bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Minimal generating sets and the abelianization for the quasitoric braid group
Authors: Omori Genki 
Published: October 2024

A toric braid is a braid whose closure is a torus link in [Formula: see text]. Manturov [A combinatorial representation of links by quasitoric braids, European J. Combin. 23(2) (2002) 207–212] generalized toric braids that is called quasitoric braids and showed that the subset of quasitoric braids in the classical braid group is a subgroup of the braid group. We call this subgroup the quasitoric braid group. In this paper, we give two minimal generating sets for the quasitoric braid group and determine its abelianization. The minimalities of these two generating sets are obtained from a lower bound by the number of generators for the abelianization.
Comparison of Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes Between Solid Headless and Headed Screws in the Treatment of Zone II and III Fifth Metatarsal Fractures in Elite Athletes
Authors: Cho David , Eble Stephanie , Kukadia Saanchi , Hansen Oliver , O’Malley Martin , Drakos Mark 
Published: October 2024

Background: Zone II and III fifth metatarsal (5-MT) fractures among athletes are typically managed with percutaneous fixation following anatomic reduction. However, screw head discomfort and refracture after bone union can occur because of the loads placed on the foot during play. Several hardware systems that use a smaller screw head compared to traditional hardware systems have been developed to minimize the rate of postoperative hardware complications. This study compares clinical and radiographic outcomes of 5-MT fractures in elite athletes treated with a solid headless screw vs a solid headed screw. We hypothesized that the headless screw would be associated with faster union rates, faster clearance times, and lower incidence of symptomatic hardware compared to the headed screw. Methods: Athletes competing at a collegiate level or higher treated for a zone II or III 5-MT fracture between 2016 and 2022 by 2 surgeons fellowship-trained in foot and ankle orthopaedics were screened. Operative notes were reviewed to determine the hardware system used. Subjects were divided based on the hardware system used during operation: headed screw and headless screw. Time to radiographic union, time to full clearance, and return to competition were determined. Postoperative complications, including nonunions, need for revision, need for hardware removal, and refractures were also noted. Results: Forty eligible patients (44 feet) were identified. The solid headed screw group included 20 patients (21 fractures), and the solid headless screw group included 20 patients (23 fractures). Average time to union for the headed screw group was 11.78 (range, 5.86-19.00) weeks; average time to union for the headless screw group was 11.65 (range, 6.00-22.57) weeks ( P = .93). Nineteen out of twenty (95%) patients were able to return to competition in both groups. Average time to return to competition for the headed screw group was 26.9 (range, 10.00-47.86) weeks, while average time for the headless screw group was 21.2 (range, 6.86-55.00) weeks ( P = .55). The overall complication rate for the headed screw was 23.8%, which was not statistically different from the overall complication rate for the headless screw of 13.0% ( P = .35). Conclusion: In this relatively small sample of elite athletes undergoing operative fixation of a 5-MT fracture, fixation using either a headless or headed screw system had similar good outcomes in regard to times to union, return to competition, and complication rate regardless of solid screw head type used. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.
Hexokinase 2 expression in apical enterocytes correlates with inflammation severity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Weber-Stiehl Saskia , Taubenheim Jan , Järke Lea , Röcken Christoph , Schreiber Stefan , Aden Konrad , Kaleta Christoph , Rosenstiel Philip , Sommer Felix 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Background
Inflammation is characterized by a metabolic switch promoting glycolysis and lactate production. Hexokinases (HK) catalyze the first reaction of glycolysis and inhibition of epithelial HK2 protected from colitis in mice. HK2 expression has been described as elevated in patients with intestinal inflammation; however, there is conflicting data from few cohorts especially with severely inflamed individuals; thus, systematic studies linking disease activity with HK2 levels are needed.

Methods
We examined the relationship between HK2 expression and inflammation severity using bulk transcriptome data derived from the mucosa of thoroughly phenotyped inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients of two independent cohorts including both subtypes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing data were analyzed, and immunofluorescence staining on colonic biopsies of unrelated patients with intestinal inflammation was performed to confirm the RNA-based findings on cellular and protein level.

Results
HK2 expression gradually increased from mild to intermediate inflammation, yet strongly declined at high inflammation scores. Expression of epithelial marker genes also declined at high inflammation scores, whereas that of candidate immune marker genes increased, indicating a cellular remodeling of the mucosa during inflammation with an infiltration of HK2-negative immune cells and a loss of terminal differentiated epithelial cells in the apical epithelium—the main site of HK2 expression. Normalizing for the enterocyte loss clearly identified epithelial HK2 expression as gradually increasing with disease activity and remaining elevated at high inflammation scores. HK2 protein expression was mostly restricted to brush border enterocytes, and these cells along with HK2 levels vanished with increasing disease severity.

Conclusions
Our findings clearly define dysregulated epithelial HK2 expression as an indicator of disease activity in intestinal inflammation and suggest targeted HK2-inhibition as a potential therapeutic avenue.
Impairment of spinal CSF flow precedes immune cell infiltration in an active EAE model
Authors: Xin Li , Madarasz Adrian , Ivan Daniela C. , Weber Florian , Aleandri Simone , Luciani Paola , Locatelli Giuseppe , Proulx Steven T. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractAccumulation of immune cells and proteins in the subarachnoid space (SAS) is found during multiple sclerosis and in the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Whether the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) along the SAS of the spinal cord is impacted is yet unknown. Combining intravital near-infrared (NIR) imaging with histopathological analyses, we observed a significantly impaired bulk flow of CSF tracers within the SAS of the spinal cord prior to EAE onset, which persisted until peak stage and was only partially recovered during chronic disease. The impairment of spinal CSF flow coincided with the appearance of fibrin aggregates in the SAS, however, it preceded immune cell infiltration and breakdown of the glia limitans superficialis. Conversely, cranial CSF efflux to cervical lymph nodes was not altered during the disease course. Our study highlights an early and persistent impairment of spinal CSF flow and suggests it as a sensitive imaging biomarker for pathological changes within the leptomeninges.
HIV and hepatitis C Virus in internally displaced people with and without injection drug use experience in the region of Shida Kartli, Georgia
Authors: Trovato Adrian , Gogia Maka , Aslanikashvili Ana , Kasrashvili Tamuna , Kovalenko Ganna , Yakovleva Anna , Skaathun Britt , Vasylyeva Tetyana I. 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Objective
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) can have limited access to HIV and hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment and prevention. IDPs comprise > 7% of Georgian population but prevalence and levels of HIV and HCV knowledge in this population remain unknown. We tested 100 IDPs in Georgia for HIV and HCV, many of whom had drug injecting experience, and interviewed them about their migration experience, sexual and drug injecting practices, and HIV/HCV transmission knowledge.

Results
The average age of participants was 37.5 years (range 18–63); 31% were women. Almost half (N = 48) of participants reported ever injecting drugs; 17% of those (N = 8) started injecting drugs within the last year. Anti-HCV and HIV prevalence was 11% and 0%, respectively. Fewer people without drug use experience compared to people who inject drugs correctly answered all questions on the HIV knowledge test (13% vs. 35%, p = 0.015) or knew where to get tested for HIV (67% vs 98%, p < 0.001). There was no difference in HCV knowledge between the two groups. HIV and HCV prevalence remains low among Georgian IDPs, but levels of HIV knowledge were much lower than levels of HCV knowledge.
The role of MRI in radiotherapy planning: a narrative review “from head to toe”
Authors: De Pietro Simona , Di Martino Giulia , Caroprese Mara , Barillaro Angela , Cocozza Sirio , Pacelli Roberto , Cuocolo Renato , Ugga Lorenzo , Briganti Francesco , Brunetti Arturo , Conson Manuel , Elefante Andrea 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Over the last few years, radiation therapy (RT) techniques have evolved very rapidly, with the aim of conforming high-dose volume tightly to a target. Although to date CT is still considered the imaging modality for target delineation, it has some known limited capabilities in properly identifying pathologic processes occurring, for instance, in soft tissues. This limitation, along with other advantages such as dose reduction, can be overcome using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is increasingly being recognized as a useful tool in RT clinical practice. This review has a two-fold aim of providing a basic introduction to the physics of MRI in a narrative way and illustrating the current knowledge on its application “from head to toe” (i.e., different body sites), in order to highlight the numerous advantages in using MRI to ensure the best therapeutic response. We provided a basic introduction for residents and non-radiologist on the physics of MR and reported evidence of the advantages and future improvements of MRI in planning a tailored radiotherapy treatment “from head to toe”.

Critical relevance statement
This review aims to help understand how MRI has become indispensable, not only to better characterize and evaluate lesions, but also to predict the evolution of the disease and, consequently, to ensure the best therapeutic response.

Key Points

MRI is increasingly gaining interest and applications in RT planning.

MRI provides high soft tissue contrast resolution and accurate delineation of the target volume.

MRI will increasingly become indispensable for characterizing and evaluating lesions, and to predict the evolution of disease.

Graphical Abstract
CoFFEE: a codec-based forensic feature extraction and evaluation software for H.264 videos
Authors: Bertazzini Giulia , Baracchi Daniele , Shullani Dasara , Iuliani Massimo , Piva Alessandro 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThe forensic analysis of digital videos is becoming increasingly relevant to deal with forensic cases, propaganda, and fake news. The research community has developed numerous forensic tools to address various challenges, such as integrity verification, manipulation detection, and source characterization. Each tool exploits characteristic traces to reconstruct the video life-cycle. Among these traces, a significant source of information is provided by the specific way in which the video has been encoded. While several tools are available to analyze codec-related information for images, a similar approach has been overlooked for videos, since video codecs are extremely complex and involve the analysis of a huge amount of data. In this paper, we present a new tool designed for extracting and parsing a plethora of video compression information from H.264 encoded files, including macroblocks structure, prediction residuals, and motion vectors. We demonstrate how the extracted features can be effectively exploited to address various forensic tasks, such as social network identification, source characterization, and double compression detection. We provide a detailed description of the developed software, which is released free of charge to enable its use by the research community to create new tools for forensic analysis of video files.
Wrapping input–output multipliers in confidence intervals
Authors: Stehrer Robert , Rueda-Cantuche José Manuel , Amores Antonio F. , Zenz David 
Published: October 2024

AbstractInput–output multipliers are typically calculated as point estimates of the Leontief quantity model. From the previous literature, they can also be estimated (and their confidence intervals) directly from establishments’/industries’ inputs and outputs data by running an appropriate econometric regression. However, previous contributions relied on analyses carried out for 1 single year, one country/region and a reduced number of degrees of freedom. This paper tests the robustness of the previous literature by using instead a time series of large-scale inter-country supply, use and input–output database with more than one country and more than 1 year, as well as panel data econometrics.
Socio-demographic, clinical variables and pain among Egyptian patients of opioid use disorder with and without comorbid gabapentin use
Authors: Nagy Nahla , Mohsen Nesreen , Elrassas Hanan , Dardeer Nourhan , Elawady Sara 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Introduction
There is increased clinical use of gabapentin, these trends appear to chronologically align with the opioid overdose crisis and particularly with the increased restrictions on opioid prescription.

Objectives
The study aimed to assess the clinical variables, pain quality, and severity among patients with opioid use disorder as the main substance with and without gabapentin comorbid use.

Methods
The research involved 60 patients diagnosed with substance use disorder, divided into two groups: opioid use as the main substance and opioid use with comorbid gabapentin. All participants were assessed using a semi-structured clinical addiction interview, the structured clinical interview for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, the Addiction Severity Index, urine drug test, McGill Pain Questionnaire, and Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questionnaire, in one interview setting.

Results
The study showed that pain relief was the main desirable effect in the gabapentin group, with 66.2% of the group experiencing it. Euphoria was the desirable effect in the opioid group, while overdose was more common in the gabapentin group. Respiratory complications were also more common in the Gabapentin group.

Conclusion
The study concluded that patients with comorbid gabapentin use disorder had a higher frequency of overdose, history of pain, and significant neuropathic pain, while less abstinence.
Effect of classical prolotherapy technique in knee osteoarthritis for a sample of Egyptian population: clinical and imaging study
Authors: Abdel-Fattah Yousra Hisham , Mohasseb Diaa Fahmy , Kotb Hesham Taha , Mostafa Safaa Ibrahim , Abdelnaby Hoda Mohamed Aly 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
Background
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a progressive musculoskeletal disease that leads to physical impairment and disability. Several nonoperative therapeutic options have been proposed to reduce symptoms, improve physical function, and prevent disability. One of these therapeutic options is dextrose prolotherapy (DPT). The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of DPT in the treatment of symptomatic KOA and to evaluate its potential proliferative role as assessed by musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Results
Seventeen knees (21.25%) dropped out, leaving 63 knees in the final analysis (57 females and 6 males, aged 41–74 years) with KOA. At 24-week follow-up, the visual analogue scale and overall Western Ontario and McMaster Universities scores showed significant improvement (P < 0.001). Moreover, a highly significant increase in cartilage thickness with a decrease in effusion grade and meniscal extrusion was observed by MSUS (P < 0.001). By MRI, there was a statistically significant decrease in effusion grade (P = 0.013) and meniscal extrusion (P = 0.005) and a highly significant increase in cartilage thickness (P < 0.001). Logistic analysis showed that lower patients’ body mass index (BMI) at baseline was a significant predictor for clinical improvement following DPT.

Conclusion
DPT might be considered a relatively safe minimally invasive intervention for the treatment of KOA with high adherence and satisfaction. It may lead to significant clinical and structural improvement in patients with KOA. Furthermore, lower BMI is a predicting factor for better clinical response to DPT.

Trial registration
The study was registered prospectively in ClinicalTrials.gov: clinical trial registration number NCT04178304 on 21 November 2019, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/XXX.
Risk of physical health comorbidities in autistic adults: clinical nested cross-sectional study
Authors: Hunt Megan , Underwood Jack F. G. , Hubbard Leon , Hall Jeremy 
Published: October 2024

Background
Physical health conditions are more common in individuals with autism. Some, like epilepsy, have considerable evidence supporting their increased prevalence, but many diseases lack literature to make strong conclusions.

Aims
To investigate the prevalence of physical health comorbidities in autism.

Method
We undertook a nested cross-sectional study, using a sample from the National Centre for Mental Health database. It included participants from England and Wales who reported a clinician-made diagnosis of autism (n = 813), and a control sample without autism or mental illness (n = 2781). Participants had provided a medical history at enrolment. Analysis was carried out by binomial logistic regressions controlling for age, gender, smoking status, and antipsychotic and mood stabiliser use. A subanalysis of individuals with concurrent intellectual disability (n = 86) used binomial logistic regression with the same control variables.

Results
Many physical health conditions were significantly more common in autism. Sixteen out of 28 conditions showed increased odds, with the highest odds ratios observed for liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. A subanalysis demonstrated a similar pattern of physical health in individuals with autism with and without concurrent intellectual disability. Some conditions, including osteoporosis, hyperthyroidism, head injury and liver disease, had larger odds ratios in individuals with concurrent intellectual disability.

Conclusions
Physical health conditions occur more commonly in individuals with autism, and certain conditions are further increased in those with concurrent intellectual disability. Our findings contribute to prior evidence, including novel associations, and suggest that people with autism are at greater risk of physical health problems throughout adulthood.
Exogenous Opioids and the Human Endocrine System: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement
Authors: Karavitaki Niki , Bettinger Jeffrey J , Biermasz Nienke , Christ-Crain Mirjam , Gadelha Monica R , Inder Warrick J , Tsourdi Elena , Wakeman Sarah E , Zatelli Maria 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
The use and misuse of opioids are a growing global problem. Although the effects of these drugs on the human endocrine system have been studied for decades, attention on their related clinical consequences, particularly on the hypothalamic-pituitary system and bone health, has intensified over recent years. This Statement appraises research data related to the impact of opioids on the gonadal and adrenal function. Whereas hypogonadism is well recognized as a side effect of opioids, the significance of their inhibitory actions on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system and the occurrence of clinically relevant adrenal insufficiency is not fully elucidated. The often-inconsistent results of studies investigating how opioids affect the secretion of GH, prolactin, arginine vasopressin, and oxytocin are assessed. The accumulating evidence of opioid actions on bone metabolism and their negative sequelae on bone mineral density and risk of fracture are also reviewed. In each section, available data on diagnostic and management approaches for opioid endocrine sequelae are described. This Statement highlights a plethora of gaps in research associated with the effects and clinical consequences of opioids on the endocrine system. It is anticipated that addressing these gaps will improve the care of people using or misusing opioids worldwide. The Statement is not intended to serve as a guideline or dictate treatment decisions.
Normal Approximation of Random Gaussian Neural Networks
Authors: Apollonio Nicola , De Canditiis Daniela , Franzina Giovanni , Stolfi Paola , Torrisi Giovanni Luca 
Published: October 2024

In this paper, we provide explicit upper bounds on some distances between the (law of the) output of a random Gaussian neural network and (the law of) a random Gaussian vector. Our main results concern deep random Gaussian neural networks with a rather general activation function. The upper bounds show how the widths of the layers, the activation function, and other architecture parameters affect the Gaussian approximation of the output. Our techniques, relying on Stein’s method and integration by parts formulas for the Gaussian law, yield estimates on distances that are indeed integral probability metrics and include the convex distance. This latter metric is defined by testing against indicator functions of measurable convex sets and so allows for accurate estimates of the probability that the output is localized in some region of the space, which is an aspect of a significant interest both from a practitioner’s and a theorist’s perspective. We illustrated our results by some numerical examples. Funding: This research was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research project WARIFA under grant agreement no. 101017385, by the PRIN project 2022 “Variational Analysis of Complex Systems in Materials Science, Physics and Biology” (CUP B53D23009290006), and by the INdAM project “Modelli ed Algoritmi per dati ad elevata dimensionalità” (CUP E53C23001670001).
Limitations of orthodontic treatment: Class III camouflage
Authors: McElroy Caroline , DiBiase Andrew 
Published: October 2024

Class III malocclusion treatment planning in the non-growing patient can represent a challenge. The options of whether to attempt orthodontic camouflage or to treat with orthognathic surgery are affected by numerous factors, including the severity of the underlying skeletal relationship, the dento-alveolar compensation already present, the facial aesthetics, the patient's concerns and expectations, and the anatomical limits of orthodontic tooth movement. Numerous studies have tried to provide guidance by looking at the differences between groups of patients to determine whether they should be treated orthodontically or surgically. However, owing to the retrospective nature of these studies and their heterogeneity, they prove less helpful than desired. In this narrative review, the authors will look at these studies to provide some guidance for the orthodontist. CPD/Clinical Relevance: Treatment planning in Class III malocclusions can be challenging owing to the numerous factors that must be considered.