bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Blood Urea Nitrogen to Serum Albumin Ratio in critically ill patients with aspiration pneumonia : A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Xia Tingting , Lei Shu 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background: We aimed to investigate the relationship between the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to serum albumin ratio (BAR) in critically ill patients with aspiration pneumonia (AP).
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database, in which patients in ICU were diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia.The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and survival curves were plotted to evaluate predictive performance of BAR.The multivariable Cox regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between BAR and mortality. And subgroup analyses were stratified by relevant covariates.
Results: A total of 1121 critically ill patients with AP were enrolled in our study.
Patients in 28-day non-survivor group had significantly higher levels of BAR (P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting 28-day mortality, 90-day and 365-day mortality of BAR (0.693, P<0.001; 0.701, P<0.001; 0.703, P<0.001) was superior to that of SOFA scores or CURB-65 scores. Kaplan-Meier curves also showed similar results (P < 0.001). Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that BAR was a significant risk factor predicting 28-day (HR 1.89, 95%CI 1.37-2.60, P<0.001), 90-day (HR 1.76, 95%CI 1.34-2.31, P<0.001) and 365-day (HR 1.50, 95%CI 1.18-1.89, P=0.001) mortality even after adjusting for confounding variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, risk factors, comorbidities, interventions, score system, vital signs and laboratory results. This also showed intuitively in the restricted cubic spline curve. Moreover, subgroup analyses demonstrated a significant association between elevated BAR and 28-day mortality in mostly relevant subclasses.
Conclusions: Easily accessible BAR is a good prognostic predictor for critically ill patients with AP.
Clinical performance of deep learning enhanced ultra-fast whole-body scintigraphy in patients with suspected malignancy
Authors: Qi Na , Pan Boyang , Meng Qingyuan , Yang Yihong , Ding Jie , Yuan Zengbei , Gong Nan-Jie , Zhao Jun 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
To evaluate the clinical performance of two deep learning methods, utilizing real clinical pairs and simulated datasets, for fast whole-body scintigraphy.
Methods
This prospective study enrolled 83 patients with suspected bone metastasis. All patients received SPECT whole-body scintigraphy (WBS) at the speed of 20cm/min (1x), 40cm/min (2x), 60cm/min (3x). Two deep learning models were introduced to generate high-quality images from fast scans, designated as 2x-real, 3x-real (from real model), and 2x-simu, 3x-simu (from simulated model). A 5-point Likert scale was utilized to evaluate the image quality of each acquisition. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and ROC-AUC were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy. Learned perceptual image patch similarity (LPIPS) and fréchet inception distance (FID) were used to assess image quality. Additionally, count-level consistency of WBS was also compared.
Results
Subjective assessments indicated that 1x images exhibited the highest general image quality (Likert score: 4.40 ± 0.45). 2x-real, 2x-simu and 3x-real, 3x-simu images displayed significantly superior quality than those of 2x and 3x image respectively (Likert scores: 3.46 ± 0.47, 3.79 ± 0.55 vs. 2.92 ± 0.41, P < 0.0001;. 2.69 ± 0.40, 2.61 ± 0.41 vs. 1.36 ± 0.51, P < 0.0001). Notably, the quality of 2x-real images was inferior to those of 2x-simu (Likert scores: 3.46 ± 0.47 vs. 3.79 ± 0.55, P = 0.001). The diagnostic efficacy of 2x-real, 2x-simu was indistinguishable from 1x image (accuracy: 81.2%, 80.7% vs. 84.3%; sensitivity: 77.27%, 77.27% vs. 87.18%;specificity: 87.18%, 84.63% vs. 87.18%. all P > 0.05), while 3x-real, 3x-simu had better diagnostic efficacy than 3x (accuracy:65.1%, 66.35% vs. 84.3%; sensitivity: 63.64%, 63.64% vs. 87.18%; specificity: 66.67%, 69.23% vs. 87.18%, all P < 0.05).. Objectively, both real model and simulated model significantly enhanced image quality from the accelerated scans (FID: 0.15 ± 0.18, 0.18 ± 0.18 vs. 0.47 ± 0.34, P < 0.05༛LPIPS: 0.17 ± 0.05, 0.16 ± 0.04 vs. 0.19 ± 0.05, P < 0.05). The count-level consistency with the 1x images was excellent for 2x-real, 3x-real, 2x-simu, and 3x-simu (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions
The ultra-fast 2x speed (real and simulated) image could achieve comparable diagnostic value to those of standard acquisition, and the simulation algorithm could not necessarily reflect the real data.
Evaluation of Stabbing Assault Injuries in A Tertiary Emergency Department: A Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Yeter Nil Deniz Kartal , Karaca Mehmet Ali , Yeter Ahmet Sefa , İnce Elif Öztürk , Erbil Bülent 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
The study aims to evaluate injury patterns, trauma scores, radiological findings, types of treatment, and outcomes of stab assault patients admitted to a tertiary emergency department (ED).
Methods
This is a retrospective observational study of stabbing injury patients in the ED of Hacettepe University, Turkey. The sites and patterns of injury, radiological findings, treatment methods, consultations, and complications are acquired from the patients’ files. Trauma scores and frequency of outcomes, such as the need for surgery, hospitalization, or mortality, were calculated for all patients.
Results
Among the 648 patients, 564 (87%) were male. The median age was 28 (interquartile range [IQR]:13). The commonly injured body parts were the extremities (75%), thorax (21.9%), and abdomen (16.9%). The median RTS was 7,84 (IQR:0), and the median ISS was 2 (IQR:3). The fluid was detected in 13 of 88 patients by FAST, solid organ injuries in 21 patients, and gastric and intestinal injuries in 11 patients by abdominal CT. One hundred sixty-one patients underwent moderate and major surgery. Complications developed in 13 patients. 74,4% of the patients (n = 482) were treated in ED and 21.8% (n = 141) of patients were hospitalized in wards, 2.3%(n = 15) in intensive care unit and 1.5% (n = 10) patients died. GCS, RTS, and probability of survival (Ps) were significantly lower, and ISS was significantly higher in deceased patients and patients who needed erythrocyte replacement.
Conclusion
The majority of stab wounds were detected in extremities, but severe and lethal stabbing injuries were on the thorax and abdomen. In thoracoabdominal stabbing injuries, x-ray and FAST can be ineffective in detecting critical and fatal injuries. Therefore, thoracic and abdominal CT should be planned early to detect possible causes of death and make a timely and accurate diagnosis. Lower GCS, RTS, and Ps or higher ISS scores were related to need for erythrocyte replacement.
The effects of pregnancy on oral health, salivary ph and flow rate
Authors: Yilmaz Fatma , Dorterler Ozgul Carti , Halici Saniye Eren , Kasap Burcu , Demirbas Aysegul 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background:The frequent occurrence of dental caries and periodontal diseases in women during pregnancy may be due to many factors, such as salivary variables. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of pregnancy on salivary pH, flow rate, the DMFT index, and CPI sores.
Methods: A total of 198 volunteers (pregnant in different trimesters and non- pregnant) were included. Data about sociodemographic characteristics and dental and systemic health conditions were recorded. Unsitumulated saliva samples were collected for 5 minutes via the spitting method. The pH of the saliva was measured by a portable pH meter. The salivary flow rate was determined by the weight measurement method. The DMFT index and CPI were determined.
Results: There were significant differences between the pH values of the control and study groups (p < 0.05). There was no difference among the salivary flow rates of the study and control groups. The mean CPI of pregnant women was significantly greater than that of non-pregnant women (p < 0.05), while the DMFTs were similar among all groups.
Conclusion: Pregnancy causes a direct decrease in unsitumulated salivary pH and an increase in periodontal disease. It also negatively affects oral and dental health.
Trial registration: Clinical Trials-ID: NCT06343337; Registration Date: 04.01.2024.
Intraoperative Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance comparative analyses in brain tumor surgery: a valuable tool to flatten ultrasound’s learning curve
Authors: Brugada-Bellsolà Ferran , Rodríguez Pilar Teixidor , González-Crespo Antonio , Menéndez-Girón Sebastián , Panisello Cristina Hostalot , Garcia-Armengol Roser , Alonso Carlos J. Domínguez 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) is a profitable tool for neurosurgical procedures’ assistance, especially in neuro-oncology. It is a rapid, ergonomic and reproducible technique. However, its known handicap is a steep learning curve for neurosurgeons. Here, we describe an interesting post-operative analysis that provides extra feedback after surgery, accelerating the learning process.
Method
We conducted a descriptive retrospective unicenter study including patients operated from intra-axial brain tumors using neuronavigation (Curve, Brainlab) and IOUS (BK-5000, BK medical) guidance. All patients had pre-operative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) prior to tumor resection. During surgery, 3D neuronavigated IOUS studies (n3DUS) were obtained through craniotomy N13C5 transducer’s integration to the neuronavigation system. At least two n3DUS studies were obtained: prior to tumor resection and at the resection conclusion. A post-operative MRI was performed within 48h. MRI and n3DUS studies were posteriorly fused and analyzed with Elements (Brainlab) planning software, permitting two comparative analyses: preoperative MRI compared to pre-resection n3DUS and postoperative MRI to post-resection n3DUS. Cases with incomplete MRI or n3DUS studies were withdrawn from the study.
Results
From April 2022 to March 2024, 73 patients were operated assisted by IOUS. From them, 39 were included in the study. Analyses comparing preoperative MRI and pre-resection n3DUS showed great concordance of tumor volume (p < 0,001) between both modalities. Analysis comparing postoperative MRI and post-resection n3DUS also showed good concordance in residual tumor volume (RTV) in cases where gross total resection (GTR) was not achieved (p < 0,001). In two cases, RTV detected on MRI that was not detected intra-operatively with IOUS could be reviewed in detail to recheck its appearance.
Conclusions
Post-operative comparative analyses between IOUS and MRI is a valuable tool for novel ultrasound users, as it enhances the amount of feedback provided by cases and could accelerate the learning process, flattening this technique’s learning curve.
Development of a Prognostic Model for Patients with Nodular Melanoma of the Lower Extremities: A Study Based on the SEER Database
Authors: Zhang Shun , Tian Si , Qin Xinrui , Mou Hao , He Bin , Wang Yi , Xue Bin , Lin Wentao 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background: Lower extremity nodular melanoma (NM) is a common malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. We aims to identify the prognostic factors and develop a nomogram model to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with lower extremity NM.
Method: A total of 746 patients with lower extremity NM were selected and randomly divided into a training set (522 cases) and a validation set (224 cases) from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results(SEER) database. The training set underwent univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to identify independent prognostic factors associated with patient outcomes, and to develop a nomogram model. The effectiveness of the nomogram was subsequently validated using the validation set.
Results: Multivariable Cox regression analysis of the training set indicated that age, ulceration, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, primary site of first malignant tumor, and Breslow thickness were independent variables associated with OS. In the training set, the area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram for predicting 3-year and 5-year OS was 0.796 and 0.811, respectively. In the validation set, the AUC for predicting 3-year and 5-year OS was 0.694 and 0.702, respectively. The Harrell's C-index for the training set and validation set were 0.754 (95% CI: 0.721-0.787) and 0.670 (95% CI: 0.607-0.733), respectively. Calibration curves for both training and validation sets showed good agreement.
Conclusion: In this study, we develop and validate a nomogram to predict OS in patients with lower extremity NM. The nomogram demonstrated reasonable reliability and clinical applicability. Nomograms are important tools assessing prognosis and aiding clinical decision-making.
A comparative analysis of campus bullying between vocational schools and regular high schools
Authors: Haiyan Gao , Hong Lin , Guangming Shen 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Introduction:
Campus bullying has attracted widespread attention in China. While previous research has focused extensively on the individual and familial factors of campus bullying, school environmental factors have been insufficiently explored. This study primarily examines the mechanisms by which the school environment influences campus bullying by contrasting vocational and regular high schools, two school ecosystems with distinct cultures. By investigating the frequency, characteristics, and significant influencing factors of campus bullying in both types of schools, this study aims to further explore how the school environment affects the occurrence of campus bullying.
Methods
Participants comprise 1348 students from 17 vocational high schools and 5341 students from 65 regular high schools in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China. Moderation analysis is applied to examine the different effects of individual and family factors on school bullying in the two types of high schools. Mediation analysis is carried out to examine the mechanism of school bullying under the two types of school ecosystems.
Results and Conclusion:
Results show that the risk of explicit physical bullying in vocational and regular high schools is roughly equivalent. However, the risk of less noticeable forms of bullying, such as verbal bullying, relational bullying, and cyberbullying, is significantly higher in regular than vocational high schools. Further analysis reveals that the higher risk of campus bullying in regular high schools is attributed to significantly lower evaluations of teacher student relationships, poorer peer relationships, and heavier academic burden compared to vocational high schools.
Seasonal warming responses of the ecosystem CO2 sink of northern forests are sensitive to stand age
Authors: Zha Tianshan , Liu Peng , Black Thomas , Jassal Rachhpal , Jia Xin , Noormets Asko , Ouimette Andrew , Tian Yun , Li Xinhao 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Northern forests (forests north of 30°N) are major terrestrial CO2 sinks, while rapid warming in these regions can disturb their CO2 sink function. The age-dependent nature of the CO2 sink in forests has been widely reported, but the impact of tree age on the response of forests to rapid climate change remains unclear. Here we use multi-year net CO2 exchange (NEE) observations from 65 northern forest sites to show that warmer springs are associated with increased net CO2 uptake (negative change in NEE (ΔNEE)), whereas warmer summers and autumns are associated with decreased net CO2 uptake. Annually, net CO2 uptake decreased by 5 g C m− 2 yr− 1 across all sites on average. When considering stand age differences, the increased net CO2 uptake during warmer springs was more pronounced in old forests (> 90 years old) compared to young (< 40 years old) and mid-aged (40–90 years old) forests. In addition, the decreased net CO2 uptake during warmer summers and autumns was more pronounced in young forests compared to mid- and old-aged forests. Annually, this resulted in an increase in net CO2 uptake due to seasonal warming for old forests (ΔNEE of -4.8 g C m− 2 yr− 1) and a decrease in young- and mid-aged forests (ΔNEE of 3.2 and 0.8 g C m− 2 yr− 1, respectively). The carbon sink of northern forests would be underestimated by approximately 8% if the impacts of stand age on the responses of NEE to seasonal warming are not taken into account, comparing scenarios of seasonal warming with and without accounting for stand age. In future projections, increasingly uneven seasonal warming may amplify the impacts of stand age on CO2 sinks of northern forests.
Adaptive Distributed Explicit Model Predictive Controller with Road Surface Identification for HM-AS
Authors: zhou Ying , Chen Xin , Li Zhongxing , Wang Xue , Yu Yi 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

The rapid advancement of hub-motor electric vehicle (HMEV) is propelled by its capacity to significantly improve energy efficiency, handling dynamics, and space utilization while minimizing mechanical losses and maintenance costs. A significant challenge in HMEV is mitigating the performance degradation caused by unbalanced electromagnetic force (UMEF), which result from the interaction between the hub motor and road-induced vibrations. This study introduces an Adaptive Distributed Explicit Model Predictive Control (ADEMPC) strategy for hub-motor electric vehicles equipped with air suspension (HM-AS), aiming to enhance ride comfort, handling stability, and reduce eccentricity between the stator and rotor. A full-vehicle dynamic model considering vertical-longitudinal coupling is established and validated. A road surface identification system based on a BP neural network is designed. The Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) is used to optimize weight coefficients on 16 conditions, which are then saved as tables for ADEMPC. An ADEMPC controller is designed based on distributed prediction model, which decompose the entire vehicle into four subsystems and consider the coupling of roll and pitch. Simulation results demonstrated that ADEMPC achieves improvements of 25% in body acceleration, 16% in eccentricity, 5% in tire dynamic load, 25% in roll, and 15% in pitch. It showcases its effectiveness in enhancing ride comfort and vehicle stability.
Parallel Visualization of Reservoir Models with ParaView
Authors: Kovalevskiy Oleg , Cancelliere Michel 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Interactive visualization of subterranean formations models is essential for reservoir engineering. ParaView is a good option - it is feature rich, performance oriented, cross-platform, free and open-source. It can run in client-server mode, where heavy processing and rendering is executed on powerful servers in parallel with multiple processors. Custom format support can be implemented in ParaView as an extension in the form of a plug-in of a script for embedded Python-shell. Parallelization of the grid is defined explicitly in the logic of custom readers created as extensions for ParaView. It was identified that the way of splitting the grid between processes can significantly impact the efficiency of resources utilization. The main object of current study was a class of reservoir models that have resolution in vertical direction much smaller than that in horizontal direction. For such grids splitting by vertical blocks proved to be much more efficient than splitting by horizontal layers. In this case not only less memory is required - rendering is also faster. These important findings can help to get visualizations faster for more efficient design processes or even enable visualization of near-the-limits scales.
Evaluating Cognitive Function and Brain Activity Patterns via BolT in N-Back Working Memory Tasks
Authors: Zhang Zhenming , Jiang Zhuqing , Chen Yaojing , Men Aidong 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Working memory, which involves temporary storage, information processing, and regulating attention resources, is a fundamental cognitive process and constitutes a significant component of neuroscience research. In this study, we aimed to evaluate brain activation patterns by analyzing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time-series data collected during a designed N-back working memory task with varying cognitive demands. We utilize a novel transformer model, blood-oxygen-level-dependent transformer (BolT), to extract the activation level features of brain regions in the cognitive process, thereby obtaining the influence weights of regions of interest (ROIs) on the corresponding tasks. Compared with previous studies, our work reaches similar conclusions in major brain region performance and provides a more precise analysis for identifying brain activation patterns. For each task, we select the top 5 percent of the most influential ROIs and conduct a systematic analysis and discussion. Additionally, we examined the impact of prior knowledge conditions on task performance and explored task classification at different time stages. The comparison results reflect the brain's adaptive strategies and dependencies in coping with different levels of cognitive demands and the stability optimization of the brain's cognitive processing. This study introduces innovative methodologies for understanding brain function and cognitive processes, highlighting the potential of transformer in cognitive neuroscience. Its findings offer new insights into brain activity patterns associated with working memory, contributing to the broader landscape of neuroscience research.
Fire Safety Knowledge and Emergency Preparedness Assessment among Health Care Workers at Three Hospitals in Kunene Region, Namibia
Authors: Ndapewa Johannes Evelina , Koray Munawar Harun 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Background
Hospital preparedness for accidents like fires is essential because fire outbreaks in healthcare settings can occur anytime and require quick responses. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers, as well as the predictors of knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers.
Methods
An institutional-based descriptive cross-sectional online survey was employed to assess knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness among 257 healthcare workers from three hospitals in the Kunene region. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out using STATA version 18. Frequencies and percentages were used in the descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi square test, correlation analysis and logistic regression were adapted for the inferential statistics. The statistical significance level was set at p-value ≤ 0.05 at 95% confidence interval.
Results
The study observed that (65.4%) of healthcare workers lack adequate level of knowledge concerning emergency preparedness while 6% of healthcare workers lack sufficient knowledge regarding fire safety. The findings indicated that there is a strong relationship (r = 0.992) between fire safety knowledge and emergency preparedness among healthcare workers. The study findings reported that gender (< 0.0001), and place of work (< 0.0001) were associated with knowledge of fire safety and emergency preparedness. Male participants were more likely to have adequate knowledge of fire safety ((aOR: 3.74; 95%CI: 2.016–6.950) and emergency preparedness (aOR: 3.64; 95%CI: 1.956–6.756) compared to females. Khorixas district hospital had lower odds (aOR: 0.354; 95%CI: 0.173–0.724) of having adequate knowledge of emergency preparedness compared to those working at the Opuwo hospital.
Conclusion
According to the study's findings, the vast majority of healthcare professionals do not know enough about fire safety and how to prepare for a fire. Ensuring a safe hospital workplace requires addressing the gaps in healthcare personnel' knowledge and awareness about fire safety.