bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the sex determining region and development of a molecular sex identification method in a Salangid fish
Authors: Yang Hao , Li Yu-Long , Xing Teng-Fei , Liu Jin-Xian 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
The short-snout icefish, Neosalanx brevirostris, a member of the Salangidae family, is an economically important fishery species in China. Understanding the mechanisms underlying sex determination in this species has crucial implications for conservation, ecology and evolution. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of rapid and cost-effective genetic methods for sex identification, which poses challenges in identifying the sex of immature individuals in sex determination mechanism studies and aquaculture breeding applications.

Results
Based on whole genome resequencing data, sex-specific loci and regions were found to be concentrated in a region on chromosome 2. All sex-specific loci exhibited excess heterozygosity in females and complete homozygosity in males. This sex determining region contains seven genes, including cytochrome P450 aromatase CYP19B, which is involved in steroidogenesis and is associated with 24 sex-specific loci and two W-deletions. A haploid female-specific sequence was identified as paralogous to a diploid sequence with a significant length difference, making it suitable for rapid and cost-effective genetic sex identification by traditional PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis, which were further validated in 24 females and 24 males with known phenotypic sexes.

Conclusions
Our results confirm that N.brevirostris exhibits a female heterogametic sex determination system (ZZ/ZW), with chromosome 2 identified as the putative sex chromosome containing a relatively small sex determining region (~ 48 Kb). The gene CYP19B is proposed as a candidate sex determining gene. Moreover, the development of PCR based method enables genetic sex identification at any developmental stage, thereby facilitating further studies on sex determination mechanisms and advancing aquaculture breeding applications for this species.
Bioinformatics designing of an mRNA vaccine for Mokola virus (MOKV) using immunoinformatics as a secure strategy for successful vaccine development
Authors: Oladipo Elijah Kolawole , Ogunniran James Akinwumi , Akinpelu Oluwaseyi Samuel , Omole Tosin Omoboyede , Adeyemo Stephen Feranmi , Irewolede Boluwatife Ayobami , Iwalokun Bamidele Abiodun , Ajani Olumide Faith , Onyeaka Helen 
Published: November 2024

AbstractThe Mokola Virus belongs to the family Rhabdoviridae and is genotype 3 of the Lyssavirus genera. A small number of cases of animal and human encephalomyelitis, mainly scattered over sub-Saharan Africa, have been linked to the Mokola Virus (MOKV). Currently there is no vaccine to protect against MOKV infection in people or animals. It has been proven that rabies vaccination does not confer immunity against MOKV infection, even though MOKV and the rabies virus are related. Using immunoinformatics approaches, this study designed an mRNA vaccine that can protect against all the five glycoproteins of the Mokola virus. NCBI was used to obtain the viral sequences, which were then screened for antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, B-cell epitopes, CD8 + T lymphocytes (CTL), and CD4 + T lymphocytes (HTL). These epitopes were used in the construction of the vaccine. Some extra co-translational residues were added to the mRNA vaccine construct. Its molecular weight is 129.19083 kDa, and its estimated pI is 8.58. It interacts rather steadily and with limited deformability with TLR 3, among other human innate immune receptors. Overall, the results show that the produced candidate vaccine is non-allergen, non-toxic, and can elicit T–cell and B–cell immune responses. These findings can further be subjected to in-vivo and in-vitro techniques for validation.
Urban slum housing quality, and its public health implications in Nigeria: a case of urban slum residents in Enugu metropolis, South East, Nigeria
Authors: Ogbonna Salomey N. , Ochie Casmir N. , Aniwada Elias C. 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Introduction
Housing remains a strategic social determinant of health. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most urban dwellers live in slums with attendant health implications. This study assessed the housing conditions of the slums of Enugu metropolis and the public health implications.

Methods
This is a community-based cross-sectional study of 459 slum residents of the Enugu metropolis. Ethical clearance was obtained from the UNTH, Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC). Data was collected using a pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and an observational checklist. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Data were summarised using mean and standard deviation, frequency and proportion as appropriate and presented in tables and figures. The chi-square test was used for association at p-value ≤ 0.05 significance.

Results
The mean age (SD) of the respondents was 32.93(12.34) years. A higher proportion (N = 180, 39.2%) were 18-27years, females (N = 282, 61.4%), married (N = 297, 64.7%), attained secondary education (N = 273, 59.5%), Igbo (N = 453, 98.7%), and self-employed (N = 327, 71.2%). They demonstrated good knowledge of standard housing specifications (N = 231, 50.3%) and the effects of housing conditions on health (N = 297, 64.7%). Also, most lived in a one-room apartment (N = 201, 43.8%) and cooked in a separate kitchen (N = 150, 32.7%) with a gas cooker as the major source of heat supply for cooking (N = 249, 54.2%). Sixty-three (13.7%) of the respondents didn’t have access to suitable toilet facilities. A higher proportion, (N = 171, 37.3%) used pipe-borne water, and electricity as the major source of light (N = 447, 97.4%). The most prevailing health condition was malaria/fever (N = 258, 97.4%). Despite having pests and rodents-infested dwellings, only (N = 156, 34.0%) had insecticides in the house. Equally, (N = 132, 28.8%) of them lived with broken floors.

Conclusions
Despite good knowledge of the public health implications of poor housing, most dwellings remained substandard and unhealthful with associated prevalent health conditions.

Recommendation
There is a need for a health campaign against the poor living conditions in the slums.
The use of contracts to implement and manage healthy vending: best practice recommendations for effective and sustained interventions
Authors: Dancey Jane , Reeve Belinda , Jones Alexandra , Brimblecombe Julie 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Contracts can be an effective lever to implement and manage health-enabling food retail environments. However, guidance for the effective use of contracts in food retail settings is limited. The use of contracts to create healthy food vending environments is one area where policy attention has been focussed in high income countries. We applied a public health regulatory framework to publicly available guidance documents on healthy vending to develop best practice recommendations for using contracts to create healthy food vending environments.

Methods
Document analysis involved i) snowball sampling to identify eligible publicly available healthy vending guidance documents from an identified seed paper; ii) application of a public health regulatory framework to extract data across three domains of form, substance and governance of healthy vending initiatives; and iii) synthesis of data to form best practice recommendations. Eligible documents were those aimed at implementing healthier vending; published from 2000 onwards; accessible online; and included recommendations beyond nutrition standards alone, including a reference to at least one regulatory governance process (administration, implementation, monitoring, enforcement or review).

Results
Twelve of 92 documents identified were eligible and all were from the United States (US). All noted that products need to comply with nutrition standards. Other aspects of regulatory substance (i.e., pricing, promotion, placement, labelling and contract length) were less well considered as were elements of regulatory governance (regulatory rules, administration, implementation, monitoring, enforcement and review). Our adapted framework covers three regulatory domains with nine components, and a further 20 recommendations for best practice application in healthy vending.

Conclusions
To be effective, contracts used to manage healthy food vending should include more than the nutrition standards for healthy food and drinks. Clearly stating the contract objectives, operative terms and conditions, and defining responsibilities for monitoring, review and enforcement within the contract, in addition to the nutrition standards, will assist practitioners in creating effective and sustained contract-based initiatives aimed at improving the healthiness of vending, or potentially other food retail environments.
Definition of a measurement technique for hexapod circular smart fixators' perioperative assembly parameters and investigation of alignment and correlation with postoperative measurements: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kanar Muharrem , Sülek Yusuf , Seymenoğlu Tolga Hayrettin , Armağan Raffi 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
With the assistance of smart fixator technologies, the correction of complex deformities has been facilitated; however, the accurate integration of specialized radiographs and measurements into the system remains the greatest disadvantage, necessitating specialized imaging and an experienced team. When inexperienced technicians and doctors perform these specialized postoperative radiographs, excessive exposure of the patient and team to radioactive rays exacerbates inadequacies in measurements and delays the correction of residual deformities due to angular and translational adjustments. In this study, we compared postoperative measurements with those taken peroperatively via fluoroscopy, hypothesizing that it reduces the exposure of the patient and team to radioactive rays, allows for more accurate and timely correction of deformities and assembly parameters, and reduces time and costs.

Methods
Between 2013 and 2022, 84 patients with bone deformities were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had bone deformities and were treated with computer-assisted circular external fixator systems (Ca-CEF). Assembly parameter measurements began to be corrected via artificial neural network software via peroperative fluoroscopy in 37 patients and postoperative radiography in 47 patients. The surgical duration for all patients, peroperative measurement values, and number of radiographs taken on postoperative day 1, week, and month until deformity correction were recorded.

Results
The duration until deformity correction was shorter in patients who underwent postoperative measurements (mean 50.24 days) than in those who underwent peroperative measurements (mean 42.31 days), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.102). The surgical duration was significantly shorter in patients with postoperative measurements (mean of 130.37 min) than in those with peroperative measurements (mean of 155.88 min) (p = 0.045).
For patients with postoperative measurements, 56.04 postoperative radiographs were taken. In contrast, patients with peroperative measurements had fewer radiographs totaling 28.7. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the fluoroscopy dose between patients with postoperative measurements (mean 18.54 mGy) and those with peroperative measurements (mean 22.22 mGy) (p = 0.105).

Conclusion
To achieve accurate assembly parameters, minimizing X-ray exposure is crucial but can pose challenges. Our results showed that despite an average increase of 25 min in surgical duration, the time taken for deformity correction was shorter. Additionally, we obtained fewer postoperative radiographs, indicating reduced radiation exposure.
Integrating dermatologists in primary care: impact on delays, patient and professional experiences
Authors: Lovén Maria , Eklund Amanda , Huilaja Laura , Paananen Markus , Torkki Paulus 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Primary healthcare centres are burdened by the management of patients with skin conditions, while general practitioners might lack the expertise to assess skin changes accurately. The traditional care chain for skin findings is a multistage process that can cause delayed diagnosis and treatment, distressing the patient.
This study aimed to determine whether adding a dermatologist to the primary care team would streamline the care pathway of patients with skin conditions, while examining levels of satisfaction among patients and healthcare professionals.

Methods
A quasi-experimental multicentre study was conducted in three primary health centres in Finland. A dermatologist was integrated into two of the centres (intervention) but not the third (control). Data on timing of diagnosis and treatment and number of contacts were collected from records and analysed per care path. The Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) were used to measure the patient’s experience of the appointment. NPS and professional satisfaction queries were used to measure professional satisfaction.

Results
In total 186 intervention and 176 control patients were included, with 38 primary care professionals. Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed a significantly shorter time to confirmed diagnosis and to treatment start (25 vs. 49 days, p < 0.001), with a higher proportion (49% vs. 27%, p < 0.001) receiving immediate treatment in the primary care setting. Patients in the intervention group required fewer visits. Patient experience by PEI and NPS scores were higher in the intervention group (p ≤ 0.022 for each). Satisfaction levels among professionals in both groups were higher after the intervention than before, although the NPS score did not improve significantly in the control group. Almost all professionals advocated for the continuation of the integrated care pathway.

Conclusions
The integration of dermatologists into the primary care streamlined the management of skin conditions from diagnosis to treatment, while improving the experiences of both patients and healthcare professionals. This integrated care path is beneficial for the management of patients with skin findings in primary care.
Negotiating care in organizational borderlands: a grounded theory of inter-organizational collaboration in coordination of care
Authors: Hedqvist Ann-Therese , Lindberg Catharina , Hagerman Heidi , Svensson Ann , Ekstedt Mirjam 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Although coordination of care and integrated care models aim to enhance patient satisfaction and perceived care quality, evidence regarding their practical implementation remains scarce. Understanding the nuances of collaboration across care providers to achieve effective coordination of care is imperative for seamless care integration. The aim of this study was to construct a grounded theory of how inter-organizational collaboration is performed to support coordination of care for patients with complex care needs.

Methods
A qualitative design with a constructivist grounded theory approach was applied. In total, 86 participants with diverse backgrounds were recruited across multiple care settings, including hospitals, ambulance services, primary care centers, municipal home healthcare and home care services. The grounded theory was developed iteratively, based on a combination of observations and interviews, and using constant comparative analysis.

Results
Coordination of care, a complex process that occurs across interconnected healthcare organizations, is manifested as “Negotiating care in organizational borderlands.” Care coordination evolves through a spectrum of inter-organizational collaboration, ranging from “Dividing care by disease-specific expertise” to “Establishing paths for collaboration” and ultimately “Co-constructing a comprehensive whole.” These categories highlight the challenges of coordinating care across both professional and organizational boundaries. In the multifaceted healthcare landscape, effective care coordination occurs when healthcare professionals actively bridge the divides, leveraging their collective expertise. Importantly, organizational boundaries may serve a purpose and should not be dissolved to facilitate effective care coordination.

Conclusions
The key to effective care coordination lies in robust inter-organizational collaboration. Even when patients receive integrated care, healthcare professionals may have fragmented roles. This research emphasizes the importance of clearly defined lines of accountability, reinforcing mutual responsibility and facilitating bridging of professional and organizational boundaries. Healthcare professionals and policymakers can use these insights to effectively utilize inter-organizational collaboration in supporting care coordination for patients with complex care needs.
What happens to old insecticide-treated nets after households use in Burkina Faso?
Authors: Hien Aristide S. , Hien Hervé , Bacyè Fidèle Y. , Badolo Herman , Tiono Alfred , Diallo Cheick O. , Somda Serge M.A. , Bazié Herman , Guira Matilibou , Meda Nicolas 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are the most commonly deployed tools for controlling malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa. However, some reports associate multiple alternative uses of nets with poor disposal practices, prompting this study to assess existing alternative uses and disposal practices of old ITNs in Burkina Faso after four universal distribution campaigns.

Methods
A quantitative survey combined with qualitative data collection was used to describe existing alternative uses and disposal practices for old ITNs in households from selected study sites in the three climatic zones of Burkina Faso. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 3,780 participants, and 12 focus groups were held to elucidate responses regarding existing disposal practices and alternative uses of ITNs.

Results
Of the 3780 households surveyed, 87.4% (3,330) reported having disposed of their ITNs when they were no longer usable due to age or wear. The most commonly cited disposal methods included alternative uses (67.4%), disposal with other garbage (61.4%), and burying (9%). In addition, the most common alternative uses included fencing for crops and seedlings (51.8%); ropes for tying items (40.4%); animal protection fencing (17.8%); house fencing (16.8%); bed covers (13.3%) and curtains for doors or windows (12.6%). Furthermore, trends in ITNs disposal mechanisms and alternative uses differed between study sites in each climate zone. All these ITNs disposal mechanisms and the different types of alternative use of old ITNs were confirmed in the focus group discussions.

Conclusion
The findings underscore the need for comprehensive strategies to manage the disposal and repurposing of old ITNs in Burkina Faso. Addressing gaps in disposal guidelines, promoting safe and beneficial reuse practices, and actively involving communities in the decision-making process can help mitigate health risks associated with the improper disposal and repurposing of old insecticide-treated nets and improve the overall effectiveness of malaria control programmes. Through these efforts, both public health and environmental concerns can be addressed in a sustainable and collaborative manner.
Regulation of disease-associated microglia in the optic nerve by lipoxin B4 and ocular hypertension
Authors: Maurya Shubham , Lin Maggie , Karnam Shruthi , Singh Tanirika , Kumar Matangi , Ward Emily , Sivak Jeremy , Flanagan John G. , Gronert Karsten 
Published: November 2024

Abstract
Background
The resident astrocyte-retinal ganglion cell (RGC) lipoxin circuit is impaired during retinal stress, which includes ocular hypertension-induced neuropathy. Lipoxin B4 produced by homeostatic astrocytes directly acts on RGCs to increase survival and function in ocular hypertension-induced neuropathy. RGC death in the retina and axonal degeneration in the optic nerve are driven by the complex interactions between microglia and macroglia. Whether LXB4 neuroprotective actions include regulation of other cell types in the retina and/or optic nerve is an important knowledge gap.

Methods
Cellular targets and signaling of LXB4 in the retina were defined by single-cell RNA sequencing. Retinal neurodegeneration was induced by injecting silicone oil into the anterior chamber of mouse eyes, which induced sustained and stable ocular hypertension. Morphological characterization of microglia populations in the retina and optic nerve was established by MorphOMICs and pseudotime trajectory analyses. The pathways and mechanisms of action of LXB4 in the optic nerve were investigated using bulk RNA sequencing. Transcriptomics data was validated by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Differences between experimental groups were assessed by Student’s t-test and one-way ANOVA.

Results
Single-cell transcriptomics identified microglia as a primary target for LXB4 in the healthy retina. LXB4 downregulated genes that drive microglia environmental sensing and reactivity responses. Analysis of microglial function revealed that ocular hypertension induced distinct, temporally defined, and dynamic phenotypes in the retina and, unexpectedly, in the distal myelinated optic nerve. Microglial expression of CD74, a marker of disease-associated microglia in the brain, was only induced in a unique population of optic nerve microglia, but not in the retina. Genetic deletion of lipoxin formation correlated with the presence of a CD74 optic nerve microglia population in normotensive eyes, while LXB4 treatment during ocular hypertension shifted optic nerve microglia toward a homeostatic morphology and non-reactive state and downregulated the expression of CD74. Furthermore, we identified a correlation between CD74 and phospho-phosphoinositide 3-kinases (p-PI3K) expression levels in the optic nerve, which was reduced by LXB4 treatment.

Conclusion
We identified early and dynamic changes in the microglia functional phenotype, reactivity, and induction of a unique CD74 microglia population in the distal optic nerve as key features of ocular hypertension-induced neurodegeneration. Our findings establish microglia regulation as a novel LXB4 target in the retina and optic nerve. LXB4 maintenance of a homeostatic optic nerve microglia phenotype and inhibition of a disease-associated phenotype are potential neuroprotective mechanisms for the resident LXB4 pathway.