bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An eye’s look unmasks the mystery: correlation between serum amyloid beta peptide, hippocampal volume and retinal thickness in Alzheimer`s disease
Authors: Abou Elmaaty Ali Ahmed , Eissa Mona Ali , Elrashedy Shady , Zehry Hamada Ibrahim , Mosa Ahmed Abdulatif , Zarad Carmen Ali , Abdel-dayem Marwa Ahmad , Elnokrashy Amgad , Elsherifi Saad Shawki 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the commonest worldwide neurodegenerative disorder. Nevertheless, it usually face difficulties to guarantee a secured initial diagnosis. For this reason, neurologists are in dire need for developing potential biomarkers that could be relied upon confidentially in early diagnosis of AD. Hopefully, this will open the gate for novel modifying therapy to fight with all their might. In this current study, we aimed to correlate plasma levels of tau and Aβ with the changes that occur in hippocampal volume and thickness of retinal fiber layers in patients who clinically diagnosed with AD spectrum. A cross-sectional study enrolled 60 AD patients who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were subjected to cognitive, radiologic, laboratory and optical coherence tomography (OCT) assessments.

Results
Tau, Aβ1–40, and Aβ1–40/Aβ1–42 ratio are significant discriminators of AD at cutoff values of >23.45, > 84.4, and > 1.95, respectively. MRI hippocampal volume in both right and left sides are also good discriminators of AD at cutoff values of ≤ 2.997, and ≤ 2.994, respectively. A significant correlations were reported between tau with Aβ1–40, Aβ1–42, MMSE and MRI right and left hippocampal volumes. On comparing moderate versus mild AD, there was a high significant levels of tau, Aβ1–42, Aβ1–40/Aβ1–42 ratio.

Conclusions
We clarify that several biomarkers could be potentially used for confirming the diagnosis of AD. Assessment of plasma amyloid level, detection of hippocampal atrophy and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness changes are promising tools for early diagnosis of AD.
Corneal and lens densitometry evaluation with Pentacam HR in children and adolescents with beta thalassemia major: a case–control study
Authors: Hanna Diana , Atfy Mervat , Bor’i Ashraf , Elsayed Marwa , el-Sattar Eman Mohamed Abd , Gameil Dalia 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Beta thalassemia major is an inherited blood disorder due to a mutation of the β globin chain gene. Ocular complications have increasingly been reported in β-thalassemia patients with a negative influence on the health related quality of life. Many studies have reported the ocular anomalies, mainly focused on the posterior ocular segment; however, the data is limited regarding the anterior segment structures.

Aim
We aimed to evaluate the corneal and lens densitometry using the Pentacam HR in children and adolescents with transfusion dependent β-thalassemia major in comparative to healthy controls and to detect the subclinical ocular affection in those patients.

Methods
A case–control study was conducted on 47 regularly transfused β-thalassemia major patients and 47 age and sex-matching healthy controls. Assessments of corneal keratometry, corneal densitometry (12 mm corneal diameter), and lenticular densitometry were done by the Pentacam HR imaging. The morphology of the corneal endothelium was examined by the specular microscopy.

Results
Among the corneal topographic parameters, K1 (P = 0.037, P = 0.024 on right and left sides respectively), K2 (P < 0.001 bilaterally), and CV (P < 0.001 bilaterally) were found to be significantly lower in the cases group in relative to controls. Endothelial cell density (ECD) was found to be significantly less among thalassemic patients. We detected a significantly lower corneal light backscattering in the cases group in almost all corneal layers. There was a statistically significant increase in the lens densitometry measurements in thalassemic group in all zones (P < 0.001). A positive correlation between left PDZ1% and deferasirox dose was found (r = 0.307, P = 0.036), and left lens thickness increased with more frequent transfusion (r = − 0.338, P = 0.02).

Conclusion
We detected a significant change in patients with β-thalassemia major regarding corneal and lens densitometry measurements when compared to healthy controls. These findings might represent a new hope for using Pentacam as a fast, reliable, and non-invasive tool in subclinical detection of corneal and lens abnormalities. We recommend performing baseline ocular assessment for newly diagnosed patients as well as a regular monitoring using Pentacam to early detect and prevent permanent impairment.
Respiratory muscle strength, pain and pulmonary complications in adult patients following median sternotomy during hospital stay: a longitudinal observational study
Authors: Gissing Cary-Anne , Roos Ronel 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Pulmonary complications influence morbidity, mortality and hospital stay in patients following cardiac surgery. Acute post-operative pain and less than optimal respiratory muscle strength may affect a patient’s ability to take deep breaths, cough and clear secretions, thereby influencing recovery after surgery. To date, few studies described patients’ pain levels, respiratory muscle strength and the presence of pulmonary dysfunction preoperatively and evaluated the effect of a median sternotomy on parameters at hospital discharge. This study investigates this in patients at a private urban hospital in South Africa.

Methods
Participants were consecutively sampled for this longitudinal observational study and assessed at hospital admission and discharge. The visual analogue scale provides information on participants’ pain levels. Respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory pressure and peak inspiratory flow) was assessed with a POWERbreathe KHI device. The presence of pulmonary complications was determined with a chest X-ray radiographic scoring tool. Descriptive and inferential analyses with significance set at p ≤ 0.05 were performed.

Results
The population consisted of 61 participants [males: n = 47 (77%)], and the majority underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (n = 35, 57%) and had a theatre time of 5.84 (± 1.30) h and time on cardiopulmonary bypass 2.01 (IQR1.14) h. Intensive care stay was 5 (IQR 2.75) days with mechanical ventilation time 17.33 (IQR 11.21) h and hospital stay 9 (IQR 7) days. Forty-one (67.2%) participants had weak respiratory muscles at hospital admission. Respiratory muscle strength reduced significantly between hospital admission and discharge: maximal inspiratory pressure: 55 cmH20 vs 30.66 cmH20, p < 0.001, and peak inspiratory flow: 2.70 l/s vs. 1.66 l/s, p < 0.001. Atelectasis (n = 28, 46, 6%) and pleural fluid (n = 26, 43, 3%) were chest X-ray abnormalities at hospital discharge. Chest X-ray scores (Z =  − 5.825, p < 0.001) and pain levels (Z =  − 5.867, p < 0.001) increased significantly over time. There was a fair, negative correlation between admission maximal inspiratory pressure and chest X-ray scores, which was statistically significant (r =  − 0.356, p = 0.004).

Conclusions
Respiratory muscle weakness, abnormal chest X-ray findings and persistent pain were noted in study participants. This study highlights the need for continued rehabilitation services to optimise patient outcomes as it relates to ventilation and pain management.
Perceptions of Implementing Real-Time Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes and Digital Analytics in a Majority-Minority Cancer Center
Authors: Arcos Daniela , Dagsi Mary , Nasr Reem , Nguyen Carolyn , Ng Ding Quan , Chan Alexandre 
Published: November 2024

PURPOSE
Electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) tools are increasingly used to provide first-hand information on patient's symptoms and quality of life. This study explored how patients and health care providers (HCPs) perceive the use of a digital real-time ePRO tool, coupled with digital analytics at a cancer center located in a majority-minority county. Furthermore, we described the implementation barriers and facilitators identified from the participants' perspectives.

METHODS
We conducted a qualitative substudy as part of a larger implementation study conducted at University of California Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients and HCPs completed semistructured interviews and a focus group discussion. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes regarding perceived impact of the intervention on patient's care and implementation factors.

RESULTS
A total of 31 participants, comprising 15 patients (67% English-speaking, 33% Spanish-speaking) and 16 HCPs (43.8% pharmacists, 37.5% physicians, 18.8% nurses), were interviewed. The utilization of real-time ePRO was perceived to beneficially affect patient care, improve patient-provider communication, and increase symptom awareness. Implementation facilitators included ease of comprehension and completion within the infusion center. Barriers included the need to incorporate results in electronic medical records and create real-time referral pathways to address patient's needs.

CONCLUSION
The use of real-time ePRO in a majority-minority population was perceived to enhance patient-centered oncology care, yet implementation barriers must be addressed for successful integration in clinical settings. The findings from this study may inform implementation strategies to reduce health disparities.
Living on Pea-nuts: Gissing, Fiction, Subsistence
Authors: Kreilkamp Ivan 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This essay considers the three major novels George Gissing published between 1889 and 1893: The Nether World, New Grub Street, and The Odd Women. These Long Depression novels, as they could be called, demonstrate the constant pressure exerted by the need to earn money to hold starvation at bay, to achieve an always precarious subsistence or survival. Gissing depicts circular, inescapable patterns in which one writes to earn money in order to survive just long enough to write more to buy more—never enough—food. His novels insistently ponder, and seem to try to literalize in reflexive ways, the question of what it means to “live on” one's writing as a late nineteenth-century author. In so doing, this article suggests, these novels participate in the transformation of hunger from a troubling Malthusian fact of nature to be managed by political economy into both a biopolitical tool of the state, seen as a positive good in its spur to labor, as well as a central topos of an emerging modernist style of fiction that reflects, draws attention to, and critiques those biopolitical mechanisms. Notwithstanding his criticisms of a society that leaves artists hungry, Gissing seemed to personally believe that his own experiences of having “looked starvation in the face,” having passed through “circumstances of hunger” and converted them into art, were part of what gave his work value and meaning.
From the Papers of a Formalist Critic: Kierkegaard's Theory of the Novel
Authors: Andersen Claus Elholm 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
This article argues that Kierkegaard is a pioneer when it comes to theorizing about the novel and fiction. In a close reading of From the Papers of One Still Living (1838), the article shows how Kierkegaard in this early work on the novels of Hans Christian Andersen turns to a study of the formal features of the novel to distinguish what—and what does not—make novelistic characters believable and come to life. From here, the article proposes that Kierkegaard's theory of the novel is a theory that equates the novel with its most identifiable characteristic: fictionality.
Science Education for Girls in Korea, 1886–1910
Authors: Lee Janet Yoon-sun 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
The emergence of modern schools marked a significant transformation in women's education in Korea from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. For Western missionaries, building schools for girls was instrumental in their pursuit of evangelical objectives. The inception of Ewha Haktang (Ewha Girls’ School) in 1886 and Chŏngsin Yŏhakkyo (Chŏngsin Girls’ School) in 1887 aimed to mold Korean women into both devout Christians and adept homemakers. Gradually, the educational scope of mission schools expanded, encompassing a diverse array of scientific subjects, providing opportunities for women to pursue careers beyond the domestic realm. This study delves into the intricate construction of science education from 1886 until 1910 and highlights the pivotal role played by American female missionaries in shaping science as essential knowledge for women within their evangelical framework. Specifically, the article focuses on the development of physiology as a core subject that nurtured students’ interest in learning systematic theories of nature and the human body based on observation. While tracing how physiology became integral to science education for girls, this study argues that American female missionaries were the first to shape the initial encounter with modern science by mediating, translating, and educating physiology for women.
WNT7A-positive dendritic cytonemes control synaptogenesis in cortical neurons
Authors: Piers Thomas M. , Fang Kevin , Namboori Seema C. , Liddle Corin , Rogers Sally , Bhinge Akshay , Killick Richard , Scholpp Steffen 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT
Synaptogenesis involves the transformation of dendritic filopodial contacts into stable connections with the exact apposition of synaptic components. Signalling triggered by Wnt/β-catenin and calcium has been postulated to aid this process. However, it is unclear how such a signalling process orchestrates synapse formation to organise the spatial arrangement of synapses along dendrites. We show that WNT7A is loaded on dynamic dendritic filopodia during spine formation in human cortical neurons. WNT7A is present at the tips of the filopodia and the contact sites with dendrites of neighbouring neurons, triggering spatially restricted localisation of the Wnt co-receptor LRP6. Here, we demonstrate that WNT7A at filopodia tips leads to the induction of calcium transients, the clustering of pre- and postsynaptic proteins, and the subsequent transformation into mature spines. Although soluble WNT7A protein can also support synaptogenesis, it fails to provide this degree of spatial information for spine formation and calcium transients, and synaptic markers are induced ectopically along the dendrites. Our data suggest that dendritic filopodia are WNT7A-bearing cytonemes required for focal calcium signalling and initiation of synapse formation, and provide an elegant mechanism for orchestrating the positioning of synapses along dendrites.
Phospho-regulation of ASCL1-mediated chromatin opening during cellular reprogramming
Authors: Azzarelli Roberta , Gillen Sarah , Connor Frances , Lundie-Brown Jethro , Puletti Francesca , Drummond Rosalind , Raffaelli Ana , Philpott Anna 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT
The proneural transcription factor ASCL1 regulates neurogenesis and drives somatic cell reprogramming into neurons. However, not all cell types can be reprogrammed by ASCL1, raising the questions of what provides competence and how we can overcome barriers to enable directed differentiation. Here, we investigate how levels of ASCL1 and its phosphorylation modulate its activity over progressive lineage restriction of mouse embryonic stem cells. We find that inhibition of ASCL1 phosphorylation enhances reprogramming of both mesodermal and neuroectodermal cells, while pluripotent cells remain refractory to ASCL1-directed neuronal differentiation. By performing RNA-seq and ATAC-seq in neuroectoderm, we find that un(der)phosphorylated ASCL1 causes increased chromatin accessibility at sites proximal to neuronal genes, accompanied by their increased expression. Combined analysis of protein stability and proneural function of phosphomutant and phosphomimetic ASCL1 reveals that protein stability plays only a marginal role in regulating activity, while changes in amino acid charge cannot fully explain enhanced activity of the serine-proline mutant variants of ASCL1. Our work provides new insights into proneural factor activity and regulation, and suggests ways to optimize reprogramming protocols in cancer and regenerative medicine.
Regulation of miR-206 in denervated and dystrophic muscles, and its effect on acetylcholine receptor clustering
Authors: Barden Joseph , Kosloski Olivia , Jadidian Amir , Akaaboune Mohammed 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT
The muscle-specific microRNA miR-206 has recently emerged as a potential regulator of genes involved in the formation and regeneration of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This study investigated miR-206-3p (miR-206) expression in synaptic and non-synaptic regions of denervated mice and α-dystrobrevin (Dtna)-knockout mice, as well as its impact on the formation and/or maintenance of agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters. In denervated, Dtna-deficient and crushed muscles, miR-206 expression significantly increased compared to what was seen for innervated muscles. Although miR-206 expression was slightly elevated in the synaptic regions of innervated muscles, it was dramatically increased in non-synaptic areas of denervated muscles. miR-206 targets transcripts of essential NMJ proteins, such as Dtna, α-syntrophin (Snta1) and rapsyn, but not the AChRα subunit (encoded by Chrna1) or Lrp4 in innervated muscles. However, in denervated muscles, AChRα transcripts, which increased significantly, become a target of miR-206. Co-expression of miR-206 with rapsyn, Dtna and Snta1 in C2C12 myoblasts significantly reduced their protein levels, and overexpression of miR-206 in myotubes disrupted agrin-induced AChR clustering. These results indicate that miR-206 fine-tunes NMJ signaling proteins by regulating transcripts of various proteins with different localizations under normal and pathological conditions.
Outcome analysis of differentiated thyroid cancer: Experience from tertiary care in Karachi
Authors: Furqan Saira , Ahmed Asma , Batool Sumera , Najmul Islam  
Published: November 2024

Objective: Although differentiated thyroid cancers have a good prognosis overall, their incidence is on the rise with extremely limited data available in our region. The objective was to describe the outcomes of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital.
Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital. The data was collected by reviewing the charts and reports of patients (1999-2011) diagnosed with differentiated thyroid cancer. Information regarding the demographic status, type of differentiated thyroid cancer, stage at the time of presentation, and the outcome was noted. The study endpoints were the disease cure, persistence, and recurrence.
Results: Most of the patients were diagnosed with papillary carcinoma stage-I (49.0%) having a cure rate of 52.94%, a persistence rate of 28.43%, and a recurrence rate of 18.62%. A 33.3% of patients with follicular carcinoma at stage-4 had zero cure rate, the persistence rate was 25% and the recurrence rate was also 25%. In patients with hurthle cell variant of follicular carcinoma; the majority (60.0%) were diagnosed at stage-I having a cure rate of 80%. The persistence rate was 0%, and the recurrence rate was 20%.
Conclusion: This study highlights the low cure rate while describing the high rate of disease persistence and recurrence. This can be due to delays related to the diagnosis and scarcity of proper treatment. Recognition of this emergent disease is vital so that curative methods prescribed at proper time can diminish the morbidity and mortality linked with this treatable cancer.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.11.7036
How to cite this: Furqan S, Ahmed A, Batool S, Islam N. Outcome analysis of differentiated thyroid cancer: Experience from tertiary care in Karachi. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(11):2631-2635. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.11.7036
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
An Equivalent Reformulation and Multiproximity Gradient Algorithms for a Class of Nonsmooth Fractional Programming
Authors: Zhou Junpeng , Zhang Na , Li Qia 
Published: November 2024

We consider a class of structured fractional programs, where the numerator is the sum of a block-separable (possibly nonsmooth nonconvex) function and a locally Lipschitz differentiable (possibly nonconvex) function, and the denominator is a convex (possibly nonsmooth) function. We first present a novel reformulation for the original problem and show the relationship of their optimal solutions, critical points, and Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz (KL) exponents. Inspired by the reformulation, we propose a framework of multiproximity gradient algorithms (MPGA), and show the subsequential convergence analysis for two specific algorithms, namely, cyclic MPGA and randomized MPGA. Moreover, we establish the sequential convergence analysis for cyclic MPGA with the monotone line search (CMPGA_ML) under the KL property. We prove that the corresponding KL exponents are 1/2 for several special cases of the fractional programs, and so, CMPGA_ML exhibits a linear convergence rate. Some preliminary numerical experiment results demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed algorithms. Funding: The work of N. Zhang was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 12271181], by the Guangzhou Basic Research Program [Grant 202201010426], and by the Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province [Grant 2023A1515030046], Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province. The work of Q. Li was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 12471098 and 11971499] and the Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Computational Science at the Sun Yat-sen University [Grant 2020B1212060032], Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province.
Hydroxyurea-related ileocecal region ulcers as a rare complication: A case report
Authors: Yuan Wen-Jin , Zheng Yi-Juan , Zhang Bing-Rong , Lin Yi-Jie , Li You , Qiu Yan-Yan , Yu Xue-Ping 
Published: November 2024

BACKGROUND
Hydroxyurea, an antimetabolite, is frequently prescribed for various hematological disorders, and its common side effects include gastrointestinal problems, cutaneous or mucosal lesions and pyrexia/fever.
CASE SUMMARY
This study reports the case of a 67-year-old woman who developed recurrent abdominal pain after 10 years of continuous hydroxyurea therapy for primary thrombocythemia. Colonoscopy revealed an ileocecal ulcer. After discontinuing hydroxyurea therapy for 6 months, follow-up colonoscopy showed a significant reduction in the ulceration.
CONCLUSION
We consider cecal ulcers as a rare complication of hydroxyurea therapy which typically resolves upon stopping the drug.