bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Network analysis of three-dimensional hard-soft tissue relationships in the lower 1/3 of the face: Skeletal Class I-normodivergent malocclusion versus Class II-hyperdivergent malocclusion
Authors: Wang Tianyi , Nie Kaichen , Fan Yi , Chen Gui , Xu Kaiyuan , Song Guangying , Han Bing , Pei Yuru , Xu Tianmin 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
The determining effect of facial hard tissues on soft tissue morphology in orthodontic patients has yet to be explained. The aim of this study was to clarify the hard-soft tissue relationships of the lower 1/3 of the face in skeletal Class II-hyperdivergent patients compared with those in Class I-normodivergent patients using network analysis.
Methods Fifty-two adult patients (42
females, 10 males; age, 26.58 ± 5.80 years) were divided into two groups: Group 1 (G1), 25 subjects, skeletal Class I normodivergent pattern with straight profile (Class I-norm-straight); Group 2 (G2), 27 subjects, skeletal Class II hyperdivergent pattern with convex profile (Class II-hype-convex). Pretreatment cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and three-dimensional (3D) facial scans were taken and superimposed, on which 3D landmarks were identified manually, and their coordinate values were used for network analysis.
Results
(1) In sagittal direction, G2 correlations were generally weaker than G1. In both the vertical and sagittal directions of G1, the most influential hard tissue landmarks to soft tissues were located between the level of cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) of upper teeth and root apex of lower teeth. In G2, the hard tissue landmarks with the greatest influence in vertical direction were distributed more forward and downward than in G1. (2) In G1, all the coefficients in the correlation matrix of sagittal and vertical positions of hard tissue landmarks were positive. In G2, the values of those coefficients decreased. In G1, all the correlations for vertical-hard tissue to sagittal-soft tissue position and sagittal-hard tissue to vertical-soft tissue position were positive. However, G2 correlations between vertical-hard tissue and sagittal-soft tissue positions were mostly negative. Between sagittal-hard tissue and vertical-soft tissue positions, G2 correlations were negative for mandible, and were positive for maxilla and teeth.
Conclusion
Compared with Class I-norm-straight patients, Class II-hype-convex patients had more variations in soft tissue morphology in sagittal direction. In vertical direction, the most relevant hard tissue landmarks on which soft tissue predictions should be based were distributed more forward and downward in Class II-hype-convex patients. Class II-hype-convex pattern was an imbalanced phenotype concerning sagittal and vertical positions of maxillofacial hard and soft tissues.
Endovascular treatment for advanced cervical cancer patients with uretero-arterial fistula of pseudoaneurysms of iliac artery
Authors: Wang Kai-yun , Pan Xiao-bo , Hu Wen-hao , Xu Wen-yi , Zhang Yi , Shen Li-liang 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Pseudoaneurysms rarely form in patients with gynecologic malignancies. Here, we present two cases of locally advanced cervical cancer patients who experienced life-threatening hematuria due to uretero-arterial fistula caused by a ruptured pseudoaneurysm of iliac artery. The condition was successfully treated by endovascular covered stent placement.
Machine learning model to predict 3-month nonunion(delayed union) of unstable distal clavicle fracture patients treated with open reduction and internal fixation
Authors: Ma Changke , Lu Wei , Liang Limei , Huang Kaizong , Zou Jianjun 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background Unstable distal clavicle fractures (UDCFs) exhibit a significant propensity for bone nonunion and are commonly managed through open reduction and internal fixation(ORIF). A notable drawback of this approach is the considerable incidence of fixation failure, including 3-month nonunion (also referred to as delayed union), and subsequent bone nonunion. Accurate prediction of union outcomes post-UDCF treatment could provide substantial evidence to inform and optimize intraoperative and postoperative strategies.
Methods Data were gathered from patients with UDCFs at Nanjing Luhe People's Hospital, China, from January 2015 to May 2023. The adverse outcome, characterized by the non-disappearance of the fracture line and uncontinuous callus formation, was defined as 3-month nonunion. To predict the risk of 3-month nonunion, five machine learning models were constructed, employing the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) as the principal evaluation criterion. Subsequently, The Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) was further used to interpret the best model after comparing the models' performances.
Results In this investigation, a cohort of 248 patients was enrolled, among which 76 individuals (30.6%, median age: 55 years, males: 52) encountered adverse outcomes. The integration of variables such as the coracoclavicular distance（CCD）, anesthesia methodology, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, and blood loss revealed that the CatBoost model was markedly more effective compared to four other predictive models, achieving an AUPRC of 0.801 (95% CI: 0.592-0.918). The SHAP values identified the CCD as the paramount predictor for assessing the risk of 3-month outcomes in patients with UDCFs within the Chinese demographic.
Conclusion The refined model incorporated four readily accessible variables, wherein the CCD, HDL levels, and blood loss were associated with an elevated risk of 3-month nonunion. Moreover, the CatBoost model has demonstrated a commendable capability in enhancing the prediction of 3-month outcomes for Chinese patients with UDCFs, effectively distinguishing individuals at high risk for delayed nonunion. This enhancement is pivotal for reinforcing intraoperative and postoperative management, thereby ameliorating patient prognoses.
Association Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chronic Respiratory Diseases in A Japanese Population: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Shen Shaoning , Zeng Hanbing , Wei hao , Wu LianGuo 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objective
Past observational studies have documented an association between Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRD). However, the establishment of a causal link remains elusive. Undertaking the approach of Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis, this research aims to delve deeper into the probability of a causal connection between RA and CRD within the Japanese population.
Methods
Collated genome-wide association study (GWAS) data covering RA with 4,199 cases against 208,254 controls, asthma comprising 8,216 cases versus 201,592 controls, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) detailing 3,315 cases in contrast to 201,592 controls were derived from the repository of the Japanese Biobank. A selection of ten RA-related, eight asthma-related, and four COPD-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) notable for their statistical significance (P < 5×10^−8) were identified as instrumental variables. The primary analytical technique employed to compute the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) was the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method, alongside the MR-Egger's protocol, weighted median, and weighted mode to reinforce the validity and solidity of the principal results. For scrutinizing possible implications of horizontal pleiotropy, we harnessed the MR-Egger’s intercept examination and the Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy REsidual Sum and Outlier (MRPRESSO) test.
Results
Employing the inverse variance-weighted technique, we established a positive correlation between genetic predispositions for RA and actual occurrences of asthma (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.04–1.24; P = 0.003). This correlation remained strong when testing the results utilizing various methods, including the MR-Egger's method (OR = 1.32; 95% CI: 1.09–1.60; P = 0.023), the weighted median (OR = 1.16; 95% CI: 1.06–1.26; P < 0.001), and the weighted mode (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.11–1.32; P = 0.002). Furthermore, our findings from the inverse variance-weighted method also demonstrated a positive association between genetically predicted RA and COPD (OR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02–1.29; P = 0.021). However, no such link was discerned in supplementary analyses. In a shifted perspective - the reverse MR analysis - no correlation was identified between genetically predicted instances of asthma (IVW, P=0.717) or COPD (IVW, P=0.177) and RA.
Conclusion
Our study's findings confirm a causal correlation between genetically predicted RA and an elevated risk of either asthma or COPD. In contrast, our results offer no support to the presumed causal relationship between genetic susceptibility to either asthma or COPD and the subsequent development of RA. We underscore the necessity of additional MR studies, particularly when future GWAS present more comprehensive data for RA, asthma, and COPD within distinct East Asian or Japanese populations.
Imaging of nonlinear media response using pressure dependent nonlinearity index
Authors: Nowicki A. , Tasinkiewicz J. , Karwat P. , Trots I. , Żołek N. , Tymkiewicz R. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background: In the range of acoustic pressures used in ultrasound imaging, the waves propagating in tissue are distorted due to the nonlinear properties of the tissue. The adipose tissue exhibits up to 2 times greater nonlinear behavior than other tissue. In general, the nonlinear property of the media is addressed by using the B/A nonlinearity parameter measured in transmission mode and requiring wide band reception systems.
Method: We propose a new simple approach for estimating the non-linear properties of tissue. The proposed method involves the use of several waves transmissions with significantly different acoustic pressures and recording the echoes only in the fundamental frequency band. The set of images of "linear" tissues (B/A=0) will differ only in amplitude proportional to the amplitude of the transmitted wave. Therefore, the ratios of the echoes’ amplitudes recorded for the sequence of low and high pressure transmission, after compensating for different transmit acoustic pressures, should be close to one. If there are areas in the imaging space with B/A¹0, the amplitude ratios will differ from one and this value should increase with increasing nonlinearity coefficient of the imaged tissue.
The research was carried out in three steps. In the first step of the evaluation, the amplitude of the first and higher harmonics in water and in vegetable oil was measured for various sound pressures. Sound pressures were measured using a needle hydrophone at a depth of 1 cm up to 6 cm from the face of the ultrasonic head. In the second part the echoes from the thread phantom in water and sunflower oil were analyzed. Finally, we studied the backscattered ultrasound measurements from the sample of beef liver with oil mimicking fatty tissue.
Results: We have introduced a simple non-linearity index (NLI) in the form of the quotient of the backscattered signals amplitudes EP1 and EP2for two different transmitted pressures, after compensating for the transmitted pressures, NLI=EP1/EP2.
Untold Stories from the Slums: A Qualitative Exploration of the Lives of Female Informal Waste Workers
Authors: John Ashima , Tushir Bhawna , Srivast Akancha 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The present study investigates the nuanced experiences of urban informal waste workers, shedding light on the intricate realities shaping their daily lives. Employing purposive sampling, in-depth interviews were conducted, specifically targeting female participants aged eighteen and above, engaged in informal waste work for a minimum duration of one year. A total of ten in-depth interviews were meticulously executed, with recordings subsequently translated and transcribed for thorough analysis. Utilizing Braun and Clark’s thematic analysis method, a comprehensive examination of the data yielded a hierarchical structure comprising codes, sub-themes, and overarching themes. The central themes identified encapsulate the multifaceted challenges encountered by urban informal waste workers, including Occupational Hardships and Vulnerability, Economic Struggles and Diminished Quality of Life, Dedication to Family, Emotional and Psychosocial Tribulations, Gratitude and Acknowledgment of Support Received, Reluctance to Seek Assistance, and Aspirations and Hopes for the future. By amplifying the voices of these marginalized workers, this study advocates for the implementation of inclusive policies and interventions tailored to address their diverse needs within the urban milieu. Through its findings, the study aims to cultivate a more compassionate and supportive environment that not only recognizes the invaluable contributions of urban informal waste workers but also strives to enhance their overall well-being and socio-economic standing.
The Peritoneal Tie Technique: Our Laparoscopic Catheter Placement for Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Oliva Giuseppina , Carmen Sorrentino , Gianluigi Santella , Guido Lombardi , Pasquale Sullo 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a safe and effective replacement therapy for patients with terminal stage renal disease, alternative to hemodialysis. However, its success depends on the placement of a peritoneal catheter with a safe, functional and durable access. Currently, several techniques are put into practice for peritoneal catheter placement.
Methods
We present a detailed stepwise description of our operative technique for PD catheter placement. This description is combined with intraoperative photographs to highlight key steps.
Results
we describes potential pitfalls that may prevent optimal catheter function and We report our results in the medium and short term
Conclusion
This technique performe safely and standardized reproducible method for minimally invasive placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters,
Photocatalytic characterization of BiOCl and BiOBr prepared by polyol-assisted coprecipitation for the elimination of NO x from air
Authors: Cruz A. Martínez-de la , Reyna-Cavazos K. A. , Cuéllar E. López , Ibarra R. Morales 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The BiOCl and BiOBr oxyhalides were prepared by a simple coprecipitation route in a rich polyol medium at 100oC, where glycerol was used as solvent and mannitol as additive to increase the concentration of -OH groups in the reaction medium. The characterization of the samples was performed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffusion reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and the specific surface area was revised by N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms following BET protocol. The photocatalytic activity of BiOCl and BiOBr was determined in the photooxidation of nitric oxide (NO) in air, obtaining values of nitric oxide conversion degree of 77 and 90%, respectively. The origin of the photocatalytic activity was associated to the higher concentration of -OH groups in the medium of reaction that induce a preferential orientation of the crystalline plane (110) in BiOCl, and in the formation of the heterojunction BiOBr/B24O31Br10 in BiOBr. The high selectivity in the reaction of NO photooxidation to innocuous NO3− ions was confirmed with values of 96% (BiOCl) and 93% (BiOBr). Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements determined that the hydroxyl (•OH) and the superoxide (•O2¯) radicals are the highly oxygen reactive species that rule the NO oxidation photocatalyzed by BiOCl and BiOBr oxyhalides.
Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL) for treating keratoconus
Authors: Al-Dabaat Muhammad Abu , Nassar Ruby ِAbu , Mesmar Hazim , Amireh Saadat , Herzallah Abdallah , Abdulbaqi Mahdi , Alryalat Saif Aldeen , Gharaibeh Almutez 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Purpose: Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) implantation is a promising solution for correcting refractive errors, particularly in advanced Keratoconus (KC). Despite its increasing use, comprehensive data on its efficacy and complications remain limited, especially in regions with high KC prevalence like the Middle East.This study aims to evaluate ICL implantation's effectiveness in KC patients, examining demographic factors and various variables, while examining the alterations in various ocular parameters.
Methodology: This retrospective longitudinal study included 38 eyes of 20 patients who underwent ICL implantation for KC at Al Shami Eye Center in Amman, Jordan between 2017 and 2020. The study compared preoperative and postoperative data, including demographic information, Endothelial Cell Density, Central Corneal Thickness, Anterior Chamber Depth, Anterior Chamber Angle, Anterior Chamber Volume, Spherical Power, Cylinder Power, Spherical Equivalent, Intraocular Pressure, and white-to-white.
Results: Significant improvements were observed in refractive outcomes, with reductions in spherical equivalent and cylinder power (both p < 0.00001). Visual acuity also improved significantly (p < 0.00001), However, certain anterior chamber parameters and endothelial cell density showed concerning changes postoperatively.
Conclusion: ICL implantation effectively improved visual and refractive outcomes for KC patients. Concerns were raised regarding changes in anterior chamber parameters and endothelial cell density, but stable intraocular pressure and central corneal thickness were found postoperatively.
The Human ABCG2 Transporter Relies on a Triple-Gated Translocation Channel for Multidrug Efflux
Authors: Kuchler Karl , Khunweeraphong Narakorn 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The human ABCG2 drug transporter plays essential roles in physiological detoxification across barrier tissues and in anticancer multidrug resistance. However, the routes for drug extrusion and gating mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the inner core of the ABCG2 structure holds two cavities that are delimited by three gates, revealing a possible substrate translocation channel within the transporter core. Drugs can enter via an intracellular entry gate to become trapped in the voluminous central cavity. The cavity is surrounded by a cluster of three conserved phenylalanines providing aromatic rings for a “clamp-push-seal” motion to ensure unidirectional substrate movement towards the upper cavity. Two ABCG2-unique residues, T435 and N436, are the critical discriminators for substrate selectivity prior moving through the valve gate. The dynamic outer cavity is covered by the extracellular lid architecture functioning as the final gate to mediate drug extrusion. This work unravels unprecedented mechanistic details about critical gating steps, including the order of events that drive ABCG2-mediated drug efflux.
Banded iron formation recorded volcanic eruption and sedimentary events during the evolution of the North China Craton
Authors: Yin Tiantao , Jia Ruifeng , Xiong Yuqiang , Zhao Congcong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The main global iron ore reserves are found in banded iron formations (BIFs) from the Precambrian age. They have undergone long-term environmental changes since their formation, attracting much research attention. A large, recently discovered mineral deposit is located in the North China Craton called the Lanling BIF. A Neoarchean Taishan Group BIF of the Algoma type. We analysed trace and major rare earth elements in the present study to characterize their mineral sources and formation environments. The major elements indicate that the Lanling BIF is mainly composed of SiO2 + Fe2O3T with small amounts of Al2O3, MnO, K2O, CaO, MgO, Na2O, P2O5 and TiO2. After PAAS standardization, according to REY analyses, light rare earths are depleted, while heavy rare earths are enriched. In addition, La, Eu, and Y are positive anomalies, while Ce is a slightly negative anomaly. According to the trace elements and REY, Seafloor hydrothermal environments and seawater environments contributed to the ore-forming material. Moreover, when the BIF precipitated, very little crustal material was added. Finally, based on negative Ce anomalies and REY characteristics, it is speculated that BIF formed in reducing conditions in Lanling. They recorded the volcanic eruption and sedimentary events during the evolution of the North China Craton.
Sleep quality and cognitive functioning among Chinese older adults living in the US: A mixed-effects model analysis
Authors: Tang Fengyan , Zhu Yuyang , Jayawardena Dasuni , Jin Guoping , jiang yanping 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in sleep quality and cognitive health are increasingly recognized, yet little is understood about their associations among Chinese older adults living in the United States. This study aims to examine the relationships between sleep parameters and cognitive functioning in this population, utilizing data from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE).
Methods: This observational study utilized a two-wave panel design as part of the PINE, including 2,228 participants aged 65 years or older, self-identified as Chinese, who completed interviews at two time points. Cognitive functioning was assessed using a battery of tests on perceptual speed, episodic memory, working memory, and mental status. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) with four aspects: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and sleep duration at night. Insomnia was assessed using four items from the Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale. Mixed-effects regression models were estimated to assess the predictive effects of sleep parameters on baseline cognitive functioning and the rate of cognitive change over time.
Results: Significant negative associations were observed between poor sleep quality and baseline cognitive functioning across various domains, although these initial negative associations diminished over time. More insomnia problems were related to poorer perceptual speed and episodic memory. Long sleep latency, or a long time to sleep onset, was associated with worse functioning across all domains except mental status. Sleep efficiency showed inconsistent associations with various cognitive domains, while sleep duration showed no significant relation to any domains.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that poor sleep quality indicators serve as early markers of cognitive impairments. Hence, targeted interventions aimed at improving sleep quality could potentially enhance cognitive health outcomes.