bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diet Changes and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the UK Biobank
Authors: Hoang Tung , Cho Sooyoung , Shin Aesun 
Published: October 2024

Abstract

Background:
Modifying dietary behaviors into healthier habits may attenuate the risk of colorectal cancer. This study aimed to investigate the association between dietary changes and the risk of colorectal cancer.

Methods:
Following dietary recommendations for red and processed meat, fruit and vegetables, and alcohol consumption, we classified 50,640 participants into poor and good adherence groups in the UK Biobank. Changes in dietary habits were defined as stable poor, poor to good, good to poor, and stable to good adherences. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the association between dietary changes and colorectal cancer risk.

Results:
Women were more likely to follow dietary recommendations than men. After a median of 3.3 years from the latest follow-up, 8,328 (16.4%) participants followed an improved dietary habit and 5,808 (11.5%) participants had a worsened diet. Compared with men who stably consumed fruit and vegetables &lt;5 servings/day, those who increased their consumption to ≥5 servings/day were related to colorectal cancer risk reduction [HR: 0.24 (0.09–0.63)]. However, the beneficial associations of increased fruit and vegetable consumption were not statistically significant in women [HR: 0.41 (0.11–1.56)].

Conclusions:
Our findings support the evidence that increasing fruit and vegetable intake could serve as a beneficial strategy to mitigate colorectal cancer risk in men.

Impact:
Participants from the UK Biobank significantly changed their adherence to dietary recommendations during the follow-up. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption was inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk among men.
PARP15
Is a Susceptibility Locus for Clarkson Disease (Monoclonal Gammopathy–Associated Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome)
Authors: Chan Eunice C. , Ablooglu Ararat J. , Ghosh Chandra C. , Desai Abhishek , Schaible Niccole , Chen Xiuying , Zhao Ming , Olano M. Renee , Ganesan Sundar , Lack Justin B. , Krishnan Ramaswamy , Parikh Samir M. , Druey Kirk M. 
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:
Vascular leakage is a deadly complication of severe infections, ranging from bacterial sepsis to malaria. Worldwide, septicemia is among the top 10 causes of lethality because of the shock and multiorgan dysfunction that arise from the host vascular response. In the monoclonal gammopathy–associated capillary leak syndrome (MG-CLS), even otherwise mundane infections induce recurrent septic-like episodes of profound microvascular hyperpermeability and shock. There are no defined genetic risk factors for MG-CLS or effective treatments for acute crises.

METHODS:
We characterized predicted loss-of-function mutations in PARP15 (poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase 15), a protein of unknown function that is absent in mice, in patients with MG-CLS. We analyzed barrier function in PARP15-deficient vascular endothelial cells and vascular leakage in mice engineered to express wild-type or loss-of-function variant human PARP15.

RESULTS:
We discovered several loss-of-function PARP15 variants associated with MG-CLS. These mutations severely reduced PARP15 enzymatic function. The presence of the most frequently detected variant (G628R) correlated with clinical markers of severe vascular leakage. In human microvascular endothelial cells, PARP15 suppressed cytokine-induced barrier disruption by ADP-ribosylating the scaffold protein JIP3 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase-interacting protein 3) and inhibiting p38 MAP (mitogen-activated protein) kinase activation. Mice expressing enzymatically inactive human PARP15(G628R) were significantly more prone to inflammation-associated vascular leakage than mice expressing wild-type PARP15 in a p38-dependent fashion.

CONCLUSIONS:

PARP15
represents a previously unrecognized genetic susceptibility factor for MG-CLS. PARP15-mediated ADP ribosylation is an essential and genetically determined mechanism of the human vascular response to inflammation.
Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, and Recurrence After Stroke: A Time-Course Analysis of Individual-Participant Data
Authors: McCabe John J. , Walsh Cathal , Gorey Sarah , Arnold Markus , DeMarchis Gian Marco , Harris Katie , Hervella Pablo , Iglesias-Rey Ramon , Jern Christina , Katan Mira , Li Linxin , Miyamoto Nobukazu , Montaner Joan , Purroy Francisco , Rothwell Peter M. , Stanne Tara M. , Sudlow Catherine , Ueno Yuji , Vicente-Pascual Mikel , Whiteley William , Woodward Mark , Kelly Peter J. 
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:
Inflammation promotes atherogenesis. Randomized controlled trials of anti-inflammatory therapies for prevention after stroke have not yet demonstrated clear benefit. IL-6 (interleukin-6) and hsCRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) are independently associated with major adverse cardiovascular events poststroke and may guide patient selection in future randomized controlled trials. Optimal timing of hsCRP/IL-6 measurement poststroke is unknown, as early blood levels may be confounded by the inflammatory response to brain infarction.

METHODS:
Using individual-participant data from a systematic review, we performed a time-course analysis to investigate the association between hsCRP/IL-6 and recurrent events stratified by timing of sampling. The prespecified coprimary end points after sample measurement were: (1) recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events (first major coronary event, recurrent stroke, or vascular death) and (2) recurrent stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, or unspecified). The poststroke dynamics of IL-6/hsCRP were analyzed by plotting their median (interquartile interval) concentrations within each tenth of the sampling timeframe. Acute/postacute phases were defined for each biomarker according to the shape of this relationship.

RESULTS:

There were data for 9798 patients from 11 studies (19 891 person-years follow-up, 10 observational cohorts, and 1 randomized trial). Each marker was measured once. IL-6 was markedly elevated <24 hours poststroke compared with postacute levels (≥24 hours; 11.6 versus 3.02 pg/mL;
P
<0.001). HsCRP was elevated for 10 days. IL-6 was associated with recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events in the postacute phase (≥24 hours; risk ratio, 1.30 [CI, 1.19–1.41], per unit log
e
IL-6), but not in the acute phase (<24 hours; risk ratio, 1.10 [CI, 0.98–1.25];
P
interaction
=0.03). After adjustment for risk factors/medication, the association remained for postacute IL-6 when analyzed per log
e
unit (risk ratio, 1.16 [CI, 1.05–1.66]) and per quarter increase (risk ratio, 1.55 [CI, 1.19–2.02]; Q4 versus Q1), but not if measured acutely. Similar findings were observed for recurrent stroke. There was no evidence of time-dependent interaction with hsCRP.

CONCLUSIONS:
Timing of sample measurement after stroke modifies the association with recurrent major adverse cardiovascular events for IL-6 but not hsCRP. These data inform future randomized controlled trial designs incorporating biomarker-based selection of patients for anti-inflammatory therapies.
The Ālūsī Family between Baghdad and Istanbul: Imperial Connections and the Development of Salafi Commitments
Authors: Topal Omer Faruk 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The Ālūsīs of Baghdad were one of the most influential families in the late Ottoman Empire, producing various prolific scholars. They were inspired by Ibn Taymiyya, supported the permissibility of ijtihād, and criticized excessive Sufi practices. Although accused of being Wahhabi owing to their Salafi ideas, they maintained strong ties with the Ottoman state, holding judicial and bureaucratic positions. This article situates the family within the Ottoman imperial framework and explains how they navigated as Salafi scholars in the predominantly Ḥanafī-Māturīdī structure of the Ottoman Empire.
Gender, Human Rights Networks, and the State of Emergency During the Arab Revolt (1936–1939)
Authors: Zichi Paola 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Contrary to the current literature on the British state of emergency during the 1936–1939 Arab revolt, that sees women as victims of counterinsurgency policies or the differential objects within national-military cultures, this article argues that Palestinian women played an active role in fostering the rise of early human rights networks, and highlights how the politics of race and gender-based violence marked an embedded dimension of the imperial and colonial political authority and practice. By focusing on the emotional and divisive question of Palestine during the Arab Revolt, and using gender as a polyhedric tool of analysis, the article aims to show the centrality of gender and women’s activism in forging and grasping technologies of colonial emergency governance as tools of resistance to colonial violence. It enriches current histories of international law and adopts a critical feminist intersectional approach.
The makings of social meaning: Cassirer and Castoriadis
Authors: Rosengren Mats 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Two of the most interesting attempts of the 20th century to conceptualise, assess and understand the production, functioning and institutionalisation of social imaginary meanings were made by, first, a major thinker in the post-Kantian philosophical anthropological tradition, the German philosopher Ernst Cassirer, and, years later, by French-Greek philosopher and psychoanalyst Cornelius Castoriadis. Both offer ways of thinking and understanding the current political contexts, and point to and offer concepts for articulating difficulties and obstacles facing us today. The affinities between Cassirer’s philosophy of symbolic forms and Castoriadis’s take on social imaginary significations are many and striking, despite the fact that Castoriadis never explicitly referred to his predecessor. This article pinpoints some of the affinities, and makes an argument for the political topicality of both thinkers still today.
Castoriadis reads Thucydides: The aspiration to autonomy and the acceptance of history
Authors: Árnason Jóhann P. 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
This essay discusses the third of Castoriadis’s seminars on Ancient Greece. Following the structure of the book, the first part deals with questions of autonomy and its limits. In that regard, Castoriadis’s analysis leads to more sceptical conclusions and modest expectations than in some earlier writings. This applies both to the social context and to the anthropological grounding of aspirations to autonomy. The second part focuses on some key points in Castoriadis’s reading of Thucydides. His interpretation of Athenian political culture in the fifth century bce, largely based on the funeral oration which Thucydides ascribes to Pericles, is shown to be problematic in some respects, especially with regard to power structures, but his key claims are nevertheless defended against the views of Nicole Loraux and Jonas Grethlein. The essay concludes with reflections on Thucydides’s account of interstate competition and geopolitical dynamics, and on its implications for our times.
Castoriadis in Search of Origins: Exploring Archaic Greece
Authors: Árnason Jóhann P. 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The essay discusses the English translation of the first volume of Castoriadis´s seminars on Ancient Greece; its main focus is on the question of a primordial Greek grasp of the world, expressed in the metaphors of chaos, abyss and meaningless disorder, and on the religious imaginary that developed around this core. Arguments for and against a religious revolution in Homeric Greece are considered. A concluding section deals with the philosophical transformation of mythological themes.
On the Convergence Between Femme Theory and Popular Feminine Fiction
Authors: Medrano-González Claudia 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Drawing on Femme Theory, this article explores the relationship between the devaluation of feminine knowledge and the academic abjection of feminine erotic romance. Here, I problematise femininity being inherently disempowering, arguing that it can be both a source of oppression (i.e., femmephobia) informed by intersectional axes of identity and a source of power that challenges gendered cultural frameworks. Applying a feminist, post-structuralist lens, I analyse how 100 girls (re)territorialise femininity through Spanish Young Adult erotic romance, contrasting their worldviews with the analysis of femmephobic regulatory discourse embedded in publicity. My findings suggest that publishers rework feminist discourse in an effort to appeal to girls’ presumed desire to assert (sexual) agency, simultaneously challenging gender binaries and revaluing femininity through the imposition of a culture of (sexual) self-confidence. Girls’ narratives support this finding, underscoring how Young Adult Erotic Romance is a gendered risk enforcing compulsory sexual agency, yet also a sex-positive space where they can co-construct fe(me)ninity outside the regulatory bounds.
Physiological Predictors of Operator Performance: The Role of Mental Effort and Its Link to Task Performance
Authors: Pütz Sebastian , Mertens Alexander , Chuang Lewis L. , Nitsch Verena 
Published: October 2024

Objective The present study investigated how pupil size and heart rate variability (HRV) can contribute to the prediction of operator performance. We illustrate how focusing on mental effort as the conceptual link between physiological measures and task performance can align relevant empirical findings across research domains. Background Physiological measures are often treated as indicators of operators’ mental state. Thereby, they could enable a continuous and unobtrusive assessment of operators’ current ability to perform the task. Method Fifty participants performed a process monitoring task consisting of ten 9-minute task blocks. Blocks alternated between low and high task demands, and the last two blocks introduced a task reward manipulation. We measured response times as primary performance indicator, pupil size and HRV as physiological measures, and mental fatigue, task engagement, and perceived effort as subjective ratings. Results Both increased pupil size and increased HRV significantly predicted better task performance. However, the underlying associations between physiological measures and performance were influenced by task demands and time on task. Pupil size, but not HRV, results were consistent with subjective ratings. Conclusion The empirical findings suggest that, by capturing variance in operators’ mental effort, physiological measures, specifically pupil size, can contribute to the prediction of task performance. Their predictive value is limited by confounding effects that alter the amount of effort required to achieve a given level of performance. Application The outlined conceptual approach and empirical results can guide study designs and performance prediction models that examine physiological measures as the basis for dynamic operator assistance.
Cough in pulmonary rehabilitation: a retrospective analysis of responders/non-responders
Authors: Grave Ana Sofia , Paixão Cátia , Tecelão Diogo , Marques Alda , Oliveira Ana 
Published: October 2024

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is essential for people with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD), yet its impact on cough-related quality of life (CR-QoL) remains unexplored. We assessed the PR effects on CR-QoL, described the characteristics of responders and non-responders to PR and explored determinants of responsiveness in this health domain in individuals with CRD.A retrospective study was conducted. We assessed CR-QoL using the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) and the impact of the disease with the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), before and after PR. Cut-offs of <17.05 in LCQ total score and ≥10 in CAT were used to detect low CR-QoL and medium impact of the disease. Responders were defined as achieving a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of ≥1.3 on the LCQ total score. Pre-post PR analysis involved t-test/Wilcoxon/McNemar tests and comparisons between groups included independent t /Mann-Whitney U/Fisher's exact tests. Logistic regression was employed to investigate factors influencing MCID achievement.135 participants with CRD (39%♀; 68±10 years old; 61% COPD; FEV1%predicted 62.6±23.0) were included. After PR, significant improvements were observed in all LCQ domains and CAT. 31% of participants were identified as responders in the LCQ (36%♀; 66±10 years; 62% COPD; FEV1%predicted 60.0±22.3) showcasing significant differences in LCQ and CAT compared to non-responders. People with low CR-QoL and/or medium/high impact of the disease at baseline were 11 and 4 times, more likely to respond to PR in CR-QoL, respectively.PR enhances CR-QoL. Identification of CR-QoL and disease impact traits at baseline offers insights to optimize this outcome responsiveness to PR.
Predicting Outcomes after Hospitalisation for COPD Exacerbation Using Machine Learning
Authors: Wu Chih-Ying , Hsu Chien-Ning , Wang Charlotte , Chien Jung-Yien , Wang Chi-Chuan , Lin Fang-Ju 
Published: October 2024

BackgroundEarly readmission and death are critical adverse outcomes following hospitalisation due to exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD). This study aimed to develop and validate machine learning models to enhance the prediction of these outcomes after ECOPD hospitalisation.MethodsUtilising a nationwide database, data from the index ECOPD hospitalisation and the preceding year were collected. Prediction models for 30-day readmission and death were developed using logistic lasso regression, random forest, extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and neural network, with the LACE index serving as a reference. Model performance was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration plots from the validation dataset. Key predictors were identified using SHapley Additive exPlanations.ResultsThe study included 101 011 hospitalisations in the development dataset and 17 565 in the validation dataset. The rates of 30-day readmission and death were 29.1% and 4.3%, respectively. AmoXGBoost outperformed other models, achieving an area under the ROC curve of 0.721 (95% CI, 0.713–0.729) for readmission and 0.809 (95% CI, 0.794–0.824) for death, both exceeding the corresponding values for the LACE index (0.651 and 0.641). All machine learning models demonstrated good calibration. The number of hospitalisations in the previous year and the lowest haemoglobin level during the index hospitalisation were the top predictors of readmission and death, respectively.ConclusionsApplying machine learning techniques to large-scale data effectively improves the prediction of early readmission and death following ECOPD hospitalisation. Identifying critical prognostic factors could enhance targeted post-discharge care for this high-risk patient group.
Pulmonary hypertension associated with COPD: a phenotype analysis
Authors: Steger Mathilde , Canuet Matthieu , Martin Guillaume , Labani Aissam , Schwartz Jean Charles , Enache Irina , Schuller Armelle , Meyer Léo , Chaouat Ari , Kessler Romain , Montani David , Riou Marianne 
Published: October 2024

BackgroundPulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; PH-COPD) exhibits diverse phenotypes, challenging therapeutic management. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of COPD patients with distinct phenotypes: end-stage COPD with or without PH; group 1; other COPD patients with mild-to-moderate precapillary PH-COPD; group 2; and COPD patients with a pulmonary vascular phenotype (PVP); group 3.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of COPD patients who underwent right heart catheterization (RHC) from 2015 to 2022.ResultsEighty-one patients were included in group 1, 37 in group 2, and 35 in group 3. The groups differed in clinical, functional, hemodynamic, and imaging characteristics. Group 1 had significantly marked lung hyperinflation with increased total lung capacity and residual volume, a feature not observed in group 3. These results were confirmed by analysis of chest CT scans, which confirmed varying degrees of emphysema: severe in group 1, moderate in group 2, and mild in group 3, with median total emphysema index of 55% (48–62), 32% (16–49), and 16% (3.4–31), respectively, p<0.0001.ConclusionsOur results highlight the broad spectrum of precapillary PH in COPD, from PH associated with end-stage COPD (phenotype/group 1), characterized by predominant alveolar wall damage with severe emphysema, to PVP (phenotype/group 3), mainly due to pulmonary vascular changes. Phenotype/group 2 represents an intermediate state combining features of both. In the current debate on how to distinguish PH-COPD phenotypes, it might be of interest to include quantitative thresholds for emphysema in future diagnostic and management algorithms.
Association of novel antihyperglycemic drugsversusmetformin with COPD exacerbations
Authors: Kimura Yuya , Jo Taisuke , Inoue Norihiko , Suzukawa Maho , Matsui Hiroki , Sasabuchi Yusuke , Yasunaga Hideo 
Published: October 2024

BackgroundDipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4 Is), glucagon-like peptidase 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), and sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 Is) may contribute to better control of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to their anti-inflammatory effects, like those observed with metformin. We aimed to investigate the association of these novel antihyperglycemic drugsversusmetformin with fewer COPD exacerbations in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) comorbid with COPD.MethodsUsing the national administrative database covering 99% of the medical facilities in Japan, we constructed three active comparators new-user cohorts comprising 36 317 patients with T2DM and COPD who initiated treatment with the novel antihyperglycemic drugs and metformin between 2014 and 2022. Patients’ backgrounds were balanced using overlap propensity score weighting. We calculated the hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the initial occurrence of COPD exacerbation requiring systemic corticosteroids using a weighted Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsDPP-4 Is were associated with a higher incidence of exacerbations requiring systemic corticosteroids (22.4versus20.4 per 100 person-years; HR [95% CI] 1.16 [1.07–1.25]) compared with metformin. In contrast, the incidence of such exacerbations in the GLP-1 RAs (30.1versus24.4 per 100 person-years; HR [95% CI] 1.07 [0.87–1.32]) and SGLT-2 Is (20.7versus21.8 per 100 person-years; 1.00 [0.94–1.06]) groups were comparable with that in the metformin group.ConclusionsWhile DPP-4 Is were associated with poorer control of COPD compared with metformin, GLP-1 RAs and SGLT-2 Is offered COPD control comparable to that of metformin.