bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diets on body composition, serum levels of hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Shemirani Farnoosh , Fotouhi Akbar , Djafarian Kurosh , Azadbakht Leila , Rezaei Nima , Mahmoudi Maryam 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Metabolic syndrome is a combination of metabolic risk factors causing a pathological condition that increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of dietary approaches have been examined to halt this rapid trend; however, the effects of modified-Paleo diet and medium-carbohydrate diet on inflammation, adipokines, hepatokines, and the profile of endothelial microparticles in individuals with metabolic syndrome have not been investigated in detail. The present study is designed to examine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet with two delivery modes: “fixed diet plan” vs “calorie counting” on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Methods
Eighty metabolic syndrome patients will be recruited in this study. They will be randomly allocated to one of the following 4 groups: (1) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with calorie counting, (2) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with a fixed diet plan, (3) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with calorie counting, and (4) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with a fixed diet plan for 10 weeks. Weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition will be assessed at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Serum insulin, asprosin, chemerin, FGF-21, CTRP-1, PYY, ghrelin, plasma EMPs (CD31+/CD42b− and CD144+/CD42b−), lipid profile, glycemic indices, hs-CRP, leptin, vitamin C, creatinine and satiety, hunger, fullness, and desire to eat (via visual analog scales) will be measured at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity will be determined using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI equations.

Discussion
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial that will determine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and the profile of EMPs in adults with metabolic syndrome. Moreover, the effects of different diet delivery modes, including “fixed diet plan” and “calorie counting” will also be analyzed. The results of this trial can provide clinical witnesses on the effectiveness of carbohydrate-restricted diets in ameliorating metabolic status and prevent the development of chronic diseases.

Trial registration
Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT2016121925267N4. Registered on 26 July 2017
A randomized controlled trial of intranasal oxytocin in Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Authors: Fastman J. , Foss-Feig J. , Frank Y. , Halpern D. , Harony-Nicolas H. , Layton C. , Sandin S. , Siper P. , Tang L. , Trelles P. , Zweifach J. , Buxbaum J. D. , Kolevzon A. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of the SHANK3 gene and characterized by global developmental delays, deficits in speech and motor function, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Monogenic causes of ASD such as PMS are well suited to investigations with novel therapeutics, as interventions can be targeted based on established genetic etiology. While preclinical studies have demonstrated that the neuropeptide oxytocin can reverse electrophysiological, attentional, and social recognition memory deficits in Shank3-deficient rats, there have been no trials in individuals with PMS. The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of intranasal oxytocin as a treatment for the core symptoms of ASD in a cohort of children with PMS.

Methods
Eighteen children aged 5–17 with PMS were enrolled. Participants were randomized to receive intranasal oxytocin or placebo (intranasal saline) and underwent treatment during a 12-week double-blind, parallel group phase, followed by a 12-week open-label extension phase during which all participants received oxytocin. Efficacy was assessed using the primary outcome of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Social Withdrawal (ABC-SW) subscale as well as a number of secondary outcome measures related to the core symptoms of ASD. Safety was monitored throughout the study period.

Results
There was no statistically significant improvement with oxytocin as compared to placebo on the ABC-SW (Mann–Whitney U = 50, p = 0.055), or on any secondary outcome measures, during either the double-blind or open-label phases. Oxytocin was generally well tolerated, and there were no serious adverse events.

Limitations
The small sample size, potential challenges with drug administration, and expectancy bias due to relying on parent reported outcome measures may all contribute to limitations in interpreting results.

Conclusion
Our results suggest that intranasal oxytocin is not efficacious in improving the core symptoms of ASD in children with PMS.
Trial registration NCT02710084.
Live ascaris in urinary bladder: a case report
Authors: Mesele Gashaw , Mengistu Zelalem 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Introduction
Ascaris in urinary bladder is an extremely rare phenomenon. It may occur after fistula formation between urinary and gastrointestinal tract or by retrograde migration of adult worm, and is associated with complications.

Case presentation
A 47-year-old Amhara woman from rural northwest Ethiopia presented with a complaint of difficulty to fully evacuate her bladder of 1 year duration. Ultrasonography showed thickened bladder wall with echo debris. There were also thickened bowel and fluid-filled loops of intestine adjacent to urinary bladder. On cystoscopy examination, there was live ascaris swimming inside the bladder. Enterovesical fistula was entertained and explorative laparotomy performed. Findings confirmed presence of iliovesical fistula. The fistula was divided and the continuity of the intestine restored. The inflammatory mass was subjected to histopathology study and turned out to be benign inflammatory reaction. She was also given antihelminthics. Postoperatively, her course was uneventful, and she was discharged cured.

Conclusion
Though it is extremely rare to have urinary symptoms from ascariasis, it is important to have a high index of suspicion for all possibilities.
The ATP bioluminescence assay: a new application and optimization for viability testing in the parasitic nematode Haemonchus contortus
Authors: Nguyen Linh Thuy , Zajíčková Markéta , Mašátová Eva , Matoušková Petra , Skálová Lenka 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe parasitic gastrointestinal nematode Haemonchus contortus causes serious economic losses to agriculture due to infection and disease in small ruminant livestock. The development of new therapies requires appropriate viability testing, with methods nowadays relying on larval motility or development using procedures that involve microscopy. None of the existing biochemical methods, however, are performed in adults, the target stage of the anthelmintic compounds. Here we present a new test for the viability of H. contortus adults and exsheathed third-stage larvae which is based on a bioluminescent assay of ATP content normalized to total protein concentration measured using bicinchoninic acid. All the procedure steps were optimized to achieve maximal sensitivity and robustness. This novel method can be used as a complementary assay for the phenotypic screening of new compounds with potential antinematode activity in exsheathed third-stage larvae and in adult males. Additionally, it might be used for the detection of drug-resistant isolates.
Evidence on scaling in health and social care: protocol for a living umbrella review
Authors: Légaré France , Plourde Karine V. , Charif Ali Ben , Gogovor Amédé , Brundisini Francesca Katherine , McLean Robert K. D. , Milat Andrew , Rheault Nathalie , Wolfenden Luke , Zomahoun Hervé Tchala Vignon 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
There is a growing interest in scaling effective health innovations to promote equitable access to high-quality health services worldwide. However, multiple challenges persist in scaling innovations. In this study, we aim to summarize the scaling evidence in the health and social care literature and identify current knowledge gaps.

Methods
We will conduct a living umbrella review according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers’ Manual. We will consider all knowledge syntheses addressing scaling in health or social care (e.g., any setting, any clinical area) and conducted in a systematic way. We will search the following electronic databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, PsychINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Sociological Abstract (Proquest), Academic Search Premier (EBSCO), and Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global, from inception. Furthermore, we will conduct searches of the grey literature. No restriction regarding date or language will be applied. Each phase of the review will be processed by two independent reviewers. We will develop a data extraction form on Covidence. We will assess the methodological quality of the included reviews using AMSTAR2 and the risk of bias using ROBIS. Results will be presented in tabular form and accompanied by a narrative synthesis covering the traditional themes of scaling science that emerge from the analysis, such as coverage, range, and sustainability, as well as themes less covered in the literature, including reporting guidance, models, tools, barriers, and/or facilitators to scaling innovations, evidence regarding application in high-income or low-income countries, and end-user engagement. We will disseminate the findings via publications and through relevant networks.

Discussion
The findings of the umbrella review will facilitate access to scaling evidence in the literature and help strengthen the science of scaling for researchers, policy makers, and program managers. Finally, this work will highlight important knowledge gaps and help prioritize future research questions.

Systematic review registration
This protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) on November 11, 2020 (registration number: CRD42020183774).
The dual eigenvalue problems of the conformable fractional Sturm–Liouville problems
Authors: Cheng Yan-Hsiou 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we are concerned with the eigenvalue gap and eigenvalue ratio of the Dirichlet conformable fractional Sturm–Liouville problems. We show that this kind of differential equation satisfies the Sturm–Liouville property by the Prüfer substitution. That is, the nth eigenfunction has $n-1$
n
−
1
zero in $( 0,\pi ) $
(
0
,
π
)
for $n\in \mathbb{N}$
n
∈
N
. Then, using the homotopy argument, we find the minimum of the first eigenvalue gap under the class of single-well potential functions and the first eigenvalue ratio under the class of single-barrier density functions. The result of the eigenvalue gap is different from the classical Sturm–Liouville problem.
Mathematical modeling and analysis of fractional-order brushless DC motor
Authors: Zafar Zain Ul Abadin , Ali Nigar , Tunç Cemil 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we consider a fractional-order model of a brushless DC motor. To develop a mathematical model, we use the concept of the Liouville–Caputo noninteger derivative with the Mittag-Lefler kernel. We find that the fractional-order brushless DC motor system exhibits the character of chaos. For the proposed system, we show the largest exponent to be 0.711625. We calculate the equilibrium points of the model and discuss their local stability. We apply an iterative scheme by using the Laplace transform to find a special solution in this case. By taking into account the rule of trapezoidal product integration we develop two iterative methods to find an approximate solution of the system. We also study the existence and uniqueness of solutions. We take into account the numerical solutions for Caputo Liouville product integration and Atangana–Baleanu Caputo product integration. This scheme has an implicit structure. The numerical simulations indicate that the obtained approximate solutions are in excellent agreement with the expected theoretical results.
Gammaproteobacteria, a core taxon in the guts of soil fauna, are potential responders to environmental concentrations of soil pollutants
Authors: Zhang Qi , Zhang Zhenyan , Lu Tao , Yu Yitian , Penuelas Josep , Zhu Yong-Guan , Qian Haifeng 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
The ubiquitous gut microbiotas acquired from the environment contribute to host health. The gut microbiotas of soil invertebrates are gradually assembled from the microecological region of the soil ecosystem which they inhabit, but little is known about their characteristics when the hosts are under environmental stress. The rapid development of high-throughput DNA sequencing in the last decade has provided unprecedented insights and opportunities to characterize the gut microbiotas of soil invertebrates. Here, we characterized the core, transient, and rare bacterial taxa in the guts of soil invertebrates using the core index (CI) and developed a new theory of global microbial diversity of soil ecological microregions.

Results
We found that the Gammaproteobacteria could respond indiscriminately to the exposure to environmental concentrations of soil pollutants and were closely associated with the physiology and function of the host. Meanwhile, machine-learning models based on metadata calculated that Gammaproteobacteria were the core bacteria with the highest colonization potential in the gut, and further identified that they were the best indicator taxon of the response to environmental concentrations of soil pollution. Gammaproteobacteria also closely correlated with the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes.

Conclusions
Our results determined that Gammaproteobacteria were an indicator taxon in the guts of the soil invertebrates that responded to environmental concentrations of soil pollutants, thus providing an effective theoretical basis for subsequent assessments of soil ecological risk. The results of the physiological and biochemical analyses of the host and the microbial-community functions, and the antibiotic resistance of Gammaproteobacteria, provide new insights for evaluating global soil ecological health.
High anticancer efficacy of solid lipid nanoparticles containing Zataria multiflora essential oil against breast cancer and melanoma cell lines
Authors: Valizadeh Alireza , Khaleghi Ali Asghar , Roozitalab Ghazaal , Osanloo Mahmoud 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe cancer burden is rising rapidly worldwide, and it annually causes about 8.8 million deaths worldwide. Due to chemical drugs’ side effects and the emergence of resistance, the development of new green drugs has received much attention. We aimed to investigate whether solid-lipid nanoparticles containing essential oil ofZataria multiflora(ZMSLN) enhanced the anticancer efficacy of the essential oil against breast cancer (MDA-MB-468) and melanoma (A-375) cells.ResultsZMSLN was prepared by the high-pressure homogenizer method; particle size 176 ± 8 nm, polydispersity index 0.22 ± 0.1, entrapment efficiency 67 ± 5%. The essential oil showed a dose-dependent antiproliferative effect on MDA-MB-468 and A-375 cells at all examined concentrations (75, 150, 300, 600, and 1200 μg/mL). Interestingly, after treating both cells with 75 μg/mL of ZMSLN, their viabilities were reduced to under 13%.ConclusionThe finding showed that ZMSLN had a distinct antiproliferative efficacy; it could thus be considered a green anticancer candidate for further in vivo and in vivo studies.
Nano-materials enhanced protectants for natural stone surfaces
Authors: Xie Zaixin , Duan Zhuoqi , Zhao Zhanqiang , Li Ruheng , Zhou Bao , Yang Dequan , Hu Yongmao 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Most heritage buildings and monuments are constructed out of natural stones which suffer irrevocable degradation when undergoing wet weathering, bowing, and dissolution in outdoor conditions. Self-cleaning treatments are effective for stone protecting. Herein, nano-materials which provide enhanced protectants for Marble, Qingshi and Hedishi were prepared. Inherent microscale interstices and holes exist on polished natural stone surfaces. When treated by a commercial protectant, 101S, the surfaces were hydrophobic but not self-cleaning. Colloidal protectants were prepared by dispersion of Al2O3 and SiO2 nano-powder in 101S, respectively. Self-cleaning stone surfaces were achieved after treated by the protectants, meanwhile, the interstices and holes were reserved as much as possible. The principle of the as- prepared protectants is penetrating and crosslinking on the stone surfaces as well as the inner surfaces of the interstices and holes. The reserving of the micro interstices and holes is important since the breathability of the stones is remained. The self-cleaning surfaces showed good thermal stability below 250 °C. Meanwhile, changes of color and gloss of the treated stone surfaces are in the acceptable range.
Quantitative determination of the lowest density domain in major fault zones via medical X-ray computed tomography
Authors: Iwamori Akiyuki , Takagi Hideo , Asahi Nobutaka , Sugimori Tatsuji , Nakata Eiji , Nohara Shintaro , Ueta Keiichi 
Published: September 2021

AbstractDetermination of the youngest active domains in fault zones that are not overlain by Quaternary sedimentary cover is critical for evaluating recent fault activity, determining the current local stress field, and mitigating the impacts of future earthquakes. Considering the exhumation of a fault zone, the youngest active domain in a fault zone is supposed to correspond to the activity at the minimum fault depth of a buried fault, such that the most vulnerable area, which possesses the lowest rock/protolith density ratio, is assumed to be indicative of this recent fault activity. However, it is difficult to measure the density of fault rocks and map the rock/protolith density ratio across a given fault zone. Here, we utilize medical X-ray computed tomography (CT), a non-destructive technique for observing and analyzing materials, to investigate the fault characteristics of several fault zones and their surrounding regions in Japan, and attempt to determine the lowest density domain of a given fault zone based on its CT numbers, which are a function of the density and effective atomic number of the fault rock and protolith. We first investigate the density, void ratio, and effective atomic number of active and inactive fault rocks, and their respective protoliths. We then calculate the CT numbers after reducing the beam-hardening effects on the rock samples and study the relationships among the CT number, density, and effective atomic number. We demonstrate that the density, effective atomic number, and CT number of the fault rock decrease as the youngest active zone, identified by outcrop observation, are approached, such that the region with the lowest CT number and rock/protolith density ratio defines the lowest density domain of a given fault zone. We also discuss the relationship between the lowest density domain and the youngest active domain in major fault zones and investigate the points to be considered when the youngest active domain is identified from the lowest density domain determined by the CT number.
Feasibility, experiences and outcomes of using DIALOG+ in primary care to improve quality of life and mental distress of patients with chronic conditions: an exploratory non-controlled trial in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Uganda
Authors: van Loggerenberg Francois , McGrath Michael , Akena Dickens , Birabwa-Oketcho Harriet , Méndez Camilo Andrés Cabarique , Gómez-Restrepo Carlos , Džubur Kulenoviĉ Alma , Muhić Maja , Sewankambo Nelson K. , Sikira Hana , Priebe Stefan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
DIALOG+ is a resource-oriented and evidence-based intervention to improve quality of life and reduce mental distress. While it has been extensively studied in mental health care, there is little evidence for how to use it in primary care settings for patients with chronic physical conditions. Considering that DIALOG+ is used in existing routine patient-clinician meetings and is very low cost, it may have the potential to help large numbers of patients with chronic physical conditions, mental distress and poor quality of life who are treated in primary care. This is particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources for specialised services for such patients are scarce or non-existent.

Methods
An exploratory non-controlled trial will be conducted to primarily assess the feasibility and acceptability and, secondarily, outcomes of delivering DIALOG+ to patients with chronic physical conditions and poor quality of life in primary care settings in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Uganda. Thirty patients in each country will receive DIALOG+ up to three times in monthly meetings over a 3-month period. Feasibility will be assessed by determining the extent to which the intervention is implemented as planned. Experiences will be captured in interviews and focus groups with care providers and participants to understand acceptability. Quality of life, symptoms of anxiety and depression, objective social situation and health status will be assessed at baseline and again after the three-session intervention.

Discussion
This study will inform our understanding of the extent to which DIALOG+ may be used in the routine care of patients with chronic physical conditions in different primary care settings. The findings of this exploratory trial can inform the design of future full randomised controlled trials of DIALOG+ in primary care settings in LMICs.

Trial registration
All studies were registered prospectively (on 02/12/2020 for Uganda and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 01/12/2020 for Colombia) within the ISRCTN Registry. ISRCTN17003451 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), ISRCTN14018729 (Colombia) and ISRCTN50335796 (Uganda). Protocol version and date: v2.0; 28/07/2020 (Bosnia and Herzegovina), v0.3 02/08/2020 (Colombia) and v1.0, 05/11/2020 (Uganda).