bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Infiltrating a Commercial Etch-and-Rinse Bonding Agent with Bioactive Nanoparticles on the Degree of Conversion of Adhesive and Flexural Strength of Dentin
Authors: Alipour Elham , Pishevar Leila , Mirzakoochaki Parvin 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the degree of conversion of adhesive and the flexural strength of dentin after adding calcium silicate (CS) and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) nanoparticles (NP) to an etch-and-rinse bonding system and the application of these materials on dentin.
Methods: ACP and CS nanoparticles with an average size of 100 nm were synthesized and added to Tetric N-Bond two-step etch- and- rinse adhesive. To check the flexural strength, dentin samples (n=60) were divided into two groups based on immersion time (24 hours and 2 months), and each of these two groups was divided into 3 groups (n=10) including bonding agent containing ACP and CS nanoparticles and pure bonding agent.
In order to measure the degree of conversion (DC), bonding agent containing ACP and CS and pure adhesive were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.
Results: Stepwise comparison of the bonding agent was carried out. The results revealed that the flexural strength in the group containing ACP is significantly higher than the pure bonding agent (P=0.02) regardless of the time, while the adhesive containing CS nanoparticles did not show a significant increase (P=0.74). The average flexural strength was lower in bonding agent containing ACP and CS nanoparticles two months after immersion compared to 24-hour period, but this difference was not significant in the pure type.
Conclusions: According to the results of the present study, the addition of ACP nanoparticles to the dentin bonding system increased the flexural strength of dentin, while the addition of CS nanoparticles did not lead to a significant increase in flexural strength. On the other hand, the degree of conversion of adhesive increased with the addition of nanoparticles.
Comparison of the Effects of Neural Mobilization and Arousal Facilitation Protocol in Patients with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness
Authors: Zhang Shaoyang , Sun Lingxiu , Yang ZiQiang , Cheng Lijuan , Dai YuQing , Lin Xue , Hu Yingxuan , Chen Zuobing , Laureys Steven , Wang Daming , Di Haibo 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

(1)Background: Patients with severe brain injuries who are bedridden for extended periods often exhibit diminished voluntary movements. This reduction can compromise the precision of CRS-R evaluations. The Arousal Facilitation Protocol (AFP)is designed to extend the duration of patient arousal through deep muscle pressure. Conversely, Neural Mobilization (NM) seeks to augment nerve activity post-brain injury and encourages the resurgence of voluntary movements. The study aims to identify effective strategies for enhancing consciousness levels in DoC patients by comparing the efficacy of AFP and NM.
(2) Methods: Fifty-one DoC patients, who met the inclusion criteria, were evaluated by therapist using AFP and NM in a randomized sequence for CRS-R and BRS-Hand. The assessment results of both groups were then statistically analyzed. (3) Results: Among the 51 study patients, 12 (23.5%) showed differences in consciousness diagnosis. Results indicated statistical differences between the AFP and NM groups in diagnosis, total CRS-R score, visual, auditory, motor subscales, and BRS-Hand score (P<0.05). Further investigation demonstrated that patients in the AFP group with higher motor subscale scores showed a more pronounced trend of diagnostic changes in the NM group (P=0.045).
(4) Conclusion: The NM approach exhibits superior efficacy in enhancing the diagnosis of patient consciousness in DoC, promoting the restoration of conscious behavior, and improving hand function, compared to AFP. Supplementation of NM with the CRS-R scale can help increase the level of consciousness of pDoC.
Trial registration: ChiCTR, ChiCTR2200056285. Registered 3 February 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/ChiCTR2200056285
FloPy for Optimizing the Structure of Hydraulic-driven Groundwater Circulation Wells
Authors: Fang Zhang , Liu Zhiguo , Wang Guowen 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

The Groundwater Circulation Wells (GCW) are in-situ remediation technology that can integrate multiple remediation techniques within a single well. An optimal well structure is crucial for the efficient use of GCW. Numerical simulations are most used for design optimization. However, this work can be time consuming because of the complexity of the development and processing. FloPy was applied in this study to describe and optimize the structure of a hydraulically driven GCW at Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Based on the hydrogeological conditions, Python was used to develop a program known as the FloPy library that can construct numerical models for groundwater flow (MODFLOW), particle tracking (MODPATH), and solute transport (MT3DMS) under the hydraulic driving of the GCW. The program can automatically calculate the indicators of the effectiveness of the GCW operation, including the radius of influence (R), migration radius of pollutants (rm) and pollutant removal efficiency (η). By using the largest influence radius of the GCW for optimization, a model for optimizing the GCW structure was developed. The ideal structural blueprint for the GCW was ascertained through the automated computation of every conceivable well structure in the range. In an optimal scheme, there was a 10%, 14.10%, and 11.98% enhancement in the GCW influence radius, migration radius of pollutants, and pollutant removal efficiency, respectively, compared with the pre-optimization levels.
Thymidine phosphorylase imaging probe for differential diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Authors: Higashikawa Kei , Uehara Riho , Horiguchi Sawako , Shibata Yuki , Okubo Naoto , Mizuno Yuki , Yasui Hironobu , Ohnishi Shunsuke , Takeda Hiroshi , Kuge Yuji 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises simple steatosis (SS), which has a low risk of mortality, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can progress to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Because differentiation between NASH and SS is the most important issue in the diagnosis of NAFLD, the establishment of noninvasive diagnostic methods is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the potential of [123I]IIMU, a thymidine phosphorylase (TYMP) targeted SPECT imaging probe, for differential diagnosis of NAFLD in a preclinical animal model.
Procedures
SS and NASH mice were prepared by feeding db/db mice with a standard diet and a methionine/choline-deficient diet, respectively. Control mice were prepared by feeding m/m mice with a standard diet. TYMP expression in the liver was evaluated by RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The biodistribution of [125I]IIMU in the three model mice was evaluated at 30 min post-injection. SPECT/CT imaging studies of the three model mice were performed 30 min after injection of [123I]IIMU.
Results
Hepatic TYMP expression level was the highest in the SS mice and the lowest in the NASH mice at both mRNA and protein levels. The immunohistochemistry experiment showed a patchy distribution of TYMP only in the liver of NASH mice. In the biodistribution study, the hepatic accumulation of [125I]IIMU was the highest in the SS mice and the lowest in the NASH mice. The SPECT/CT imaging study showed similar results to the biodistribution experiment.
Conclusion
Hepatic TYMP expression level may serve as a promising imaging biomarker for differential diagnosis of SS and NASH. SPECT imaging using [123I]IIMU potentially provides a novel noninvasive diagnostic method to differentiate NASH and SS.
Symbiotic bacteria Sodalis glossinidius, Spiroplasma sp and Wolbachia do not favour Trypanosoma grayi coexistence in wild population of tsetse flies collected in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Authors: Mfopit Youssouf Mouliom , Bilgo Etienne , Boma Soudah , Somda Martin Bienvenu , Gnambani Jacques Edounou , Konkobo Maurice , Diabate Abdoulaye , Dayo Guiguigbaza-Kossigan , Mamman Mohammed , Kelm Soerge , Balogun Emmanuel Oluwadare , Shuaibu Mohammed Nasir , Kabir Junaidu 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background. Tsetse flies, the biological vectors of African trypanosomes, have established symbiotic associations with different bacteria. Their vector competence is suggested to be affected by bacterial endosymbionts. The current study provided the prevalence of three tsetse symbiotic bacteria and trypanosomes in Glossina species from Burkina Faso.
Results. A total of 430 tsetse flies were captured using biconical traps in four different collection sites around Bobo-Dioulasso (Bama, Bana, Nasso, and Peni), and their guts were removed. Two hundred tsetse were randomly selected and their guts were screened byPCR for the presence of Sodalis glossinidius, Spiroplasmasp., Wolbachia and trypanosomes. Of the 200 tsetse, 196 (98.0%) were Glossina palpalis gambienseand 4 (2.0%) Glossina tachinoides. The overall symbiont prevalence was 49.0%, 96.5%, and 45.0%, respectively for S. glossinidius, Spiroplasma and Wolbachia. Prevalence varied between sampling locations: S. glossinidius(54.7%, 38.5%, 31.6%, 70.8%); Spiroplasma (100%, 100%, 87.7%, 100%); and Wolbachia(43.4%, 38.5%, 38.6%, 70.8%),respectively in Bama, Bana, Nasso and Peni. Noteworthy, no G. tachhnoideswas infected by S. glossinidius and Wolbachia, but they were all infected by Spiroplasma sp. A total of 196 (98.0 %) harbored at least one endosymbionts. Fifty-five (27.5%) carried single endosymbiont. Trypanosomes were found only in G.p. gambiense, but not G. tachinoides. Trypanosomes were present in flies from all study locations with an overall prevalence of 29.5%. In Bama, Bana, Nasso, and Peni, the trypanosome infection rate was respectively 39.6%, 23.1%, 8.8%, and 37.5%. Remarkably, only Trypanosoma grayi was present. Of all trypanosome-infected flies, 55.9%, 98.3%, and 33.9% hosted S. glossinidius, Spiroplasma sp and Wolbachia, respectively. There was no association between Sodalis, Spiroplasma and trypanosome presence, but there was a negative association with Wolbachia presence. We reported1.9 times likelihood of trypanosome absence when Wolbachia was present.
Conclusion: This is the first survey reporting the presence of Trypanosoma grayi in tsetse from Burkina Faso. Tsetse from these localities were highly positive for symbiotic bacteria, more predominantly with Spiroplasma sp. Modifications of symbiotic interactions may pave way for disease control.
Driving Change: The Influence of Female Directors on ESG Performance in the Automotive Industry
Authors: Khan Kashif Ullah , Atlas Fouzia , Ali Wajahat 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Board gender diversity has garnered significant attention in recent years as a component of internal governance. The automobile industry is a conventional sector characterized by its significant scale and the board of directors has historically been predominantly male. The share of female board members increased due to the rapid development of the new energy vehicle industry, which emerged as a combination of high-tech and traditional cars, in the last two decades. This study examines the relationship between the proportion of female directors and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of companies in the automotive sector. This study collected data on the proportion of female board members and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings for 50 automotive industry businesses across 13 countries from 2002 to 2022. The findings indicate a positive relationship between the proportion of female serving as directors and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of automotive industry. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that there was no delay in the favorable correlation between the proportion of female directors and the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance of companies in the automotive sector.
JEL Classification G34 ∙ M14
Study of the correlation between choledochal cyst with intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct dilatation
Authors: Abdullahi khalid Mohamoud , Ali ahmed Faisal , Adan Mohamed Mohamoud , shu Qiang 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Choledochal cysts are congenital glitches categorized by dilatation of the bile ducts, which can arise in various forms distressing the intrahepatic, extrahepatic, or both parts of the biliary tree. The purpose of our study was to observe the relationship between the dilatation of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts and prognosis.
Methods
A total of 79 cases in which patients had undergone laparoscopic choledochal cyst excision surgery were conducted from August 2016 to October 2020 at a single Centre of the Children’s Hospital of Zhejiang University of School of Medicine. There was a total of 64 females and 15 males. The age ranged from 21 days to 14 years, with an average age of 2 years. Choledochal cysts were recorded retrospectively for their age, gender, clinical presentation, physical, laboratory, and histological findings, diagnostic methods, and operative procedures.
Results
Results revealed that ALT and AST (< 0.001) and PT (0.005), GGT (0.004), total bile acid (0.019) and blood Amylase (0.024) were statistically significant with the presence of intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile duct dilation with insignificant demographics features and PT (0.040), ALT (0.002), AST (0.007) and total bile acid (0.021) were considered to be statistically significant predictors. Similarly, in the presence of bile duct dilation, ALT (< 0.001) and AST (< 0.001) were statistically highly significant, whereas the rest of the indicators were found to be insignificant. In terms of Odds Ratio ALT and AST gave the lowest CI (95% of the confidence interval). In contrary, C- reactive Protein “CRP” showed the highest CI (95% of the confidence interval) which is (1.78), and PT comes after by showing (0.50) confidence interval.
Conclusions
Thus, it is statistically confirmed that PT and CRP exposure variables have the lowest risk factor of the presence of both intra and extrahepatic bile duct dilations in our 79 patients. Since the small CI indicates a higher precision of the OR, the ALT and AST exposure variables determine that it has a higher risk factor of the presence of intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct dilatations of the given respondents in this study Moreover, the research highlights the crucial significance of understanding the correlation between choledochal cysts, intrahepatic bile duct dilations, extrahepatic bile duct abnormalities, and their influence on prognosis. Accurate classification and early intervention are crucial for improving long-term outcomes and reducing the risk of complications.
Associations between hemoglobin A1c levels and platelet reactivity and their impact on outcomes in patients after coronary insertion of drug-eluting stents
Authors: wu Yilin , Jiang Xuan , Jiang Lijuan , Ji Hongyu , Liu Min , Li Weizhen 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Increased hemoglobin A1c levels indicate a poor cardiovascular prognosis; however, the associations between glycemic control, platelet reactivity assessed by thromboelastography (TEG), and outcomes after coronary stenting in the Chinese population are unclear. Our study aimed to determine whether HbA1c levels are related to platelet reactivity after the administration of a loading dose of clopidogrel and aspirin; therefore, there is an effort to intensify antiplatelet treatment in patients with poor glycemic control after percutaneous coronary intervention.
Methods
HbA1c levels were categorized into 3 groups: <6.5% (n = 1103, 48.12%), 6.5–8.5% (n = 341, 36.9%), and > 8.5% (n = 177, 14.9%). ROC (resistance to clopidogrel, ROC) and ROA (resistance to aspirin) were defined as the ADP (adenosine diphosphate.) inhibition rate of less than 30% and an AA (Arachidonic Acid.) inhibition rate of less than 50% by TEG, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate HbA1c levels and the independent impact of the ROC curve on adverse events. Univariate logistic analysis was used to evaluate the associations between HbA1c levels and ROC. A restricted cubic spline was used to explore the nonlinear relationship between HbA1c and MACEs. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was conducted to assess the predictive value of HbA1c for MACEs.
Results
The incidence of ROC was 9.3% (151 of 1621), whereas that of ROC was 16.5% (268 of 1621). The ROC for each of the 3 groups significantly increased with increasing HbA1c levels [4.3% vs 7.1% vs 10.1%, p = 0.006]; however, the ROA did not [16.4% vs 17.7% vs 14.3%, P = 0.694]. Both HbA1c > 8.5 and 6.5 ≤ HbA1c ≤ 8.5 were significantly associated with ROC. However, after adjustment for other covariables, only the HbA1c > 8.5 subgroup remained significantly associated with ROC (3.356 [1.231, 9.234], p = 0.009). Compared with the HbA1c < 6.5 subgroup, the HbA1c˃8.5 subgroup was significantly associated with nonfatal MI (2.297 [1.275, 4.137], P = 0.006), ischemia-driven revascularization (3.845 [2.082, 7.101], p < 0.001) and MACE (3.142 [2.346, 4.206], < 0.001), but not all-cause mortality (2.371 [0.551, 10.190], 0.246), and remained associated even after fully adjusting for confounders at the 36-month follow-up. When considered a continuous variable, HbA1c had a positive correlation with MACEs, as indicated by the RCS. The AUC of HbA1c for the prediction of 36-month MACEs was 0.636 (0.612, 0.624; P < 0.001).
Conclusion
In our two-center large-scale study, HbA1c levels were positively correlated with ROC, but the adverse effect on clinical outcomes was driven by elevated HbA1c, which forecasted nonfatal MI and ischemia-driven revascularization, constituting an argument to intensify glycemic control in subjects with diabetes after intracoronary stent placement.
Bacterial pathogens associated with community-acquired pneumonia in children aged from 28 days to 10 years admitted in Dakahlia Governorate hospitals: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Elhindawy Samah A. , Mohammed Amira H. , Hassanin Eman. A. , Hussein Amira , Soliman Amir 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) constitutes a significant public health burden, accounting for a substantial proportion of childhood hospital admissions. However, accurately diagnosing the specific bacterial etiology of CAP solely based on clinical presentation remains a substantial challenge. This study aimed to elucidate the spectrum and prevalence of bacterial pathogens responsible for CAP in a well-defined pediatric population.
Methods
A cross-sectional design was employed to investigate a cohort of 100 children diagnosed with CAP and admitted to hospitals across Dakahlia Governorate between January and August 2021. The inclusion criteria stipulated that participants be between 28 days and 10 years of age. Children younger than 28 days, exceeding 10 years of age, or with pre-existing chronic lung disease, immunodeficiency, documented hospital-acquired pneumonia, or other congenital anomalies were excluded from the study. All participants underwent comprehensive laboratory investigations, including C-reactive protein (CRP) measurement, blood culture, and either gastric lavage culture or sputum culture, as deemed clinically appropriate. Chest X-rays (CXR) were also performed for each participant.
Results
Analysis of blood culture isolates revealed Klebsiella pneumoniae (7%) as the most prevalent pathogen, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (5%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (3%). Notably, Gram-negative bacteria exhibited a higher detection rate (52.7%) compared to Gram-positive bacteria (47.05%) within blood cultures. Klebsiella pneumoniae (13%) maintained its dominance in gastric lavage/sputum cultures, followed by Staphylococcus aureus (16%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (3%). A significant proportion of patients (64%) exhibited no bacterial growth in these cultures.
Conclusion
This investigation identified Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus as the predominant bacterial pathogens associated with CAP in the study population. These findings contribute valuable preliminary data regarding the spectrum and frequency of bacterial etiologic agents in CAP among Egyptian children under 10 years of age. Future research endeavors with larger sample sizes and potentially incorporating molecular diagnostic techniques could provide more comprehensive insights into the evolving epidemiology of childhood CAP.
Trial registration
Our study was registered retrospectively with Clinicaltrials.gov under the identifier NCT06377163 on 19 April 2024.
Diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia based on plain skull radiography using convolutional neural network
Authors: Han Jung Ho , Ji So Young , Kim Myung Ju , Kwon Ji Eyon , Park Jin Byung , Kang Ho , Hwang Kihwan , Kim Chae-Yong , Kim Tackeun , Jeong Han-Gil , Ahn Young Hwan , Chung Hyun-Tai 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether trigeminal neuralgia can be diagnosed using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) based on plain X-ray skull images. To this end, 166 skull images of patients aged > 16 years with trigeminal neuralgia diagnoses were compiled into a labeled trigeminal neuralgia dataset and 498 skull images of patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms were compiled into a labeled control dataset. The images were partitioned into training, validation, and test datasets in a 6:2:2 ratio using random permutation. The accuracy and area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve were used to evaluate the classifier performance. Gradient-weighted class activation mapping was employed to identify the focal areas of attention. External validation was performed using a dataset obtained from another institution. We observed an overall accuracy of 87.2%, sensitivity and specificity of 0.72 and 0.91, respectively, and AUROC of 0.90 on the test dataset. In most cases, trigeminal neuralgia was predicted by observing the sphenoid body and clivus. The overall accuracy on the external test dataset was 71.0%, indicating the promise of deep learning-based models in distinguishing between X-ray skull images of patients with trigeminal neuralgia and control individuals. This is expected to serve as a useful screening tool after further development.