bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of Daytime and Night-Time Appendectomies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Shen Lifang , Zhang Liangfeng , Shi Huili 
Published: August 2024

Background:
Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency characterized by appendix inflammation. Surgery remains the gold standard for treatment with laparoscopy gaining in popularity. However, the optimal timing for appendectomy remains unclear. We are not aware of studies evaluating potential differences in clinical outcomes among appendectomies performed during the daytime and at night.

Methods:
We followed the PRISMA guidelines and searched the ScienceDirect, Medline, and Google Scholar databases for studies published in English before June 2023. We included prospective and retrospective studies reporting appendectomy outcomes. We categorized the appendectomy procedure times as daytime or night-time based on each study’s definitions. We extracted baseline characteristics and outcomes and assessed the quality of the studies included using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We calculated pooled risk ratios (RRs) and weighted mean differences (WMDs) using random-effects models; and, we assessed heterogeneity using the I
2 statistic.

Results:
We analyzed data from 12 studies for systematic review (n=19,183) including daytime (n=11,839) and night-time (n=7344) appendectomies. For the meta-analysis, we included 9 studies, that evaluated outcomes such as mortality (pooled RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.09-2.01; I
2=43.7%; P=0.11), hospital stay (WMD, −0.02; 95% CI, −0.24 to 0.20; I
2=93.3%; P <0.001), and complications (pooled RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.64-1.45; I
2=65.1%; P =0.02). We found similar mortality rates, hospital stay lengths, and complications for the appendectomies, regardless of the time of day of the operation. The baseline characteristics of the patients were also similar, except for the duration of symptoms and the presence of an appendiceal abscess.

Conclusion:
Our results showed that the timing of an appendectomy (daytime vs. night-time) does not significantly affect its outcomes. Surgeon availability or fatigue, and patient severity may not significantly impact the operation results. Standardized protocols and perioperative care ensure consistent outcomes.
Beyond American College of Surgeons Verification: Quality Metrics Associated with High Performance at Level I and II Trauma Centers
Authors: Cho Nam Yong , Choi Jeff , Mallick Saad , Barmparas Galinos , Machado-Aranda David , Tillou Areti , Margulies Daniel , Benharash Peyman ,   for the Academic Trauma Research Consortium (ATRIUM)
Published: August 2024

BACKGROUND:
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma has established a framework for trauma center quality improvement. Despite efforts, recent studies show persistent variation in patient outcomes across national trauma centers. We aimed to investigate whether risk-adjusted mortality varies at the hospital level and if high-performing centers demonstrate better adherence to ACS Verification, Review, and Consultation (VRC) program quality measures.

STUDY DESIGN:
We analyzed data from the 2018 to 2021 ACS TQIP Participant Use Files, focusing on adult admissions at ACS-verified level I or II trauma centers for blunt, penetrating, or isolated traumatic brain injury. We used mixed-effects models to assess center-specific risk-adjusted mortality and identified high-performing centers (HPTCs), defined as those with the lowest decile of overall risk-adjusted mortality. We compared patient and hospital characteristics, outcomes, and adherence to ACS-VRC quality measures between HPTC and non-HPTC.

RESULTS:
During the study period, 1,498,602 patients across 442 level I and II trauma centers met inclusion criteria: 65.3% presenting with blunt injury, 9.3% with penetrating injury, and 25.4% with isolated TBI. Management at HPTC was associated with lower odds of major complications, failure to rescue, and takeback. Additionally, HPTC status was associated with increased odds of adherence to several ACS-VRC quality measures, including balanced resuscitation (odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% CI 1.29 to 1.51), appropriate pediatric admissions (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.68), and substance abuse screening (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.16).

CONCLUSIONS:
Significant variation in risk-adjusted mortality persists across trauma centers. Given the association between adherence to quality measures and high performance, multidisciplinary efforts to refine and implement guidelines are warranted.
Maturing the design: challenges in maturing a first of a kind fusion power plant
Authors: Kempton Debbie , Waldon Chris 
Published: August 2024

The design, delivery and operation of a large-scale infrastructure project are challenging at best. For the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) prototype powerplant (SPP), the challenges increased dramatically. In addition to being a large-scale infrastructure project, it is a cutting edge, first of a kind (FOAK) technology demonstrator. The design teams are working in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, where technology is constantly emerging, maturing and changing. STEP will be unlike any power plant ever built and requires the development of new technologies and capabilities, but also a novel approach to planning and maturing the design. By taking a holistic view of the engineering life cycle from the start, the programme will be better positioned to achieve an SPP that is fit for purpose and can be used to show a path to ultimate commercial viability for subsequent power plants. This paper will review the key challenges in maturing a FOAK fusion power plant and look in depth at how the STEP team are maturing the required capabilities and planning to ensure successful delivery of the SPP.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Delivering Fusion Energy – The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)’.
Genetic underpinnings of predicted changes in cardiovascular function using self supervised learning
Authors: Levine Zachary , Lutsker Guy , Godneva Anastasia , Weinberger Adina , Pompan Maya , Talmor-Barkan Yeela , Reisner Yotam , Rossman Hagai , Segal Eran 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe genetic underpinnings of cardiovascular disease remain elusive. Contrastive learning algorithms have recently shown cutting-edge performance in extracting representations from electrocardiogram (ECG) signals that characterize cross-temporal cardiovascular state. However, there is currently no connection between these representations and genetics.MethodsWe designed a new metric, denoted as Delta ECG, which measures temporal shifts in patients’ cardiovascular state, and inherently adjusts for inter-patient differences at baseline. We extracted this measure for 4,782 patients in the Human Phenotype Project using a novel self-supervised learning model, and quantified the associated genetic signals with Genome-Wide-Association Studies (GWAS). We predicted the expression of thousands of genes extracted from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs). Downstream, we ran enrichment and overrepresentation analysis of genes we identified as significantly predicted from ECG.FindingsIn a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) of Delta ECG, we identified five associations that achieved genome-wide significance. From baseline embeddings, our models significantly predict the expression of 57 genes in men and 9 in women. Enrichment analysis showed that these genes were predominantly associated with the electron transport chain and the same immune pathways as identified in our GWAS.ConclusionsWe validate a novel method integrating self-supervised learning in the medical domain and simple linear models in genetics. Our results indicate that the processes underlying temporal changes in cardiovascular health share a genetic basis with CVD, its major risk factors, and its known correlates. Moreover, our functional analysis confirms the importance of leukocytes, specifically eosinophils and mast cells with respect to cardiac structure and function.
Heterogeneous group of genetically determined auditory neuropathy spectrum disorders
Authors: Buianova Anastasiia A. , Bazanova Marina V. , Belova Vera A. , Ilyina Galit A. , Samitova Alina F. , Shmitko Anna O. , Balakina Anna V. , Pavlova Anna S. , Suchalko Oleg N. , Korostin Dmitriy O. , Machalov Anton S. , Daikhes Nikolai A. , Rebrikov Denis V. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundAuditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder (ANSD) is often missed by common hearing screening tests, still accounting for up to 10% of hearing impairments. ANSD has an underlying genetic factor being mostly caused by pathogenic variants in 13 genes.MethodsWe examined 122 children with impaired hearing, including 102 pediatric patients (mean age was 3.7±4.1 years) with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) of varying severity and 20 children with a clinically confirmed ANSD (mean age was 5.65±4.63 years). For children with SNHL, we genotyped the most frequent variants (c.35delG, c.167delT, c.235delC, c.313-326del14 and c.358-360delGAG) in theGJB2gene using quantitative PCR. For children with a clinically confirmed ANSD, we performed the whole exome sequencing and studied the obtained variants in a custom panel of 248 genes.ResultsOur findings show that fifty-six (54.9%) SNHL patients carried homozygous variants inGJB2gene. In 12 (60%) ANSD patients, we detected variants in nucleotide sequences of theOTOF(25%),CDH23, TMC1, COL11A1, PRPS1andHOMER2genes (8 of which had not been previously described). Transient Evoked Otoacoustic Emissions testing revealed differences at 500 Hz (AS, p = 0.04181) and 4000 Hz (AD, p = 0.00126) between the ANSD and SNHL patient groups. The Auditory Steady-State Response (ASSR) test demonstrated significant differences at all frequencies (p < 0.01). When comparing the results obtained from the pure-tone audiometry and ASSR tests in ANSD patients revealed statistically significant differences at 500 (AD, AS) and 1000 (AD) Hz.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that audiologists and otorhinolaryngologists should use the ASSR test in clinical practice for differential diagnosis of auditory neuropathies. According to the survey data from the parents of hearing-impaired children, rehabilitation was more successful in SNHL patients compared to ANSD patients.
Gestational Hypertension in Adolescent Mothers: A 2016-2022 Trend Analysis
Authors: Oloyede Oluwapelumi , Xu Lulu , Adepoju Omolola 
Published: August 2024

AbstractHypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) significantly contribute to maternal and fetal complications, particularly in adolescent pregnancies. This study examines the prevalence and predictors of gestational hypertension (gHTN) among U.S. adolescents between 2016 and 2022, using data from the CDC’s Birth Data Files. The analysis included various maternal factors, such as age, race, education, BMI, prenatal care, and participation in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutritional Program. Logistic Regression and Random Forest models were employed to evaluate these predictors, with Random Forest showing superior predictive performance. The study found that gHTN prevalence increased from 6.72% in 2016 to 9.51% in 2022, with BMI, month prenatal visits began, WIC participation, and race emerging as key predictors. The findings highlight the importance of early prenatal care and targeted support for adolescents to manage gHTN, emphasizing the need for interventions that address modifiable risk factors such as BMI and access to nutritional programs. This research underscores the critical need for continued efforts to mitigate the rising trend of gHTN in adolescent pregnancies and improve maternal and fetal outcomes in this vulnerable population. Future studies should focus on identifying additional predictors and tailoring interventions to meet the unique needs of adolescent mothers.
Immediate TMS-EEG responses reveal motor cortex excitability
Authors: Stango Antonietta , Zazio Agnese , Barchiesi Guido , Dognini Elisa , Marcantoni Eleonora , Bortoletto Marta 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundCombined transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) is widely used to probe cortical excitability at the network level, but technical challenges have prevented its application to investigate local excitability of the stimulated area. A recent study revealed immediate TMS-evoked potentials (i-TEPs) after primary motor cortex (M1) stimulation, suggesting that it may represent a local response. Here, we aimed at testing if this activity is physiological in nature and what it represents.MethodsWe analyzed a TMS-EEG dataset from 28 healthy participants recorded at 9.6 kHz including two M1 stimulation conditions with opposite biphasic current directions. We localized the brain sources of i-TEPs, calculated the immediate TMS-related power (i-TRP) to distinguish between two oscillatory components that may contribute to i-TEPs, and investigated the relationship between i-TRP and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). In an additional recording, we stimulated a control site evoking a muscular response to understand the contribution of the TMS-related muscle artifact.ResultsResults confirmed i-TEPs with similar characteristics as previously described. The i-TRP revealed strong activity in two ranges 600-800 Hz and 100-200 Hz; The former was positively associated with MEPs amplitude for both current direction conditions. Moreover, i-TEPs were localized in the precentral gyrus of the stimulated hemisphere and the muscular response generated by the control stimulation site differed from i-TEPs and i-TRP.DiscussionThese findings provide first evidence on the physiological nature of i-TEPs and i-TRP following M1 stimulation and that i-TRP represents a direct measure of excitability of the stimulated cortex.
Signal peptidase SpsB coordinates staphylococcal cell cycle, surface protein septal trafficking and LTA synthesis
Authors: Zhang Ran , Jia Yaosheng , Scaffidi Salvatore J. , Madsen Jesper J. , Yu Wenqi 
Published: August 2024

AbstractMany cell wall anchored surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria harbor a highly conserved YSIRK/G-S signal peptide (SPYSIRK+), which deposits surface protein precursors at the cell division septum where they are subsequently anchored to septal peptidoglycan. Previously we identified that LtaS-mediated lipoteichoic acid (LTA) synthesis regulates septal trafficking of YSIRK+ proteins inS. aureus. Interestingly, both LtaS and SPYSIRK+are cleaved by the signal peptidase SpsB, but the biological implications remain unclear. Here we show that SpsB is required for cleaving SPSpA(YSIRK+)of staphylococcal surface protein A (SpA). Depletion ofspsBnot only diminished SPSpAprocessing but also abolished SpA septal localization. The mis-localization is attributed to the cleavage activity of SpsB, as an A37P mutation of SPSpAthat disrupted SpsB cleavage also abrogated SpA septal localization. Strikingly, depletion ofspsBled to aberrant cell morphology, cell cycle arrest and daughter cell separation defects. Localization studies showed that SpsB predominantly localized at the septum of dividing staphylococcal cells. Finally, we show that SpsB spatially regulates LtaS asspsBdepletion enriched LtaS at the septum. Collectively, the data suggest a new dual-mechanism model mediated by SpsB: the abundant YSIRK+ proteins are efficiently processed by septal localized SpsB; SpsB cleaves LtaS at the septum, which spatially regulates LtaS activity contributing to YSIRK+ proteins septal trafficking. The study identifies SpsB as a novel and key regulator orchestrating protein secretion, cell cycle and cell envelope biogenesis.ImportanceSurface proteins containing a YSIRK/G-S positive signal peptide are widely distributed in Gram-positive bacteria and play essential roles in bacterial pathogenesis. They are highly expressed proteins that are enriched at the septum during cell division. The biogenesis of these proteins is coordinated with cell cycle and LTA synthesis. The current study identified the staphylococcal signal peptidase SpsB as a key determinant in regulating surface protein septal trafficking. Furthermore, this study highlights the novel functions of SpsB in coordinating LtaS-mediated LTA production and regulating staphylococcal cell cycle. As SpsB, YSIRK+ proteins and LTA synthesis are widely distributed and conserved, the mechanisms identified here may be shared across Gram-positive bacteria.
Exposure profiles of social-environmental neighborhood factors and psychotic-like experiences
Authors: Ku Benson , Yuan Qingyue , Christensen Grace M. , Dimitrov Lina , Risk Benjamin , Huels Anke 
Published: August 2024

AbstractImportanceRecent research has demonstrated that domains of social determinants of health (SDOH) (e.g., air pollution and social context) are associated with psychosis. However, SDOHs have often been studied in isolation.ObjectiveTo identify distinct exposure profiles, estimate their associations with persistent distressing psychotic-like experiences (PLE), and evaluate whether involvement with physical activities partially explains this association.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis population-based study used data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Participants were recruited from 22 US sites between September 2016 and January 2022. Data from baseline and three follow-ups were included.ExposuresArea-level geocoded variables spanning various domains of SDOH, including socioeconomic status (SES), education, crime, built environment, social context, and crime, were clustered using a self-organizing map method to identify exposure profiles.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPersistent distressing PLE was derived from the Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Child Version across four years. Generalized linear mixed modeling tested the association between exposure profiles and persistent distressing PLE as well as physical activities (i.e., team and individual sports), adjusting for individual-level covariates including age, sex, race/ethnicity, highest level of parent education, family-relatedness, and study sites.ResultsAmong 8,145 participants (baseline mean [SD] age, 9.92 [0.63] years; 3,868 (47.5%) females; 5,566 (68.3%) White, 956 (11.7%) Black, 159 (2.0%) Asian, and 1,480 (18.4%) Hispanic participants), five exposure profiles were identified. Compared to the reference Profile 1 (suburban affluent areas, 2521 children, 30.9%), Profile 3 (rural areas with low walkability and high ozone; 1459 children, 17.9%; adjusted OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09—1.64) and Profile 4 (urban areas with high SES deprivation, high crime, and high pollution; 715 children, 8.8%; adjusted OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.08—1.81), were associated with persistent distressing PLE. Team sports mediated 6.14% of the association for Profile 3.Conclusion and RelevanceThis study found that neighborhoods characterized by rural areas with low walkability and urban areas with high socioeconomic deprivation, air pollutants, and crime were associated with persistent distressing PLE. Further research is needed to explore the pathways through which different environmental factors may impact the development of psychosis.
Safety and immunogenicity of GamEvac-Combi, a heterologous rVSV- and rAd5-vectored Ebola vaccine: a randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial in the Republic of Guinea and Russia
Authors: Logunov DY , Dolzhikova  , Boiro MY , Kovyrshina AV , Dzharullaeva AS , Erokhova AS , Grousova DM , Tukhvatulin AI , Izhaeva FM , Simakova YV , Ordzhonikidze MK , Lubenets NL , Zubkova OV , Scheblyakov DV , Esmagambetov IB , Shmarov MM , Semikhin AS , Tukhvatulina NM , Shcherbinin DN , Tutykhina IL , Prokhorov GS , Khovaev AA , Demidova TN , Malishev NA , Merkulova LN , Voronina OL , Fedyakina IT , Kisteneva LB , Kolobukhina LV , Mishin DV , Elakov AL , Ermolova EI , Krasnoslobodtsev KG , Larichev VF , Kruzhkova IS , Burmistrov EM , Sheremet AB , Tokarskaya EA , Gromov AV , Reshetnikov DA , Fisun AY , Kotiv BN , Ovchinnikov DV , Ivchenko EV , Zhdanov KV , Zakharenko SM , Solovev AN , Ivanov AM , Sukachev VS , Gudkov RV , Maltsev OV , Gabdrahmanov IA , Barsukov AV , Vashchenkov VV , Demianenko NY , Ignatev SB , Asyamov KV , Kirichenko NN , Lyubimov AV , Volkov  , Kryukov EV , Bazarnov NK , Kolodyazhnaya V , Kolomoets EV , Syromyatnikova SI , Chifanov DE , Andrus AF , Kutaev DA , Borisevich SV , Naroditsky BS , Gintsburg AL ,   the GamEvac-Combi trial group
Published: August 2024

AbstractEbola virus disease (EVD) is one of the most dangerous and lethal diseases affecting humans. There are several licensed vaccines against EVD, but it remains one of the priority diseases for research and development of effective vaccines. A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial was performed to evaluate safety and immunogenicity of rVSV- and rAd5-vectored vaccine “GamEvac-Combi” in healthy adults of both sexes between 18 and 60 years. Safety and immunogenicity were assessed during the observation period of 12 months. Immunogenicity was assessed with GP-specific ELISA, IFN-γ ELISA, and plaque pseudoneutralization assay. Vaccinated participants showed marked GP-specific IFN-γ response at day 28 and neutralizing response at day 42 (GMT = 32.6, seroconversion rate 96.3%). GP-specific IgG antibody levels in vaccinated participants peaked at day 42 (GMT = 9345) and persisted for a year after vaccination (GMT = 650). The vaccine showed favorable safety profile and induced robust cell-mediated immune response and strong humoral immune response that lasts at least for a year from the start of vaccination. The study was funded by the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation; GamEvac-CombiClinicalTrials.govnumber,NCT03072030, Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201702002053400.
Wolbachiaintrogression inAe. aegyptiis accompanied by variable loss – a multi-country assessment
Authors: Dainty Kimberley R. , Pacidônio Etiene C. , Lee Elvina , Kyrylos Peter , Baran Nathan , Kay Eleonora , Dong Yi , Pinto Sofia B. , Ribeiro Gabriel S. , Uribe Alexander , Barajas Jovany , O’Neill Scott L. , Velez Ivan D. , Moreira Luciano A. , Simmons Cameron P. , Flores Heather A. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThewMel andwAlbB strains of the bacterial endosymbiontWolbachiaare being introgressed intoAedes aegyptipopulations as a biocontrol method to reduce the transmission of medically important arboviruses. Successful introgression ofWolbachiarelies on both persistence ofWolbachiathroughout the host life cycle and a high fidelity of maternal transmission ofWolbachiabetween generations.wMel has been introgressed into field populations in 14 countries to date. Monitoring of field sites has shown thatwMel prevalence can fluctuate substantially over time, prompting concerns this could lead to reduced efficacy of the biocontrol method. To explore the fidelity ofwMel persistence and transmission, we developed molecular methods to measure the prevalence ofAe. aegyptinegative forWolbachiainfection but carrying the “founder” mitochondrial haplotype of the single female first transinfected. As all releasedwMel-infected mosquitoes and any subsequent offspring will carry this founder mitochondrial haplotype, any mosquitoes with this mitochondrial haplotype and withoutwMel indicate thatwMel was lost from this lineage at some point. We observed loss ofwMel ranging from 0 to 20.4% measured at various time intervals afterwMel-infected mosquito releases in five different countries. Despite some field sites showingWolbachialoss, overallWolbachiaprevalence was sustained during the time periods studied. We then employed laboratory studies to explore factors that could contribute to the loss ofwMel. Surprisingly, near-perfect maternal transmission was measured across laboratory conditions of early blood feeding, starvation, and salinity. Collectively, these findings underscore that althoughwMel transmission can be imperfect it does not necessarily undermine population-level establishment, providing encouragement that the intervention will be robust in most dengue-endemic environments.