bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Role of Neurophysiological Biomarkers in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Herzog Samuel A , Brakoulias Vlasios 
Published: December 2021

Background:
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a highly debilitating psychiatric
disorder with a high rate of treatment resistance. Biomarkers for obsessive-compulsive
disorder may assist clinicians by predicting response to treatments and prognosis.

Objective:
The aim of the study was to review the literature with regards to two of the
more easily ascertainable and relatively inexpensive physiological biomarkers, i.e., heart
rate variability and electroencephalography.

Methods:
A narrative review of the literature was conducted.

Results:
Decreased heart rate variability has been associated with increased symptom
severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Findings from electroencephalography have
also predicted response to pharmacotherapy and it is likely that biomarkers for OCD will
have their greatest utility in predicting response to different pharmacological agents.
However, the number of studies is small and results are inconsistent.

Conclusions:
More research is required to determine whether heart rate variability and
electrophysiological studies play a clinical role as biomarkers for obsessive-compulsive
disorder.
Nonfocal Symptoms in Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack and Association with Stroke Risk
Authors: Yang Shuxiang , Zhao Lu , Pei Lulu , Cao Shuang , Gao Yuan , Fang Hui , Liu Kai , Sun Shilei , Wu Jun , Song Bo , Xu Yuming 
Published: December 2021

Background and Objective:
Patients with transient ischemic attack（TIA）occasionally showed nonfocal symptoms, such as decreased consciousness, amnesia and non-rotatory dizziness. This study intended to evaluate the effect of nonfocal symptoms on the prognosis of patients with TIA.

Methods:
Data from the prospective hospital-based TIA database of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed. The predictive outcome was stroke occurrence at 1 year. Cumulative risks of stroke in patients with and without nonfocal symptoms were estimated with Kaplan-Meier models.

Results:
We studied 1384 patients with TIA (842 men; mean age, 56±13 years), including 450 (32.5%) with nonfocal symptoms. In the ﬁrst year after TIA, stroke occurred in 168（12.1%） patients. There was no difference in the risk of stroke between patients with both focal and nonfocal symptoms and patients with focal symptoms alone (11.8% vs 12.4%, log-rank; P=0.691).

Conclusions:
The occurrence of nonfocal symptoms did not increase the risk of stroke at one-year follow-up compared to the occurrence of focal symptoms alone.
Preliminary Characterization of a Functional Jam from Red Chicory By-Product
Authors: Cisneros-Yupanqui Miluska , Lante Anna , Rizzi Corrado 
Published: December 2021

Background:
The by-products of red chicory leaves are a valuable source of bioactive compounds that can be exploited in the development of functional foods.

Objective:
This work aimed to combine healthy properties of red chicory by-products with other ingredients in the formulation of a functional jam, which is easy and safe to swallow, especially for people suffering from dysphagia.

Methods:
The physicochemical parameters, as well as the total polyphenols content (TPC), was assessed in the obtained product.

Results:
The TPC (549.44 mg GAE/100 g) was higher than the values reported in other jams, and it remained stable along with the colour during six weeks of storage. Within the carbohydrates, 0.4% of the prebiotic fibre inulin has been detected, suggesting that this jam formulation is a promising delivery system of phenols and fibre. From the sensorial point of view, the functional jam obtained an overall good acceptability judgment. The bitterness of the red chicory is persistent, which helps people with dysphagia swallow more easily.

Conclusion:
The functional jam, based on chicory by-products, could be a good source of bioactive compounds, which are helpful even in the disabled subjects’ diet.
Progressive Collapse Performance of Steel Beam-to-Column Connections: Critical Review of Experimental Results
Authors: Ferraioli Massimiliano 
Published: December 2021

Background:
The steel beam-to-column connections are vulnerable structural elements when a building loses one or more of its vertical load-carrying components due to abnormal or accidental loading conditions. After a column is destroyed by abnormal loads, the tensile axial force of the beam gradually increased, while the bending moment decreased, and the load-resistance mechanism shifts from a flexural mechanism to a catenary mechanism, with the axial force becoming the prevailing factor.

Aims:
This paper investigates the progressive collapse performance of steel beam-to-column connections. While undergoing large deformation, the beam-to-column connections are subjected to moment, shear, and tension in conjunction with high ductility demand. Their behavior under monotonic loading depends on the moment-axial tension interaction and greatly affects the progressive collapse resistance of the structure. This paper presents a critical review of experimental tests of different types of steel beam-column joints (flexible, rigid, and semi-rigid) under a central-column-removal scenario.

Methods:
The experimental results, including load-deformation relationships, failure modes, and catenary effects, are described in detail. The findings are used to evaluate the rotation capacity of different types of steel beam-to-column connections. The results are compared to the acceptance criteria specified by the main progressive collapse guidelines for several beam-to-column connection categories.

Results:
In simple (flexible) joints, the stiffness and strength at higher drift angles essentially depend on the tensile capacity of the connection that prevents, in some cases, the full development of the catenary mechanism. The connection depth alone does not seem to be an effective parameter to predict the rotational capacity of beam-to-column connections, since different connections with similar values of the connection depth result in very different values of the maximum rotation capacity. In fully rigid and semi-rigid connections, after the column removal, the flexural resistance controls the behavior at the preliminary phase, and the tensile force is almost zero. With increased downward displacement, the axial tensile force also increases, developing a catenary mechanism. Although the stiffness of rigid and semi-rigid connections is higher than flexible connections, both categories result in similar rotation capacity.

Conclusion:
In all the simple connections herein considered, the plastic rotation capacity obtained by tests was found much higher than the code recommended values that are probably too conservative. On the contrary, for one rigid and two semi-rigid connections, the values of the plastic rotation capacity obtained by tests are lower than the corresponding recommended values. Thus, the suggested acceptance criteria proved to be out of the conservative side.
Short-Video Apps as a Health Information Source for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Information Quality Assessment of TikTok Videos
Authors: Song Shijie , Xue Xiang , Zhao Yuxiang Chris , Li Jinhao , Zhu Qinghua , Zhao Mingming 
Published: December 2021

Background
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has become one of the most critical public health problems worldwide. Because many COPD patients are using video-based social media to search for health information, there is an urgent need to assess the information quality of COPD videos on social media. Recently, the short-video app TikTok has demonstrated huge potential in disseminating health information and there are currently many COPD videos available on TikTok; however, the information quality of these videos remains unknown.

Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the information quality of COPD videos on TikTok.

Methods
In December 2020, we retrieved and screened 300 videos from TikTok and collected a sample of 199 COPD-related videos in Chinese for data extraction. We extracted the basic video information, coded the content, and identified the video sources. Two independent raters assessed the information quality of each video using the DISCERN instrument.

Results
COPD videos on TikTok came mainly from two types of sources: individual users (n=168) and organizational users (n=31). The individual users included health professionals, individual science communicators, and general TikTok users, whereas the organizational users consisted of for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, and news agencies. For the 199 videos, the mean scores of the DISCERN items ranged from 3.42 to 4.46, with a total mean score of 3.75. Publication reliability (P=.04) and overall quality (P=.02) showed significant differences across the six types of sources, whereas the quality of treatment choices showed only a marginally significant difference (P=.053) across the different sources.

Conclusions
The overall information quality of COPD videos on TikTok is satisfactory, although the quality varies across different sources and according to specific quality dimensions. Patients should be selective and cautious when watching COPD videos on TikTok.
Factors Associated With Psychological Disturbances During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Multicountry Online Study
Authors: Plomecka Martyna , Gobbi Susanna , Neckels Rachael , Radzinski Piotr , Skorko Beata , Lazzeri Samuel , Almazidou Kristina , Dedic Alisa , Bakalovic Asja , Hrustic Lejla , Ashraf Zainab , Es Haghi Sarvin , Rodriguez-Pino Luis , Waller Verena , Jabeen Hafsa , Alp A Beyza , Behnam Mehdi , Shibli Dana , Baranczuk-Turska Zofia , Haq Zeeshan , Qureshi Salah , Strutt Adriana M , Jawaid Ali 
Published: December 2021

Background
Accumulating evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals. However, the susceptibility of individuals to be impacted by the pandemic is variable, suggesting potential influences of specific factors related to participants’ demographics, attitudes, and practices.

Objective
We aimed to identify the factors associated with psychological symptoms related to the effects of the first wave of the pandemic in a multicountry cohort of internet users.

Methods
This study anonymously screened 13,332 internet users worldwide for acute psychological symptoms related to the COVID-19 pandemic from March 29 to April 14, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic amidst strict lockdown conditions. A total of 12,817 responses were considered valid. Moreover, 1077 participants from Europe were screened a second time from May 15 to May 30, 2020, to ascertain the presence of psychological effects after the ease down of restrictions.

Results
Female gender, pre-existing psychiatric conditions, and prior exposure to trauma were identified as notable factors associated with increased psychological symptoms during the first wave of COVID-19 (P<.001). The same factors, in addition to being related to someone who died due to COVID-19 and using social media more than usual, were associated with persistence of psychological disturbances in the limited second assessment of European participants after the restrictions had relatively eased (P<.001). Optimism, ability to share concerns with family and friends like usual, positive prediction about COVID-19, and daily exercise were related to fewer psychological symptoms in both assessments (P<.001).

Conclusions
This study highlights the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the worldwide level on the mental health of internet users and elucidates prominent associations with their demographics, history of psychiatric disease risk factors, household conditions, certain personality traits, and attitudes toward COVID-19.
Computerized Psychological Interventions in Veterans and Service Members: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Pearson Rahel , Carl Emily , Creech Suzannah K 
Published: December 2021

Background
Computerized psychological interventions can overcome logistical and psychosocial barriers to the use of mental health care in the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense settings.

Objective
In this systematic review, we aim to outline the existing literature, with the goal of describing: the scope and quality of the available literature, intervention characteristics, study methods, study efficacy, and study limitations and potential directions for future research.

Methods
Systematic searches of two databases (PsycINFO and PubMed) using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were conducted from inception until November 15, 2020. The following inclusion criteria were used: the study was published in an English language peer-reviewed journal, participants were randomly allocated to a computerized psychological intervention or a control group (non–computerized psychological intervention active treatment or nonactive control group), an intervention in at least one treatment arm was primarily delivered through the computer or internet with or without additional support, participants were veterans or service members, and the study used validated measures to examine the effect of treatment on psychological outcomes.

Results
This review included 23 studies that met the predefined inclusion criteria. Most studies were at a high risk of bias. Targeted outcomes, participant characteristics, type of support delivered, adherence, and participant satisfaction were described. Most of the examined interventions (19/24, 79%) yielded positive results. Study limitations included participant characteristics limiting study inference, high rates of attrition, and an overreliance on self-reported outcomes.

Conclusions
Relatively few high-quality studies were identified, and more rigorous investigations are needed. Several recommendations for future research are discussed, including the adoption of methods that minimize attrition, optimize use, and allow for personalization of treatment.
Testing an mHealth System for Individuals With Mild to Moderate Alcohol Use Disorders: Protocol for a Type 1 Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial
Authors: Park Linda S , Chih Ming-Yuan , Stephenson Christine , Schumacher Nicholas , Brown Randall , Gustafson David , Barrett Bruce , Quanbeck Andrew 
Published: December 2021

Background
The extent of human interaction needed to achieve effective and cost-effective use of mobile health (mHealth) apps for individuals with mild to moderate alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains largely unexamined. This study seeks to understand how varying levels of human interaction affect the ways in which an mHealth intervention for the prevention and treatment of AUDs works or does not work, for whom, and under what circumstances.

Objective
The primary aim is to detect the effectiveness of an mHealth intervention by assessing differences in self-reported risky drinking patterns and quality of life between participants in three study groups (self-monitored, peer-supported, and clinically integrated). The cost-effectiveness of each approach will also be assessed.

Methods
This hybrid type 1 study is an unblinded patient-level randomized clinical trial testing the effects of using an evidence-based mHealth system on participants’ drinking patterns and quality of life. There are two groups of participants for this study: individuals receiving the intervention and health care professionals practicing in the broader health care environment. The intervention is a smartphone app that encourages users to reduce their alcohol consumption within the context of integrative medicine using techniques to build healthy habits. The primary outcomes for quantitative analysis will be participant data on their risky drinking days and quality of life as well as app use from weekly and quarterly surveys. Cost measures include intervention and implementation costs. The cost per participant will be determined for each study arm, with intervention and implementation costs separated within each group. There will also be a qualitative assessment of health care professionals’ engagement with the app as well as their thoughts on participant experience with the app.

Results
This protocol was approved by the Health Sciences Minimal Risk Institutional Review Board on November 18, 2019, with subsequent annual reviews. Recruitment began on March 6, 2020, but was suspended on March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Limited recruitment resumed on July 6, 2020. Trial status as of November 17, 2021, is as follows: 357 participants were enrolled in the study for a planned enrollment of 546 participants.

Conclusions
The new knowledge gained from this study could have wide and lasting benefits related to the integration of mHealth systems for individuals with mild to moderate AUDs. The results of this study will guide policy makers and providers toward cost-effective ways to incorporate technology in health care and community settings.

Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04011644; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04011644

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/31109
A system approach to calculating the width of pedestrian communications in transportation hubs
Authors: Privezentseva Svetlana V. , Pichugin Sergey I. 
Published: December 2021

Introduction. Pedestrian communications are not a single (elementary) entity; first, they are a set of elements that are interconnected, interact with each other and the external environment, have one common goal and measurable result, that is, width. Moreover, whether it is a large transport hub, a small stopping point within a land-based urban passenger transport system, or even a pedestrian path along a motor road, its space-planning solution must comply with three basic rules. They are safety, comfort and accessibility. Pedestrian communications are a set of elements whose parameters result from the proper process organization, or represent a system. The approach to the study, management, creation and development of pedestrian communications must be akin to the one applicable to a system. The purpose of the method is to develop a procedure for calcula­ting the main parameter of pedestrian communications — its total width b, in meters, and identify the conditions for a transition between various types of pedestrian communications.
Materials and methods. The system approach allows to represent one complex problem as a set of simple problems that are solved faster and easier using mathematical modelling.
Results. Thanks to mathematical modelling, a procedure was developed for calculating the main parameter of pedestrian communications, that is, width, with regard for low-mobility population groups in a pedestrian flow.
Conclusions. Low-mobility population groups must be addressed when pedestrian communications are designed to ensure the safe and comfortable operation of transport hubs. This algorithm can also be used to analyze other directed linear pedestrian spaces.
Misuse of Antibiotic during COVID 19 Outbreaks
Authors: Vinoth Rajendran , Sambath Kumar R , Venkateswaramurthy N. 
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has been detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and is accompanied by significant degrees of morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic resistance (AMR) threatens to wreak havoc on healthcare system and the impact of globalization, and COVID-19 is intended to keep it at bay for the time being. During the COVID-19 crisis, a wide range of antimicrobial medicines were promoted as viable treatments. While both industrialized and industrializing nations have seen a rise in antimicrobial medication usage, use and abuse have been significantly more prevalent in developing countries. Antibiotic resistance is still a concern since microorganisms that cause resistant infections develop in hospitals and medical institutions, placing all patients at risk, complicating the care of COVID-19. Improper prescriptions, a lack of care management policies and needless self-administration by the general population are examples of these. Antibiotics seem to be more motivated to abuse and misusing antibiotics than to keep them safe and take them only when prescribed. Almost all of the substantial antibiotic usage in COVID-19 patients is inevitable. Patients having lung viral infections are more likely to develop subsequent bacterial infections, which lead to higher disease severity and death. Immediately crucial components of any AMR mitigation approach are increased spending in education and increased public knowledge of AMR. More studies are needed to better understand the health risks and rate of co-infection in COVID-19 patients in order to promote a decrease in any unnecessary antimicrobial prescribing.
Keywords: COVID-19; Antibiotic use and misuse; Antimicrobial Resistance.
In-Vitro Antidiabetic Effect of Ziziphus mucronata Leave Extracts
Authors: Abolaji Olaitan Kabir , Ukwuani-Kwaja A.N. , Sani I , Sylvester M.N. 
Published: December 2021

Background: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia due to the body’s inability to produce insulin or inaction of the produced insulin or a combination of both. One antidiabetic therapeutic approach is to reduce gastrointestinal glucose production and absorption through the inhibition of carbohydrate digesting enzymes such as alpha-amylase as well as through the inhibition of hemoglobin glycosylation.
Objective: This study sets out to evaluate the in vitro antidiabetic activity of Ziziphus mucronata extracts for their effect on alpha-amylase and glycosylation of hemoglobin.
Methods: Successive gradient maceration of Z. mucronata leaves were carried out using Hexane, Acetone, Methanol and separately with water to obtain four (4) extracts labelled HE, AE, ME, and WE respectively. These were subjected to in vitro studies for their inhibitory effect on alpha-amylase and hemoglobin glycosylation, Standard laboratory methods were used to screen for phytochemicals of the most potent extract.
Results: The result showed that AE, ME and WE extract exhibited a dose-dependent increase in percentage inhibition of both alpha-amylase and hemoglobin glycosylation. However, on a stricking note, the AE showed a more potent data result with percentage (%) potency of 71.02 at 1mg/ml, the lowest glucose concentration (of 25mg/ml) at 0.242nm as well as the highest hemoglobin glycosylation inhibitory mean concentration of 3.663nm after 72 hours. The AE of Z. mucronata (the most potent) revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinone, glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, saponin, tanins and terpenoids.
Conclusion: Thus, the Acetone extract is more likely to give a lead antidiabetic drug molecule of drug when further explored; which somewhat justify the folkloric claims of Z. mucronata leave as an antidiabetic.
Keywords: Heamoglabin glycosylation, Alpha-amylase enzymes, Inhibition, Glucose.