bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Sexual Dysfunction in Obese Men
Authors: Fahmy Ahmed , Abdeldaiem Hussien , Abdelsattar Mohamed , Aboyoussif Tamer , Assem Akram , Zahran Abdelrahman , Elgebaly Omar 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Introduction
Currently bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment for significant and sustained weight loss. Erectile and endothelial dysfunctions may share some metabolic and vascular pathways in common that may be influenced by weight loss.

Aim
The aim of the study was to assess the impact of surgically induced weight loss on the erectile function on obese patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). We also aimed to examine the proposed underlying mechanism associated with improvement in erectile function after weight loss by LSG.

Methods
Eighty-two consecutive obese men who underwent a LGS were followed up for 12 months. All operations were performed by the same surgeon at a single institution.

Main Outcome measure
Patients were examined both before and after 12 months of LSG for biochemical tests; total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and for erectile function tests. International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) scores were recorded.

Results
Eighty-two men (mean age 39 ± 14.6 years, range 24–62; mean BMI 41.2 ± 4.8 kg/m2) completed all preoperative and postoperative questionnaires and biochemical tests. At 12 months, the mean weight loss was 34.8 kg and the mean BMI decrease was 8.6 kg/m2. Preoperative and postoperative IIEF scores of the 65 sexually active patients showed significant improvement in erectile function (21.2 ± 5.7 vs 26.5 ± 4.5; P = .02). Seventeen (20.7%) men were not sexually active preoperatively; only 5 became sexually active postoperatively. Men had a significant decrease in serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Nitric oxide synthase activity showed a significant increase (P &lt; .02). In addition, our patients showed a statistically significant decrease in interleukin-6 levels and C-reactive protein compared with preoperative period (P &lt; .03 and P &lt; .01, respectively).

Conclusion
A significant improvement of erectile function was documented among obese young men undergoing LGS. This improvement was documented both clinically by improvement in IIEF score postoperatively and biochemically.
Establishing the Status of Patients With Non-Communicable Diseases in Disaster: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ghazanchaei Elham , Khorasani-Zavareh Davoud , Aghazadeh-Attari Javad , Mohebbi Iraj 
Published: February 2021

AbstractObjective:People with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to disasters. This research systematically reviewed reports describing studies on the status of patients with NCDs before, during and after disasters.Method:Relevant articles published from 1997 to 2019 were collected by searching the Scopus, PubMed, and Science Direct databases. We specifically examined reports describing NCDs and including the key words ‘Non-Communicable Disease and Disasters.’ NCDs include cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes and cancer diseases.Results:The review identified 42 relevant articles. Most of the included studies were found to have described the conditions of patients with NCDs after disasters - 14 (13.3%), during disasters – 11 (26.2%), before disasters – 6 (14.3%), within all stages of disasters: before, during and after – 6 (14.3%), only during and after disasters – 4 (9.5%), and includes before and during disasters – 1 (2.4%).Conclusion:NCDs pose major health issues in disasters. Development of strong counter measures against the interruption of treatment, as well as surveillance systems to ascertain medical needs for NCDs are necessary as preparation for future disasters.
Anxiety, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress a month after 2019 Cyclone Fani in Odisha, India
Authors: Kar Nilamadhab , Samantaray Narendra Nath , Kar Shreyan , Kar Brajaballav 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackground:Early Identification of disaster victims with mental health problems may be useful, but information within a short period after a disaster is scarce in developing countries. This study examined anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms at 1 month following 2019 Cyclone Fani in Odisha, India.Method:Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were assessed by the Primary care PTSD screen for DSM 5 (PC-PTSD-5), anxiety symptoms by the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and depression by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The survey included participants’ disaster experience e.g., evacuation, fear of death, injury, death in family, damage to house, difficulty for food, displacement, and effect on livelihood.Results:Proportion of sample (n = 80) with probable PTSD was 42.9%, with severe anxiety was 36.7%, moderately severe depression was 16.5%, and severe depression was 3.8%. Suicidal cognitions were reported to increase by 14%. Comorbidity was common; with significant (P < 0.01) correlation between PTSS and anxiety (r = 0.69), depression (r = 0.596), and between anxiety and depression (r = 0.63). Damage of house and displacement were associated significantly with PTSD; evacuation and displacement with moderate and severe depression; and displacement with severe anxiety. No specific demographic factors were significantly linked to the psychiatric morbidities.Conclusion:A considerable proportion of victims had psychiatric morbidities at 1 month. Associated risk factors included housing damages, evacuation, and displacement, suggesting the need to improve the disaster-management process.
Real-world implementation and impact of a rapid carbapenemase detection test in an area endemic for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
Authors: Trzebucki Alex M. , Westblade Lars F. , Loo Angela , Mazur Shawn , Jenkins Stephen G. , Calfee David P. , Satlin Michael J. , Simon Matthew S. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA retrospective study was conducted to describe the impact of a molecular assay to detect the most common carbapenemase genes in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales isolates recovered in culture. Carbapenemases were detected in 69% of isolates, and assay results guided treatment modifications or epidemiologic investigation in 20% and 4% of cases, respectively.
RECURRENCE AND THE EXISTENCE OF INVARIANT MEASURES
Authors: INSELMANN MANUEL J. , MILLER BENJAMIN D. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe show that recurrence conditions do not yield invariant Borel probability measures in the descriptive set-theoretic milieu, in the strong sense that if a Borel action of a locally compact Polish group on a standard Borel space satisfies such a condition but does not have an orbit supporting an invariant Borel probability measure, then there is an invariant Borel set on which the action satisfies the condition but does not have an invariant Borel probability measure.
COMBINATORICS OF ULTRAFILTERS ON COHEN AND RANDOM ALGEBRAS
Authors: BRENDLE JÖRG , PARENTE FRANCESCO 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe investigate the structure of ultrafilters on Boolean algebras in the framework of Tukey reducibility. In particular, this paper provides several techniques to construct ultrafilters which are not Tukey maximal. Furthermore, we connect this analysis with a cardinal invariant of Boolean algebras, the ultrafilter number, and prove consistency results concerning its possible values on Cohen and random algebras.
CLOSED AND UNBOUNDED CLASSES AND THE HÄRTIG QUANTIFIER MODEL
Authors: WELCH PHILIP D. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractWe show that assuming modest large cardinals, there is a definable class of ordinals, closed and unbounded beneath every uncountable cardinal, so that for any closed and unbounded subclasses
$P, Q, {\langle L[P],\in ,P \rangle }$
and
${\langle L[Q],\in ,Q \rangle }$
possess the same reals, satisfy the Generalised Continuum Hypothesis, and moreover are elementarily equivalent. Examples of such P are Card, the class of uncountable cardinals, I the uniform indiscernibles, or for any n the class
$C^{n}{=_{{\operatorname {df}}}}\{ \lambda \, | \, V_{\lambda } \prec _{{\Sigma }_{n}}V\}$
; moreover the theory of such models is invariant under ZFC-preserving extensions. They also all have a rich structure satisfying many of the usual combinatorial principles and a definable wellorder of the reals. The inner model constructed using definability in the language augmented by the Härtig quantifier is thus also characterized.
Exploring the impact of unstable terminals on branch support values in paleontological data
Authors: Flores Jorge R. , Lehtonen Samuli , Hyvönen Jaakko 
Published: February 2021

AbstractRecent studies have acknowledged the many benefits of including fossils in phylogenetic inference (e.g., reducing long-branch attraction). However, unstable taxa are known to be problematic, as they can reduce either the resolution of the strict consensus or branch support. In this study, we evaluate whether unstable taxa that reduce consensus resolution affect support values, and the extent of such impact, under equal and extended implied weighting. Two sets of analyses were conducted across 30 morphological datasets to evaluate complementary aspects. The first focused on the analytical conditions incrementing the terminal instability, while the second assessed whether pruning wildcards improves support. Changes in support were compared with the “number of nodes collapsed by unstable terminals,” their “distance to the root,” the “proportion of missing data in a dataset,” and the “proportion of sampled characters.” Our results indicate that the proportion of missing entries distributed among closely related taxa (for a given character) might be as detrimental for stability as those distributed among characters (for a given terminal). Unstable terminals that (1) collapse few nodes or (2) are closely located to the root node have more influence on the estimated support values. Weighting characters according to their extra steps while assuming that missing entries contribute to their homoplasy reduced the instability of wildcards. Our results suggest that increasing character sampling and using extended implied weighting decreases the impact of wildcard terminals. This study provides insights for designing future research dealing with unstable terminals, a typical problem of paleontological data.
DNA methylation as a regulator of intestinal gene expression
Authors: Pinho R. M. , Maga E. A. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe intestinal tract is the entry gate for nutrients and symbiotic organisms, being in constant contact with external environment. DNA methylation is one of the keys to how environmental conditions, diet and nutritional status included, shape functionality in the gut and systemically. This review aims to summarise findings on the importance of methylation to gut development, differentiation and function. Evidence to date on how external factors such as diet, dietary supplements, nutritional status and microbiota modifications modulate intestinal function through DNA methylation is also presented.
Genetics of eating disorders in the genome-wide era
Authors: Watson Hunna J. , Palmos Alish B. , Hunjan Avina , Baker Jessica H. , Yilmaz Zeynep , Davies Helena L. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractEnabled by advances in high throughput genomic sequencing and an unprecedented level of global data sharing, molecular genetic research is beginning to unlock the biological basis of eating disorders. This invited review provides an overview of genetic discoveries in eating disorders in the genome-wide era. To date, five genome-wide association studies on eating disorders have been conducted – all on anorexia nervosa (AN). For AN, several risk loci have been detected, and ~11–17% of the heritability has been accounted for by common genetic variants. There is extensive genetic overlap between AN and psychological traits, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder, and intriguingly, with metabolic phenotypes even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) risk variants. Furthermore, genetic risk variants predisposing to lower BMI may be causal risk factors for AN. Causal genes and biological pathways of eating disorders have yet to be elucidated and will require greater sample sizes and statistical power, and functional follow-up studies. Several studies are underway to recruit individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder to enable further genome-wide studies. Data collections and research labs focused on the genetics of eating disorders have joined together in a global effort with the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Molecular genetics research in the genome-wide era is improving knowledge about the biology behind the established heritability of eating disorders. This has the potential to offer new hope for understanding eating disorder etiology and for overcoming the therapeutic challenges that confront the eating disorder field.
The actus reus of the crime of aggression
Authors: Hajdin Nikola R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractTo adjudicate a claim on individual criminal responsibility, the court has to establish objective and subjective links between the individual and the crime. This article studies the material (actus reus/objective) elements of the crime of aggression (conduct, consequence and circumstance) and suggests a reading that solves most of the conceptual and practical issues regarding criminal responsibility for this crime. The main contribution is an ontological distinction between the material act of use of violence and the act of aggression, which are both subsumed under the term ‘state/collective act’. The former is a consequence element and therefore is to be understood in its naturalistic meaning – a perceivable result of one’s action. The latter is a legal-evaluative notion and as such constitutes a circumstance that renders the violation of the prohibitory norm (the union of conduct and consequence) as being wrongful. This distinction is crucial for the system of attribution of criminal responsibility, as different mental (subjective) elements apply to consequences and circumstances.
Seropositivity and history of hospitalisation for dengue in relation to anthropometric indices among Colombian children and adults
Authors: Barry M. R. , Villar L. A. , Herrán O. F. , Lozano-Parra A. , Estupiñán M. I. , Herrera V. M. , Villamor E. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
The role of anthropometric status on dengue is uncertain. We investigated the relations between anthropometric characteristics (height, body mass index and waist circumference (WC)) and two dengue outcomes, seropositivity and hospitalisation, in a cross-sectional study of 2038 children (aged 2–15 years) and 408 adults (aged 18–72 years) from Bucaramanga, Colombia. Anthropometric variables were standardised by age and sex in children. Seropositivity was determined through immunoglobulin G antibodies; past hospitalisation for dengue was self-reported. We modelled the prevalence of each outcome by levels of anthropometric exposures using generalised estimating equations with restricted cubic splines. In children, dengue seropositivity was 60.8%; 9.9% of seropositive children reported prior hospitalisation for dengue. WC was positively associated with seropositivity in girls (90th vs. 10th percentile adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) = 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.36). Among adults, dengue seropositivity was 95.1%; 8.1% of seropositive adults reported past hospitalisation. Height was inversely associated with seropositivity (APR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.83–0.99) and with hospitalisation history (APR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.04–0.79). WC was inversely associated with seropositivity (APR = 0.89; 95% CI 0.81–0.98). We conclude that anthropometry correlates with a history of dengue, but could not determine causation. Prospective studies are warranted to enhance causal inference on these questions.
LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy for brain metastases in patients with breast cancer
Authors: Gupta Ankita , Yadav Budhi Singh , Ballari Nagarjun , Das Namrata , Robert Ngangom 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackground:Brain metastases (BM) are common in patients with HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer. In this study we aim to report clinical outcomes with LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy (SRS/SRT) for BM in patients of breast cancer.Methods:Clinical and dosimetric records of breast cancer patients treated for BM at our institute between May, 2015 and December, 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients of previously treated or newly diagnosed breast cancer with at least a radiological diagnosis of BM; 1–4 in number, ≤3·5 cm in maximum dimension, with a Karnofsky Performance Score of ≥60 were taken up for treatment with SRS. SRT was generally considered if a tumour was >3·5 cm in diameter, near a critical or eloquent structure, or if the proximity of moderately sized tumours would lead to dose bridging in a single-fraction SRS plan. The median prescribed SRS dose was 15 Gy (range 7–24 Gy) and SRT dose was 27 Gy in 3 fractions.Clinical assessment and MR imaging was done at 6 weeks post-SRS and then every 3 months thereafter. Intracranial progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using Kaplan–Meier method and subgroups were compared using log rank test.Results:Total, 40 tumours were treated in 31 patients. The median tumour diameter was 2·3 cm (range 1·0–4·6 cm). SRS and SRT were delivered in 27 and 4 patients, respectively. SRS/SRT was given as a boost to whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) in four patients and as salvage for progression after WBRT in six patients. In general, nine patients underwent prior surgery. The median follow-up was 7·9 months (0·2–34 months). Twenty (64·5%) patients developed local recurrence, 10 (32·3%) patients developed distant intracranial relapse and 7 patients had both local and distant intracranial relapse. The estimated local control at 6 months and 1 year was 48 and 35%, respectively. Median intracranial progression free survival (PFS) was 3·73 months (range 0·2–25 months). Median intracranial PFS was 3·02 months in patients who received SRS alone or as boost after WBRT, while it was 4·27 months in those who received SRS as salvage after WBRT (p = 0·793). No difference in intracranial PFS was observed with or without prior surgery (p = 0·410). Median overall survival (OS) was 21·7 months (range 0·2–34 months) for the entire cohort. Patients who received prior WBRT had a poor OS (13·31 months) as compared to SRS alone (21·4 months; p = 0·699).Conclusion:In patients with BM after breast cancer SRS alone, WBRT + SRS and surgery + SRS had comparable PFS and OS.
The impact of COVID-19 on subthreshold depressive symptoms: a longitudinal study
Authors: Liao Y. H. , Fan B. F. , Zhang H. M. , Guo L. , Lee Y. , Wang W. X. , Li W. Y. , Gong M. Q. , Lui L. M. W. , Li L. J. , Lu C. Y. , McIntyre R. S. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

Aims
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents an unprecedented threat to mental health. Herein, we assessed the impact of COVID-19 on subthreshold depressive symptoms and identified potential mitigating factors.

Methods
Participants were from Depression Cohort in China (ChiCTR registry number 1900022145). Adults (n = 1722) with subthreshold depressive symptoms were enrolled between March and October 2019 in a 6-month, community-based interventional study that aimed to prevent clinical depression using psychoeducation. A total of 1506 participants completed the study in Shenzhen, China: 726 participants, who completed the study between March 2019 and January 2020 (i.e. before COVID-19), comprised the ‘wave 1’ group; 780 participants, who were enrolled before COVID-19 and completed the 6-month endpoint assessment during COVID-19, comprised ‘wave 2’. Symptoms of depression, anxiety and insomnia were assessed at baseline and endpoint (i.e. 6-month follow-up) using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), respectively. Measures of resilience and regular exercise were assessed at baseline. We compared the mental health outcomes between wave 1 and wave 2 groups. We additionally investigated how mental health outcomes changed across disparate stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China, i.e. peak (7–13 February), post-peak (14–27 February), remission plateau (28 February−present).

Results
COVID-19 increased the risk for three mental outcomes: (1) depression (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–1.62); (2) anxiety (OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.16–1.88) and (3) insomnia (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.07–1.77). The highest proportion of probable depression and anxiety was observed post-peak, with 52.9% and 41.4%, respectively. Greater baseline resilience scores had a protective effect on the three main outcomes (depression: OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.19–0.37; anxiety: OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.14–0.33 and insomnia: OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.11–0.28). Furthermore, regular physical activity mitigated the risk for depression (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99).

Conclusions
The COVID-19 pandemic exerted a highly significant and negative impact on symptoms of depression, anxiety and insomnia. Mental health outcomes fluctuated as a function of the duration of the pandemic and were alleviated to some extent with the observed decline in community-based transmission. Augmenting resiliency and regular exercise provide an opportunity to mitigate the risk for mental health symptoms during this severe public health crisis.
Associations between population epigenetic differentiation and environmental factors in the exotic weed mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha)
Authors: Shen Jin , Wang Zhen , Su Yingjuan , Wang Ting 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInvasive species face new selective pressures and low genetic variation caused by genetic bottlenecks and founder effects when they are introduced into novel environments. Epigenetic variation may help them to cope with these problems. Mile-a-minute (Mikania micranthaKunth) is a highly invasive exotic weed that has seriously damaged biodiversity and agricultural ecosystems. We first adopted methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) markers to investigate epigenetic variation of 21M. micranthapopulations in southern China, and further explored the effects of environmental factors on population epigenetic differentiation by correlating epigenetic and climate and soil data. Adaptive epiloci positively correlated with climate/soil variables were identified. Minimum temperature of the coldest month and mean temperature of the coldest quarter were considered as decisive factors for its distribution. Climate is presumed to play a relatively more important role than soil in shaping the adaptive epigenetic differentiation inM. micrantha. Under ongoing global warming, populations ofM. micranthaare predicted to expand northward. In addition, the weed also presented higher epigenetic variation compared with genetic variation. Leaf shape variation was detected related to methylation-state change at the population level.