bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Associations Between Antidepressant Use and Advanced Diabetes Outcomes in Patients with Depression and Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Wu Chi-Shin , Hsu Le-Yin , Pan Yi-Jiun , Wang Shi-Heng 
Published: July 2021

AbstractContextComorbid depression in patients with diabetes deteriorates the prognosis. Antidepressants might attenuate the adverse effects of depression; however, they are associated with cardiometabolic adverse effects.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the association between antidepressant treatment and advanced diabetic complications and mortality among patients with depression and diabetes mellitus.MethodsWe conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study of 36 276 patients with depression and newly treated diabetes mellitus using Taiwan’s universal health insurance database. Antidepressant treatment patterns within a 6-month window were classified into none, poor, partial, and regular use, and we accounted for time-dependent variables in the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis with adjustment for time-dependent comorbidity and concomitant use of medications. Different classes of antidepressants were compared. Macro- and microvascular complications, as well as all-cause mortality, were the main outcomes. Benzodiazepines were chosen as negative control exposure.ResultsCompared with poor use of antidepressants, regular use was associated with a 0.92-fold decreased risk of macrovascular complications and a 0.86-fold decreased risk of all-cause mortality but not associated with microvascular complications. Regular use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was associated with a 0.83- and 0.75-fold decreased risk of macrovascular complications and all-cause mortality, respectively. Regular use of tricyclic or tetracyclic antidepressants was associated with a 0.78-fold decreased risk of all-cause mortality. Regular use of benzodiazepine showed no association with diabetic outcomes.ConclusionRegular antidepressant use was associated with lower risk of advanced diabetic complications compared with poor adherence. Clinicians should emphasize antidepressant treatment adherence among patients with depression and diabetes mellitus.
The Association of Preoperative Frailty and Postoperative Delirium: A Meta-analysis
Authors: Gracie Thomas J. , Caufield-Noll Christine , Wang Nae-Yuh , Sieber Frederick E. 
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND:
Both frailty and postoperative delirium (POD) are common in elective surgical patients 65 years of age and older. However, the association between preoperative frailty and POD remains difficult to characterize owing to the large number of frailty and POD assessment tools used in the literature, only a few of which are validated. Furthermore, some validated frailty tools fail to provide clear score cutoffs for distinguishing frail and nonfrail patients. We performed a meta-analysis to estimate the relationship between preoperative frailty and POD.

METHODS:
We searched several major databases for articles that investigated the relationship between preoperative frailty and POD in patients with mean age ≥65 years who were undergoing elective, nonemergent inpatient surgery. Inclusion criteria included articles published in English no earlier than 1999. Both preoperative frailty and POD must have been measured with validated tools using clear cutoff scores for frailty and delirium. Articles were selected and data extracted independently by 2 researchers. Risk of bias (ROBINS-I) and presence of confounders were summarized. Odds ratios (ORs) for POD associated with frailty relative to nonfrailty were computed with adjusted ORs when available. Original estimates were pooled by random effects analysis. Statistical significance was set at 2-sided P < .05.

RESULTS:
Nine studies qualified for meta-analysis. The Fried score or a modified version of it was used in 5 studies. Frailty prevalence ranged from 18.6% to 56%. Delirium was assessed with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) or Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) in 7 studies, Delirium Observation Scale in 1 study, and Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist in 1 study. The incidence of POD ranged from 7% to 56%. ROBINS-I risk of bias was low in 1 study, moderate in 4 studies, serious in 3 studies, and critical in 1 study. Random effects analysis (n = 794) of the OR for POD in frail versus nonfrail patients based on adjusted OR estimates was significant with an OR of 2.14 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.43–3.19. The I
2 value was in the low range at 5.5, suggesting small variability from random effects. Funnel-plot analysis did not definitively support either the presence or absence of publication bias.

CONCLUSIONS:
This meta-analysis provides evidence for a significant association between preoperative frailty and POD in elective surgical patients age 65 years or older.
The dorsal blastopore lip is a source of signals inducing planar cell polarity in the Xenopus neural plate
Authors: Mancini Pamela , Ossipova Olga , Sokol Sergei Y. 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACT
Coordinated polarization of cells in the tissue plane, known as planar cell polarity (PCP), is associated with a signaling pathway critical for the control of morphogenetic processes. Although the segregation of PCP components to opposite cell borders is believed to play a critical role in this pathway, whether PCP derives from egg polarity or preexistent long-range gradient, or forms in response to a localized cue, remains a challenging question. Here we investigate the Xenopus neural plate, a tissue that has been previously shown to exhibit PCP. By imaging Vangl2 and Prickle3, we show that PCP is progressively acquired in the neural plate and requires a signal from the posterior region of the embryo. Tissue transplantations indicated that PCP is triggered in the neural plate by a planar cue from the dorsal blastopore lip. The PCP cue did not depend on the orientation of the graft and was distinct from neural inducers. These observations suggest that neuroectodermal PCP is not instructed by a preexisting molecular gradient but induced by a signal from the dorsal blastopore lip.
HIPEC-Induced Acute Kidney Injury: A Retrospective Clinical Study and Preclinical Model
Authors: Liesenfeld Lukas F. , Wagner Benedikt , Hillebrecht H. Christian , Brune Maik , Eckert Christoph , Klose Johannes , Schmidt Thomas , Büchler Markus W. , Schneider Martin 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) combined with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is the treatment of choice for selected patients with peritoneal malignancies. HIPEC is accompanied by moderate-to-high patient morbidity, including acute kidney injury. The significance of nephrotoxic agents such as cisplatin versus hyperthermia in HIPEC-induced nephrotoxicity has not been defined yet.

Patients and Methods
A total of 153 patients treated with HIPEC were divided into groups with (AKI+) and without (AKI−) kidney injury. Laboratory parameters and data concerning patient demographics, underlying disease, surgery, complications, and HIPEC were gathered to evaluate risk factors for HIPEC-induced AKI. A preclinical mouse model was applied to assess the significance of cisplatin and hyperthermia in HIPEC-induced AKI, as well as protective effects of the cytoprotective agent amifostine.

Results
AKI occurred in 31.8% of patients undergoing HIPEC. Treatment with cisplatin-containing HIPEC regimens represented a major risk factor for HIPEC-related AKI (p < 0.001). Besides, angiotensin receptor blockers and increased preoperative creatinine and urea levels were independent risk factors for AKI after HIPEC. In a preclinical mouse model, intraperitoneal perfusion with cisplatin induced AKI, whereas hyperthermia alone, or in combination with cisplatin, did not induce or enhance renal injury. Amifostine failed to confer nephroprotective effects in a miniaturized HIPEC model.

Conclusions
AKI is a frequent complication after HIPEC. The risk of renal injury is particularly high in patients treated with cisplatin-containing HIPEC regimens. Hyperthermic perfusion of the abdomen by itself does not seem to induce or aggravate HIPEC-induced renal injury.
Annotating clause boundary labels to the written composition corpus of Japanese elementary and junior high school students
Authors: Imada Mizuho , Tagawa Takumi , Moon Chang-Yun , Nasu Akio 
Published: July 2021

To evaluate the development of children’s writing ability, it is necessary not only to examine quantitative indices such as the dependency distance, but also to inquiry the types of structures they use. We conducted clause boundary labeling using Support Vector Machine (SVM) on a corpus of Japanese students' compositions to investigate the change in the tendency of clause use with the progression of school age. The analysis of clause label frequency per sentence exhibited an increase in attributive clauses, nominal clauses, quotation clauses, and continuous clauses, and a decrease in parallel clauses, conditional clauses, reason clauses, time clauses, indirect interrogative clauses, and main clauses. The analysis of dependency distance demonstrated that most of the clauses that increased had short dependency distances, while most of the clauses that decreased had long dependency distances, and that the frequency of clauses with small dependency distances increased relatively with increasing school age. In addition, there was a shift in clause selection among functionally similar clauses, such as from “-te” to continuous forms, from “-tara” to “-ba”, and from “-kedo” and “-keredo” to “-ga”. These results suggest a change in the children’s lexical and grammatical choices, from coordinate to subordinate structures, and from spoken to written vocabulary.
Semen biomarker TEX101 predicts sperm retrieval success for men with testicular failure
Authors: Jarvi Keith , Schlegel Peter , Schiza Christina , Drabovich Andrei , Lau Susan , Soosaipillai Antoninus , Korbakis Dimitrios , Brinc Davor , Mullen Brendan , Diamandis Eleftherios 
Published: July 2021

Background: Azoospermia could be due to either obstruction (obstructive azoospermia: OA) or spermatogenic failure (non-obstructive azoospermia: NOA). Close to 50% of men with NOA have small pockets of sperm in the testis which could be retrieved surgically and then injected into oocytes in a program of intra-cytoplasmic sperm insertion. Presently, there are no accepted non-invasive tests allowing clinicians to predict the success rates of sperm retrieval. Previously, we have identified a germ cell-specific protein TEX101 in semen found in the primary spermatocytes and more mature sperm forms, but not in spermatogonia, Sertoli or Leydig cells. We hypothesized that the semen concentration of TEX101 could be used to predict sperm production in men with NOA. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study on men with NOA being treated at a male infertility centre. Men with NOA planning sperm retrieval provided 1–3 semen samples prior to surgery. Semen TEX101 concentrations were measured by an in-house-developed ELISA assay and compared with the results of the surgery to retrieve sperm. Results: 20/60 karyotypically normal men with NOA had semen TEX101 < LOD (<0.2ng/mL). Of these, 0% had successful sperm retrieval(0-17%: 95% CI) . In contrast, of the 40 men with TEX101> LOD, sperm was found in 50% (34-66%: 95% CI, sig diff. Fisher’s exact test, p<0.05). Conclusions: Undetectable (<0.2 ng/mL) semen TEX101 is highly predictive of sperm retrieval failure for karyotypically normal men with NOA and is the single strongest non-invasive predictor of sperm retrieval failure reported so far. Semen TEX101 concentration will help couples decide their individual chances of successful sperm retrieval.
Perception and awareness of COVID-19 among health science students and staff of Kuwait University: An online cross-sectional study
Authors: Alali Walid , AlFouzan Wadha , Alajmi Dhuha , Al-Tawalah Haya , Kheirallah Khalid , Yimer Getnet 
Published: July 2021

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented. Health science students are the future frontliners to fight pandemics. Awareness and perception toward COVID-19 among health science students and staff at Kuwait University was assessed. Methods: Between June and July 2020, an online questionnaire was distributed to all students and staff at HCS. The questionnaire was divided into six sections: socio-demography, risk and awareness, preparedness and prevention, source of information, policies, and social stigma. Results: A total of 592 students and 162 staff completed the questionnaire. The prevalence of self-reported chronic condition among students and staff was 14.0% and 19.1%, respectively. Moreover, self-reported COVID-19 prevalence among students and staff was 2.7% and 1.2%, respectively. Interestingly, 54% of students and 38.3% of staff reported that they knew someone within their immediate social environment who have been/are infected with SARS-CoV-2. Among students, 92.4% wore face mask in indoor places (outside of their home) ‘often/all the time’ compared to wearing it outdoors (69.3%); whereas, for staff, it was more common to wear it outdoor than in indoor places (75.9% vs. 81.5%). Willingness to take COVID-19 vaccine was indicated by 50% of students ‘strongly agreed’ and an additional 25.8% agreed to taking it. Interest vaccine uptake was lower among staff (28.4% and 34.6% strongly agreed or agreed, respectively). Participants strongly agreed or agreed (72.5% and 19.6% of students as well as 68.5% and 22.2% of staff) that wearing face mask in public should be obligatory. More than 18% of students and staff indicated that they would avoid contact with COVID-19 infected people. Conclusions: Responses of students and staff were mostly similar and showed that they follow precautionary measures to control spread of COVID-19, understand the viral transmission risk, and willing to raise awareness to reduce social stigma.
Developing a programme theory for a transdisciplinary research collaboration: Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health
Authors: Moore Gemma , Michie Susan , Anderson Jamie , Belesova Kristine , Crane Melanie , Deloly Clément , Dimitroulopoulou Sani , Gitau Hellen , Hale Joanna , Lloyd Simon J. , Mberu Blessing , Muindi Kanyiva , Niu Yanlin , Pineo Helen , Pluchinotta Irene , Prasad Aarathi , Roue-Le Gall Anne , Shrubsole Clive , Turcu Catalina , Tsoulou Ioanna , Wilkinson Paul , Zhou Ke , Zimmermann Nici , Davies Michael , Osrin David 
Published: July 2021

Background: Environmental improvement is a priority for urban sustainability and health and achieving it requires transformative change in cities. An approach to achieving such change is to bring together researchers, decision-makers, and public groups in the creation of research and use of scientific evidence. Methods: This article describes the development of a programme theory for Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH), a four-year Wellcome-funded research collaboration which aims to improve capacity to guide transformational health and environmental changes in cities. Results: Drawing on ideas about complex systems, programme evaluation, and transdisciplinary learning, we describe how the programme is understood to “work” in terms of its anticipated processes and resulting changes. The programme theory describes a chain of outputs that ultimately leads to improvement in city sustainability and health (described in an ‘action model’), and the kinds of changes that we expect CUSSH should lead to in people, processes, policies, practices, and research (described in a ‘change model’). Conclusions: Our paper adds to a growing body of research on the process of developing a comprehensive understanding of a transdisciplinary, multiagency, multi-context programme. The programme theory was developed collaboratively over two years. It involved a participatory process to ensure that a broad range of perspectives were included, to contribute to shared understanding across a multidisciplinary team. Examining our approach allowed an appreciation of the benefits and challenges of developing a programme theory for a complex, transdisciplinary research collaboration. Benefits included the development of teamworking and shared understanding and the use of programme theory in guiding evaluation. Challenges included changing membership within a large group, reaching agreement on what the theory would be ‘about’, and the inherent unpredictability of complex initiatives.
Clinical and cost efficacy of advanced wound care matrices in the treatment of venous leg ulcers: a systematic review
Authors: Massand Sameer , Lewcun Joseph A , LaRosa Charles A 
Published: July 2021

Background: Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are hard-to-heal, recurrent and challenging to treat. Advanced wound care matrices (AWCMs) have been developed to supplement conventional therapies. These costly AWCMs warrant careful comparison as healthcare expenditures are subjected to increasing scrutiny. Aim: This study was designed to compare AWCMs in their ability to heal VLUs and their cost efficacy through a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Method: An organised search of Medline, Cochrane Library, Central and CINAHL databases identified RCTs that compared AWCMs to standard compression therapy in the healing of VLUs. Bias was assessed using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Eight studies analysing bilayered skin substitute (BSS) (Apligraf), dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (dHACM) (Epifix), human fibroblast-derived dermal substitute (HFDDS) (Dermagraft), extracellular wound matrix (ECM) (Oasis), advanced matrix (AM) (Talymed) and matrix wound dressing (MWD) (Promogran) met the inclusion criteria. Results: Four studies reported significant improvement over standard therapy: BSS, dHACM, ECM and AM. Incremental cost per additional successful treatment was determined for each trial, ranging from $2593 (MWD) to $210,800 (HFDDS). Conclusion: Our consolidated analysis of eight major RCTs of AWCMs in the treatment of VLUs revealed a great variation in clinical and cost efficacy among these products. The included trials were inconsistent in methodology, and these limitations should be noted, but, in the absence of RCTs to compare these products, our systematic review may serve as a guide for practitioners who seek to optimise wound healing while considering cost efficacy.
Surgical reconstruction of pilonidal sinus disease with concomitant extracellular matrix graft placement: a case series
Authors: Chaffin Abigail E , Dowling Shane G , Kosyk Mychajlo S , Bosque Brandon A 
Published: July 2021

Background: Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the soft tissue of the sacrococcygeal region and remains a challenging disease for clinicians to treat. The optimal treatment for PSD remains controversial and recent reports describe several different surgical approaches offering different benefits. Approximately 40% of initial incision and drainage cases require subsequent surgery. Due to high recurrence rates and postoperative complications, a more complex revision surgery involving a flap reconstruction may be required. We hypothesised that the combination of an extracellular matrix (ECM) graft with tissue flap reconstruction may decrease the postoperative complications and recurrence rates for PSD. Method: We report a retrospective case series using a surgical flap reconstruction with concomitant implantation of an ovine forestomach ECM graft under a fasciocutaneous flap with an off-midline closure for recurrent PSD, where previously surgical intervention had failed due to wound dehiscence and/or recurrent disease. Results: The case series included six patients. After three weeks, all patients except one were fully healed, and the sixth was fully healed by week 4; all wounds remained fully healed at 12 weeks. All patients achieved good cosmesis and were able to return to normal function without any residual symptoms. Conclusion: This pilot case series explored augmenting a flap reconstruction for complex PSD with advanced ECM graft materials, demonstrating that it may improve outcomes and minimise typical complications seen in flap closure, such as inflammation, infection, haematoma/seroma and hypoperfusion. Although the study had a limited number of participants, long-term outcomes were promising and suggest that further studies are warranted.
All-POF coupling ratio-imbalanced Sagnac interferometer as a refractive index sensor
Authors: Santiago-Hernández H. , Bravo-Medina B. , Mora-Nuñez A. , Flores J. L. , García-Torales G. , Pottiez O. 
Published: July 2021

A polymer optical Sagnac interferometer is proposed as a compact and
low-cost refractive index sensor for the first time to our best
knowledge. The Sagnac interferometer is fabricated by only one piece
of fiber to facilitate its fabrication and to avoid losses due to
misalignment or fusion. The coupler was developed based on chemical
and twisting techniques of

∼

5

c
m

of fiber. We modified the coupling
ratio by varying the refractive index of media surrounding the coupler
and consequently modified the transmission. For several values of
mass percent concentration of sugar solutions surrounding the coupler,
we found that transmittance decreases as the mass concentration
increases. However, the decay is faster for the low concentration,
while the decay is slower for higher concentrations. Two sets of
experiments were carried out, at high (

≥

1 gm/100 ml) and low (

<

1

g
m

/

100

m
l

) mass concentration of sugar
solutions. The calibration of the sensor was done at 733 nm, where the
response of the interferometer displays larger transmission variations
for different solutions. The refractive index estimation was possible
by correlation of the transmittance function (calculated by fitting
the experimental data) with a linear refractive index model. The
estimated resolution of the system is 0.057 weight percent of sugar
solution, determined by the noise of the system.
Low power, high speed, all-optical logic gates based on optical bistability in graphene-containing compact microdisk resonators
Authors: Keshtkar Peyman , Miri Mehdi , Yasrebi Navid 
Published: July 2021

CMOS-compatible all-optical logic gates based on optical bistability are designed and numerically characterized. For this, graphene and H-BN-based hybrid plasmonic microdisk/waveguide structures have been used to achieve optical bistability at very low threshold power and with small dimensions. The simulation results and coupled-mode theory calculations show that, by adjusting the radius of the microdisk resonator, the threshold power and response time of the optical bistability can be tuned in a wide range. It is shown that bistable devices with overall dimensions of

2

µ

m

×

2.2

µ

m

can easily be designed having either threshold powers as low as 0.79 µW (microdisk radius of 0.92 µm) or very short fall time and rise times of 1.24 and 1.53 ps (microdisk radius of 0.93 µm). The design procedure for the AND, NAND, OR, NOR, and NOT logic gates is discussed. Simulation results show that the proposed logic gates have much smaller footprints, lower power consumption, and higher speeds with acceptable response time, compared with the previously reported structures.