bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dosage Effect of the Ph1 Locus on Homologous Crossovers in a Segment of Chromosome 1B of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)
Authors: Lukaszewski Adam J.
Published: September 2024

Introduction: The Ph1 locus in polyploid wheat enforces strictly bivalent behaviour in meiotic metaphase I, by preventing homoeologues from crossing over. It has always been considered as completely dominant as no homoeologous metaphase I pairing has ever been detected with its single dose present. However, Ph1 also affects pairing and crossing over of homologous chromosomes. Methods: Homologous crossover frequencies with Ph1 in two, one, and null doses were scored cytologically, as exchanges within a ca. 9.5–9.9 Mbp terminal wheat segment of a wheat-rye translocation T-9 and corresponding segments in chromosome arms 1BS originating from four wheat cultivars. Results: In all cases, the crossover rates in the tested homologous segment of wheat genome, with a single dose of Ph1 present, were intermediate between those at two and null Ph1 doses. Averaging across all four chromosomes, the crossover rate with a single dose of Ph1 present was 37% higher from that with two doses and 46.4% lower of that with a zero dosage. Conclusion: The Ph1 locus in wheat affects homologues and appears to operate in a dosage-dependent manner.
Clinical Significance of Biliary Invasion at Diagnosis in Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Stage B–C Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Nationwide Cohort Analysis in South Korea
Authors: Rim Chai Hong , Yoon Won Sup , Park Sunmin
Published: September 2024

Introduction: Evidence of biliary invasion as a prognostic factor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unclear. We aimed to verify the significance of clinically diagnosed biliary involvement in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B–C (BCLC B–C) HCC. Methods: The Korean Liver Cancer Study Group randomly extracted data of patients with HCC enrolled in the Korean Central Cancer Registry between 2011 and 2016 from approximately 50 hospitals nationwide. After excluding records without information regarding serum bilirubin level, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, and Child-Pugh class, a pre-propensity score matching cohort comprising 4,077 patients was included. Considering age, sex, body mass index, viral cause, serum bilirubin level, AFP, Child-Pugh class, tumor size, multiplicity, portal invasion, and extrahepatic metastasis, patients with and without bile duct invasion at initial imaging diagnosis were matched at a ratio of 1:2 from the pre-propensity score matching cohort to form a matched cohort (propensity score matching cohort). Results: The pre-propensity score matching cohort included 4,077 patients with BCLC B–C and 165 (4.0%) with biliary invasion at diagnosis. Regarding biliary invasion at diagnosis, 1- and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates were 41.2% and 29.1% (with invasion) and 54% and 40.9% (without invasion), respectively (p < 0.0001). Corresponding cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates at 1 and 2 years were 43.4% and 30.7% (with invasion) and 56.6% and 44% (without invasion), respectively (p < 0.0001). Although biliary invasion was a significant factor affecting overall and CSS rates in a univariate analysis, it was not statistically significant in multivariate analyses for overall (p = 0.153) and cancer-specific (p = 0.198) survival rates. The propensity score matching cohort included 165 patients with biliary invasion at diagnosis and 330 without biliary invasion. In the propensity score matching cohort, biliary invasion at diagnosis was not a significant factor affecting overall (p = 0.603) or cancer-specific (p = 0.960) survival rates in the univariate analyses. One- and 2-year OS were 41.2% and 29.1% (with invasion) and 36.1% and 28.2% (without invasion), respectively. The corresponding CSS at one and 2 years were 43.4% and 30.7% (with invasion) and 39.8% and 31.4% (without invasion), respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that AFP levels, Child-Pugh class, tumor singularity, tumor size, portal invasion, lymph node metastases, and distant metastases significantly affected both overall and CSS rates. Conclusion: Biliary invasion at diagnosis in patients with BCLC B–C does not affect overall or CSS rates; however, other prognostic factors associated with biliary invasion could have a greater impact.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Secondary Hypertension in Young Adults
Authors: de Freminville Jean-Baptiste , Gardini Margherita , Cremer Antoine , Camelli Scarlett , Baron Stephanie , Bobrie Guillaume , Gosse Philippe , Boulestreau Romain , Gebara Nicole , Doublet Julien , Dussartre Thomas , Grataloup Christine , Lorthioir Aurélien , Massien Christine , Madjalian Anne-Marie , Riancho Julien , Soulat Gilles , Postel-Vinay Nicolas , Azizi Michel , Rance Bastien , Amar Laurence
Published: September 2024

BACKGROUND:

The prevalence of secondary causes of hypertension in young adults is unknown, and therefore, there is no consensus about the indication of screening of secondary hypertension (2HTN) in this population. The objective was to report the prevalence and the causes of 2HTN in young subjects.

METHODS:

In this cross-sectional study, 2090 patients with confirmed hypertension aged 18 to 40 years with full workup for 2HTN screening were included. We assessed the prevalence of 2HTN and analyzed the factors associated.

RESULTS:

Among 2090 patients, 619 (29.6%) had a 2HTN. The most frequent diagnoses of 2HTN in descending order were primary aldosteronism (n=339; 54.8%), renovascular hypertension (n=114; 18.4%), primary kidney disease (n=80; 12.9%), pheochromocytoma/functional paraganglioma (n=37; 5.9%), hypertension caused by drugs or substances (n=32; 6.0%), and other diagnoses (n=17; 2.7%). Patients with blood pressure <160/100 mm Hg did not have a lower prevalence of 2HTN regardless of the number of treatments. The prevalence of 2HTN was higher in the decade between 30 and 40 years of age than between 18 and 30 years of age (
P
=0.024). Female sex, hypokalemia, treatment with at least 2 medications, no familial history of hypertension, body mass index <25 kg/m², and diabetes were associated with a higher prevalence of 2HTN.

CONCLUSIONS:

The prevalence of 2HTN is high among young patients with hypertension (29.6% in our cohort), regardless of age and blood pressure level. All patients with hypertension under 40 years of age should be screened for secondary causes.
The Theory of Being and the Argument for Forms in Plato’s Sophist
Authors: Leigh Fiona
Published: September 2024

This paper argues for two claims. First, that in the Sophist a metaphysical theory of being is constructed from the ground up, largely on the basis of a claim treated as an axiomatic principle, the ‘dunamis proposal’ (247d–e), which, I will argue, ought to be understood as Plato’s own definition of being. Second, once its core is in place, the theory is put to use to provide dialectical arguments against proponents of alternative metaphysical theories for the existence of various entities in the ontology. These include—notably—an argument for the existence of Forms.
Gregory-Aland 424 (ÖNB Cod. Theol. Gr. 302) as Imperfect Exemplar
Authors: Peterson Jacob W.
Published: September 2024

GA 424 is an important Byzantine manuscript of Acts and the Catholic Epistles, the Pauline Epistles, and Revelation featuring surrounding commentary and various apparatus bound together with numerous non-biblical texts. This article identifies GA 250 as a direct copy (Abschrift) of 424’s biblical text in both content and layout. While most of the other material was also copied, it was changed, reformatted, and edited in ways that point to a conscious effort at producing a revised edition. Beyond the evidence to support understanding GA 250 as a copy of GA 424, the ability to use GA 250 to reconstruct lost original text in GA 424 is explored, their dates are reconsidered, and desiderata are offered for further investigating the evolution between the manuscripts and their location within their family of manuscripts.
Object Marking in Western Eurasia
Authors: Alfimova Daria
Published: September 2024

This paper investigates object marking strategies in Circum-Baltic languages and beyond, using a sample of 103 predicates from 30 Western Eurasian languages from the BivalTyp database. The study aims to identify areal clusters in object marking and evaluate the relevance of the Circum-Baltic linguistic area in this context. It finds that while most Circum-Baltic languages dissolve into larger, genealogy-driven clusters, areal signals are present, particularly with Lithuanian merging with Slavic languages due to genitive-taking predicates. German deviates from the larger Germanic cluster, merging with Latvian and Hungarian without a specific marking strategy driving this alignment. The results suggest that the concept of a linguistic area is less effective for describing object marking relationships around the Baltic Sea, in contrast to the Balkan linguistic area, where cross-linguistic clusters of object marking strategies do align with the linguistic area. Additionally, the paper discusses large-scale trends, such as comitativity prominence and the comparison of observed object marking strategy distributions with the predicted Zipf distribution.
PoeTree: Poetry Treebanks in Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian and Spanish
Authors: Plecháč Petr , Cinková Silvie , Kolár Robert , Šeļa Artjoms , De Sisto Mirella , Nugues Lara , Haider Thomas , Kočnik Neža
Published: September 2024

This article presents a set of standardised corpora of poetry comprising over 330,000 poems in ten languages (Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, and Spanish). Each corpus has been deduplicated, enriched with Universal Dependencies, provided with additional metadata, and converted into a unified json structure.
Time Series Decomposition of Land Surface Temperature for Long-Term Trend Forecasting and Impact on Nesting Sea Turtle Habitats in the Arabian Gulf
Authors: Perera Sachi , Maneja Rommel H. , Allali Mohamed , Rakovski Cyril , Linstead Erik , Struppa Daniele , Qasem Ali , El-Askary Hesham
Published: September 2024

Improving land surface temperature (LST) modeling is vital for mitigating climate change effects on various ecosystems and marine habitats such as important sea turtle habitats. Over the past decade, extreme temperatures have likely significantly affected nesting sea turtle habitats in the Arabian Gulf, with predominantly female hatchlings creating an imbalance in the sex ratio. Such shifts have profound implications for these habitats’ long-term survival and conservation management. This study leverages statistical machine learning models to measure ongoing temporal variations in LST. We break down the LST time series into trend, seasonal, and noise components using classical decomposition methods like X11, Seasonal Extraction in autogressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) Time Series (SEATS), and the seasonal and trend decomposition using local regression (Loess) (STL) approach. The long-term trends in LST data are driven by climate change rather than seasonal fluctuations. We employed neural network autoregression (NNAR), bagged error, trend, and seasonal (BaggedETS), exponential smoothing models, and the STL method to project future LST values. We also explored advanced forecasting models like dynamic harmonic regression; trigonometric seasonality, Box–Cox transformation, autoregressive moving average (ARMA) errors, and trend and seasonal components (TBATS); and seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) for comparative performance analysis. Extended warm periods were identified for Abu Ali Island between 2017 and 2018 through several decomposition methods, likely linked to the 2015/16 El Niño event. We also conducted a marine heatwave (MHW) analysis from 2010 to 2020, establishing a pronounced impact of the 2015/16 El Niño on the Arabian Gulf. In nesting beach environments with high LST, marine heatwaves could have a significant impact on sea turtle populations without human intervention such as artificially cooling the nest temperature. The SARIMA model showed higher forecasting precision for in situ weather data, while the NNAR model demonstrated superior performance with remotely sensed data.
School Burnout and Emotional and Psychological Well-Being in Secondary School Students: Mediating Roles of Resilience and Hope
Authors: Cengiz Serkan , Yıldırım Murat , Kaşıkçı Furkan , Peker Adem
Published: September 2024

This study examined the mediating roles of psychological resilience and hope in the relationship between school burnout, and the well-being of students. Participants consisted of 721 Turkish secondary school students, (52.6% girls; mean age = 12.76 ± 0.82) studying from grades 5 to 8. The participants completed the School Burnout Inventory, Children’s Hope Scale, Child and Youth Resilience Measure, and Stirling Children’s Well-Being Scale. The results showed that school burnout was negatively related to resilience, hope, and well-being. Resilience and hope were positively associated with well-being. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that resilience and hope mediated the impact of school burnout on well-being. These results emphasize the potential of resilience and hope as key factors in enhancing well-being among secondary school students. They also provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to foster well-being within the school context by promoting strength-based strategies and practices, including cultivating resilience and hope.
Adolescent Perceptions of Teen Suicide: Implications from Focus Groups
Authors: Orlins Erin R. , Bransteter Irina , Chatfield Sheryl L.
Published: September 2024

Adolescent suicide is a growing public health concern. This research explores adolescent perceptions of suicide to identify potential focus areas for future prevention programming. This qualitative study utilized focus groups with 14 high school students. Thematic analysis was used to capture key concepts. Salient themes included: “Deciding whether suicide risk is real,” which spoke to the challenge in interpretating suicide-referencing language, and “Desire to engage in more conversations about mental health and suicide,” which suggested more potential benefit than detriment associated with explicit discussions with adolescents. Adolescents also identified the need for an alternative, “in between” adult contact who is not a school-affiliated counselor or a parent. These findings suggest adolescents may benefit from suicide prevention programming that emphasizes exchange and dialogue rather than just didactic instruction. Adolescent concerns about confidentiality may be addressed through use of K-12 partnerships with universities for mental health services provision.
Sharing Big Video Data: Ethics, Methods, and Technology
Authors: Golann Joanne W. , Bougher Lori , Hall Richard , Espenshade Thomas J.
Published: September 2024

Data sharing and transparency are becoming more common across the social sciences. In this article, we provide an overview of ethical, methodological, and technological considerations and challenges when developing large video-based datasets intended to be shared across researchers. We cover data security, storage, and access as well as data documentation, tagging, and transcription. Our discussions are framed by our own efforts to create a secure and user-friendly database for the New Jersey Families Study, a two-week, in-home video study of 21 families with a 2- to 4-year-old child. In collecting over 11,470 hours of video data, the New Jersey Families Study is one of the very few large-scale video projects in the field of sociology. This project has provided us with a unique opportunity to explore video data management and data sharing techniques, particularly in light of a host of cutting-edge developments in data science.
A Configurational Perspective on the Quality of Managers’ Counterfactual Reflections
Authors: Woelfl Katja , Ketchen David J. , Kaufmann Lutz
Published: September 2024

Counterfactual reflection (CFR)—thinking about “what might have been if”—can enhance learning from experience, but only if the CFR is high-quality. Yet, what shapes differences in CFR quality remains largely unknown. Because managers typically reflect on experiences by concomitantly considering relevant factors and their collective interdependencies, we suggest that CFR quality is causally complex. To investigate this possibility, we interviewed 129 managers. In these interviews, they reflected on recently concluded business-to-business negotiations. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, we find three equifinal configurations of negotiation factors associated with high-quality CFR and eight associated with low-quality CFR. Drawing on the interviews, we identify managers’ ability to disentangle causal linkages in their past negotiation and their motivation for high-quality CFR in the present as plausible mechanisms underlying differences in CFR quality. We find high-quality CFR only following experiences where managers possess high levels of both situation-specific ability and motivation. In contrast, experiences that leave managers feeling unable or unmotivated due to high satisfaction, indifference, or defensiveness, are linked to low-quality CFR. Overall, our study advances understanding of why there are differences in CFR quality by linking past experiences with managers’ abilities and motivation. From a managerial perspective, we suggest that organizations avoid “one size fits all” approaches to CFR. Instead, we recommend actionable measures for both reflecting managers and their supervisors to address the specific reasons that prevent managers from engaging in high-quality CFR after their negotiation experiences.
Bringing Children to the Center of Migration Theory
Authors: Galli Chiara , Garip Filiz
Published: September 2024

Migration theory is adult-centric, failing to account for the experiences of children despite their increasingly important participation in migration flows. Using a life-course perspective and findings from research at the intersection of childhood studies and migration, this paper considers whether different migration theories apply to child migration as compared to adult migration. We examine this question using the Mexican Migration Project data to track the cross-border moves of 109,096 individuals relative to their family members. We find that theories from economics best explain migration among young adults, with some participation from older adolescents, while children of all ages are sensitive to educational opportunities and the behavior of their peers and role models. Insights from the cultural turn and feminist theorizing in migration studies explain migration for both groups. We find that adult and child migration is strongly conditioned on migrant networks and family dynamics, including ties to family members in destination and family structure and caretaking arrangements in origin. We argue that child-centered analyses advance migration theory by highlighting the role of age, the life-course, and intergenerational family dynamics as determinants of international migration.
A survey of the psychiatric care provided for children and young people in general hospital settings in New Zealand
Authors: Hopkins John , Skudder Ella , Sundram Frederick , Vroegop Paul
Published: September 2024

Objective

The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth survey of psychiatric care provided for children and young people (CYP) in general hospital settings in New Zealand (NZ).

Method

As part of a larger national survey of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (CLP) services across the lifespan, a 44-question survey was emailed to clinicians who were involved in providing psychiatric care for CYP at each of the 24 public general hospitals with specialist paediatric services.

Results

Responses were obtained from all four paediatric CLP teams that cover the four specialist children’s hospitals, and 16 of the 23 child and adolescent community mental health services that provide hospital inreach. These services were found to be under-resourced, utilise variable service models, and rely heavily on inreach.

Conclusion

Escalating presentation rates for young people and increasingly complex paediatric presentations pose major challenges for the psychiatric care of CYP in general hospital settings. Utilising international staffing standards and service models, proposals are made to evolve more consistent and effective paediatric CLP services in NZ.
A Multi-Center Retrospective Database Evaluation of Pediatric Subjects Diagnosed With Methemoglobinemia
Authors: Sinha Neha , Lichak Brooke , Thomas Neal J , Krawiec Conrad
Published: September 2024

Background:

Methemoglobinemia requires early identification and treatment, but limited knowledge exists regarding the current therapeutic approach taken by clinicians as well as the outcomes that occur in children.

Objectives:

To determine the current prevalence of this rare disease in the pediatric population, evaluate the impact of methemoglobin and functional hemoglobin levels, and assess how this disease is approached by clinicians. We hypothesize that methemoglobinemia prevalence is low and more methylene blue use would be observed in subjects with functional hemoglobin levels less than 7 g/dL.

Design:

This was a retrospective observational cohort study utilizing deidentified TriNetX® electronic health record (EHR) data.

Methods:

Using a multicenter EHR database, we evaluated subjective characteristics, diagnostic, laboratory results, medication, and procedural codes.

Results:

Ninety-eight children (mean age 5.3 ± 5.3 years) from 53 healthcare organizations were included. Methemoglobinemia prevalence was 0.0015% with an overall 30-day mortality of 6.1%. Subjects with methemoglobin percentages greater than 20% had a higher frequency of methylene blue administration (70.6% versus 24.7%, P = .0005). Critical care service requirements and methylene blue administration were similar in the subjects with functional hemoglobin less than 7 g/dL and more than 7 g/dL groups. Overall, 13 (13.2%) subjects underwent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD) testing.

Conclusion:

In our study, we found methemoglobinemia prevalence in children is low, there is a low frequency of G6PD testing despite methylene blue hemolysis risk, and subjects appeared to be treated similarly despite a low functional hemoglobin. These findings highlight the continued critical nature of this disease and may highlight opportunities for education aimed at improving care in children diagnosed with methemoglobinemia, particularly related to G6PD testing.
Young people becoming intimate on social media: Digital desires and gender dynamics
Authors: Bhana Deevia , Reddy Valerie , Moosa Shaaista
Published: September 2024

Digital technologies are shaping young people’s intimate relationships in profound ways, yet we have little knowledge of these experiences from the Global South. Drawing from a qualitative study, this article examines how 16-19-year-old South Africans make meaning of gender and sexuality through digital intimate practices. The study finds that digital intimacies are facilitated through producing and sharing of sexual content through sexting, video calls, selfies, nudes and emojis. Together they serve as affective entities in enhancing intimate connections expanding what we know of young people’s online sexual activities. However, we also draw attention to enduring patterns of male dominance within digital practices where girls’ online activities are curtailed by heterosexual oppressive relations of power. We contribute to the emerging research in South Africa advocating for the need for greater emphasis on young people and digital sexual intimacies beyond the current framing of risk and danger in order to promote healthy young sexualities.
A grouping module assessment method for ocean engineering systems: Subsea tree system as a case
Authors: Pang Nan , Xu Kai , Yun Feihong , Wang Xiangyu , Liu Zhong , Xiong Zhonggang
Published: September 2024

In the ocean engineering environment, the quality failure data of complex systems are difficult to obtain due to the high experiment cost. In addition, using a single model to analyze risk, reliability, availability, and maintainability is a big challenge. Based on the fault tree, Dynamic Bayes and Markov models, a state assessment method for ocean engineering systems with multiple maintenance modes is proposed in this paper. This method gives full play to the advantages of the three methods, and comprehensively analyzes the risk, reliability, availability and maintainability. This method uses fault tree and Markov model to pre-process fault data, and then inputs the pre-processed fault data into the multi-state degradation model based on dynamic Bayesian theory. Considering the maintenance strategies of no repair, perfect repair, imperfect repair and preventive repair, the model is iterated and adjusted until the model has processed all the event data and the updated model can best reflect the state of the system. The method is verified by taking the subsea tree of the subsea production system as an example. The obtained tree reliability index (mean time without failure) is basically consistent with the failure statistics of offshore and onshore reliability databases, which verifies the accuracy of the proposed method.
Emotional exhaustion behind the badge: Examining the effects of affective commitment, surface acting, and gender among police personnel
Authors: Zhang Yixiao , Liu Fei , Hsieh Chih-Wei
Published: September 2024

Public service organizations, such as the police, place great value on employee commitment because the public interest is at stake. While previous literature establishes a negative association between affective commitment and emotional exhaustion, the underlying mechanism remains insufficiently explored. Drawing on the perspective of emotional labor, this paper investigates whether surface acting, which refers to the feigning of expected emotions, mediates the impact of affective commitment on emotional exhaustion among police personnel. Furthermore, the study aims to explore whether this mediating effect is influenced by gender. The dataset utilized in this research comprises responses obtained from a survey administered to 465 police officers employed by the Taipei City Police Department. Our findings reveal a significant suppression effect of surface acting in the affective commitment-emotional exhaustion relationship, suggesting that surface acting, as a result of low affective commitment, has a detrimental impact on emotional well-being. Interestingly, the effects of affective commitment and surface acting on emotional exhaustion are stronger in male police officers compared to their female counterparts. In summary, the results of this study contribute to the existing literature and have broader implications for high-stress work environments. The findings provide insights into how organizations can better support the well-being of their employees by promoting commitment and addressing surface acting. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of considering gender differences in understanding the impact of these variables on emotional exhaustion among police personnel.
Sex, gender, and stroke recovery: Functional limitations and inpatient care needs in Canadian and European survivors
Authors: Zhou Yusheng , Gisinger Teresa , Lindner Simon D , Raparelli Valeria , Norris Colleen M , Kautzky-Willer Alexandra , Pilote Louise
Published: September 2024

Background:

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability among survivors. Past literature already investigated the biological sex differences in stroke outcome; still limited work on gender differences is published. Therefore, the study aimed at investigating whether biological sex and sociocultural gender of survivors play a role as determinants of disability and quality of life among stroke survivors across Europe and Canada.

Methods:

Data were gathered from the European Health Information Survey (EHIS, n = 316,333) and Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS, n = 127,462) data sets. Main outcomes of interest were disability, assessed through evaluating the impairment of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADL), and inpatient care needs, such as hospitalization or institutionalization. Multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to identify factors independently associated with outcomes. Federated analysis was conducted for cross-country comparisons. Data were adjusted for the country-specific Gender Inequality Index (GII), with higher score corresponding to more gender inequality toward females.

Results:

Female survivors showed greater impairments in iADL (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.53–1.96) and ADL (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.09–1.44), without a corresponding increase in inpatient care needs. Socioeconomic factors such as marital status and income level were significant predictors of disability, with low income and being single/divorced associated with higher risks. The impact of sex was more pronounced in countries with higher GII, indicating the influence of gender inequality on stroke outcomes.

Interpretation:

The findings highlight the significant impact of biological sex and gender-related social determinants on post stroke disability, with female sex and unfavorable socioeconomic conditions being associated with worse outcomes.
Association of aspirin use with risk of intracerebral hemorrhage in patients without history of stroke or transient ischemic attack in the UK Biobank
Authors: Wang Zijie , Liu Xueyun , Zhang Shanyu , Hu Xiao , Tian Yanghua , Li Qi
Published: September 2024

Background:

The association between aspirin use and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) among individuals without previous stroke events is inconclusive.

Aim:

We investigated the association between regular aspirin use and ICH risk in middle-aged and older adults without previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Methods:

This prospective population-based study included participants older than 40 years with no history of stroke or TIA from the UK Biobank. The main exposure was regular aspirin use. Cox regression analyses and propensity score matching analyses estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) for aspirin use for incident fatal and non-fatal ICH. We conducted pre-specified subgroup analyses for selecting individuals at high risk of ICH when using aspirin. Multiple sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of our results.

Results:

A total of 449,325 participants were included into final analyses (median (IQR) age 58 (50–63) years, 54.6% females), of whom 58,045 reported aspirin use. During a median follow-up of 12.75 (IQR: 12.03–13.47) years, 1557 (0.3%) incident ICH cases were identified, of which 399 (25.6%) were fatal. Aspirin was not associated with increased risk of overall (hazard ratio (HR): 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95–1.27, P = 0.188), fatal (HR: 1.03, 95% CI: 0.78–1.36, P = 0.846) and non-fatal (HR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.95–1.33, P = 0.186) ICH. Propensity score matching analysis showed similar results. Subgroup analysis indicated that aspirin use in individuals older than 65 years or with concurrent anticoagulant use was correlated with increased risk of ICH.

Conclusion:

In this large cohort study of middle-aged and older adults without stroke or TIA events, there was no significant association between aspirin use and ICH risk in the real-world setting. However, it is possible that aspirin use in those aged over 65 years and concurrent anticoagulant treatment may increase the risk of ICH.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of durvalumab plus tremelimumab as first-line therapy in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Liao Weiting , Xu Huiqiong , Hutton David , Wu Qiuji , Yang Yang , Feng Mingyang , Lei Wanting , Bai Liangliang , Li Junying , Li Qiu
Published: September 2024

Background:

The HIMALAYA trial found that durvalumab plus tremelimumab significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) compared with sorafenib.

Objective:

This study aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of durvalumab plus tremelimumab compared with sorafenib in the first-line HCC setting.

Design:

A Markov model-based cost-effectiveness analysis.

Methods:

We created a Markov model to compare healthcare costs and clinical outcomes of HCC patients treated with durvalumab plus tremelimumab in the first-line setting compared with sorafenib. We estimated transition probabilities from randomized trials. Lifetime direct healthcare costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated for first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab compared with sorafenib from a US payer’s perspective.

Results:

In the base case, first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was associated with an improvement of 0.29 QALYs compared with sorafenib. While both treatment strategies were associated with considerable lifetime expenditures, first-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was less expensive than sorafenib ($188,405 vs $218,584). The incremental net monetary benefit for durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus sorafenib was $72,762 (valuing QALYs at $150,000 each). The results of durvalumab plus tremelimumab were better in terms of costs and health outcomes in patients with HBV-related HCC and high alpha-fetoprotein levels.

Conclusion:

First-line durvalumab plus tremelimumab was estimated to be dominant for the treatment of unresectable HCC compared with sorafenib from a US payer’s perspective.
Experimental study on the characteristic values of partial compression perpendicular to the grain of hardwood with edge distance parallel and perpendicular to the grain
Authors: Suesada Hiroto , Miyamoto Kohta
Published: September 2024

Some hardwoods have a higher density and superior structural performance than softwoods, which are generally used as construction materials in buildings. Therefore, the characteristics of hardwoods are advantageous in their use for wooden joints. However, the effects of the dimensions of hardwood specimens and wood species on the partial compression performance perpendicular to the grain are unclear. In this study, we conducted partial compression tests perpendicular to the grain of hardwoods to clarify the effects of the edge distance and wood species on the characteristic values. The relationships between the partial compression performance perpendicular to the grain and the edge distance perpendicular to the grain of hardwoods were similar to those of softwoods. A significant correlation was observed between the density and the characteristic values of partial compression perpendicular to the grain. There were differences in the fracture morphologies and stress–strain curves between diffuse and ring-porous woods. However, factors other than density and whether the wood is diffuse- or ring-porous are responsible for the differences in the effect of the edge distance on the characteristic values between wood species.
Physical activity and the risk of developing 8 age-related diseases: epidemiological and Mendelian randomization studies
Authors: Zhao Jie , Ke Zezhi , Huang Rihua , Wen Xiuyun , Liu Wenbin , Wang Suisui , Zhang Xu , Zhuang Xiaodong , Pan Litao , Liao Lizhen
Published: September 2024

Background

We aimed to characterize the associations between physical activity levels and the risk of developing age-related diseases in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study and used Mendelian randomization (MR) to assess whether there are causal relationships between physical activity levels and the risk of developing 8 age-related diseases (coronary atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, angina, Alzheimer’s disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and venous thromboembolism).

Methods

Based on the data available in the CARDIA, we obtained data related to five disease states: coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and venous thromboembolism. Binary logistic regression analysis estimated the multivariable-adjusted associations between different physical activity statuses and diseases. For the MR study, we used summary-level data from a recently published genome-wide association study on physical activity (including vigorous physical activity and accelerometer-based physical activity) conducted with participants from the UK Biobank study. We selected the above 8 age-related diseases as our outcomes.

Results

In the CARDIA-based analysis, the risk of developing coronary heart disease [OR (95% CI): 0.562 (0.397–0.795)], hypertension [OR (95% CI): 0.703 (0.601–0.821)], diabetes [OR (95% CI): 0.783 (0.620–0.988)], and hyperlipidemia [OR (95% CI): 0.792 (0.662–0.949)] was negatively related to physical activity status when participants achieved the physical activity target. Our MR results support a negative causal association between genetically determined vigorous physical activity levels and the risk of developing 3 age-related diseases, namely, angina, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, our results also support a negative causal association between genetically determined accelerometer-based physical activity levels and the risk of developing angina.

Conclusions

Promotion of physical activity is likely to prevent specific age-related diseases.
Route choice modelling for an urban rail transit network: past, recent progress and future prospects
Authors: Tian Yihan , Zhu Wei , Song Fangqing
Published: September 2024

Route choice modelling is a critical aspect of analysing urban rail transit (URT) networks and provides a foundation for URT planning and operation. Unlike in a free-flow road network, the consideration set for route choice decisions in a URT network does not depend purely on the physical connectivity of the network and decision makers’characteristics. Instead, it is also contingent on the train schedules. This paper delves into the evolution of research on route choices in URT networks, encompassing both probabilistic route choice modelling derived from utility maximisation theory and logit curve with physical connectivity, and retrospective route choice modelling based on travel time chaining along with comprehensive transport data. The former is noted for its conciseness, simplicity, and interpretability in real-world applications, even though the methodologies may not be cutting-edge. The latter incorporates dynamic temporal information to understand activities of passengers in URT networks. Enhancements of each genres are also examined. However, these improvements might not fully address the inherent limitations of models relating to a dependency on the quality of parameters, experience of experts, and calculation efficiency. In addition, novel research adopting contemporary data mining techniques instead of classical models are introduced. The historical development of research on URT network route choices underscores the importance of amalgamating independent information networks such as surveillance networks and social networks to establish a comprehensive multi-dimensional network. Such an approach integrates passenger attributes across networks, offering a multi-dimensional understanding of passengers’ route choice behaviours. Our review work aims to present not only a systematic conceptual framework for route choices in URT networks but also a novel path for transport researchers and practitioners to decipher the travel behaviours of passengers.
Leveraging gene correlations in single cell transcriptomic data
Authors: Silkwood Kai , Dollinger Emmanuel , Gervin Joshua , Atwood Scott , Nie Qing , Lander Arthur D.
Published: September 2024

Background

Many approaches have been developed to overcome technical noise in single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq). As researchers dig deeper into data—looking for rare cell types, subtleties of cell states, and details of gene regulatory networks—there is a growing need for algorithms with controllable accuracy and fewer ad hoc parameters and thresholds. Impeding this goal is the fact that an appropriate null distribution for scRNAseq cannot simply be extracted from data in which ground truth about biological variation is unknown (i.e., usually).

Results

We approach this problem analytically, assuming that scRNAseq data reflect only cell heterogeneity (what we seek to characterize), transcriptional noise (temporal fluctuations randomly distributed across cells), and sampling error (i.e., Poisson noise). We analyze scRNAseq data without normalization—a step that skews distributions, particularly for sparse data—and calculatepvalues associated with key statistics. We develop an improved method for selecting features for cell clustering and identifying gene–gene correlations, both positive and negative. Using simulated data, we show that this method, which we call BigSur (Basic Informatics and Gene Statistics from Unnormalized Reads), captures even weak yet significant correlation structures in scRNAseq data. Applying BigSur to data from a clonal human melanoma cell line, we identify thousands of correlations that, when clustered without supervision into gene communities, align with known cellular components and biological processes, and highlight potentially novel cell biological relationships.

Conclusions

New insights into functionally relevant gene regulatory networks can be obtained using a statistically grounded approach to the identification of gene–gene correlations.
Use of electronic health records to characterize patients with uncontrolled hypertension in two large health system networks
Authors: Lu Yuan , Keeley Ellen C. , Barrette Eric , Cooper-DeHoff Rhonda M. , Dhruva Sanket S. , Gaffney Jenny , Gamble Ginger , Handke Bonnie , Huang Chenxi , Krumholz Harlan M. , McDonough Caitrin W. , Schulz Wade , Shaw Kathryn , Smith Myra , Woodard Jennifer , Young Patrick , Ervin Keondae , Ross Joseph S.
Published: September 2024

Background

Improving hypertension control is a public health priority. However, consistent identification of uncontrolled hypertension using computable definitions in electronic health records (EHR) across health systems remains uncertain.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, we applied two computable definitions to the EHR data to identify patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension and to evaluate differences in characteristics, treatment, and clinical outcomes between these patient populations. We included adult patients (≥ 18 years) with hypertension (based on either ICD-10 codes of hypertension or two elevated blood pressure [BP] measurements) receiving ambulatory care within Yale-New Haven Health System (YNHHS; a large US health system) and OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium (OneFlorida; a Clinical Research Network comprised of 16 health systems) between October 2015 and December 2018. We identified patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension based on either a single BP measurement from a randomly selected visit or all BP measurements recorded between hypertension identification and the randomly selected visit).

Results

Overall, 253,207 and 182,827 adults at YNHHS and OneFlorida were identified as having hypertension. Of these patients, 83.1% at YNHHS and 76.8% at OneFlorida were identified using ICD-10-CM codes, whereas 16.9% and 23.2%, respectively, were identified using elevated BP measurements (≥ 140/90 mmHg). A total of 24.1% of patients at YNHHS and 21.6% at OneFlorida had both diagnosis code for hypertension and elevated blood pressure measurements. Uncontrolled hypertension was observed among 32.5% and 43.7% of patients at YNHHS and OneFlorida, respectively. Uncontrolled hypertension was disproportionately higher among Black patients when compared with White patients (38.9% versus 31.5% in YNHHS; p < 0.001; 49.7% versus 41.2% in OneFlorida; p < 0.001). Medication prescription for hypertension management was more common in patients with uncontrolled hypertension when compared with those with controlled hypertension (overall treatment rate: 39.3% versus 37.3% in YNHHS; p = 0.04; 42.2% versus 34.8% in OneFlorida; p < 0.001). Patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension had similar incidence rates of deaths, CVD events, and healthcare visits at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months. The two computable definitions generated consistent results.

Conclusions

While the current EHR systems are not fully optimized for disease surveillance and stratification, our findings illustrate the potential of leveraging EHR data to conduct digital population surveillance in the realm of hypertension management.
Socio-economic risk factors for intestinal helminthiases in selected endemic communities in Mindanao, the Philippines: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Paller Vachel Gay V. , Belizario Vicente Y. , Ancog Rico C. , Alonte Allen Jethro I. , Jimenez Jasmine Renette D. , Corales Christina G. , Divina Billy P. , Prada Joaquin M. , Betson Martha
Published: September 2024

Background

Parasitic neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) or ‘infectious diseases of poverty’ continue to affect the poorest communities in the world, including in the Philippines. Socio-economic conditions contribute to persisting endemicity of these infectious diseases. As such, examining these underlying factors may help identify gaps in implementation of control programs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) and investigate the role of socio-economic and risk factors in the persistence of these diseases in endemic communities in the Philippines.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involving a total of 1,152 individuals from 386 randomly-selected households was conducted in eight municipalities in Mindanao, the Philippines. Participants were asked to submit fecal samples which were processed using the Kato-Katz technique to check for intestinal helminthiases. Moreover, each household head participated in a questionnaire survey investigating household conditions and knowledge, attitude, and practices related to intestinal helminthiases. Associations between questionnaire responses and intestinal helminth infection were assessed.

Results

Results demonstrated an overall schistosomiasis prevalence of 5.7% and soil-transmitted helminthiasis prevalence of 18.8% in the study population. Further, the household questionnaire revealed high awareness of intestinal helminthiases, but lower understanding of routes of transmission. Potentially risky behaviors such as walking outside barefoot and bathing in rivers were common. There was a strong association between municipality and prevalence of helminth infection. Educational attainment and higher “practice” scores (relating to practices which are effective in controlling intestinal helminths) were inversely associated with soil-transmitted helminth infection.

Conclusion

Results of the study showed remaining high endemicity of intestinal helminthiases in the area despite ongoing control programs. Poor socio-economic conditions and low awareness about how intestinal helminthiases are transmitted may be among the factors hindering success of intestinal helminth control programs in the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte. Addressing these sustainability gaps could contribute to the success of alleviating the burden of intestinal helminthiases in endemic areas.