bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Red cell distribution width/albumin ratio and mortality risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients: Insights from a NHANES study
Authors: Zhang Chen , Lu Siyi , Kang Tianlun , Meng Fanzhang , Qian Tangliang , Liu Xiaoping , Liu Zhi , Hou Xiujuan 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundDespite the established negative regulatory effects observed in various diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the distinct impact of red cell distribution width (RDW) to albumin ratio (RAR) on mortality within the realm of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains obscure. This study sought to explore the relationship between RAR and mortality in RA patients.MethodsA cohort of 2151 adults with RA from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2003–2016 was analyzed for RAR levels derived from red cell distribution width and albumin concentrations. Utilizing Cox regression analysis, Kaplan–Meier curves, and Restricted Cubic Spline (RCS) models, we assessed the association between RAR levels and RA mortality while adjusting for potential confounding variables.ResultsParticipants with higher RAR had a twofold to threefold increased risk of all‐cause (HR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.26–4.24) and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 2.46, 95%CI: 1.26–4.79) versus lower RAR. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that the higher RAR group had a significantly lower survival rate compared to the lower RAR group for both all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality (both p < .0001), with a more pronounced effect observed for all‐cause mortality. Furthermore, the RCS‐fitted Cox regression model illustrated a nonlinear positive correlation between RAR levels and RA mortality.ConclusionOverall, a higher RAR was associated with an increased risk mortality in RA patients. These findings underscore the potential of RAR as a prognostic biomarker in predicting outcomes in RA.
Alcohol and fear conditioning produce strain‐specific changes in the dorsal hippocampal transcriptome of adolescent C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice
Authors: Seemiller Laurel R. , Goldberg Lisa R. , Sebastian Aswathy , Siegel Sue Rutherford , Praul Craig , Zeid Dana , Albert Istvan , Beierle Jacob , Bryant Camron D. , Gould Thomas J. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundAdolescent sensitivity to alcohol is influenced by genetic background. Data from our laboratory suggested that adolescent C57BL/6J and DBA/2J inbred mice differed in susceptibility to alcohol‐induced deficits in dorsal hippocampus‐dependent contextual fear learning.MethodsTo investigate the biological underpinnings of this strain difference, we examined dorsal hippocampus gene expression using RNA‐sequencing after alcohol or saline administration followed by Pavlovian fear conditioning across male and female C57BL/6J and DBA/2J adolescents.ResultsStrains exhibited dramatic differences in dorsal hippocampus gene expression. Specifically, C57BL/6J and DBA/2J strains differed by 3526 transcripts in males and 2675 transcripts in females. We identified pathways likely to be involved in mediating alcohol's effects on learning, including networks associated with Chrna7, a gene encoding the nicotinic cholinergic receptor alpha 7 subunit, and Fmr1, a gene encoding the fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein.ConclusionsThese findings provide insight into the mechanisms underlying strain differences in alcohol's effects on learning and suggest that different biological networks are recruited for learning based on genetics, sex, and alcohol exposure.
Severe adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes according to the planned birth setting being midwife‐led birth centers or obstetric‐led units
Authors: Rollet Clara , Le Ray Camille , Vendittelli Françoise , Blondel Béatrice , Chantry Anne Alice ,   the MDN Research Group
Published: September 2024

AbstractIntroductionThe establishment of midwife‐led birth centers (MLBCs) is still being debated. The study aimed to compare severe adverse outcomes and mode of birth in low‐risk women according to their birth planned in MLBCs or in obstetric‐led units (OUs) in France.Material and MethodsWe used nationwide databases to select low‐risk women at the start of care in labor in MLBCs (n = 1294) and in OUs (n = 5985). Using multilevel logistic regression, we compared severe adverse maternal and neonatal morbidity as a composite outcome and as individual outcomes. These include severe postpartum hemorrhage (≥1000 mL of blood loss), obstetrical anal sphincter injury, maternal admission to an intensive care unit, maternal death, a 5‐minute Apgar score <7, neonatal resuscitation at birth, neonatal admission to an intensive care unit, and stillbirth or neonatal death. We also studied the mode of birth and the role of prophylactic administration of oxytocin at birth in the association between birth settings and severe postpartum hemorrhage.ResultsSevere adverse maternal and neonatal outcome indicated a slightly higher rate in women in MLBCs compared to OUs according to unadjusted analyses (4.6% in MLBCs vs. 3.4% in OUs; cOR 1.36; 95%CI [1.01–1.83]), but the difference was not significant between birth settings after adjustment (aOR 1.37 [0.92–2.05]). Severe neonatal morbidity alone was not different (1.7% vs. 1.6%; aOR 1.17 [0.55–2.47]). However, severe maternal morbidity was significantly higher in MLBCs than in OUs (3.0% vs. 1.9%; aOR 1.61 [1.09–2.39]), mainly explained by higher risks of severe postpartum hemorrhage (2.4 vs. 1.1%; aOR 2.37 [1.29–4.36]), with 2 out of 5 in MLBCs partly explained by the low use of prophylactic oxytocin. Cesarean and operative vaginal births were significantly decreased in women with a birth planned in MLBCs.ConclusionsIn France, 3 to 4% of low‐risk women experienced a severe adverse maternal or neonatal outcome regardless of the planned birth setting. Results were favorable for MLBCs in terms of mode of birth but not for severe postpartum hemorrhage, which could be partly addressed by revising practices of prophylactic administration of oxytocin.
Leucocytosis during all‐trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide treatment in acute promyelocytic leukaemia
Authors: Yanada Masamitsu 
Published: September 2024

In patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL), differentiation syndrome (DS) is a life‐threatening complication caused by the differentiating effect of all‐trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and/or arsenic trioxide (ATO). Leucocytosis is frequently observed during induction therapy for APL and is intimately associated with the development of DS and its severity. The management of DS is particularly important due to the high likelihood of excellent outcomes for APL patients who successfully complete induction therapy.Commentary on: Cicconi et al. Leukocytosis during induction therapy with all‐trans‐retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide in acute promyelocytic leukemia predicts for differentiation syndrome and treatment‐related complications. Br J Haematol 2024; 205:1727‐1733.
Prosocial behaviour enhances evaluation of physical beauty
Authors: Kononov Natalia , Ein‐Gar Danit 
Published: September 2024

AbstractTen studies (N = 4192) demonstrated that individuals depicted as prosocial were judged to be more physically beautiful. This evaluation of prosocial individuals as more beautiful is influenced by a motivation to be associated with prosocial others. This phenomenon was observed in real‐world settings (Study 1) and applied to both men and women, both as targets and observers (Studies 2a–2b). The effect persisted in scenarios where participants imagined the target without any visual aid (Study 2c) and extended beyond metaphorical interpretations of beauty (Study 3). The effect weakened when prosocial behaviour was an isolated incident, not indicative of the target's prosocial personality (Study 4). The influence of prosociality on beauty evaluations surpassed that of other positive traits such as intelligence or humour (Study 5) and remained significant despite physical imperfections in the target's appearance (Study 6). The effect diminished in situations where forming a relationship was not feasible, thus supporting the motivated cognition rationale (Studies 7–8). These findings highlight the substantial role of prosocial behaviour in influencing evaluations of physical beauty, a crucial element in social interactions and relationship formation, often outweighing other attributes typically linked to physical appearance evaluation.
What Approaches Described in Research Literature Enhance the Engagement of Children and Young People With Severe or Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Fitzpatrick Dominic , Parker Richard 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundChildren and young people (CYP) with severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities are more likely to experience difficulties engaging for long periods. Finding ways to facilitate their engagement is crucial in promoting their social and emotional development and their mental well‐being, particularly as they are more vulnerable to difficulties with mental well‐being compared to their peers.MethodsWe undertook a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify approaches described within peer‐reviewed research literature that enhance the engagement of these children. Data from seven relevant studies were qualitatively synthesised. Thematic networks were then developed to visually present global, organising and basic themes identified within data.FindingsA global theme derived from organising themes across studies indicated that the quality of space is an important consideration in enhancing engagement. This included the extent to which space adhered to prescribed knowledge or afforded practitioners with opportunities to follow their intuition and deviate from such ideas.ConclusionsQuality of space may be important to the engagement of these CYP and consequently to their mental well‐being. This may involve consideration of the extent to which formal learning environments for them are organised and informed by dominant theory and discourse (abstract space), prescribed (spatial) practice and the extent to which environments provide conditions for ‘lived spaces’ that are potentially more facilitative of their engagement and so their mental well‐being.
Baicalein Targets MAPK9 to Induce Apoptosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells
Authors: Wang Weili , Tang Yuxiao , Zhuo Xiaobin , Yang Jianxin , Gao Zelong , Li Chenqi , Wu Chenghua , Qian Jianxin , Xie Feng , Shen Hui , Wang Dongyao 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global health concern. However, there are limited effective treatments available for it. The use of natural products in the management and treatment of HCC is gaining more attention. Baicalein is a flavonoid compound that has been reported to have antitumor activities in HCC. However, the direct binding targets of baicalein are still unknown. Therefore, we used the DNA‐programmed affinity labeling method to identify the target of baicalein and validated its function in HCC cells. We set blank and competitive DNA probes as negative controls. The results showed that baicalein had 136 binding targets, of which 13 targets were differently expressed in HCC tissues. The enriched cellular process of these targets was apoptosis, which involved MAPK9. We tested the binding affinity of baicalein with MAPK9 as 89.7 nM (Kd) by surface plasmon resonance and analyzed the binding sites by virtual docking. Notably, the binding of baicalein with MAPK9 increased the protein levels of MAPK9 itself and the related downstream apoptosis signaling, triggering the apoptosis of HCC cells. However, the inhibitor of MAPK9, SP600125, blocked the baicalein‐induced apoptosis, and the amounts of MAPK9 and downstream molecules were also decreased, indicating that baicalein acted through MAPK9 to induce apoptosis of HCC cells. In conclusion, we used the DNA‐programmed affinity labeling method to identify the direct‐binding target MAPK9 of baicalein and validated its function in baicalein‐induced apoptosis of HCC cells, which would be helpful to understand and use baicalein in HCC therapy.
Incremental Discourse‐Update Constrains Number Agreement Attraction Effect
Authors: Kim Sanghee J. , Xiang Ming 
Published: September 2024

AbstractWhile a large body of work in sentence comprehension has explored how different types of linguistic information are used to guide syntactic parsing, less is known about the effect of discourse structure. This study investigates this question, focusing on the main and subordinate discourse contrast manifested in the distinction between restrictive relative clauses (RRCs) and appositive relative clauses (ARCs) in American English. In three self‐paced reading experiments, we examined whether both RRCs and ARCs interfere with the matrix clause content and give rise to the agreement attraction effect. While the standard attraction effect was consistently observed in the baseline RRC structures, the effect varied in the ARC structures. These results collectively suggest that discourse structure indeed constrains syntactic dependency resolution. Most importantly, we argue that what is at stake is not the static discourse structure properties at the global sentence level. Instead, attention should be given to the incremental update of the discourse structure in terms of which discourse questions are active at any given moment of a discourse. The current findings have implications for understanding the way discourse structure, specifically the active state of discourse questions, constrains memory retrieval.
Cagrilintide is not associated with clinically relevant QTc prolongation: A thorough QT study in healthy participants
Authors: Gabe Maria B. N. , Fuhr Rainard , Sinn Angela , Eliasen Astrid , Berthelsen Kasper K. , Kuhlman Anja B. , Bækdal Tine A. , Nejad Ayna B. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimsThe combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide (CagriSema) is being developed for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The objective of this thorough QT study was to confirm that cagrilintide does not result in a clinically relevant prolongation in cardiac repolarization compared with placebo.Materials and MethodsThis was a double‐blind study (NCT05804162) in which healthy participants were randomized to cagrilintide, administered as a once‐weekly subcutaneous injection dose escalated to 4.5 mg, or a placebo. The primary end point was the time‐matched change from baseline in Fridericia heart rate–corrected QT interval (QTcF) at 12‐, 24‐, 48‐ and 72 h after the last cagrilintide 4.5‐mg dose. To conclude that cagrilintide does not induce a clinically relevant prolongation, the upper limit of the two‐sided 90% confidence interval (CI) for the treatment difference at each of the four time points must fall below 10 ms. To establish QT assay sensitivity, participants in the placebo arms received a single 400‐mg oral moxifloxacin dose as a positive control and moxifloxacin placebo in a nested cross‐over fashion.ResultsA total of 105 participants received cagrilintide (n = 53) or placebo (n = 52). No clinically relevant QTcF prolongation occurred after the last cagrilintide 4.5‐mg dose; the upper limits of the two‐sided 90% CIs of the placebo‐adjusted QTcF changes from baseline were below 10 ms at all time points. QT assay sensitivity was demonstrated with moxifloxacin as a positive control.ConclusionsCagrilintide did not result in clinically relevant QTcF prolongation, indicating no increased risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias.
The influence of politicians' sex on political budget cycles: An empirical analysis of Spanish municipalities
Authors: García Israel , Hayo Bernd 
Published: September 2024

AbstractDoes a politician's sex influence political budget cycles (PBCs)? We answer this question using a sample of Spanish municipalities from the Madrid region for the period 2010–2019. The Madrid region has a homogenous set of budget rules that allow consistent categorization of budget expenditure items as either “mandatory” or “non‐mandatory” public services. After differentiating between smaller and larger municipalities, gender influence is studied along two dimensions: the mayor's sex and the share of women in government. Our findings include, in regard to mandatory spending in smaller municipalities, that gender‐balanced governments induce PBCs. In larger municipalities, when the share of women in government is above 60%, electoral spending is increased by up to 10% of an average municipal budget for mandatory spending, and up to 2.2% for non‐mandatory. These findings are generally supported in a mixed‐gender close election analysis.
Pre‐ and post‐skeletal muscle biopsy quantitative magnetic resonance imaging reveals correlations with histopathological findings
Authors: Güttsches Anne‐Katrin , Forsting Johannes , Kneifel Moritz , Rehmann Robert , De Lorenzo Alice , Enax‐Krumova Elena , Froeling Martijn , Vorgerd Matthias , Schlaffke Lara 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackground and purposeQuantitative muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising non‐invasive method in the diagnostic workup as well as follow‐up of neuromuscular disorders. The aim of this study was to correlate quantitative MRI (qMRI) parameters to histopathological changes in skeletal muscle tissue and thus to verify the data from our pilot study.MethodsTwenty‐six patients (eight females, 46.4 ± 15.1 years) were examined within 72 h before and within 24 h after a skeletal muscle biopsy using quantitative muscle MRI. Post‐biopsy MRI was employed to pinpoint the exact localization of the biopsy. qMRI parameters including fat fraction, water T2 relaxation time and diffusion metrics including fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity were extracted from the localization of the biopsy and correlated with histopathological findings. Additionally, three different segmentation masks were applied to the qMRI dataset, to evaluate whether the whole muscle represents the exact biopsy location.ResultsFat fraction and water T2 relaxation time in qMRI correlated significantly with the fat fraction in the muscle biopsy and histopathological inflammatory markers. Fractional anisotropy correlated with the quantity of type 2 fibres, whilst mean diffusivity correlated with p62. No differences were found using different segmentation masks in qMRI.ConclusionsIn this follow‐up study, the results from our previous study were verified regarding the correlation of qMRI parameters with histopathological features in muscle biopsies, indicating that qMRI serves as a suitable non‐invasive method in the follow‐up of patients with neuromuscular disorders. If post‐biopsy MRI is not available, whole muscle volume can be used for histopathological correlations.
Enhanced Monte‐Carlo tree search for dynamic flexible job shop scheduling with transportation time constraints
Authors: He Zhou , Tang Biao , Gu Chan , Ran Ning 
Published: September 2024

AbstractWith the increasing uncertainty and complexity of industrial production, dynamic events are inevitably happened during the production process. This paper deals with the transportation time constrained dynamic flexible job shop scheduling problem with machine breakdown, new jobs arrival, jobs cancellation, and processing time change of operations. Considering the actual production situation, a makespan rescheduling model based on transportation time is established. A Monte‐Carlo tree search based algorithm is proposed to solve the dynamic flexible job shop scheduling problem such that the makespan is minimized. In order to improve the accuracy of the developed algorithm and the quality of the obtained scheduling schemes, subtree keeping policy, multi‐branching simulation, reinforcement learning, greedy strategy, and expectation‐best evaluation method are employed. Moreover, a subtree pruning policy is embedded to improve the search efficiency of the developed algorithm. Simulation experiments are conducted on a series of instances of different sizes to compare the developed approach with the GA‐based scheduling approach and the Monte‐Carlo tree search based approach. The simulation results indicate that the developed approach is superior to the existing scheduling approaches in terms of the qualities of the obtained solutions.
Cattle dung detection in pastures from drone images using YOLOv5
Authors: Kawamura Kensuke , Kato Yura , Yasuda Taisuke , Aozasa Eriko , Yayota Masato , Kitagawa Miya , Kunishige Kyoko 
Published: September 2024

AbstractLivestock excretions are crucial for nutrient cycling in pasture ecosystems. However, conventional methods based on field observations require significant human power and are time‐consuming. This study developed a model, ‘Dung Detector (DD)’, for detecting cattle dung in pastures from drone images using the You Only Look Once (YOLO) v5 algorithm. The DD model was trained using our custom dataset including 1,504 split images from drone orthomosaic images in five paddocks: Obihiro (OBH), Shintoku (STK), Minokamo (MNO), Miyota (MYT), and Yatsugatake (YGK). The detection accuracy was evaluated using ground‐truth data acquired in two quadrats within paddocks. The DD model performed well for OBH and STK (F‐score = 0.861 and 0.835) paddocks with simple grass species and low surface sward height (SSH). Although the MNO and MYT, with complex vegetation and high SSH, showed few false positives (precision >0.9), some cattle dung pats were undetectable, presumably due to grass height (Recall = 0.500 and 0.276).
Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test of Helicobacter pylori to Metronidazole via Single‐Cell Raman Spectrometry
Authors: Sun Lu , Liu Min , Gong Yanan , Zhai Kangle , Lv FengYun , He Lihua , Xue Xinguang , Liu Xiaolu , Wang Hairui , Fan Dongjie , You Yuanhai , Fang Mengyang , Sun Luyang , Xu Jian , Zhang Jianzhong 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundMetronidazole is a first‐line antibiotic to treat Helicobacter pylori infections. However, the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines recommend against using antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) to test metronidazole resistance, due to the unreliable predictive power which can result in treatment failure.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to establish an 8‐h, metabolic‐phenotype based AST for H. pylori metronidazole susceptibility using D2O‐probed Raman microspectroscopy.MethodsMinimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) measured by conventional AST (E‐test) were compared with expedited MIC via metabolic activity (eMIC‐MA) for 10 H. pylori isolates. Raman barcodes of cellular‐response to stress (RBCS) incorporating protein and carbohydrate Raman bands, were utilized to identify a biomarker to distinguish metronidazole susceptibility.ResultsSpecifically, eMIC‐MA produces metronidazole susceptibility results showing 100% agreement with E‐test, and determines the bactericidal dosage for both high‐ and low‐level resistant H. pylori strains. In addition, RBCS not just reliably distinguish between metronidazole‐susceptible and ‐resistant strains, but reveal their distinct mechanisms in bacterial responses to metronidazole.ConclusionThe speed, accuracy, low cost, and rich information content that reveals the mode‐of‐action of drugs suggest the method's value in guiding metronidazole prescriptions for H. pylori eradication and in rapid screening based on drug‐resistance mechanism.