bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with Chemical Intolerance
Authors: Palmer Raymond F. , Kattari David , Verduzco-Gutierrez Monica 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe Center for Disease Control has estimated that over 24 million have been infected with COVID-19 in the US with over 6,700,000 being hospitalized, and over 1,174,000 deaths. Several other industrialized countries show similar numbers (CSSE, 2021). Chemical Intolerance (CI) is characterized by multi-system symptoms initiated by a one-time high dose or persistent low-dose exposure to environmental toxins including chemicals, foods and drugs. With an estimated 20% prevalence in the US, the symptoms of CI include fatigue, headache, weakness, rash, mood changes, musculoskeletal pain, gastrointestinal issues, difficulties with memory, concentration, and respiratory problems which are similar to COVID-19 and its sequelae. The purpose of this study was to determine if the pandemic had differential effects on those individuals with CI.MethodsA large U.S. population-based survey was launched involving 7,500 respondents asking if they ever had COVID-19, what the severity of it was, and if they have long COVID-19. Respondents were also assessed for CI using the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI), a 50-item validated questionnaire designed to assess intolerances to inhaled chemicals, foods, and/or drugs. Respondents were classified as Low, Medium, or High CI.ResultsThose in the High Chemical Intolerance class reported a greater COVID-19 prevalence, symptom severity, and long COVID-19 then in the Medium and Low CI classes (P<.0001). These associations were independent of race, ethnicity, income, age, and gender. However, there was significantly increased odds of COVID-19 severity among females and those over 45 years old. Asian individuals were least likely to have severe symptoms compared to White individuals (OR = 0.60). Black/African American individuals reported a lower prevalence of COVID-19 than Non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), but African American individuals with high CI reported 2.2 greater odds of reporting COVID-19 prevalence. Further, African American individuals had significantly greater odds of increased symptom severity.DiscussionPrior studies showed that higher risk for COVID-19-19 infection include the elderly, male sex, those with pre-existing comorbidities (e.g., challenged immunities) and those from minoritized racial/ethnic groups. The results of this study suggest that those with CI be included in a high risk group. Various risk subsets may exisit and future investigations could identify different risk subsets. Understanding these subgroups would be helpful in mounting targeted prevention efforts.
Tiny dLIF: A Dendritic Spiking Neural Network Enabling a Time-Domain Energy-Efficient Seizure Detection System
Authors: Herbozo Contreras Luis Fernando , Yu Leping , Huang Zhaojing , Zhang Ziyao , Nikpour Armin , Kavehei Omid 
Published: May 2024

AbstractEpilepsy poses a significant global health challenge, driving the need for reliable diagnostic tools like scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), subscalp EEG, and intracranial EEG (iEEG) for accurate seizure detection, localization, and modulation for treating seizures. However, these techniques often rely on feature extraction techniques such as Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) for efficiency in seizure detection. Drawing inspiration from brain architecture, we investigate biologically plausible algorithms, specifically emphasizing time-domain inputs with low computational overhead. Our novel approach features two hidden layer dendrites with Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (dLIF) spiking neurons, containing fewer than 300K parameters and occupying a mere 1.5 MB of memory. Our proposed network is tested and successfully generalized on four datasets from the USA and Europe, recorded with different front-end electronics. USA datasets are scalp EEG in adults and children, and European datasets are iEEG in adults. All datasets are from patients living with epilepsy. Our model exhibits robust performance across different datasets through rigorous training and validation. We achieved AUROC scores of 81.0% and 91.0% in two datasets. Additionally, we obtained AUPRC and F1 Score metrics of 91.9% and 88.9% for one dataset, respectively. We also conducted out-of-sample generalization by training on adult patient data, and testing on children’s data, achieving an AUROC of 75.1% for epilepsy detection. This highlights its effectiveness across continental datasets with diverse brain modalities, regardless of montage or age specificity. It underscores the importance of embracing system heterogeneity to enhance efficiency, thus eliminating the need for computationally expensive feature engineering techniques like Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and STFT.
Associations of Long-term Sleep Duration Trajectories with Overall and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Middle-to-older Aged Black and White Adults
Authors: Full Kelsie M. , Shi Hui , Lipworth Loren , Dauer Lawrence T. , Mumma Michael T. , Xiao Qian 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundBoth short and long sleep durations are adversely associated with numerous chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, hypertension, and mortality. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends adults in the United States sleep at least 7 hours and less than 9 hours per night to maintain optimal health. It remains unclear how sleep duration trajectories over time are associated with mortality.MethodsThis observational cohort study includes 46,928 Black and White adults (mean age: 53 ± 9 years) who enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study between 2002–2009 and completed a follow-up survey in 2008-2013. Participants were categorized into nine sleep duration trajectory categories based on the reported average sleep duration between study enrollment and at follow-up. Participant vital status and date and cause of death were ascertained via linkage to the National Death Index through 2022. Cox regression analysis was performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between sleep duration trajectory and all-cause and cause-specific mortality (CVD, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease) after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and clinical factors.ResultsDuring a median 12.6 years of follow-up, we documented 13,579 deaths, including 4,135 from CVD, 3,067 from cancer, and 544 from neurodegenerative diseases. Compared to the optimal sleep duration trajectory (maintaining 7-9 hours), all sub-optimal trajectories were associated with significant 6 to 33% greater risk of all-cause mortality in fully adjusted models. Compared to the optimal sleep trajectory, three of the sub-optimal trajectories were associated with increased CVD mortality, with HRs ranging from 1.20 to 1.34. The short-long trajectory was associated with the greatest risk of all-cause mortality (HR:1.33; 95%CI: 1.21, 1.46) and the long-short trajectory was associated with the greatest CVD mortality risk (HR:1.34; 95%CI: 1.10, 1.65). The healthy-long trajectory was associated with the greatest risk of cancer mortality (HR: 1.19; 95%CI:1.00, 1.41). None of the sub-optimal trajectories was associated with neurodegenerative disease mortality.ConclusionsSuboptimal sleep duration trajectories were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality as well as CVD mortality. Findings highlight the importance of maintaining healthy sleep duration throughout midlife to reduce mortality risk.
Echocardiographic Characteristics and Non-Dipping Blood Pressure Profile: Is There an Association?
Authors: Villarreal Daniel , Ramos Federico , Gasca Daniel , Roa Camilo , Cardone Mariangela , Ayala Carolina , Alvarado Camilo 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe circadian rhythm of blood pressure is a fundamental aspect of cardiovascular physiology in healthy individuals. Beyond nocturnal hypertension, a blunted or impaired BP circadian variation is linked to heightened target organ damage and elevated cardiovascular disease risk. This includes alterations in cardiac structure and function, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, dementia and heart failure.MethodsA retrospective cohort study involving 1600 participants enrolled between 2021 and 2023 identified 847 as dippers and 753 as non-dippers based on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Echocardiographic evaluations were performed to assess cardiac structure and function.ResultsNon-dipping individuals displayed more signs of adverse cardiac remodeling, including a higher rate of eccentric hypertrophy (1.73 vs. 0.47%), increased left ventricular mass index in both men (75.82 vs. 70.10 g/m2) and women (65.44 vs. 63.92 g/m2), left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (4.38 vs. 4.23 cm), and left ventricular posterior wall thickness (0.82 vs. 0.81 cm). Additionally, non-dipping participants exhibited impaired ventricular relaxation, with higher E/e’ ratios medially (9.45 vs. 8.86) and laterally (7.61 vs. 7.23) and rates of type 1 diastolic dysfunction (9.31 vs. 4.49%). These differences persisted when analysing only participants with hypertension.ConclusionsOur study highlights the substantial impact of non-dipping blood pressure patterns on cardiac structure and function. It suggests that non-dipping blood pressure patterns may serve as an independent predictor of adverse cardiac remodelling, irrespective of hypertension diagnosis. These results underscore the necessity of devising monitoring strategies and implementing targeted interventions to address the cardiovascular risks associated with non-dipping BP profile.Graphical abstract
Exploring Pharmacogenetic Factors Influencing Hydroxyurea Response in Tanzanian Sickle Cell Disease Patients: A Genomic Medicine Approach
Authors: Nkya Siana , Nzunda Collin , Saukiwa Emmanuel , Kaywanga Frida , Buchard Eliud , Solomon David , Christopher Heavenlight , Ngowi Doreen , Johansen Julieth , Urio Florence , Mgaya Josephine , Kindole Christina , Yonazi Mbonea , Karim Salman , Alimohamed Mohamed Zahir , Sangeda Raphael Z. , Chamba Clara , Dandara Collet , Novelli Enrico , Chimusa Emile R. , Makani Julie 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSickle cell disease (SCD) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its discovery over a century ago, the progress in developing and accessing effective interventions has been notably restricted. Currently, hydroxyurea stands as the primary drug in widespread use, and has been associated with elevated levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) and enhanced clinical outcomes. Notably, a substantial proportion, up to 30%, of patients do not exhibit a positive response to hydroxyurea treatment. There is compelling evidence suggesting that genetic factors play a crucial role in influencing the effectiveness of hydroxyurea. In this study, we present findings on the investigation of genetic variants influencing hydroxyurea response in 13 genetic loci associated with HbF synthesis and hydroxyurea drug metabolism focusing onMYB,HBB,HBG1,HBG2,BCL11A,KLF10,HAO2,NOS1,ARG2,SAR1A,CYP2C9,CYP2E1. We report remarkable genetic associations withCYP2C9,CYP2E1, KLF10,BCL11A,ARG2,HBG1,SAR1A,MYB, andNOS1loci with hydroxyurea response. We also highlight associated pathway’s enrichment and gene-gene interactions analysis in the context of hydroxyurea treatment response.
Transarterial Embolization Using a Liquid Embolic Enhances Tumor Necrosis to Enable Improved Efficacy Compared with a Particle Embolic in a Translational Rat Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Gurevich Alexey , Islam Ariful , Wakim Jonathan , Yarsky Eva , Kiefer Ryan , El-Ghazal Ryan , McClung George , Cormode David Peter , Nadolski Gregory Jon , Avritscher Rony , Hunt Stephen James , Gade Terence Peter Ferrante 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPurposeTo compare the effectiveness of transarterial embolization (TAE) using a liquid embolic (LE) to TAE using particle embolics (PE) with respect to tumor ischemia and treatment response in a translational rat model.Materials and MethodsHCC was induced in male Wistar rats using diethylnitrosamine. Rats were randomized into three treatment groups: sham transarterial embolization (TAE), TAE with LE, and TAE with PE. Tumor response to TAE was monitored via serial T2-weighted MRI scans and assessed using RECIST. Tumor necrosis and hypoxia were assessed through hematoxylin and eosin staining and pimonidazole immunohistochemistry, respectively. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square tests, Kaplan-Meier estimates, and one-way ANOVAs, with significance set at p<0.05.ResultsTwenty-nine rats were randomized to TAE with LE (n=13), PE (n=13), or sham (n=3). TAE with LE demonstrated a significantly higher objective response rate (83%) compared to TAE with PE (28%; χ2 = 11.25, P=0.0008). Complete responses were observed in 50% of the LE-treated tumors versus 10% in the PE-treated group. LE treatment prolonged local progression-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.23; p=0.0085). Histological analysis, with an additional 14 rats randomized to TAE with LE (n=5), PE (n=6), or sham (n=3), showed greater necrosis and hypoxia in LE-treated tumors compared to PE. LE induced a significant reduction in viable tumor tissue (p<0.05) and increased necrotic and hypoxic tissue areas compared to PE (p<0.01).ConclusionLE significantly enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of TAE in a rat model of HCC compared to conventional PE. The results highlight LE’s potential to improve ischemia and necrosis, thereby offering a promising option improving the efficacy of embolization for HCC treatment.
Vaccine-induced human monoclonal antibodies to PfRH5 show broadly neutralizing activity againstP. falciparumclinical isolates
Authors: Thiam Laty G. , McHugh Kirsty , Ba Aboubacar , Li Rebecca , Guo Yicheng , Pouye Mariama N. , Cisse Awa , Pipini Dimitra , Diallo Fatoumata , Sene Seynabou D. , Patel Saurabh D. , Thiam Alassane , Sadio Bacary D. , Mbengue Alassane , Vigan-Womas Inés , Sheng Zizhang , Shapiro Lawrence , Draper Simon J. , Bei Amy K. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractVaccines to thePlasmodium falciparumreticulocyte binding-like protein homologue 5 (PfRH5) target the blood-stage of the parasite life cycle. PfRH5 has the potential to trigger the production of strain-transcendent antibodies and has proven its efficacy both in pre-clinical and early clinical studies. Vaccine-induced monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to PfRH5 showed promising outcomes against culturedP. falciparumlaboratory strains from distinct geographic areas. Here, we assessed the functional impact of vaccine-induced anti-PfRH5 mAbs on more genetically diverseP. falciparumclinical isolates. We used mAbs previously isolated from single B cells of UK adult PfRH5 vaccinees and used ex-vivo growth inhibition activity (GIA) assays to assess their efficacy againstP. falciparumclinical isolates. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was used to assess the breadth of genetic diversity inP. falciparumclinical isolates and to infer the genotype/phenotype relationship involved in antibody susceptibility. We showed a dose-dependent inhibition of clinical isolates with three main GIA groups: high, medium and low. Except for one isolate, our data show no significant differences in the mAb GIA profile betweenP. falciparumclinical isolates and the 3D7 reference strain, which harbors the vaccine allele. We also observed an additive relationship for mAb combinations, whereby the combination of GIA-low and GIA-medium antibodies resulted in increased GIA, having important implications for the contribution of specific clones within polyclonal IgG responses. While our NGS analysis showed the occurrence of novel mutations in thepfrh5gene, these mutations were predicted to have little or no functional impact on the antigen structure or recognition by known mAbs. Our present findings complement earlier reports on the strain transcendent potential of anti-PfRH5 mAbs and constitute, to our knowledge, the first report on the susceptibility ofP. falciparumclinical isolates from natural infections to vaccine-induced human mAbs to PfRH5.
A practical strategy for data assimilation of cerebral intra-aneurysmal flows using a variational method with boundary control of velocity
Authors: Ichimura Tsubasa , Yamada Shigeki , Watanabe Yoshiyuki , Kawano Hiroto , Ii Satoshi 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackground and objectiveEvaluation of hemodynamics is crucial to predict growth and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. Variational data assimilation (DA) is a powerful tool to characterize patient-specific intra-aneurysmal flows. The DA method inversely estimates a boundary condition in fluid equations using personalized flow data; however, its high computational cost in optimization problems makes its use impractical.MethodsThis study proposes a practical strategy for the DA to evaluate patient-specific intra-aneurysmal flows. To estimate personalized flows, a variational DA method was combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and observed intra-aneurysmal velocity data, and an inverse problem was solved to estimate the spatiotemporal velocity profile at a boundary of the aneurysm neck. To circumvent an ill-posed inverse problem, model order reduction based on a Fourier series expansion was used to describe temporal changes in state variables.ResultsIn numerical validation using synthetic data from a direct CFD analysis, the present DA method achieved excellent agreement with the ground truth, with a velocity mismatch of approximately 18%. In flow estimations for three patient-specific datasets, the velocity mismatch for the present DA method was markedly lower than that for the direct CFD analysis and would mitigate unphysical velocity distributions in flow data from phase contract magnetic resonance imaging.ConclusionsBy focusing only on the intra-aneurysmal region, the present DA approach provides an attractive way to evaluate personalized flows in aneurysms with greater reliability than conventional CFD and better efficiency than existing DA approaches.
Child Mortality in England after the Pandemic. Increasing Mortality and Inequalities
Authors: Odd David , Stoianova Sylvia , Williams Tom , Fleming Peter , Luyt Karen 
Published: May 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic children and young people (CYP) mortality in England reduced to the lowest on record, but it is unclear if the mechanisms which facilitated a reduction in mortality had a longer lasting impact, and what impact the pandemic, and its social restrictions, have had on deaths with longer latencies (e.g. malignancies). The aim of this analysis was to quantify the relative risk of childhood deaths, in England, before, during, and after the COVID pandemic and its social changes.Methods and FindingsMortality for each analysis year was calculated per 1,000,000 person years. Poisson regression was used to test for an overall trend across the time period, and tested if trends differed between April 2019 to March 2021 (Period 1)) and April 2021 to March 2023 (Period 2). This was then repeated for each category of death and demographic group. The underlying population profile was obtained from 2021 ONS Census data. 12,828 deaths were included in the analysis. 59.4% of deaths occurred under 1 year of age. Mortality rate (per 1,000,000 CYP per year) dropped from 272.2 (264.8-283.8) in 2019-20, to 242.2 (233.4-251.2) in 2020-21, increasing to 296.1 (286.3-306.1) in 2022-23. Overall, death rate reduced in Period 1 (RR 0.96 (0.92-0.99)) and then increased in Period 2 (RR 1.12 (1.08-1.16)). Asian (p<0.001), Black (p-0.012), and Other (p=0.003) ethnic groups, and those in more deprived areas (p<0.001), had evidence of an initial reduction mortality, and then a subsequent increase. Death rates for children from White (p=0.601) or Mixed (p=0.823) ethnic backgrounds, or those in the least deprived areas, did not change over the study period.ConclusionsDifferent temporal profiles were seen across cause of death categories, with reassuring trends in deaths from Suicide and Intrapartum deaths (after pandemic peaks). However, for all other causes of death, rates are either static, or increasing. Overall child mortality in England is now higher than before the pandemic. In addition, any reductions in health inequalities seen moving into, and during, the pandemic have now disappeared.
Disparities in self-reported Mental Health, Physical Health, and Substance Use Across Sexual Orientations in Canada
Authors: Bellows Zachary , Kim Chungah , Bai Yihong , Cao Peiya , Chum Antony 
Published: May 2024

AbstractBackgroundWhile prior studies have shown LGB individuals have elevated risk of poor mental health, poor physical health, and substance use, existing study designs may be improved by using representative samples, wider ranges of health outcomes, heterosexual comparison groups, and disaggregated data. The goal of this study is to provide estimates of multiple health disparities across sexual orientations in Canada based on these principles.MethodsUsing data from 2009-2014 Canadian Community Health Surveys, a sample of 19,980,000 weighted individuals was created. Outcomes included mental health, physical health, binge drinking, illicit drug use, and cannabis use. The study used logistic regression models adjusted by covariates, stratified by sex, to estimate health disparities across sexual orientations.ResultsAmong LGB individuals, there was evidence for elevated risk of poor mental health (i.e. gay men, bisexual men, bisexual women), poor physical health (i.e. bisexual men, bisexual women), binge drinking (i.e. lesbians, bisexual women), illicit drug use (i.e. lesbians, bisexual women), and cannabis use (i.e. lesbians, bisexual women) relative to their heterosexual counterparts. Those identifying as ‘don’t know’ or ‘refuse’ showed reduced odds of substance use. Bisexual women exhibited highest disparities in health outcomes, e.g. OR=3.3, 95% 2.58 to 4.22 for poor mental health. Trends over time showed worsening mental health among bisexual women (relative to changes in heterosexual women), and decreasing substance use in gay and bisexual men, and lesbians.ConclusionThis study highlights health disparities across sexual orientations in Canada, especially bisexual women, calling for targeted interventions (e.g. increased training of service providers in working with bisexual women and community outreach against biphobia). Future research should aim to explore these disparities longitudinally while also including the use of administrative-linked health data to reduce potential bias in self-reported data.