bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Abstract 15497: Hematopoietic PI3-Kinase delta-Deficiency Causes Altered Macrophage and Regulatory T-cell Function and Aggravates Atherosclerosis in LDLR-/- Mice
Authors: Zierden Mario , Millarg Christopher , Vantler Marius , Berghausen Eva M , Baldus Stephan , Rosenkranz Stephan 
Published: April 2024

Atherosclerosis and its consequences such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke remains the leading cause of death in western countries. During atherogenesis, arterial blood vessels become infiltrated by macrophages and T cells possessing inflammatory and regulatory functions. Leukocytes express the catalytic phosphoinositide 3-kinase isoform p110d (PI3Kd), exerting a key role in the regulation of immune responses including activation, differentiation and effector function. Therefore, PI3Kd represents a promising target for the modulation of inflammatory processes during atherogenesis.
To investigate the role of leukocytic PI3Kd during atherogenesis, lethally irradiated LDLR-/- mice were transplanted with bone marrow from PI3Kd-/- or PI3Kd+/+ mice and were fed an atherogenic diet for 6 weeks. Hypercholesterolemic PI3Kd-/- recipient LDLR-/- mice displayed a profound reduction of peripheral B and T cells as well as strongly impaired CD4+ T-cell activation, T-helper 1 response and regulatory T-cell numbers in paraaortic lymph nodes and spleen compared with PI3Kd+/+ transplanted controls. Surprisingly, the profoundly impaired PI3Kd-deficient immune system caused a substantial aggravation of atherosclerosis in LDLR-/- mice. Atherosclerotic lesion area at the aortic root and whole aorta of PI3Kd-/- recipient LDLR-/- mice was significantly increased by 72% and 218% compared with PI3Kd+/+ recipients, respectively (n = 10-20; P < 0.001). Importantly, atherosclerotic lesions of PI3Kd-/- transplanted LDLR-/- mice were characterized by a lower fraction of CD4+ T cells and a higher proportion of macrophages compared with controls despite unaltered circulating monocyte subsets. Moreover, PI3Kd-deficient regulatory T cells and macrophages exhibited a strongly impaired suppressive capacity and an increased inflammatory polarization, respectively.
In summary, we demonstrate that hematopoietic PI3Kd plays a crucial role in regulating innate and adaptive immune responses within the arterial wall by exerting protective functions during atherogenesis. Current studies aim to dissect PI3Kd-dependent mechanisms that modulate inflammatory and regulatory processes in multiple stages of atherosclerosis.
Abstract 12123: Periodicity-Analysis of a Photoplethysmography Signal May Support Pulse Detection in a Few-Second Compression-Pause During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Authors: Wijshoff Ralph , Haarburger Christoph , Muehlsteff Jens , Noordergraaf Gerrit Jan 
Published: April 2024

Introduction:
Pulse checks during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) are typically performed by manual palpation, which is unreliable and can interrupt compressions for longer than the recommended 10 s.

Hypothesis:
Presence of a spontaneous pulse can be detected in a compression-free photoplethysmography (PPG) signal within 5 s, by assessing the periodicity of the signal.

Methods:
We measured nasal PPG signals in 11 pigs during periods of 10-min baseline, arrest induction, 20-min 30:2 CPR, defibrillation, and 20-min post return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), with aortic pressure and thoracic impedance as references.

We annotated pulse presence and obtained compression-free windows of PPG signals from the ventilation pauses and by segmenting the baseline and post-ROSC phases in 4-s non-overlapping windows.
Pulse presence was detected by assessing signal periodicity in the autocorrelation function (ACF), which compared a window of the PPG signal to time shifts of this window. Windows with pulse had local maxima in the ACF when a time shift aligned the pulses in both windows (Fig. 1a). Pulseless windows had unstructured ACFs (Fig. 1b). We assessed periodicity via the maximum prominence of all peaks at non-zero shift in the ACF. Prominence is the amplitude relative to the largest surrounding minimum (Fig. 1a,b). We used the prominence and related features in a logistic regression classifier to quantify pulse absence and presence on a continuous scale from 0 to 1 (Fig. 1c). We trained and validated the classifier via five-fold cross-validation, regarding a classifier output of ≥0.5 as indicative of pulse presence.

Results:
Sensitivity was 97.1% and specificity was 96.2%.

Conclusions:
Periodicity analysis allows for pulse detection in PPG signals within 5 s. This could be used during existing ventilation pauses to prepare for a faster pulse check or avoid an unnecessary pulse check.

Fig. 1:
(a) ACF for pulse presence. (b) ACF for pulse absence. (c) Classifier output.
Abstract 13447: Superior Vena Cava Isolation From the Right Atrial Posterior Wall: A Case Series
Authors: Gianni Carola , Mohanty Sanghamitra , Trivedi Chintan , Bai Rong , Al-Ahmad Amin , Burkhardt J D , Gallinghouse G J , Hranitzky Patrick M , Horton Rodney P , Sanchez Javier E , Di Biase Luigi , Natale Andrea 
Published: April 2024

Introduction:
Superior vena cava (SVC) isolation is a common ablation strategy to address non-pulmonary vein triggers in patients with paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal AF. SVC isolation with circumferential ablation might be difficult to achieve because of the phrenic nerve (PN) location in its anterolateral aspect.

Hypothesis:
It is possible to isolate the SVC sparing its anterolateral aspect given the presence of preferential conduction from the posterior wall of the right atrium (RA) to the SVC.

Methods:
Consecutive patients in which SVC isolation ablating in the RA posterior wall. RF ablation was started in the septal aspect of the SVC-RA junction and it was continued posteriorly-inferiorly in sites of early activation (relative to the SVC) until electrical isolation was obtained. The distance between the SVC-RA junction and the site of SVC isolation was measured with 3D electro-anatomical mapping.

Results:
85 patients were included in the analysis. 27% were females, with a mean age of 66 ± 10 years, 21% had paroxysmal AF, 42% persistent AF, 36% longstanding persistent AF. The procedure was a repeat ablation in 58% of the cases, with a mean procedure time of 124 ± 38 minutes.

Acute SVC isolation was achieved in 98%. Mean distance of isolation from the SVC-RA junction was 19.9 ± 5.1 mm (range 10.2-32.1 mm).
At follow-up, we observed 2 (2%) transient PN injuries. After this, we began performing PN mapping in the PW, which precluded complete SVC isolation in 1 case (see Figure 2).

Conclusions:
SVC isolation can be achieved without circumferential ablation by targeting sites with early activation (relative to the SVC) in the RA posterior wall.
Thalamic nuclei segmentation from T1-weighted MRI: Unifying and benchmarking state-of-the-art methods
Authors: Williams Brendan , Nguyen Dan , Vidal Julie P. , Saranathan Manojkumar 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The thalamus and its constituent nuclei are critical for a broad range of cognitive, linguistic, and sensorimotor processes, and are implicated in many neurological and neurodegenerative conditions. However, the functional involvement and specificity of thalamic nuclei in human neuroimaging work is underappreciated and not well studied due, in part, to technical challenges of accurately identifying and segmenting nuclei. This challenge is further exacerbated by a lack of common nomenclature for comparing segmentation methods. Here, we use data from healthy young (Human Connectome Project, n = 100) and older healthy adults, plus those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, n = 540), to benchmark four state-of-the-art thalamic segmentation methods for T1 MRI (FreeSurfer, histogram-based polynomial synthesis [HIPS]-THOMAS, synthesized contrast segmentation [SCS]-convolutional neural network [CNN], and T1-THOMAS) under a single segmentation framework. Segmentations were compared using overlap and dissimilarity metrics to the Morel stereotaxic atlas, a widely accepted thalamic atlas. We also quantified each method’s estimation of thalamic nuclear degeneration across Alzheimer’s disease progression, and how accurately early and late mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease could be distinguished from healthy controls. We show that the HIPS-THOMAS approach produced the most effective segmentations of individual thalamic nuclei relative to the Morel atlas, and was also most accurate in discriminating healthy controls from those with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease using individual nucleus volumes. This latter result was different when using whole thalamus volumes, where the SCS-CNN approach was the most accurate in classifying healthy controls. This work is the first to systematically compare the efficacy of anatomical thalamic segmentation approaches under a unified nomenclature. We also provide recommendations of which segmentation method to use for studying the functional relevance of specific thalamic nuclei, based on their overlap and dissimilarity with the Morel atlas.
Molecular phylogeny of the common wall lizard Podarcis muralis (Squamata: Lacertideae) in the southern Balkans
Authors: Keroglidou Maria , Spilani Loukia , Lymberakis Petros , Poulakakis Nikos 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The lacertid wall lizards of the genus Podarcis (Wagler, 1830) originate from Western Europe and are divided into 24-25 species (Speybroeck et al., 2020). Despite the abundance of phylogenetic studies referring to the genus, the relationships among certain species, as well as the taxonomic status of some genealogical lineages, remain unclear due to great genetic diversity. The common wall lizard Podarcis muralis has a relatively wide distribution and despite the existence of various molecular studies focused on this species, its Greek populations had never been thoroughly sampled until now. To fill in this geographical gap, we sampled the species’ Greek distribution and constructed phylogenies that uncovered the presence of at least five monophyletic lineages that correspond to different geographic regions. Furthermore, species delimitation analyses assigned all lineages to a single species diversifying during the early Pleistocene (c. 1.93 mya). The strong association of the genetic lineages with specific geographical regions coupled with the Pleistocene diversification of the group imply the presence of multiple refugia within Greece and, by extension, the Balkan peninsula, supporting a refugia-within-refugia scenario. Finally, in an effort to clarify the position of these new samples within the larger phylogeny of P. muralis, a larger phylogeny was constructed which indicated that the Greek populations cluster with the central European, Italian and Turkish populations of the species.
A Framework for Joint Verification and Evaluation of Seasonal Climate Services across Socioeconomic Sectors
Authors: Crochemore Louise , Materia Stefano , Delpiazzo Elisa , Bagli Stefano , Borrelli Andrea , Bosello Francesco , Contreras Eva , Dalla Valle Francesco , Gualdi Silvio , Herrero Javier , Larosa Francesca , Lopez Rafael , Luzzi Valerio , Mazzoli Paolo , Montani Andrea , Moreno Isabel , Pavan Valentina , Pechlivanidis Ilias , Tomei Fausto , Villani Giulia , Photiadou Christiana , Polo María José , Mysiak Jaroslav 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Assessing the information provided by coproduced climate services is a timely challenge, given the continuously evolving scientific knowledge and its increasing translation to address societal needs. Here, we propose a joint evaluation and verification framework to assess prototype services that provide seasonal forecast information based on the experience from the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Climate forecasts enabled knowledge services (CLARA) project. The quality and value of the forecasts generated by CLARA services were first assessed for five climate services utilizing the Copernicus Climate Change Service seasonal forecasts and responding to knowledge needs from the water resources management, agriculture, and energy production sectors. This joint forecast verification and service evaluation highlights various skills and values across physical variables, services, and sectors, as well as a need to bridge the gap between verification and user-oriented evaluation. We provide lessons learned based on the service developers’ and users’ experience and recommendations to consortia that may want to deploy such verification and evaluation exercises. Last, we formalize a framework for joint verification and evaluation in service development, following a transdisciplinary (from data purveyors to service users) and interdisciplinary chain (climate, hydrology, economics, and decision analysis).
Psychiatric Diagnoses Are Associated With Postoperative Disparities in Patients Undergoing Major Colorectal Operations
Authors: Webber Alexis A. , Perati Shruthi , Su Emily M. , Ata Ashar , Beyer Todd D. , Applewhite Megan K. , Canete Jonathan J. , Lee Edward C. 
Published: April 2024

Background Over 50% of hospitalized patients have comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, resulting in increased risk of morbidity such as longer lengths of stay, worse health-related quality of life, and increased mortality. However, data regarding colorectal surgery postoperative outcomes in patients with psychiatric diagnoses (PD) are limited. Methods We queried a single institution’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program from 2013-2019 for major colorectal procedures. Postsurgical outcomes for patients with and without PD were compared. Primary outcomes were prolonged length of stay (pLOS) and 30-day readmission. Results From a total of 1447 patients, 402 (27.8%) had PD. PD had more smokers (20.9% vs 15%) and higher mean body mass index (29.1 kg/m2 vs 28.2 kg/m2). Bivariate outcomes showed more surgical site infections (SSI) (10.2% vs 6.12%), reoperation (9.45% vs 6.35%), and pLOS (34.8% vs 29.0%) (all P values <.05) in the PD group. On multivariate analysis, PD had higher likelihood of reoperation (OR 1.53, 95% CI: [1.02-2.80]) and SSI (OR 1.82, 95% CI: [1.25-2.66]). Discussion Psychiatric diagnoses are a risk factor for adverse outcomes after colorectal procedures. Further studies are needed to evaluate the benefit of perioperative mental health support services for these patients.
Suicide and suicidality in Australian Defence Force veterans: A systematic scoping review
Authors: Oltvolgyi Csongor G , Meurk Carla , Heffernan Ed 
Published: April 2024

Objective: Increased suicidality and suicide deaths among veterans of the Australian Defence Force have gained recent prominence. A systematic scoping review was conducted to identify, summarise and synthesise the existing literature relating to Australian veteran suicide and suicidality, with the objective of identifying future research priorities. Methods: We conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic search on PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL databases for all manuscripts reporting primary data on suicide and suicidality in Australian veterans. The search was supplemented by grey literature and a search of reference lists. Manuscripts of any study type, published in the English language since the Vietnam era, were eligible for inclusion. Results: A total of 26 articles and reports, utilising a variety of mostly quantitative approaches, were included in the review. Findings, especially in larger and more recent studies, indicate increased suicidality in the veteran population. Suicide deaths appeared to increase with transition out of the military. Mental illness was identified as an important risk factor for suicide and suicidality. Current service was identified as a protective factor against suicide. There was mixed evidence regarding the impact of operational deployment on suicide and suicidality. Conclusions: Gaps were identified in relation to the relative contributions to risk from transition, the various psychosocial correlates (for example, relationships, finances, employment), pre-service factors and the extent to which these are causal or mediating in nature. A better understanding of health service utilisation would also aid in targeting preventive efforts. Future research in these areas is warranted.
Koolangka Infant Life Saving: Culturally responsive infant CPR education for Aboriginal Australian parents
Authors: Stephens Nakita , Nilson Caroline , Walker Roz , Marriott Rhonda 
Published: April 2024

Objectives: Among Aboriginal children, the year between birth and 1 year of age has the highest mortality rate compared with any other age. Prompt administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) leads to better outcomes and a lower likelihood of ongoing sequalae. Current education on infant CPR is not provided to parents except in certain circumstances in a neonatal intensive care unit. Currently, there are no identified CPR education courses specifically available for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, meaning that current infant CPR education courses are not culturally responsive. Design: Partnering with an Aboriginal community from the Bindjareb region of the Western Australian Noongar nation, the researchers used a co-design approach and an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research (APAR) design to explore how to deliver culturally safe and responsive infant CPR community education. This resulted in the development of the Koolangka Infant Life Saving Education Framework (KILSEF), which can be used to guide future planning and delivery of culturally safe and responsive community level infant CPR education. Results: The study findings identified that members of the Aboriginal community were very interested in receiving infant CPR education, but the barriers identified from mainstream CPR course delivery need to be removed for the community to benefit from culturally responsive ways of learning. Culturally responsive community CPR education should be provided in culturally safe places and the focus of learning should be on the practical applications of CPR and less on the academic pre-reading and written requirements. Explanations should be provided in lay terms and patience is required to communicate ideas in ways that facilitate understanding, and the course may need to be delivered over several days to accommodate community participant availability. Conclusion: Addressing Aboriginal community concerns and barriers allowed for the implementation of culturally responsive infant resuscitation education which was highly valued by community members and led to increased community confidence and participation in CPR education.
Oculomotor Abnormalities and Aberrant Neuro-Developmental Markers: Composite Endophenotype for Bipolar I Disorder: Anomalies Oculomotrices et Marqueurs Neuro-Développementaux Aberrants : Endophénotype Composite du Trouble Bipolaire I
Authors: Ritish Daniel , Reddy Preethi V. , Sreeraj Vanteemar S. , Chhabra Harleen , Kumar Vijay , Venkatasubramanian Ganesan , Muralidharan Kesavan 
Published: April 2024

Background Neurological soft signs (NSSs), minor physical anomalies (MPAs), and oculomotor abnormalities were plausible biomarkers in bipolar disorder (BD). However, specific impairments in these markers in patients after the first episode mania (FEM), in comparison with first-degree relatives (high risk [HR]) of BD and healthy subjects (health control [HC]) are sparse. Aim of the study This study aimed at examining NSSs, MPAs, and oculomotor abnormalities in remitted adult subjects following FEM and HR subjects in comparison with matched healthy controls. Investigated when taken together, could serve as composite endophenotype for BD. Methods NSSs, MPAs, and oculomotor abnormalities were evaluated in FEM ( n = 31), HR ( n = 31), and HC ( n = 30) subjects, matched for age (years) ( p = 0.44) and sex ( p = 0.70) using neurological evaluation scale, Waldrop's physical anomaly scale and eye tracking (SPEM) and antisaccades (AS) paradigms, respectively. Results Significant differences were found between groups on NSSs, MPAs, and oculomotor parameters. Abnormalities are higher in FEM subjects compared to HR and HC subjects. Using linear discriminant analysis, all 3 markers combined accurately classified 72% of the original 82 subjects (79·2% BD, 56·70% HR, and 82·1% HC subjects). Conclusions AS and SPEM could enhance the utility of NSSs, and MPAs as markers for BD. The presence of these abnormalities in FEM suggests their role in understanding the etiopathogenesis of BD in patients who are in the early course of illness. These have the potential to be composite endophenotypes and have further utility in early identification in BD.
The “Angel-Wing” Combined Labia Minoraplasty/Majoraplasty
Authors: Goodman Michael P. 
Published: April 2024

Background: Reduction of prominent/hypertrophic/ptotic vulvar labia minora and/or labia majora is an increasingly common surgical procedure in the hands of plastic and cosmetic surgeons and female genital cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons. While several techniques for these reductions are described in the literature and are individually modified by experienced practitioners, 2 procedures for the minora (linear and wedge-type reductions), and the vertically-aligned reduction of redundant majora are the most utilized techniques. It is not unusual for a woman to present to her potential surgeon requesting “work” on both minora and majora. Historically, this has necessitated two separate incision lines (minora and majora) bilaterally, often resulting in a long case, difficult recovery, and a significant potential for visible incision lines and gaping of the vaginal introitus. Objective: To introduce a novel single-incision-line technique for combining labia minoraplasty and labia majoraplasty. Methods: A modification of a classic central V-Wedge technique is affected by “shifting” the wedge incision line across the interlabial fold to encompass a portion of the medial labum majorum, both reducing redundancy and “lifting” the lowermost portion of the majora to correct ptosis. This is accomplished in one incision line with “en-bloc” closure of both minora and majora, placing the incision line mostly within the interlabial fold. Results: The author has completed eight wedge-type combined labia minora-majoraplasties without complication and with 2.5-36 months of follow-up. Discussion: This modification in Wedge design converts two separate procedures into one, making the surgery both less time-consuming, easier to recover from, and more visually esthetic for those patients who are capable of the more rigorous recovery protocol that wedge procedures mandate. Conclusion: The “Angel-Wing combined labia minoraplasty + labia majoraplasty appears to be a relevant option for combined labia minor hypertrophy and labia majora deflation and redundancy.