bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Platelet to Neutrophil Ratio as a Novel Marker for Monitoring SCD Patients on Hydroxyurea
Authors: Efobi Chilota Chibuife , Nri-Ezedi Chisom A , Hyppolite Regine , Darbari Deepika S , Campbell Andrew D 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Presentation Date: 6/9/2024
Presentation Start Time: 4:15:00 PM

Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemolytic anemia, common in developing countries like Nigeria. Platelet to neutrophil ratio is an inflammatory marker used to determine outcome in some disease conditions. Developing a simple but effective means of monitoring SCD patients on hydroxyurea may be beneficial to the developing world, where poverty makes it difficult to adequately manage and follow up SCD patients.

Methods
This was a retrospective study whose data was obtained from the Children’s National Hospital Washington DC, USA medical records for 347 SCD patients as part of the CNH Natural History Study of SCD. Statistical analyses were employed to evaluate the association between the platelet-neutrophil ratio(PNR) and hydroxyurea intake. Descriptive, Univariate and Multivariate analyses were performed. P value &lt; 0.05 was statistically significant.

Results
A total of 347 patient records were studied of which 176(50.7) were males and 171(49.3) were females. Hemoglobin SS patients on hydroxyurea were found to have higher hemoglobin concentration and platelet count, though not statistically significant. P = 0.478, 0.52) but had lower WBC, Reticulocyte count, neutrophil count and higher PNR when compared to those not on hydroxyurea. (p = 0.00,0.00,0.00, 0.006) respectively. This contrast with HbSC and other genotype with no statistically significant association of the named parameters. PNR was highest amongst HbSS patients on hydroxyurea 83.6 (58.1-115.3 (p = 0.006). unlike Hb SC patient. p = 0.805. multivariate analysis, showed PNR to be the only variable influencing hydroxyurea use(p = 0.0009)

Conclusions
Platelet to neutrophil ratio has been found to be an effective metric for assessing HbSS patients on HU. We recommend further studies to calculate the expected normal range of PNR for SCD patients of all ages, gender as well as determine values below which different SCD complications may occur. This will allow for development of reference intervals of PNR for more effective patient management in resource poor countries. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings.
Expanding Access to Sickle Cell Disease Care in Sierra Leone: The EASEL Pilot Project
Authors: Jaja Cheedy , Gibson Robert W , Ibemere Stephanie , Edem-Hotah Joseph 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Presentation Date: 6/8/2024
Presentation Start Time: 6:00 PM

Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major contributor to childhood morbidity and mortality in African countries like Sierra Leone (SL). Limited early diagnosis programs, the limited number of physicians with expertise in hematology, combined with a dearth of extant strategies to combat SCD have led to a paucity of care for children affected by the disease in SL, a problem further compounded by the lack of public understanding of SCD, which perpetuates social stigma and myths about disease causation and results in few people seeking appropriate treatment. We showcase the EASEL Project, a pilot project designed to empower the nursing workforce in Sierra Leone to perform early diagnosis, genetic counseling, and clinical management of sickle cell disease in children.

Methods
The EASEL project is an academic and private partnership initiative designed to provide basic comprehensive care to children within community hospitals while building capacity within the healthcare system for ongoing improvements in SCD clinical outcomes. The EASEL project leverages the nurse champion model and implementation science to promote the uptake of evidence-based health practices for SCD care. Three aims inform the EASEL project; (1) Conduct a formative evaluation to assess barriers and facilitators to the primary health center provision of SCD case management with a Nurse Champion model; (2) Create an implementation plan for the Sickle Cell Disease Nurse Champion Intervention using Implementation Mapping; and (3) Implement the Nurse Champion model and evaluate its determinants and implementation costs.

Results
The EASEL project will support nurses with the technical capacity to manage and increase opportunities for children living with SCD to receive uninterrupted access to basic preventative wellness care to experience improved quality of life and reduce overall under-five child mortality.

Conclusions
There is a need to integrate affordable SCD evidence-based solutions into the existing healthcare system in Sierra Leone. Newborn screening is urgently needed. Quantifying the public health burden of SCD in Sierra Leone needs to be conducted, and there is an urgent need for public awareness campaigns to combat stigma and misunderstandings about SCD and to provide genetic counseling opportunities and initiatives that promote disease avoidance.
Menopause in Women with Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Adedeji Monica , Andrews Elizabeth , Riddick-Burden Gaye , Rizk Sanaa 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Presentation Date: 6/8/2024
Presentation Start Time: 6:00 PM

Background
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disorder globally. With improved SCD management over the decades, more focus has been directed on long-term survival, and age-related complications. While menarche has been studied in adolescents with SCD and seems to be delayed, since women with SCD previously did not live long enough to experience menopause, there remains a paucity of data on menopause so far. This study sought to illicit the menopause experience in women with SCD including the age of onset and symptom severity. We hypothesized that women with SCD may have earlier onset menopause compared to women without SCD as reports have mentioned ovarian sickling as a proposed mechanism of premature ovarian failure, and iron overload as a possible cause of endocrinopathy--leading to impaired ovarian reserve.

Methods
Within the Jefferson Health Network, 37 menopausal Black women with SCD were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire inquiring about their menopause experience. Mean, median and standard deviation were calculated using basic statistics.

Results
Women with SCD, irrespective of genotype, underwent menopause at a median age of 48 years compared to 52 years--the national median age of menopause in Black women. Furthermore, women not on hydroxyurea had an increased incidence of menopausal symptoms including weight gain, hot flashes, sleep disturbances, vaginal dryness and mood swings, compared to women taking hydroxyurea.

Conclusions
While this study’s results are limited due to small sample size, it sheds light on the menopause experience in women with SCD and further highlights the need for further research on this topic.
Clinical Data of Menopause in Women with Sickle cell disease (SCD) With and Without Hydrea Therapy
Sickle Cell Patient Education Materials
Authors: Geway Gemechu , Salmi Adam , Ferdjallah Asmaa 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Presentation Date: 6/8/2024
Presentation Start Time: 6:00 PM

Background
Sickle cell disease patients often lack awareness of how the disease progresses in their bodies, leading to inadequate self-care and adherence to treatment recommendations. This can result in irreversible damage, such as stroke, and affect their psychological health, leading to feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and frustration. The 3D Sickle Cell Patient Education Model can help bridge the gap by providing patients with a comprehensive and detailed explanation of their disease, illustrating how red blood cells function within different areas of the body, and showcasing the complications and ramifications of the disease. It can also promote consistency with treatment programs for all patients, making it an essential tool for SCD communities and healthcare industries worldwide.

Methods
Rochester, MN, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic, we utilized an innovative approach by incorporating a 3D model to educate children diagnosed with SCD.

Results
During our session at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic, we utilized an innovative approach by incorporating a 3D model to educate children diagnosed with SCD. We were pleasantly surprised to witness a significant improvement in their understanding of SCD. The 3D Sickle Cell Patient Education Model is an incredibly effective tool that SCD communities and healthcare industries can leverage to promote better education and awareness of SCD.

Conclusions
SCD can be complex for patients and their loved ones to manage. However, with proper care and management, those affected by the disease can still live a better life. These Sickle Cell Patient Learning resources can provide valuable tools and resources for caregivers and healthcare providers to manage the condition more effectively, leading to improved patient outcomes. Additionally, this model can also serve as an educational tool in schools from diverse backgrounds, including urban, rural, and suburban areas where access to education resources may be limited. By utilizing these resources, we can help ensure that those affected by SCD have the support and tools they need to thrive.
3D Sickle Cell Patient Education Model
Ex-situ liver resection for complex Echinococcus multilocularis infection: a case report
Authors: Kjeseth Trond , Line Pål-Dag , Khan Ammar , Solheim Jon M , Bjørk Ida G , Sundal Jon , Jensenius Mogens , Yaqub Sheraz 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Echinococcus multilocularis, the fox dwarf tapeworm, causes alveolar echinococcosis (AE), a critical and life-threatening condition. A radical surgical approach represents the only curative option. In this case study, we present a 37-year-old man diagnosed with extensive hepatic AE requiring ex-situ extended right-sided liver resection including the caudate lobe and retro-hepatic vena cava. The left liver segments were auto-transplanted with reconstruction of the left hepatic vein and an inferior vena cava graft. In the post-operative course, the patient developed a bile leak, which was successfully managed with endoscopic stent intervention. He was discharged after a three-week hospitalization. Medical treatment with albendazole was initiated preoperatively and continued postoperatively.
A Review of JAK Inhibitors for Treatment of Alopecia Areata in the Military Health Care System
Authors: Song Christian J , Riley Christopher A , Wilkison Bart D , Cho Sunghun 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Alopecia areata (AA) is a disease that manifests as patchy hair loss on the scalp and other parts of the body; severe disease may result in disfigurement, functional impairment, and significant psychological distress. This condition is understood to be caused by autoimmunity to the hair follicle and subsequent arrest of hair growth. New medications, baricitinib and ritlecitinib, belong to the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor family and are among the first FDA-approved treatments for severe AA. In this manuscript, we aim to answer the question: What treatment options exist for AA in the military health care system (MHS)? In doing so, we review the pathogenesis, physical and psychosocial impact of AA, conventional treatment of AA, and the efficacy and safety of baricitinib and ritlecitinib.

Methods
A literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Ovid for the history and pathogenesis of AA, psychosocial impact of disease, functional impairments, and current treatments. Keywords “alopecia areata,” “current therapy for alopecia areata,” “pathogenesis alopecia areata,” “baricitinib,” “ritlecitinib,” “JAK inhibitor alopecia,” “JAK inhibitor safety,” “baricitinib efficacy,” “alopecia eyelash,” “alopecia nails,” and “psychosocial impact of alopecia” were used for the search. The TRICARE manual was searched for guidelines applicable to the treatment of AA, DoD Instruction 6130.03 Volume 2 for medical standards for military service, and the U.S. Central Command Modification 15 for fitness of deployment to Central Command area of operations.

Results
Traditional treatments such as intralesional steroids may be effective for some patients, but difficulty lies in controlling extensive or refractory disease. Janus kinase inhibitors, baricitinib and ritlecitinib, are found effective at improving severe refractory disease; baricitinib induced hair regrowth in 32.6% more patients than placebo, and ritlecitinib was found to be superior to placebo by at least 24%. Currently, there is no coverage for therapeutic treatment of hair growth in the MHS. Additionally, military members are disqualified for continued service if they require immunomodulator medications such as baricitinib and ritlecitinib. Those on immunomodulators are unable to deploy worldwide.

Conclusions
Baricitinib and ritlecitinib are effective treatments for widespread, progressive, and refractory AA. Although JAK inhibitors demonstrate improved effectiveness compared to non-immunomodulator treatments, their use in the MHS for this purpose is limited.
The Association Between Diets With High Inflammatory Potential and Sleep Quality and Its Parameters: A Systematic Review
Authors: Kheirouri Sorayya , Alizadeh Mohammad 
Published: June 2024

Abstract

Context
Dietary components or its overall properties can influence an individual's sleep status.

Objective
The aim for this study was to critically search, appraise, and synthesize research evidence on the association between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and sleep quality and its parameters.

Data Sources
Original published studies on adults were obtained from the PubMed, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases.

Data Extraction
The search was conducted without date limitation until April 2023. Duplicated and irrelevant investigations were screened out, and the results of the remaining articles were descriptively summarized, then critically appraised and analyzed. Possible mechanistic pathways regarding diet, systemic inflammation, and sleep status were discussed.

Data Analysis
Of the 102 studies searched, 23 articles (n = 4 cohort studies, 18 cross-sectional studies, and 1 intervention study) were included in the final review. The association between DII and sleep status was investigated subjectively in 21 studies and objectively in 6 studies. The main studied sleep outcomes were sleep quality, duration, latency, efficiency, apnea, disturbances, the use of sleeping medications, daytime dysfunctions, wakefulness after sleep onset, and rapid eye movement.

Conclusions
According to most of the evidence, DII may not be related to overall sleep quality, sleep duration, latency, efficiency, and the use of sleeping medications. The evidence of positive association was greater between a high DII score (pro-inflammatory diet) with daytime dysfunctions, wakefulness after sleep onset, and sleep apnea. There is insufficient evidence to make any conclusion regarding sleep disturbances and rapid eye movement.
The Function of Legal Ritual in the Peace Palace
Authors: Jeutner Valentin 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The article argues that oral proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) can be understood as a particular type of legal ritual. Following an introduction, Section 2 provides an account of the oral proceedings before the ICJ. With reference to Catherine Bell’s six characteristics of ritual-like practices, Section 3 shows that the ICJ’s oral proceedings are formal and traditional, relatively static and rule-governed, employ sacral symbolism, and resemble a performance. Section 4 considers the function and meaning of the legal ritual of oral proceedings before the ICJ. It argues that the ICJ’s legal ritual creates a sense of community among the international legal order’s different stakeholders and establishes the legitimacy of this community and the values it represents. The article concludes by noting that the ICJ’s legal ritual is one of the court’s most important means of enforcing the terms of the international legal order.
The new world order and the Global South
Authors: Stuenkel Oliver Della Costa 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The shift of power away from the West is often seen as a key element of the crisis of liberal international order. The reluctance by most non-Western powers to side with the West vis-à-vis Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has contributed to the notion that the emerging order will be shaped by a contested system of spheres of influence, geopolitical tensions, and a much smaller common denominator vis-à-vis the normative elements of global order. Yet views across the Global South vis-à-vis the liberal order are far more nuanced, and pointing to non-Western powers as a culprit for the crisis of global order would be simplistic. Indeed, many countries in the Global South tend to be less opposed to the values themselves that undergird liberal order but question the Western-centric ways in which the rules and norms are applied and the in-built hierarchies and inequalities of liberal order. The main challenge of existing structures of global governance thus does not seem to be non-Western countries’ rejection of the underlying rules, but the question of whether today’s system is capable of functioning in a genuinely multipolar order, where power and privilege are less concentrated than in the past. The recent ‘geopoliticization’ of the global economy and the emerging ‘tech war’ suggest this process of adaptation will be enormously difficult. At the same time, while specific subgroups are explicitly opposed to a rules-based order, there are few signs that the Global South—a concept of little analytical usefulness beyond denoting the non-West—would be interested or capable of articulating a genuinely novel or alternative approach sufficiently attractive to garner broad support.
Final results of the search for new Milky Way satellites in the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program survey: Discovery of two more candidates
Authors: Homma Daisuke , Chiba Masashi , Komiyama Yutaka , Tanaka Masayuki , Okamoto Sakurako , Tanaka Mikito , Ishigaki Miho N , Hayashi Kohei , Arimoto Nobuo , Lupton Robert H , Strauss Michael A , Miyazaki Satoshi , Wang Shiang-Yu , Murayama Hitoshi 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
We present the final results of our search for new Milky Way (MW) satellites using the data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program (SSP) survey over ∼1140 deg2. In addition to three candidates that we have already reported, we have identified two new MW satellite candidates in the constellations of Sextans, at a heliocentric distance of D⊙ ≃ 126 kpc, and Virgo, at D⊙ ≃ 151 kpc, named Sextans II and Virgo III, respectively. Their luminosities (Sext II: MV ≃ −3.9 mag; Vir III: MV ≃ −2.7 mag) and half-light radii (Sext II: rh ≃ 154 pc; Vir III: rh ≃ 44 pc) place them in the region of size–luminosity space of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies (UFDs). Including four previously known satellites, there are a total of nine satellites in the HSC-SSP footprint. This discovery rate of UFDs is much higher than that predicted from the recent models for the expected population of MW satellites in the framework of cold dark matter models, thereby suggesting that we encounter a too many satellites problem. Possible solutions to settle this tension are also discussed.
Gradual ER calcium depletion induces a progressive and reversible UPR signaling
Authors: Pontisso Ilaria , Ornelas-Guevara Roberto , Chevet Eric , Combettes Laurent , Dupont Geneviève 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a widespread signal transduction pathway triggered by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Because calcium (Ca2+) is a key factor in the maintenance of ER homeostasis, massive Ca2+ depletion of the ER is a potent inducer of ER stress. Although moderate changes in ER Ca2+ drive the ubiquitous Ca2+ signaling pathways, a possible incremental relationship between UPR activation and Ca2+ changes has yet to be described. Here, we determine the sensitivity and time-dependency of activation of the three ER stress sensors, inositol-requiring protein 1 alpha (IRE1α), protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK), and activating transcription factor 6 alpha (ATF6α) in response to controlled changes in the concentration of ER Ca2+ in human cultured cells. Combining Ca2+ imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments, biochemical analyses, and mathematical modeling, we uncover a nonlinear rate of activation of the IRE1α branch of UPR, as compared to the PERK and ATF6α branches that become activated gradually with time and are sensitive to more important ER Ca2+ depletions. However, the three arms are all activated within a 1 h timescale. The model predicted the deactivation of PERK and IRE1α upon refilling the ER with Ca2+. Accordingly, we showed that ER Ca2+ replenishment leads to the complete reversion of IRE1α and PERK phosphorylation in less than 15 min, thus revealing the highly plastic character of the activation of the upstream UPR sensors. In conclusion, our results reveal a dynamic and dose-sensitive Ca2+-dependent activation/deactivation cycle of UPR induction, which could tightly control cell fate upon acute and/or chronic stress.
Systematic Skewness and Stock Returns
Authors: Karehnke Paul 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
This paper revisits the relation between systematic skewness and returns, showing two main findings. First, the systematic skewness premium in individual stocks is time varying. When either skewness preference or systematic skewness is above rather than below the median, the premium is 4% higher. The combined effect of the two induces time variation in the premium of about 7%. Second, systematic skewness has significant additional explanatory power in explaining returns relative to most common characteristics, except size and momentum. These two results imply that skewness preference is an important determinant of expected returns providing a possible rationale for size and momentum. (JEL G11, G12)