bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Clinical evaluation of the efficacy and safety of focused extracorporeal shock-wave therapy in patients with cervical spondylosis
Authors: Li Shuangyue , Liu Jie , Wang Yan , Zhu Chan , Tang Yahong , Gu Minghong 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has emerged as a contemporary modality in physiotherapy, demonstrating efficacy in addressing musculoskeletal disorders. Despite its potential, the clinical efficacy of ESWT in the context of cervical spondylosis remains understudied, with a dearth of robust empirical evidence. To bridge this gap, the present study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic impact of focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (fESWT) on pain alleviation and functional improvement in individuals afflicted with cervical spondylosis.
Method
A multicenter, randomized controlled clinical study was conducted, collecting data from five clinical studies on the treatment of cervical spondylosis with fESWT from June 2021 to March 2024. The inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with cervical spondylosis, aged 20–70, without severe underlying diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, etc. The exclusion criteria included pregnant women, nursing women, patients with bleeding tendencies, or those with cardiac pacemakers. The control group received conventional physical therapy, while the experimental group received fESWT in addition to conventional physical therapy. The main observation indicators included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain scoring, Neck Disability Index (NDI) scoring, cervical range of motion (ROM) scoring, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) quality of life survey scoring.
Results
A total of 320 subjects were included in the study, with 160 in the experimental group and 160 in the control group. Post-treatment, the VAS and NDI scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05), while the cervical range of motion (ROM) and SF-36 scores were significantly higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). The overall treatment efficacy rate in the experimental group exceeded 90%, markedly higher than the approximately 70% rate in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups.
Conclusion
As a non-invasive treatment method, fESWT has shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of cervical spondylosis. It effectively reduces patient pain, improves cervical function, and enhances the quality of life, with a high safety profile and minimal adverse reactions, making it worthy of clinical promotion and application.
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) with Retroperitoneal Lymphadenopathy (RPLN) have outcomes similar to locally advanced disease if treated with radical intent.
Authors: Agrawal Sushma , naik Nagendra , Priyanka Parul 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Introduction:
Retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy is considered as metastatic disease in GBC, however some surgical series of radical surgery with RPLN dissection have shown results marginally inferior to those with non-RPLN lymph-node dissection. Radiological RPLN comprises a major proportion of advanced non-metastatic GBC (40% ). There is dilemma in the intent of treatment to be offered in such cases. Hence we are reporting our series of GBC treated with first line CT and consolidation CTRT in responders with comparison of outcomes of patients with RPLN versus non-RPLN.
Materials and methods:
Non-metastatic advanced GBC with good performance status (KPS.80) were initiated on first line chemotherapy (CT, cisplatin-gemcitabine) and thereafter responders were evaluated by CT-angiography and PET-CT scan for resectability. If found unresectable, they were offered chemo-radiotherapy (CTRT) to a dose of 45 Gy by conventional fractionation (3D-CRT technique) along with concurrent capecitabine @1250mg/m2 to GBC and regional lymphatics including RPLN. Thereafter boost dose of 9Gy/5# was given to GBC only. Response assessment was done using CT scan abdomen by RECIST criteria. Outcomes (overall survival) between the 2 groups (RPLN vs Non RPLN) were computed with Kaplan-Meier survival curves and chi-square tests using spss v 20.
Results:
Amongst 189 patients of advanced non-metastatic GBC recruited from 2011–2022, 80 had RPLN. The demographic features of both groups were comparable. 68% patients were women, 30% underwent upfront stenting for obstructive jaundice, 90% had T3 and T4 disease and 45%, 30% and 25% had N0, N1, N2 in non-RPLN arm. Only 10% had undergone upfront laparoscopic staging and had pathological proven RPLN. 40% patients received 4 cycles CT only and 50% patients received 6 cycles or more, and 33% received CTRT. By RECIST criteria, 10% vs 16% achieved complete response (CR), 39% vs 41% achieved partial response (PR), 16% vs 15% achieved stable disease (SD), 2.7% vs 6% had disease progression (PD) and 14.5% vs 3.7% were non-evaluable in Non-RPLN vs RPLN group respectively. 12% vs 6% could undergo radical surgery in Non-RPLN vs RPLN group (p = 0.03). The overall median overall survival was 9 months (95% CI 7.6–10.3 months) vs 10 months (95% CI 8-9.8 months) (p = NS) in Non-RPLN vs RPLN group respectively. In those who received CT only, the median OS was 7 months vs 8 months, while in those who received CT followed by CTRT, the median OS was 14 months vs 13 months (p = 0.65) in non-RPLN vs RPLN group respectively.
Conclusions:
Based on this analysis, we conclude that advanced non-metastatic GBC patients with RPLN have outcomes similar to those without RPLN if treated with radical intent.
Relationships Between Emotional Labor, Job Burnout, and Emotional Intelligence: An Analysis Combining Meta-analysis and Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Chen Yin-Che , Huang Zhi-Ling , Chu Hui-Chuang 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

The present study adopted a meta-analysis design that incorporated structural equation modeling to explore the relationships between emotional labor (EL), job burnout (JB), and emotional intelligence (EI), and enable model validation. The results revealed that EL and JB were significantly and positively correlated, that EI was significantly and positively correlated with EL, and that EI was significantly and negatively correlated with JB. The SEM parameter estimation values were all positive, reaching the level of significance and meeting the basic fit criteria. The total effect size of EL on JB was 0.307, which was equal to the sum of the direct and indirect effect sizes (0.423–0.116). This result indicated that EL affected JB through EI, validating the presence of a moderating effect. Finally, the results were discussed, and practical suggestions were proposed.
Dynamic Characteristics Research on Undisturbed Saturated Soft Clay
Authors: Fang Yuanming , Wang Sui , Chen Bin , Gao Zhihua , Zhao Peng 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Due to the extremely strong rheological properties of soft clay, the dynamic characteristics of undisturbed saturated soft clay with sand layers in Ningbo area were studied. Experimental results demonstrate that the dynamic pore pressure, cumulative axial strain and double amplitude dynamic strain of unidirectional vibration cycle increase with the axial cyclic stress ratio increasing, and because the excess hydrostatic pore water pressure will gradually dissipate with vibration cycle increasing, the strain increases and the dynamic pore pressure decreases with the progress of vibration cycle. Besides, it can be noticed that the dynamic pore pressure and double amplitude dynamic strain of bidirectional vibration cycle are generally larger than that of unidirectional vibration cycle. Because bidirectional vibration cycle needs controlling the change of axial stress in the horizontal and vertical direction, larger instantaneous strain will be generated by external load, and excess hydrostatic pore water pressure is larger. In addition, due to the negative correlation between dynamic elastic modulus and strain, the dynamic elastic modulus of bidirectional vibration cycle is generally smaller than that of unidirectional vibration cycle. Finally, with the cyclic vibration continuing, energy is continuously lost and damping ratio decreases.
Genome-wide identification, characterization and evolutionary analysis of the pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) and dehydrin (DHN) genes in Solanum lycopersicum under drought stress
Authors: Maghraby Amaal , Alzalaty Mohamed 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

The pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS), succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) and dehydrin (DHN) genes play major roles in the response to drought stress. This is the first study to identify the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes in Solanum lycopersicum viagenome-wide analysis under drought stress. The qRT‒PCR results indicated that P5CSand DHN were upregulated, with fold changes of 2.39 and 1.23, respectively, whereas the expression level of SSADH decreased to 0.73. Genome-wide analysis revealed 2 P5CS, 16 SSADH and 2 DHN genes in S. lycopersicum. P5CS genes were found on chromosomes 6 and 8. The SSADH genes were found on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12. DHN genes were found on chromosomes 2 and 4. The Ka/Ks ratios indicated that the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes were influenced primarily by purifying selection, which indicated that the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes received strong environmental pressure during evolution. The number of duplications of the P5CS paralogous gene pairs ranged from approximately 40.030 Mya. The duplication time of the SSADH paralogous gene pair ranged from approximately 7.892 to 210.890 Mya. The number of duplications of the DHNparalogous gene pairs ranged from approximately 189.799 Mya. Synteny analysis of the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes revealedcollinearity orthologous relationships in S. tuberosum and A. thaliana but no orthologs of the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes with O. sativa. In addition, collinearity analysis revealed that 2 orthologous P5CS genes, 18 orthologous SSADH genes and 2 orthologous DHN genes were paired with those in S. tuberosum. Collinearity analysis revealed that 14 orthologous SSADH genes and 1 orthologous DHN gene were paired with those in A. thaliana. Our present study increases our knowledge about the characteristics and roles of the P5CS, SSADH and DHN genes in drought stress in S. lycopersicum.
Altitude shapes gut microbiome composition accounting for diet, thyroid hormone levels, and host genetics in a subterranean blind mole rat
Authors: Solak Halil Mert , Kreisinger Jakub , Čížková Dagmar , Sezgin Efe , Schmiedová Lucie , Murtskhvaladze Marine , Henning Yoshiyuki , Çolak Faruk , Matur Ferhat , Yanchukov Alexey 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

The animal gut microbiome acts as a crucial link between the host and its environment, playing a vital role in digestion, metabolism, physiology, and fitness. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we investigated the effect of altitude on the microbiome composition of Anatolian Blind Mole Rats (Nannospalax xanthodon) across six locations and three altitudinal groups. We also factored in the host diet, as well as host microsatellite genotypes and thyroid hormone levels. The altitude had a major effect on microbiome composition, with notable differences in the relative abundance of several bacterial taxa across elevations. Contrary to prior research, we found no significant difference in strictly anaerobic bacteria abundance among altitudinal groups, though facultatively anaerobic bacteria were more prevalent at higher altitudes. Microbiome alpha diversity peaked at mid-altitude, comprising elements from both low and high elevations. The beta diversity showed significant association with the altitude. Altitude had a significant effect on the diet composition but not on its alpha diversity. No distinct altitude-related genetic structure was evident among the host populations, and no correlation was revealed between the host genetic relatedness and microbiome composition nor between the host microbiome and the diet. Free thyroxine (FT4) levels increased almost linearly with the altitude but none of the bacterial ASVs were found to be specifically associated with hormone levels. Total thyroxine (TT4) levels correlated positively with microbiome diversity. Although we detected correlation between certain components of the thyroid hormone levels and the microbiome beta diversity, the pattern of their relationship remains inconclusive.
External Validation of the Budget Impact Analysis of the Drug Fingolimode in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Campello Cesar Ricardo Simioni , Costa Marcia Gisele Santos da , Pinto Márcia 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Background
To carry out external validation of the analysis of the budget impact of the drug fingolimod after its incorporation into the Brazilian Unified Health System, comparing the real parameters arising from its incorporation in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis with the estimates presented in the incorporation report in 2017.
Methods
Survey of the target population validated by demand measured through the dispensing of drugs, in the Brazilian Unified Health System of patients with multiple sclerosis; validation of the unit costs of drugs through purchases made by the Logistics Department of the Ministry of Health; determination of market share within the time horizon defined based on drugs purchases; estimation of direct administration costs; and monitoring of drugs to compare estimated values with the real value.
Results
Divergences were identified between real-life data collected in relation to the study's defined population and the market share of the drug fingolimod over the studied time horizon. There was a significant increase in the fingolimod market share, with the bigger market shares being in 2019 and 2020. The budget impact presented in the incorporation report was US$ 277,431,260.28, and the validated impact was US$ 194,955,442.76.
Conclusions
The validation process of the budget impact analysis of the incorporation of the drug fingolimod in 2017 resulted in savings of around US$ 82,4 million in relation to the value proposed for incorporation. The percentage of market share and drugs costs were the most divergent factors in relation to what had been proposed in the incorporation report.
Influence of luting strategies on dentin bond performance of self-adhesive resin luting cement combined with a universal adhesive
Authors: Muto Rei , Takamizawa Toshiki , Shiratsuchi Koji , Kasahara Yuta , Suda Shunichi , Watanabe Hidehiko , Latta Mark A. , Miyazaki Masashi 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the dentin bond performance of various resin luting cement (RLC) systems combined with universal adhesives in different luting strategies. Materials and Methods Three self-adhesive RLCs were used with universal adhesives as primers. Twelve specimens per group were prepared to measure shear bond strength (SBS) under distinct luting strategies in etch-&-rinse and self-etch modes. Regarding luting strategies, the bonded specimens were categorized into four groups based on tooth primer application and the curing mode of the RLC paste: (i) with light irradiation of the tooth primer (wL) + dual-cure mode (DC) of the RLC paste, (ii) wL + self-cure mode (SC) of the RLC paste, (iii) without light irradiation of the tooth primer (woL) + DC mode of the RLC paste, and (iv) woL + SC mode of the RLC paste. Specimens were also subjected to different storage conditions: 24 h in water (baseline condition) and 10,000 cycles of thermal cycling. Results Luting strategy, storage condition, and RLC system type significantly influenced dentin SBS values in both etching modes. Notably, certain RLCs exhibited significantly higher dentin SBS when the primer was light-irradiated compared with no primer irradiation. Conclusion Most RLCs demonstrated higher dentin bond strength with light-irradiated primers, suggesting potential enhancement of dentin bond performance via primer light irradiation.
PCSK7, a potential target for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration: inhibition of retinal epithelial cell death
Authors: Zhang Xiaolong , Zhao Xin , Xin Xiangyang 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

AIM
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disease whose pathophysiology is not fully understood. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the specific manifestations of PCSK7 in retinal epithelial cells.
METHODS
Lentiviral vectors overexpressing PCSK7 were infected into H2O2-treated ARPE-19 cells to investigate the mechanism of action. WB and RT-qPCR were used to analyze the overexpression efficiency. Then, CCK8 assay was used to investigate the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells, while flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to study the apoptosis. Iron accumulation and GSH content in cells were determined by ELISA and WB was used to determine the expression of anti-ferroptosis protein. Finally, JC-1 staining was used to investigate cellular mitochondrial membrane potential.
RESULTS
Overexpressing PCSK7 enhanced the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of ARPE-19 cells treated with H2O2. Meanwhile, Increased PCSK7 expression suppressed intracellular iron levels and GSH content and inhibited the ferroptosis process. In addition, overexpression of PCSK7 restored mitochondrial membrane potential, thereby alleviating H2O2-induced mitochondrial damage.
CONCLUSION
PCSK7 might be one of the targets for the treatment of AMD through the regulation of retinal epithelial cell death.
Natural finger-tapping tempo reflects intrinsic neuropsychological characteristics
Authors: Sun Sai , Wu Daw-An , Shehata Mohammad , Akashi Takuya , Furudate Morimichi , Zhang Chao , Tsutsui Ken-Ichiro , Shioiri Satoshi , Shimojo Shinsuke 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Individuals have unique natural tempos in daily activities such as walking and speaking, with significant variability. It remains largely unknown how our brains generate and represent these unique tempos to modulate various sensory-motor functions. We propose that natural tempo differs from externally imposed tempos and is associated with intrinsic brain functions. Using EEG, we monitored brain activity while participants performed spontaneous and constrained finger-tapping tasks. Results show that individuals have consistent and unique natural tapping tempos. The peak frequency of delta/theta brainwaves in the motor cortex aligns with each person's motor tempo. Tapping at natural tempos led to decreased cognitive control and increased relaxation, evidenced by lower frontal error negativity (Ne)-like amplitude, higher parietal alpha power, and increased DMN activity. Additionally, natural tempo was negatively correlated with individual alpha peak frequency (IAPF), frontal Ne-like amplitude, and DMN source activity. These findings suggest that natural motor tempo is a stable cognitive "fingerprint" of brain activity.
Identification and validation an anoikis-related gene signature for clinical diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Jiang Haochen , Wang Tao , Li Suyin , Pan Xiangxue , Tan Weifeng , Sun Xuehua 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most widespread malignancy in the universe, with low early diagnosis rates and high mortality. Therefore, early detection and treatment are critical to improving patients' life. Anoikis is one of the modes of cell death, and resistance to anoikis arising by aggressive tumor cells has been considered a pivotal element in cancer proliferation, while rarely have studies focused on the relationship between HCC and anoikis.
Methods
Anoikis-related genes were gathered from the GeneCards and MSigDB, and the R software of "limma” and the WGCNA were employed to select anoikis-related differentially expressed genes (ARDEGs). Patients from three independent cohorts (TCGA-LIHC, ICGC, and GSE14520) were classified by Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to analyze the overall survival (OS), copy number variation (CNV), tumor microenvironment (TME), and biological characteristics of different HCC clusters. We then rely on the expression of prognostic anoikis-related differentially expressed genes (PARDEGs) to build the signature by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis, then patients were assigned into two risk groups. The study of enrichment pathways, immune microenvironment, clinicopathologic feature stratification, nomogram, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and drug prediction related to the signature was performed. More importantly, the mRNA level of the critical genes was verified at the HCC tissue level.
Results
HCC patients were randomly segmented into four clusters based on the PARDEGs. The result showed that clusterC2 had the worst survival time and clinical performance. Four PARDEGs, including CD24, SKP2, E2F1, and NDRG1, were selected for conducting a risk model. This risk model was significantly validated by different datasets (TCGA-LIHC, ICGC, and GSE14520) to distinguish the survival status of other HCC patients. Analysis such as the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, concordance index(C-index), and nomogram indicated that the model had excellent sensitivity and specificity. Drug response and immunotherapy also manifested differently in two risk HCC patients.
Conclusion
A model constructed with four PARDEGs helps to improve the detection rate of early HCC, long-term prognostic stratification of HCC patients, and postoperative personalized monitoring and treatment plan development, reflecting the medical concept of early screening, early diagnosis, early and precise therapy of HCC.
Improved Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm based on Conditional Value-at-Risk for Portfolio Optimization
Authors: Yu Qingqing , Jin Rong 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

This paper presents an improved Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm variant based on Conditional Value-at-Risk for addressing portfolio optimization problems. Portfolio optimization is a NP-hard combinatorial problem that aims to select an optimal set of assets and their quantities to balance risk against expected return. The proposed approach uses the QAOA to find the optimal asset combination that maximizes returns while minimizing risk, with a focus on the tail end of the loss distribution. An enhanced QAOA ansatz introduced that offers a balance between optimization quality and circuit depth, leading to faster convergence and higher probabilities of obtaining optimal solutions. Experiments are conducted using historical stock data from Nasdaq, optimizing portfolios with varying numbers of stocks. In the case of 16 stocks, our method achieves optimal cost values with merely 35 iterations, whereas the standard QAOA requires 700 iterations. Our method outperforms other approaches, particularly as the size of the problem increases.