and change of direction (COD) times were evaluated. Methods: After familiarization, SJ against incremental loads, 30-m sprint, and 505-COD tests were obtained twice in 36 adolescent female basketball players (age = 15.4 [1.2] y). Results: Reliability for vertical FV parameters was unacceptable, whereas 505-COD times and FV horizontal parameters (except for theoretical maximal power) showed a moderate to high reliability. 505-COD time was correlated with FV horizontal parameters (range: r = −.821, −.451), and a large association was observed with both SJ height (r = −.678, −.600) and 30-m sprint time (r = .813, .858). Conclusions: Due to low levels of strength, our athletes were not adequately prepared to obtain a reliable vertical FV profile. Practitioners can expect acceptable reliability of the horizontal FV profile. Given the association between COD performance and SJ height and 30-m sprint time, we encouraged practitioners with limited equipment at their disposal to use COD and/or 30-m sprint tests.
Biomarkers of neurodegeneration in schizophrenia: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Wilson Jack Christopher , Liu Kathy Y , Jones Katherine , Mahmood Jansher , Arya Utkarsh , Howard Rob
Published: May 2024

Question

Does neurodegenerative disease underlie the increased rate of dementia observed in older people with schizophrenia? Several studies have reported a higher prevalence of dementia in people with schizophrenia compared with the general population. This may reflect a higher risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as vascular dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Alternatively, this may reflect non-pathological, age-related cognitive decline in a population with low cognitive reserve.

Study selection and analysis

We reviewed papers that compared postmortem findings, hippocampal MRI volume or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of AD, between patients with schizophrenia with evidence of cognitive impairment (age ≥45 years) with controls. We subsequently performed a meta-analysis of postmortem studies that compared amyloid-β plaques (APs) or neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia to normal controls or an AD group.

Findings

No studies found a significant increase of APs or NFTs in cognitively impaired patients with schizophrenia compared with controls. All postmortem studies that compared APs or NFTs in patients with schizophrenia to an AD group found significantly more APs or NFTs in AD. No studies found a significant differences in CSF total tau or phosphorylated tau between patients with schizophrenia and controls. The two studies which compared CSF Aβ42 between patients with schizophrenia and controls found significantly decreased CSF Aβ42 in schizophrenia compared with controls. Hippocampal volume findings were mixed.

Conclusions

Studies have not found higher rates of AD-related pathology in cognitively impaired individuals with schizophrenia compared with controls. Higher rates of dementia identified in population studies may reflect a lack of specificity in clinical diagnostic tools used to diagnose dementia.
Spatiotemporal analysis of the association between residential eviction and fatal overdose in Rhode Island
Authors: Skinner Alexandra , Li Yu , Jent Victoria , Goedel William C , Hallowell Benjamin D , Allen Bennett , Leifheit Kathryn M , Cartus Abigail R , Macmadu Alexandria , Pratty Claire , Samuels Elizabeth A , Ahern Jennifer , Cerdá Magdalena , Marshall Brandon DL
Published: May 2024

Objective

Policy ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic shape the concurrent housing and overdose crises in the USA. Housing insecurity is a known risk factor for overdose, yet how residential eviction may influence fatal overdose risk is understudied. We sought to evaluate the spatiotemporal relationship between neighbourhood-level residential eviction rates and overdose mortality in Rhode Island (RI) before and during a statewide eviction moratorium in response to COVID-19.

Methods

We conducted an ecological study at the census tract level in RI (N=240) by modelling the association between quintiles of eviction rates and fatal overdose rates from 2016 to 2021. We applied a Bayesian spatiotemporal approach using an integrated nested Laplace approximation and adjusted for an a priori determined set of time-varying demographic and policy covariates.

Results

Descriptively, we observed a direct, dose–response relationship between quintiles of eviction incidence rates over the full study period and fatal overdose. Prior to the implementation of a statewide eviction moratorium, census tracts in the highest eviction quintile had increased rates of overdose mortality, relative to those in the lowest quintile (posterior mean relative rate = 1.49, 95% credible interval: 1.05 to 2.13). Associations during the periods of eviction moratorium were non-significant.

Conclusion

This work highlights the neighbourhood-level relationship between residential eviction and fatal overdose risk in the absence of an eviction moratorium. Enhanced investment in eviction prevention policies, such as rent relief and limitations to the circumstances under which landlords can file for eviction, may complement harm reduction efforts to reduce neighbourhood-level overdose inequalities.
Pronounced benefits of JAK inhibition with baricitinib in COVID-19 pneumonia in obese but not lean subjects
Authors: David Paula , Hen Or , Ben-Shabbat Niv , Macleod Tom , Amital Howard , Watad Abdulla , McGonagle Dennis G
Published: May 2024

Objective

Obesity and age are strongly linked to severe COVID-19 pneumonia where immunomodulatory agents including Janus kinase inhibitors have shown benefits but the efficacy of such therapy in viral pneumonia is not well understood. We evaluated the impact of obesity and age on survival following baricitinib therapy for severe COVID-19.

Methods

A post hoc analysis of the COV-BARRIER multicentre double-blind randomised study of baricitinib versus placebo (PBO) with an assessment of 28-day mortality was performed. All-cause mortality by day 28 was evaluated in a Cox regression analysis (adjusted to age) in three different groups according to body mass index (BMI) (<25 kg/m2, 25–30 kg/m2and >30 kg/m2) and age <65 years and ≥65 years.

Results

In the high BMI group (>25 kg/m2), baricitinib therapy showed a significant survival advantage compared with PBO (incidence rate ratio (IRR) for mortality by day 28 0.53 (95% CI 0.32 to 0.87)) and 0.66 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.94) for the respective <65 years and ≥65 years, respectively. The 28-day all-cause-mortality rates for BMI over 30 were 5.62% for baricitinib and 9.22% for PBO (HR=0.6, p<0.05). For BMI under 25 kg/m2, irrespective of age, baricitinib therapy conferred no survival advantage (IRR of 1.89 (95% CI 0.49 to 7.28) and 0.95 (95% CI 0.46 to 1.99) for <65 years and ≥65 years, respectively) ((mortality 6.6% baricitinib vs 8.1 in PBO), p>0.05).

Conclusion

The efficacy of baricitinib in COVID-19 pneumonia is linked to obesity suggesting that immunomodulatory therapy benefit is associated with obesity-associated inflammation.
Determinants of radiographic progression in early psoriatic arthritis: insights from a real-world cohort
Authors: Koc Gonul Hazal , Kok Marc R. , do Rosario Yvandra , Luime Jolanda J. , Tchetverikov Ilja , Kasiem Fazira R. , Korswagen Lindy-Anne , Bijsterbosch Jessica , Goekoop-Ruiterman Yvonne P. M. , van Oosterhout Maikel , Baudoin Paul , Kok Petra , Dolhain Radboud J. E. M. , Vis Marijn
Published: May 2024

Objective

Persistent articular inflammation in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with radiographic damage. Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, radiographic structural damage remains prevalent in PsA. To elucidate this topic, we studied which baseline clinical characteristics determine radiographic progression.

Methods

For this analysis, data were used from DEPAR (Dutch South West Psoriatic Arthritis) Study, a real-world cohort of patients with newly diagnosed PsA. Radiographic changes were assessed using the modified Total Sharp/van der Heijde Score (mTSS) for PsA. Univariable–multivariable mixed-effects negative binomial regression analysis was applied to define baseline predictors for radiographic progression over time.

Results

The study included 476 patients with early PsA with 1660 hand and feet radiographs from four different time points (baseline, first, second and third year). The progressive group (n=71) had a higher mTSS compared with the non-progressive group (n=405) at diagnosis (17 (3–36) vs 0 (0–1)). A comparison of the two groups revealed that the progressive group had significantly older (59 (12) vs 49 (13)) and a higher rate of the presence of swollen joints (93% vs 78%) at diagnosis. Multivariable analysis identified age (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.10, p=0.000), sex (female) (IRR=0.48, p=0.043) and baseline mTSS (IRR=1.11, p=0.000) as significant determinants of radiographic change over time. For the progressive subset, additionally, the multivariable analysis highlighted baseline Disease Activity in PSoriatic Arthritis (IRR=1.05, p=0.006) and swollen joint count (IRR=1.07, p=0.034) as predictors.

Conclusions

According to this real-world cohort, patients with early PsA exhibit minimal radiographic progression under current treatment protocols. This study indicates that while old age and initial radiographic damage predict progression, female sex confers a protective effect on it. Furthermore, disease activity score and swollen joints emerged as predictors for radiographic changes during the follow-up in progressive patients.
Natural language processing to identify and characterize spondyloarthritis in clinical practice
Authors: Benavent Diego , Benavent-Núñez María , Marin-Corral Judith , Arias-Manjón Javier , Navarro-Compán Victoria , Taberna Miren , Salcedo Ignacio , Peiteado Diana , Carmona Loreto , de Miguel Eugenio
Published: May 2024

Objective

This study aims to use a novel technology based on natural language processing (NLP) to extract clinical information from electronic health records (EHRs) to characterise the clinical profile of patients diagnosed with spondyloarthritis (SpA) at a large-scale hospital.

Methods

An observational, retrospective analysis was conducted on EHR data from all patients with SpA (including psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) at Hospital Universitario La Paz, between 2020 and 2022. Data were collected using Savana Manager, an NLP-based system, enabling the extraction of information from unstructured, free-text EHRs. Variables analysed included demographic data, SpA subtypes, comorbidities and treatments. The performance of the technology in detecting SpA clinical entities was evaluated through precision, recall and F-1 score metrics.

Results

From a hospital population of 639 474 patients, 4337 (0.7%) patients had a diagnosis of SpA or their subtypes in their EHR. The population predominantly comprised men (55.3%) with a mean age of 50.9 years. Peripheral SpA (including PsA) was reported in 31.6%, axial SpA in 20.9%, both axial and peripheral SpA in 3.7%, while 43.7% of patients did not have the SpA subtype reported. Common comorbidities included hypertension (25.0%), dyslipidaemia (22.2%) and diabetes mellitus (15.5%). The use of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) was documented, with methotrexate (25.3% of patients) being the most used csDMARDs and adalimumab (10.6% of patients) the most used bDMARD. The NLP technology demonstrated high precision and recall, with all the assessed F-1 score values over 0.80, indicating reliable data extraction.

Conclusion

The application of NLP technology facilitated the characterisation of the SpA patient profile, including demographics, clinical features, comorbidities and treatments. This study supports the utility of NLP in enhancing the understanding of SpA and suggests its potential for improving patient management by extracting meaningful information from unstructured EHR data.
Xanthohumol Promotes Skp2 Ubiquitination Leading to the Inhibition of Glycolysis and Tumorigenesis in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: He Yi-Fu , Liu Yi-Ping , Liao Jin-Zhuang , Gan Yu , Li Xiaoying , Wang Rui-Rui , Wang Fang , Zhou Jun , Zhou Li
Published: May 2024

Ovarian cancer is a common, highly lethal tumor. Herein, we reported that S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is essential for the growth and aerobic glycolysis of ovarian cancer cells. Skp2 was upregulated in ovarian cancer tissues and associated with poor clinical outcomes. Using a customized natural product library screening, we found that xanthohumol inhibited aerobic glycolysis and cell viability of ovarian cancer cells. Xanthohumol facilitated the interaction between E3 ligase Cdh1 and Skp2 and promoted the Ub-K48-linked polyubiquitination of Skp2 and degradation. Cdh1 depletion reversed xanthohumol-induced Skp2 downregulation, enhancing HK2 expression and glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells. Finally, a xenograft tumor model was employed to examine the antitumor efficacy of xanthohumol in vivo. Collectively, we discovered that xanthohumol promotes the binding between Skp2 and Cdh1 to suppress the Skp2/AKT/HK2 signal pathway and exhibits potential antitumor activity for ovarian cancer cells.
The Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Management of Cervical Cancer
Authors: Wu Dailin , Zhou Ruisheng , Chen Hongyu , Pan Yanli , Tang Ying , Zhou Daihan
Published: May 2024

Globally, cervical cancer poses a substantial public health challenge, with low and middle-income countries bearing the highest burden [Rajkhowa, P., D.S. Patil, S.M. Dsouza, P. Narayanan and H. Brand. Evidence on factors influencing HPV vaccine implementation in South Asia: a scoping review. Glob. Public Health 18: 2288269, 2023]. The incidence rate ranks second highest among female malignant tumors in China, following only breast cancer. The prognosis of advanced cervical cancer is extremely poor, with a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of only 15%, and the treatment of advanced recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer remains a huge challenge. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can significantly enhance sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs, strengthen antitumor effects, and notably improve adverse reactions associated with cancer such as fatigue and bone marrow suppression. In recent years, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicines, such as the Guizhi-Fuling-decoction, the compound Yangshe granule, Huangqi, and Ginseng, herbal monomers (e.g., Ginsenoside Rh2, Tanshinone IIA, and Tetrandrine), and the related extracts and compound formulations, have received extensive attention for the treatment of cervical cancer. This paper reviews the research progress of TCM in cervical cancer. In addition, we reported a case of an advanced cervical cancer patient with multiple abdominal and pelvic metastasis who initially received chemotherapy, was then treated with TCM alone, and subsequently survived for 22 years. The model of whole-process management with TCM can enable more cancer patients to obtain longer survival periods.
Spin-polarization effects in the one-photon pair production in a supercritical magnetic field
Authors: Diachenko M. , Novak O. , Kholodov R.
Published: May 2024

A theoretical study is performed for the single-photon creation of an electron–positron pair in an external magnetic field. We present general expressions for process rates that are valid for arbitrarily high field strengths. Simple analytical expressions are obtained in the limiting cases of weak and strong fields. The emphasis is placed on the investigation of the spin alignment of the created particles as a function of the incident photon polarization and magnetic field strength. The obtained results show that the maximum value of the polarization degree of electrons (positrons) decreases in supercritical magnetic field.
Casimir–Onsager matrix for weakly driven processes
Authors: Nazé Pierre
Published: May 2024

Modeling of physical systems must be based on their suitability to unavoidable physical laws. In this work, in the context of classical, isothermal, finite-time, and weak drivings, I demonstrate that physical systems, driven simultaneously at the same rate in two or more external parameters, must have the Fourier transform of their relaxation functions composing a positive-definite matrix to satisfy the Second Law of Thermodynamics. By evaluating them in the limit of near-to-equilibrium processes, I identify that such coefficients are the Casimir–Onsager ones. The result is verified in paradigmatic models of the overdamped and underdamped white noise Brownian motions. Finally, an extension to thermally isolated systems is made by using the time-averaged Casimir–Onsager matrix, in which the example of the harmonic oscillator is presented.
A Concise 4D Conservative Chaotic System with Wide Parameter Range, Offset Boosting Behavior and High Initial Sensitivity
Authors: Lu Baoqing , Du Juan , Du Jiulong , Zhao Zeyang
Published: May 2024

In this paper, we present a concise four-dimensional (4D) conservative chaotic system with a wide parameter range. Since there are no terms higher than first order, the circuit does not contain multipliers, resulting in a simple circuit implementation. The nonlinear dynamic characteristics, such as phase diagrams, equilibrium points, divergence, Poincaré cross-sections, Lyapunov exponents, bifurcation diagrams, and Lyapunov dimension, are analyzed in detail, which illustrates the conservativity. Besides, the system exhibits different offset boosting behaviors. Through offset boosting, the system can propagate along a line, convert signal polarity, control variable amplitude, generate coexisting attractors, and even induce changes in its state. Specially, we realize the transition from a single-vortex attractor to a multivortex one by some changes in the initial values. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient is used to demonstrate the higher initial value sensitivity of the system. Finally, the system is implemented through Multisim simulation and analog circuit separately, and their consistency validates the system effectively.
Qualitative Properties of a Physically Extended Six-Dimensional Lorenz System
Authors: Zhang Fuchen , Zhou Ping , Xu Fei
Published: May 2024

In this paper, the qualitative properties of a physically extended six-dimensional Lorenz system, with additional physical terms describing rotation and density, which was proposed in [Moon et al., 2019] have been investigated. The dissipation, invariance, Lyapunov exponents, Kaplan–Yorke dimension, ultimate boundedness and global attractivity of this six-dimensional Lorenz system have been discussed in detail according to the chaotic systems theory. We find that this system exhibits chaos phenomena for a new set of parameters. It is well known that the general method for studying the bounds of a chaotic system is to construct a suitable Lyapunov-like function (or the generalized positive definite and radically unbounded Lyapunov function). However, the higher the dimension of a chaotic system, the more difficult it is to construct the Lyapunov-like function. The innovation of this paper is that we first construct the suitable Lyapunov-like function for this six-dimensional Lorenz system, and then we prove that this system is not only globally bounded for varying parameters, but it also gives a collection of global absorbing sets for this system with respect to all parameters of this system according to Lyapunov’s direct method and the optimization method. Furthermore, we obtain the rate of the trajectories going from the exterior to the global absorbing set. Some numerical simulations are presented to validate our research results. Finally, we give a direct application of the results obtained in this paper. According to the results of this paper, we can conclude that the equilibrium point [Formula: see text] of this system is globally exponentially stable.