bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Occult Breast Cancer in High-Risk Gene-Positive Pakistani Women Undergoing Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy/Prophylactic Mastectomy: Implications for Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
Authors: Mooghal Mehwish , Khan Wajiha , Anjum Saba , Shaikh Hafsa , Virji Safna Naozer , Vohra Lubna M 
Published: January 2025

Introduction: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) of the axilla is standard in breast cancer (BC) management; however, its role in prophylactic/contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) is still questioned. To avoid future consequences on surgical morbidity and socioeconomic aspects in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), we intend to determine the prevalence of occult breast cancer (OBC) among CPM cases. Objective: To determine the prevalence of OBC in patients undergoing prophylactic mastectomy (PM). Design: This is a retrospective cohort study. Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study is conducted at a tertiary-care hospital from January 2017 to December 2022. All individuals with the positive genetic test for high-risk breast cancer (HRBC) genes who underwent PMs/CPM at our centre were included. We analysed data using SPSS version 23.0. Results: Twenty-six mutation-positive females underwent PM/CPM (16.1%). Two (7.69%) of 26 had later post-PM recurrence. Only 8 (30.76%) patients had SLNB and all were negative. No OBC was seen in PM/CPM specimens, whereas 3 (11.5%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH). Two of the ADH had BI-RADS-1, whereas 1 was BI-RADS-4 (33.3%) on the preoperative assessment. Results also showed that with an increase in the tumour grade of the diseased breast, the BI-RADS score of the asymptomatic breast was subsequently increased ( P = .029). Conclusion: Our study shows negative OBCs in PM/CPM cases with persistently negative SLNB results; however, ADH is identified in 11.5% of specimens. Our results suggest that SLNB can be safely omitted in patients undergoing CPM, but, preoperatively, patient and disease factors should be considered.
Nutritional health, supplement and herbal product use, and Mediterranean diet evaluation among Turkish university students
Authors: Delikanlı Akbay Gülşen , Karakullukçu Erdinç 
Published: January 2025

Background: Dietary supplements consist of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fibers, fatty acids, amino acids, and other nutritive or physiologically active components. Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the use of dietary supplements and herbal products among students in health-related university departments in Turkey and to evaluate their adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Methods: This study was conducted between March and June 2023 with a sample of 305 university students. Data were collected online through a questionnaire form, which included questions about the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) and the use of herbal products and dietary supplements. Results: The mean age of the students was 21.70 ± 3.04 years, with 26.2% using dietary supplements and 27.2% using herbal products. The majority of students were found to have a lack of knowledge about herbal products (54.4%) and dietary supplements (62.0%). The results revealed that 57.3% of participants believe in the benefits of nutritional supplements, while only 4.3% disagree. Additionally, 23.3% of participants view nutritional products as commercial. More than half (55.7%) of students had very poor adherence to the Mediterranean diet, with an average KIDMED score of 3.2 ± 2.95. KIDMED scores were not significantly influenced by factors such as gender ( p = 0.133), daily number of main meals consumed ( p = 0.179), awareness of herbal products and dietary supplements ( p = 0.585, p = 0.440 respectively). Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, students had low adherence to the Mediterranean diet and insufficient knowledge about herbal products and dietary supplements. University students should be provided with education on balanced nutrition and advised to consult with expert healthcare professionals before using dietary supplements.
Unraveling the threads of depressive symptoms: Enhancing predictions of depression among university junior students
Authors: El-Ashker Said , Alharbi Abdulmajeed , Mahmoud Somaya , Al-Awad Feras , Alghamdi Ahlam , Alaqeel Nouf , Al-Hariri Mohammed 
Published: January 2025

Background: The mental burden faced by university students in their early years is not frequently reported in the literature. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and predictors of depression among preparatory (first) year university students using a predictive test developed from general health and well-being questionnaires. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia from March 2023 to June 2023. A self-administered electronic general health and well-being questionnaire was implemented. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants after explaining the study’s purposes. The questionnaire consisted of three parts. Part I described the objective of the study and maintained the confidentiality of the data, part II contained questions about demographic data, and part III contained the scales of the items to assess the physical and psychological health. Results: The findings demonstrated a significant positive correlation between depressive symptoms and both perceived stress ( r = 0.444, p < 0.01) and perceived burdens ( r = 0.735, p < 0.01). In addition, there were significant negative correlations between the depressive symptoms and gender ( r = −0.144, p < 0.05), economic level ( r = −0.178, p < 0.05), and social support ( r = −0.312, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the results revealed that body mass index ( b = 0.272, t(146) = 4.636, p < .001), perceived stress ( b = 0.182, t(146) = 2.910, p < 0.01), and perceived burdens ( b = 0.593, t(146) = 9.507, p < .001) were significant predictors of depressive symptoms among Saudi university junior students. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the need for tailored mental health support services to address depression and its predictors, especially during critical transition periods like the early stages of university life, as early detection and intervention can lead to improved management and better control of the depression.
Gastric cancer-derived exosomal let-7 g-5p mediated by SERPINE1 promotes macrophage M2 polarization and gastric cancer progression
Authors: Ye Zhenzhen , Yi Jianfeng , Jiang Xiangyan , Shi Wengui , Xu Hao , Cao Hongtai , Qin Long , Liu Lixin , Wang Tianming , Ma Zhijian , Jiao Zuoyi 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Background
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), particularly M2-polarized TAMs, are significant contributors to tumor progression, immune evasion, and therapy resistance in gastric cancer (GC). Despite efforts to target TAM recruitment or depletion, clinical efficacy remains limited. Consequently, the identification of targets that specifically inhibit or reprogram M2-polarized TAMs presents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Objective
This study aims to identify a dual-function target in GC cells that drives both malignant phenotypes and M2 macrophage polarization, revealing its molecular mechanisms to provide novel therapeutic targets for selectivly targeting M2-polarized TAMs in GC.

Methods
Transcriptomic and clinical data from GC and adjacent tissues were utilized to identify mRNAs associated with high M2 macrophage infiltration and poor prognosis. Single-cell sequencing elucidated cell types expressing the target gene. Transwell co-culture and exosome intervention experiments demonstrated its role in M2 polarization. Small RNA sequencing of exosomes, western blotting, and CoIP assays revealed the molecular mechanisms underlying exosome-mediated M2 polarization. Protein array, ChIP and dual-luciferase reporter assays clarified the molecular mechanisms by which the target gene regulated exosomal miRNA. In vivo validation was performed using xenograft tumor models.

Results
SERPINE1 was identified as a highly expressed mRNA in GC tissues and cells, significantly associated with advanced clinical stages, worse prognosis, and higher M2 macrophage infiltration in patients with GC. SERPINE1 overexpression in GC cells promoted tumor growth and M2 macrophage polarization. SERPINE1 facilitated the transfer of let-7 g-5p to macrophages via cancer-derived exosomes, inducing M2 polarization. Exosomal let-7 g-5p internalized by macrophages downregulated SOCS7 protein levels, disrupting its interaction with STAT3 and relieving the inhibition of STAT3 phosphorylation, thereby leading to STAT3 hyperactivation, which consequently drove M2 polarization. Additionally, in GC cells, elevated SERPINE1 expression activated JAK2, enhancing STAT3 binding to the let-7 g-5p promoter and promoting its transcription, thereby increasing let-7 g-5p levels in exosomes.

Conclusion
GC cell-derived SERPINE1, functioning as a primary driver of GC growth and TAM M2 polarization, promotes M2 polarization through the regulation of exosomal let-7 g-5p transfer via autocrine activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. These findings elucidate a novel mechanism of SERPINE1-induced M2 polarization and highlight SERPINE1 as a promising target for advancing immunotherapy and targeted treatments in GC.
Enhancements of soil priming effect and carbon sequestration in degraded alpine meadows via supplementation: a comparative study of Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) excrements
Authors: Li Qinyao , Yang Wenquan , Wu Yanru , Li Xilai , Kou Jiancun , Yu Yanghua , Zhang Yangcan , He Xinting , Zhao Yunlong 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Background
Grassland degradation decreases the capacity of soil carbon sequestration, while the supplementation of exogenous organic matter enhances the soil priming effect (PE) and affects the carbon cycle in the soil. The excrements of Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) play an important role in soil carbon cycling. Therefore, they were used to enrich alpine meadow soils degraded to different levels after incubation at 20 °C for up to 45 days. The PE was analyzed using the natural 13C isotope tracer method in relation to the alpine meadow soil properties.

Results
The supplementation of the two kinds of excrement significantly increased soil PE accumulation and soil carbon sequestration. Of the two, Tibetan sheep excrement achieved a better effect. Compared with non-degraded alpine meadow soil, severely degraded alpine meadow soil had significantly different PE, but the PE of lightly and moderately degraded meadow soil was not significantly different from each other. Structural equation modelling shows that total nitrogen (TN), soil organic carbon (SOC), β-1,4-N-acetylaminoglucosidase (NAG), β-1,4-glucosidase (βG), pH, and microbial biomass carbon (MBC) are the main factors affecting PE. In particular, TN directly negatively affected PE, SOC and the NO3−-N:NH4+-N ratio indirectly affected PE by affecting soil enzyme activity and MBC.

Conclusions
This study demonstrates that the supplement of animal excrements can improve the extracellular enzyme activity and nitrogen content in soils, which is conducive to PE and net carbon balance. Supplementation of both Tibetan sheep and plateau pika excrements can effectively enhance soil pH, further increase microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activity, and improve soil fertility and carbon sequestration ability of seriously degraded alpine meadow soil. The NO3−-N:NH4+-N ratio and enzyme activity in plateau pika excrement were higher than those in Tibetan sheep excrement, which promote the soil PE in alpine meadows. The findings of this study provide theoretical evidence for the rational utilization of the excrements in the alpine meadow with different levels of degradation.
A Lactobacillus consortium provides insights into the sleep-exercise-microbiome nexus in proof of concept studies of elite athletes and in the general population
Authors: Bongiovanni Tindaro , Santiago Marina , Zielinska Kinga , Scheiman Jonathan , Barsa Carolina , Jäger Ralf , Pinto Daniela , Rinaldi Fabio , Giuliani Giammaria , Senatore Tullio , Kostic Aleksandar D. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Background
The complex relationship among sleep, exercise, and the gut microbiome presents a unique opportunity to improve health and wellness. Here, we conducted the first large-scale investigation into the influence of a novel elite athlete-derived probiotic, consisting of a multi-strain Lactobacillus consortium, on sleep quality, exercise recovery, and gut microbiome composition in both elite athletes (n = 11) and the general population (n = 257).

Results
Our two-phase study design, which included an open-label study followed by a controlled longitudinal study in a professional soccer team, allowed us to identify key interactions between probiotics, the gut microbiome, and the host. In the placebo-controlled study, we observed significant improvements in self-reported sleep quality by 69%, energy levels by 31%, and bowel movements by 37% after probiotic intervention relative to after placebo. These improvements were associated with a significant decrease in D-ROMS (a marker of oxidative stress) and a significantly higher free-testosterone/cortisol ratio. Multi-omics analyses revealed specific changes in microbiome composition and function, potentially providing mechanistic insights into these observed effects.

Conclusion
This study provides novel insights into how a multi-strain Lactobacillus probiotic modulates sleep quality, exercise recovery, and gut microbiome composition in both the general population and elite athletes, and introduces potential mechanisms through which this probiotic could be influencing overall health. Our results emphasize the untapped potential of tailored probiotic interventions derived from extremely fit and healthy individuals in improving several aspects of health and performance directly in humans.
The role of foresight in public policy: lessons from deliberative democracy and perspectival realism
Authors: Galvin Brian 
Published: January 2025

AbstractForesight plays an important role in public policy development. The foresight learning process brings together various actors in the policy community and incentivizes them to think about the future. It encourages new ways of thinking and approaches to strategy and is a practical approach to using the future to inform decisions and actions in the present. Foresight faces challenges in becoming embedded in the policy process. One of these challenges is in establishing its epistemic authority when compared to natural science and social science disciplines. This paper argues foresight can benefit from developments in political theory and philosophy of science. Democratic deliberation is an approach to public discourse which emphasizes pluralism in debate and provides a detailed account of how reason-giving can add epistemic depth to foresight’s contribution to policy. Perspectival realism is a theory in philosophy of science which identifies the interplay between separate epistemic communities as the key mechanism in scientific development. The modal models that these epistemic communities create present a new way of understanding foresight’s study of the future and its part in the weave of scientific evidence, opinion and analysis that constitute policy development in a democratic society.
Comparison of the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique without versus with an autologous blood clot for treating macular hole-associated retinal detachment
Authors: Zhu Ke , Wang Yingchao , Lei Boya , Chen Ling , Zhang Yanqiong , Chang Qing , Xu Gezhi , Ni Yingqin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Background
To investigate the anatomical and functional outcomes of macular hole-associated retinal detachment (MHRD) after vitrectomy using the inverted internal limiting membrane (ILM) flap technique with autologous blood clot (ABC).

Methods
This retrospective observational study included 80 eyes with MHRD that underwent vitrectomy with ILM flap without (46 eyes) or with ABC (34 eyes). Fundus photography and optical coherence tomography were evaluated. The pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) and BCVA improvement were compared between the two groups.

Results
The MH closure rates after initial surgery were similar in the ILM flap group and ILM flap with ABC group [40 (87%) vs. 29 (85%) eyes, respectively]. The proportion of eyes with hyperreflective bridging tissue (HBT) was lower in the ILM flap group than ILM flap with ABC group [13 (32%) vs. 16 (55%) eyes, P = 0.060]. The postoperative improvement in BCVA was significantly better in the ILM flap group (P = 0.027). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that preoperative BCVA was positively associated with postoperative improvement in BCVA (β = 0.638, P = 0.000), while the ILM flap with ABC technique was negatively associated with postoperative improvement in BCVA (β =  − 0.299, P = 0.039, adjusted r2 = 0.415).

Conclusions
The inverted ILM flap technique alone resulted in better foveal configurations and visual outcomes than the ILM flap technique combined with ABC in patients with MHRD.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Dysphagia Handicap Index in Bangladesh
Authors: Sultana Mehrin , Reshad Md. Muid Hossain , Mridha Md. Shohidul Islam 
Published: January 2025

AbstractThe Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI) is commonly utilized for evaluating how dysphagia impacts the quality of life (QoL) of patients across physical, functional, and emotional dimensions. The primary aim of the research was to linguistically validate and culturally adapt the DHI to the Bangla version. A cross-sectional study design was chosen, with Beaton’s protocol as the guiding framework for validating and adapting the DHI. It has followed a systematic process of forward translation, participation in expert discussions, and subsequent back translation to obtain a reviewed version. The Bangla version, DHI-Ban, was administered purposefully to 50 dysphagia patients in the Clinical Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department of the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) and was also administered to 50 healthy individuals for comparison. Of the fifty, eighteen dysphagia subjects were assigned again after two weeks for the retest. The DHI-Ban demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.89) and good test-retest reproducibility (ICC = 0.86). The Spearman test confirmed significant construct validity (p < 0.01), and the Wilcoxon test identified significant differences (p < 0.001) between patients and healthy individuals. Feedback from participants was also taken into account for acceptance and clarity. In conclusion, the adapted DHI-Ban has emerged to be a reliable patient-reported tool for assessing dysphagia in Bangla-speaking individuals. Incorporating the Bangla language framework facilitates its comprehension and effectiveness, further solidifying its reliability.
A graph backdoor detection method for data collection scenarios
Authors: Xing Xiaogang , Xu Ming , Bai Yujing , Yang Dongdong 
Published: January 2025

AbstractData collection is an effective way to build a better Graph Neural Network (GNN) model, but it also makes it easy for attackers to implant backdoors into the model through data poisoning. In this work, we propose a backdoor detection method of graph for data collection scenarios (CGBD). Different from most existing backdoor detection methods of Neural Network (NN) models, especially the Deep Neural Network (DNN) models, the difference in predictions of backdoor samples in clean and backdoor models is exploited for backdoor detection in CGBD. Specifically, in the backdoor model, the backdoor samples with modified labels are predicted as the target class. However, in the clean model, they are predicted as the ground-truth labels since the clean model remains unaffected by the backdoor. Due to the detection methodology of CGBD is not based on the potential forms of triggers, it can detect backdoor samples with any type of trigger. Additionally, since data is associated with its providers, CGBD can detect not only backdoor data but also malicious data providers. Extensive experiments on multiple benchmark datasets demonstrate that data with varying poisoning rates exhibit significant anomalies compared to clean data. This validates the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Role of Verticillium dahliae effectors in interaction with cotton plants
Authors: Yang Lingling , Fu Tingyuan , Sha Ruichen , Wei Guihuan , Shen Yuhe , Jiao Zhen , Li Bing 
Published: January 2025

AbstractCotton (Gossypium spp.) is grown worldwide owing to the vast economic value of its natural fiber. However, the widespread and destructive soilborne pathogen, Verticillium dahliae, causes Verticillium wilt, leading to severe yield losses and reduced fiber quality of cotton. The ability of V. dahliae to perceive and infect cotton determines the outcome of their interactions. V. dahliae employs diverse defense mechanisms to evade or suppress plant immunity, ultimately establishing a proliferation niche. Evading plant immunity by suppressing host recognition or successive immune signaling is a successful infection strategy employed by various microbial pathogens, posing a significant challenge to effectively utilizing host hereditary resistance genes in sustainable disease management. This review focused on summarizing “effectors” and the molecular mechanisms of various effectors on cotton and the corresponding defense mechanisms in the plants. Furthermore, it highlighted the potential of effectors for engineering resistance cotton plants against Verticillium wilt, aiming to provide a reference for the creation of cotton disease-resistant germplasm resources by host genome editing and other methods.