bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of a fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin in reduction of cardiovascular risk in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Koval S. M. , Rieznik L. A. , Mysnychenko O. V. , Penkova M. Y. 
Published: October 2024

Objective is to study the effectiveness of a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin in reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with uncontrolled arterial hypertension (AH) and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).
Materials and methods. 36 patients with uncontrolled AH and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus aged 45 to 60 were examined. Before inclusion in the study, all patients received standard antihypertensive (angiotensin‑converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin‑II receptor blocker (ARB) in combination with a calcium channel blocker and a thiazide‑like diuretic), glucose‑lowering (metformin) and hypolipidemic (atorvastatin) therapy. However, target levels of blood pressure (BP), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipids were not achieved. After the initial examination, all patients were prescribed a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin at a dose of 12.5 mg/1000 mg 1—2 times a day, and antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy was continued. Re‑examination was carried out after 20 weeks. In the work, a statistical analysis of the obtained data was carried out using standard methods using Microsoft Excel 7.0 and SPSS 19.0 application packages.
Results. The transfer of the examined patients from previous ineffective hypoglycemic therapy to a fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin against the background of standard antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy made it possible to achieve the target levels of HbA1c in 69% of patients and target BP levels in 64%. The frequency of reaching target BP levels in the subgroup of patients who received ARB was significantly higher than in the subgroup of patients who received ACE inhibitors. The specified therapy contributed to a significant reduction in body weight, reaching the target levels of low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‑C) and non‑high‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non‑HDL‑C) in more than a third of patients, and reducing the severity of albuminuria in some patients. The tested therapy, in general, led to reduction in cardiovascular risk and did not cause side effects that could lead to discontinuation of treatment.
Conclusions. The fixed combination of empagliflozin with metformin against the background of standard antihypertensive and hypolipidemic therapy in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and decompensated type 2 diabetes mellitus contributed to the achievement in the vast majority of patients of the target levels of HbA1c in the blood and BP levels, reduced body weight, positive changes in lipid metabolism and kidney function, and demonstrated the possibility of a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk. A more pronounced decrease in BP was detected in the case of a fixed combination of empagliflozin and metformin with ARB compared to ACE inhibitors in this category of patients.
Assessment of dietary intake in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease using the Ukrainian version of the EPIC-Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Shatylo S. S. , Solovyova G. A. , Kvacheniuk K. L. 
Published: October 2024

Metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is prevalent worldwide. Studies demonstrate a possible association between diet and MASLD. However, data regarding patients in Ukraine are lacking.
Objective — to study dietary habits and meeting recommended dietary intake in patients with MASLD.
Materials and methods. Adults with MASLD aged 18 years and older (n=29) receiving care in outpatient settings who fully completed the adapted and validated Ukrainian version of the EPIC‑Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) were included in the analysis. Liver steatosis was confirmed by ultrasound examination, and diagnosis of MASLD was based on the criteria defined by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. As a reference for recommended dietary intake, data from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020—2025 years were used. FETA software was used to calculate nutrient data from the FFQ. The one‑sample t‑test, t‑test, the one‑sample signed rank sum test, and Mann‑Whitney test were used to assess the differences between the sample and the reference data. The chi‑squared test was used to analyse categorical data.
Results. The mean age of participants was 41.4±12 years, 69% of participants being female. The mean body mass index was 35.4±7.9 kg/m2. Participants consumed more protein, than recommended by current dietary recommendations. Women also tended to have higher energy intake and consume more fat, saturated fatty acids, and carbohydrates than recommended. The median fibre intake was 19.36 g (Q1; Q3 : 13.29; 26.45), which is lower than the recommended 14 g per 1000 kcal (p=0.0015). Dietary intake of most vitamins and micronutrients was met. However, women and men consumed less than 600 IU of vitamin D daily. Among all patients with MASLD, sodium intake (3829.5±1559.3 mg) was significantly higher than recommended (2300 mg, p<0.0001). Approximately 62% of participants take dietary supplements, with vitamin D being the most popular choice.
Conclusions. Our study showed that patients with MASLD in Ukraine tend to exceed recommended protein and sodium intake and, at the same time, have low fibre and Vitamin D consumption. High energy intake and saturated fatty acids consumption are also of concern.
Prognostic significance of suppressor of tumorigenicity 2, endothelin-1, macrophage migration inhibitory factor, interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein in patients with acute myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation and reduced glomerular filtration
Authors: Bilchenko A. O. , Kopytsya M. P. , Petyunina O. V. , Vishnevska I. R. , Rodionova I. V. , Vishniakov K. A. , Storozhenko T. Y. 
Published: October 2024

Acute myocardial infarction with ST‑segment elevation (STEMI) is one of the most severe forms of cardiovascular disease, requiring immediate diagnosis and treatment. Prognostic biomarkers play a crucial role in risk stratification and guiding therapeutic strategies in STEMI patients, particularly those with reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
Objective — to evaluate the prognostic significance of suppressor of tumorigenicity 2 (ST2), endothelin­1 (ET­1), macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), interleukin­6 (IL­6), and C­reactive protein (CRP) in STEMI patients with reduced GFR compared to those with normal GFR for improved risk stratification and management.
Materials and methods. This study was conducted on a cohort of 762 patients diagnosed with STEMI. The mean age of the patients was (60.5±10.5) years, with 74.7% being male. The glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the CKD­EPI 2021 formula. Patients were categorized into two groups: 246 with GFR <60 ml/min/1.73m2 and 516 with GFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73m2. Biomarker levels (ST2, ET­1, MIF, IL­6, CRP) were measured using enzyme­linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.
Results. In patients with reduced GFR, ST2 and CRP levels were significantly higher than in patients with normal GFR (39.48 [26.49—80.71] and 33.78 [21.14—59.66] ng/ml, respectively, p=0.026 and 48 [36—96] and 24 [6—48] mg/l, p=0.015). The levels of MIF and IL‑6 were also increased in patients with reduced GFR, but the differences in these parameters were not statistically significant. No significant difference was recorded in ET‑1 levels between the groups. The analysis of ROC curves for ST2 revealed moderate prognostic accuracy in predicting survival in patients with reduced GFR (AUC=0.659; p=0.016).
Conclusions. The results indicate the importance of ST2 as a prognostic marker in STEMI patients with reduced GFR. The use of these biomarkers in clinical practice can improve risk stratification and management in this patient group. Further research is warranted to develop individualized treatment approaches that consider the risks of cardiovascular events and renal dysfunction in STEMI patients.
L’immagine del Turco nelle cronache moldave in lingua slava
Authors: Senatore Adriana 
Published: October 2024

The Moldavian chronicles in the Slavic languages of the 15th–16th centuries expose the events of the country in a time of grave difficulties for the survival of the Christian states of Europe, threatened by the expansionary policy of the Ottoman Empire. The authors closely follow the progressive expansion of the Sublime Porte and the fall of boroughs, citadels, and cities (Gallipoli, Sofia, Veliko Tărnovo, Thessaloniki), as well as Chilia, Cetatea Albă, fortified Moldavian citadels. Naturally, the chroniclers rejoice for the rarest victories on the battlefield of the European sovereigns and the princes of Moldavia; they are saddened by the defeats suffered by Moldavian and, more generally, Christian arms. Above all, they fear that the new ‘paganism’ coming from the now subjugated Constantinople can suffocate the ancestral religion, although they do not neglect the dangerousness of other beliefs, such as the Lutheran, professed even by a prince. In the final analysis, the chronicler considers himself a scriba Dei who must educate the reader and strengthen him in the true faith, orthodoxy.
Hacia una gestión inclusiva: mujeres en puestos directivos de empresas de manufactura
Authors: Martínez Villalobos Valeria , Escobedo Portillo Alberto , Villagrán Ruiz Julio César 
Published: October 2024

Introducción: El estudio tiene como objetivo analizar aquellos factores que inciden en el acceso de las mujeres a puestos gerenciales en empresas manufactureras de México. Metodología: Estudio de naturaleza cualitativa con apoyo cuantitativo, con base en la técnica de la entrevista. El enfoque de la investigación es aplicado, descriptivo, con sustento en el método de la fenomenología. La muestra se compone por nueve mujeres que ocupan un puesto directivo/gerencial en una empresa manufacturera. Resultados: Un número considerable de las mujeres entrevistadas ha alcanzado maestría y doctorado. Hubo diversidad en cuanto al estado civil y la edad, además de los contextos familiares en los que se desenvuelven estas profesionales. La mayoría ha ocupado distintos puestos antes de alcanzar su posición actual y las políticas laborales de cada empresa considerada varían sustancialmente. Algunas cuentan con apoyo para las tareas domésticas y otras gestionan su tiempo con apoyo de la pareja. Persisten desafíos relacionados con la discriminación y los estereotipos de género en el lugar de trabajo. Discusión: Las mujeres entrevistadas muestran dedicación, habilidades profesionales y adaptabilidad al entorno predominantemente masculino. Conclusiones. A pesar de los desafíos del ámbito laboral y personal, ellas contribuyen al crecimiento, competitividad y éxito de las organizaciones.
Endovascular treatment for aggressive vertebrobasilar stenosis due to giant cell arteritis: illustrative cases
Authors: Mizuta Ryosuke , Saito Shoji , Kawabe Keita , Seto Hiroki , Suzuki Tomoaki , Sano Masakazu , Hasegawa Hitoshi , Oishi Makoto 
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) infrequently presents with progressive symptomatic vertebrobasilar stenosis. Vertebrobasilar GCA is often refractory to medical treatments and can lead to short-term ischemic stroke recurrence, which is associated with a poor prognosis. Endovascular treatment (EVT) is a therapeutic option; however, the optimal timing and indications for its application remain unclear.

OBSERVATIONS
This study reports two patients with vertebrobasilar GCA who exhibited repeated ischemic strokes in the vertebrobasilar territory, along with progressive severe stenosis and occlusion of the bilateral vertebral arteries, despite receiving medical therapy. They were successfully treated with balloon angioplasty, and there were no subsequent occurrences of stroke or restenosis.
A review was conducted of six cases of vertebrobasilar GCA treated with EVT. All patients had bilateral lesions and experienced recurrent strokes within 30 days. Angiography suggested ischemic complications in vertebrobasilar GCA resulting from hemodynamic ischemia caused by stenosis rather than intradural vasculitis. The improved blood flow through EVT alleviated patient symptoms and prevented recurrent strokes.

LESSONS
Some patients with vertebrobasilar GCA exhibit rapid stenosis progression and repeated hemodynamic ischemia despite medical therapy. EVT is a potential strategy for treating medically refractory vertebrobasilar GCA. Performing EVT prior to recurrent infarctions can lead to favorable outcomes.
https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24404
The design of a model predictive control strategy and performance analysis for pumped storage units and super capacitors in power systems
Authors: Zhidong Wang , Xiaonan Han , Ying Wang 
Published: October 2024

IntroductionSuper capacitors were regarded as one of the most effective frequency regulation technologies in power systems. The major issue of applying super capacitors for frequency regulation is the limited energy capacity and the high construction costs. The pumped storage units have been developed and applied in power systems for decades, whereas it was rarely operated to regulate the system frequency due to the operation limitations. The pumped storage units could be operated as a hydro generator under the generation mode and provide effective frequency regulation service with the conventional automatic generation control (AGC) system while its output power was constant under the pumping mode.MethodIn this paper, the pumped storage unit was controlled to participate in frequency regulation under the generation mode with super capacitors. Considering the AGC system could not consider the state of charging (SOC) of super capacitors for frequency regulation, an optimization model was proposed to determine the operation points for super capacitors and pumped storage units under a model predictive control (MPC) strategy to regulate the system frequency for power systems.Results and DiscussionBased on the various operation scenarios, the effectiveness and costs of pumped storage units and super capacitors to provide frequency regulation services were discussed. It was indicated that pumped storage units and super capacitors were effective technologies for power systems.
Elucidating macrophage scavenger receptor 1’s mechanistic contribution as a shared molecular mediator in obesity and thyroid cancer pathogenesis via bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Shang Fangjian , Xu Zhe , Wang Haobo , Xu Bin , Li Ning , Zhang Jiakai , Li Xuan , Zhao Zhen , Zhang Xi , Liu Bo , Zhao Zengren 
Published: October 2024

IntroductionObesity is a disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat. Concurrently, thyroid carcinoma (THCA) stands as the foremost endocrine malignancy. Despite the observed escalation in concurrent prevalence of both conditions, the underlying interconnections remain elusive. This indicates the need to identify potential biomarkers to predict the pathways through which obesity and THCA coexist.MethodsThe study employed a variety of methods, including differential gene expression analysis, Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), and gene enrichment analysis. It was also supplemented with immunohistochemical data from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), advanced machine learning techniques, and related experiments such as qPCR, to identify important pathways and key genes shared between obesity and THCA.ResultsThrough differential gene expression analysis, WGCNA, and machine learning methods, we identified three biomarkers (IL6R, GZMB, and MSR1) associated with obesity. After validation analysis using THCA-related datasets and biological experiments, we selected Macrophage Scavenger Receptor 1 (MSR1) as a key gene for THCA analysis. The final analysis revealed that MSR1 is closely related to the degree of immune cell infiltration in patients with obesity and THCA, suggesting that this gene may be a potential intervention target for both obesity and THCA.DiscussionOur research indicates that MSR1 may influence the occurrence and development of obesity and THCA by regulating the infiltration level of immune cells. This lays the foundation for future research on targeted therapies based on their shared mechanisms.
Dinucleotide composition representation -based deep learning to predict scoliosis-associated Fibrillin-1 genotypes
Authors: Zhang Sen , Dai Li-Na , Yin Qi , Kang Xiao-Ping , Zeng Dan-Dan , Jiang Tao , Zhao Guang-Yu , Li Xiao-He , Li Jing 
Published: October 2024

IntroductionScoliosis is a pathological spine structure deformation, predominantly classified as “idiopathic” due to its unknown etiology. However, it has been suggested that scoliosis may be linked to polygenic backgrounds. It is crucial to identify potential Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS)-related genetic backgrounds before scoliosis onset.MethodsThe present study was designed to intelligently parse, decompose and predict AIS-related variants in ClinVar database. Possible AIS-related variant records downloaded from ClinVar were parsed for various labels, decomposed for Dinucleotide Compositional Representation (DCR) and other traits, screened for high-risk genes with statistical analysis, and then learned intelligently with deep learning to predict high-risk AIS genotypes.ResultsResults demonstrated that the present framework is composed of all technical sections of data parsing, scoliosis genotyping, genome encoding, machine learning (ML)/deep learning (DL) and scoliosis genotype predicting. 58,000 scoliosis-related records were automatically parsed and statistically analyzed for high-risk genes and genotypes, such as FBN1, LAMA2 and SPG11. All variant genes were decomposed for DCR and other traits. Unsupervised ML indicated marked inter-group separation and intra-group clustering of the DCR of FBN1, LAMA2 or SPG11 for the five types of variants (Pathogenic, Pathogeniclikely, Benign, Benignlikely and Uncertain). A FBN1 DCR-based Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was trained for Pathogenic and Benign/ Benignlikely variants performed accurately on validation data and predicted 179 high-risk scoliosis variants. The trained predictor was interpretable for the similar distribution of variant types and variant locations within 2D structure units in the predicted 3D structure of FBN1.DiscussionIn summary, scoliosis risk is predictable by deep learning based on genomic decomposed features of DCR. DCR-based classifier has predicted more scoliosis risk FBN1 variants in ClinVar database. DCR-based models would be promising for genotype-to-phenotype prediction for more disease types.
Longitudinal accelerated brain age in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Ly Maria , Yu Gary , Son Sang Joon , Pascoal Tharick , Karim Helmet T. ,   the Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: October 2024

IntroductionBrain age is a machine learning-derived estimate that captures lower brain volume. Previous studies have found that brain age is significantly higher in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) compared to healthy controls. Few studies have investigated changes in brain age longitudinally in MCI and AD. We hypothesized that individuals with MCI and AD would show heightened brain age over time and across the lifespan. We also hypothesized that both MCI and AD would show faster rates of brain aging (higher slopes) over time compared to healthy controls.MethodsWe utilized data from an archival dataset, mainly Alzheimer’s disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) 1 with 3Tesla (3 T) data which totaled 677 scans from 183 participants. This constitutes a secondary data analysis on existing data. We included control participants (healthy controls or HC), individuals with MCI, and individuals with AD. We predicted brain age using a pre-trained model and tested for accuracy. We investigated cross-sectional differences in brain age by group [healthy controls or HC, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD]. We conducted longitudinal modeling of age and brain age by group using time from baseline in one model and chronological age in another model.ResultsWe predicted brain age with a mean absolute error (MAE) &lt; 5 years. Brain age was associated with age across the study and individuals with MCI and AD had greater brain age on average. We found that the MCI group had significantly higher rates of change in brain age over time compared to the HC group regardless of individual chronologic age, while the AD group did not differ in rate of brain age change.DiscussionWe replicated past studies that showed that MCI and AD had greater brain age than HC. We additionally found that this was true over time, both groups showed higher brain age longitudinally. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that the MCI, but not the AD group, showed faster rates of brain aging. We essentially found that while the MCI group was actively experiencing faster rates of brain aging, the AD group may have already experienced this acceleration (as they show higher brain age). Individuals with MCI may experience higher rates of brain aging than AD and controls. AD may represent a homeostatic endpoint after significant neurodegeneration. Future work may focus on individuals with MCI as one potential therapeutic option is to alter rates of brain aging, which ultimately may slow cognitive decline in the long-term.
Effect of solutions acidity on Haacke’s Figure of Merit of ZnO and ZnO:F thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis
Authors: Bobadilla-Barrón G. , Maldonado A. , Olvera M. de la L. , Zamora-Justo J. A. 
Published: October 2024

Fluorine-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:F) thin films are valued for their potential as transparent conductive materials, particularly in optoelectronic applications. In this work, the deposition of highly conductive and transparent fluorine-doped ZnO thin films, deposited by chemical spray on glass substrates is reported. The effect of acetic (AcAc) in the initial fresh solution on Haacke’s Figure of Merit (Φ) of both zinc oxide (ZnO) and fluorine-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:F) thin films was studied. The substrate temperature was fixed to 450°C, and two deposition times (8 and 14 min) were tested. Accordingly, the optical and transport properties, as well as the structural and morphological characteristics of the films were measured. The results indicate that the samples are polycrystalline in all cases and exhibit a wurtzite-type structure of ZnO. The variation of AcAc in the starting solution causes a switch in preferential growth from (002) to (001). As the AcAc content increases, the surface morphology of the films reveals the formation of well-defined hexagonal grains, and the grain size increases. Conversely, the transmittance decreases as the acetic acid increases, which can attributed to carbon incorporation into the film. In addition, the band gap values of the films varied from 3.2 to 3.4 eV. Also, as the acetic acid concentration increased, a drop in the electrical resistivity of ZnO thin films on the order of 0.016 Ω⋅ cm was found for the ZnO:F films deposited with fresh solution for 14 min. This can be ascribed to a dense acetic cloud formed during the synthesis process, trapping volatile F species that incorporate into the ZnO lattice. This enhances Haacke’s Figure of Merit of ZnO:F films deposited with a fresh solution, demonstrating their potential use for application as transparent conductive films. This contrasts with other synthesis methods that require longer aging time in the precursor solution, making these findings useful for large-scale and more efficient production of transparent conductive films.