bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self-reported and tracker-estimated physical activity outcomes in women with chronic pelvic pain disorders: A longitudinal evaluation of construct validity
Authors: Nagaldinne Tanisee , Shahnawaz Samia , Bakken Suzanne R , Elhadad Noemie , Horan Emma N , Ewing-Garber Carol , Rodrigues Jovita , Danieletto Matteo , Landell Kyle , Ensari Ipek 
Published: February 2025

AbstractObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) for use in women with chronic pelvic pain disorders (CPPDs) by comparing its scores against objectively-estimated physical activity (PA) outcomes. We investigated IPAQ components that are most consistently predictive of habitual PA behavior.MethodThe study sample included 966 weeks of data from 112 women with CPPDs who enrolled in a 14-week mHealth-based self-tracking study. Participants wore Fitbit devices and completed the IPAQ every week. We compared the IPAQ-reported minutes of walking, total activity, sitting, light-, moderate-, and vigorous intensity PA for concordance and divergence against their corresponding Fitbit estimates. We used linear mixed-effects regression models (MLMs) for all analyses and quantified the between-participant variance in the magnitude of agreement between the two methods via random slope terms. We further evaluated temporal consistency in scores using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).ResultsIPAQ-reported walking minutes were strongly associated with Fitbit step counts (B = 3952.36; p = 0.006), minutes of moderate PA (B = 15.498; p = 0.0113), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; B = 28.973; p = 0.007). IPAQ total activity minutes were associated with Fitbit minutes of vigorous PA (B = 15.183; p = 0.007) and MVPA (B = 25.658; p = 0.010). IPAQ moderate activity minutes were predictive of Fitbit vigorous PA minutes (B = 9.060; SE = 3.719; p = 0.0151). There was substantial between-individual variance in these point estimates based on the significant random-effect terms, and average weekly PA level was a significant moderator of the association between IPAQ-reported and Fitbit-estimated scores for these variables. IPAQ-reported sitting minutes were inversely associated with Fitbit step counts (B = - 3125.61; p = 0.004), and minutes of MVPA (B = -21.848; p = 0.007), vigorous AP (B = -10.854; p = 0.042), and moderate PA (B = -10.985; p = 0.004).ConclusionThese findings provide support for using IPAQ-reported walking and total activity minutes to monitor several PA domains in women with CPPDs, given their concordance with several tracker-estimated PA outcomes. However, the item on “sitting time” may not be a suitable for assessing sedentary time.
Data-Driven Early Prediction of Cerebral Palsy Using AutoML and interpretable kinematic features
Authors: Segado Melanie , Prosser Laura , Duncan Andrea F. , Johnson Michelle J. , Kording Konrad P. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractEarly identification of cerebral palsy (CP) remains a major challenge due to the reliance on expert assessments that are time-intensive and not scalable. Consequently, a range of studies have aimed at using machine learning to predict CP scores based on motion tracking,e.g. from video data. These studies generally predict clinical scores which are a proxy for CP risk. However, clinicians do not REALLY want to estimate scores, they want to estimate the patients’ risk of developing clinical symptoms. Here we present a data-driven machine-learning (ML) pipeline that extracts movement features from infant video based motion tracking and estimates CP risk using AutoML. Using AutoSklearn, our framework minimizes risk of overfitting by abstracting away researcher-driver hyperparameter optimization. Trained on movement data from 3- to 4-month-old infants, our classifier predicts a highly indicative clinical score (General Movements Assessment [GMA]) with an ROC-AUC of 0.78 on a held-out test set, indicating that kinematic movement features capture clinically relevant variability. Without retraining, the same model predicts the risk of cerebral palsy outcomes at later clinical follow-ups with an ROC-AUC of 0.74, demonstrating that early motor representations generalize to long-term neurodevelopmental risk. We employ pre-registered lock-box validation to ensure rig-orous performance evaluation. This study highlights the potential of AutoML-powered movement analytics for neurodevelopmental screening, demonstrating that data-driven feature extraction from movement trajectories can provide an interpretable and scalable approach to early risk assessment. By integrating pre-trained vision transformers, AutoML-driven model selection, and rigorous validation protocols, this work advances the use of video-derived movement features for scalable, data-driven clinical assessment, demonstrating how computational methods based on readily available data like infant videos can enhance early risk detection in neurodevelopmental disorders.CCS ConceptsComputing methodologies→Machine learning approaches;Applied computing→Health informatics.ACM Reference FormatMelanie Segado, Laura Prosser, Andrea F. Duncan, Michelle J. Johnson, and Konrad P. Kording.. Data-Driven Early Prediction of Cerebral Palsy Using AutoML and interpretable kinematic features. In. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 8 pages.
Unique neural signatures of childhood sexual abuse revisited
Authors: Brosch Katharina , Hammes Vincent , Usemann Paula , Stein Frederike , Zika Stephanie , Schrott Franziska , Thomas-Odenthal Florian , Teutenberg Lea , Meinert Susanne , Thiel Katharina , Flinkenflügel Kira , Schürmeyer Navid , Goltermann Janik , Leehr Elisabeth J. , Bonnekoh Linda M. , Grotegerd Dominik , Winter Nils , Hahn Tim , Straube Benjamin , Jamalabadi Hamidreza , Jansen Andreas , Krug Axel , Dannlowski Udo , Nenadić Igor , Dhamala Elvisha , Kircher Tilo , Alexander Nina 
Published: February 2025

AbstractChildhood sexual abuse (CSA) constitutes a detrimental subtype of childhood maltreatment (CM) associated with high trauma load and adverse health outcomes. Previous studies indicate CSA-specific reductions in gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness. It remains challenging to disentangle brain alterations associated with CSA from those related to trauma intensity or psychopathology. Here, we apply a novel approach, comparing individuals with CSA, non-sexual maltreatment, and a non-maltreated control group, to identify CSA-specific findings.Drawing from a cohort ofn=2039 depressed and healthy men and women allowed us to match groups 1:1 for age, sex, depression diagnosis, and, for maltreated groups, trauma load. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess childhood maltreatment. Applying threshold-free cluster enhancement, we investigated GMV and cortical thickness inn=195 adults with CSA compared to non-sexually maltreated (nCSA,n=195) and non-maltreated (nCM,n=195) individuals.CSAshowed larger GMV in the right cerebellum compared tonCSAbut not compared tonCM.CSAdisplayed larger cortical thickness encompassing the bilateral superior frontal gyri, pre- and postcentral gyri, supramarginal gyri, superior parietal cortices, precunei, and insulae, compared to bothnCSAandnCM.This is the largest study to investigate CSA-specific effects on brain morphometry, applying matched group comparisons. These findings highlight distinct neural signatures of CSA, characterized by preserved cortical thickness in regions also affected by major depression, and larger cerebellar GMV compared to non-sexual types of maltreatment. These results underscore the importance of distinguishing between types of childhood maltreatment and considering confounding factors when assessing their neurobiological impacts.
Automatic Classification of EEG Signals, Based on Image Interpretation of Spatio-Temporal Information
Authors: Oxenberg Or , Fire Michael , Alpert Galit Fuhrmann 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBrain-Computer Interface (BCI) applications provide a direct way to map human brain activity onto the control of external devices, without a need for physical movements. These systems, crucial for medical applications and also useful for non-medical applications, predominantly use EEG signals recorded non-invasively, for system control, and require algorithms to translate signals into commands. Traditional BCI applications heavily depend on algorithms tailored to specific behavioral paradigms and on data collection using EEG systems with multiple channels. This complicates usability, comfort, and affordability. Moreover, the limited availability of extensive training datasets limits the development of robust models for classifiying collected data into behavioral intents. To address these challenges, we introduce an end-to-end EEG classification framework that employs a pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and a Transformer, initially designed for image processing, applied here for spatiotemporal representation of EEG data, and combined with a custom developed automated EEG channel selection algorithm to identify the most informative electrodes for the process, thus reducing data dimensionality, and easing subject comfort, along with improved classification performance of EEG data onto subject’s intent. We evaluated our model using two benchmark datasets, the EEGmmidb and the OpenMIIR. We achieved superior performance compared to existing state-of-the-art EEG classification methods, including the commonly used EEGnet. Our results indicate a classification accuracy improvement of 7% on OpenMIIR and 1% on EEGmmidb, reaching averages of 81% and 75%, respectively. Importantly, these improvements were obtained with fewer recording channels and less training data, demonstrating a framework that can support a more efficient approach to BCI tasks in terms of the amount of training data and the simplicity of the required hardware system needed for brain signals. This study not only advances the field of BCI but also suggests a scalable and more affordable framework for BCI applications.
A Bayesian Re-analysis of the Steroids to Reduce Systemic Inflammation after Infant Heart Surgery (STRESS) Trial
Authors: Hill Kevin D. , Koerner Jake , Hong Hwanhee , Li Jennifer S. , Hornik Christoph , Kannankeril Prince J. , Jacobs Jeffrey P. , Baldwin H. Scott , Jacobs Marshall L. , Graham Eric M. , Blasiole Brian , Vener David F. , Husain Adil S. , Kumar S. Ram , Benscoter Alexis , Wald Eric , Karamlou Tara , Van Bergen Andrew H , Overman David , Eghtesady Pirooz , Butts Ryan , Kim John S. , Scott John P. , Anderson Brett R. , Swartz Michael F. , O’Brien Sean M. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBackgroundProphylactic steroids are often used to reduce the systemic inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass in infants undergoing heart surgery. The STRESS trial found that the likelihood of a worse outcome did not differ between infants randomized to methylprednisolone (n=599) versus placebo (n=601) in a risk-adjusted primary analysis (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.05; P=0.14). However, secondary analyses showed possible benefits with methylprednisolone. To ensure that a potentially efficacious therapy is not unnecessarily avoided, we re-analyzed the STRESS trial using Bayesian analytics to assess the probability of benefit.MethodsOur Bayesian analysis used the original STRESS trial primary outcome measure, a hierarchically ranked composite of death, transplant, major complications and post-operative length of stay. We evaluated probability of benefit (OR<1) versus harm (OR>1) by comparing the posterior distribution of the OR assuming a neutral probability of benefit versus harm with weak prior belief strength (nearly non-informative prior distribution). Reference results were calculated under the vague prior distribution. To convey magnitude of effect we used model parameters to calculate a predicted risk of death, transplant or major complications for methylprednisolone and placebo. Analyses consisted of 10 Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations, each consisting of 2000 iterations with a 1000 iteration burn-in to ensure proper posterior convergence. Sensitivity analyses evaluated pessimistic (5%-30% prior likelihood of benefit), neutral and optimistic (70%-95%) prior beliefs, and controlled strength of prior belief as weak (30% variance), moderate (15%) and strong (5%).ResultsIn primary analysis, the posterior probability of benefit from methylprednisolone was 91% and probability of harm was 9%. Composite death or major complication occurred in 18.8% of trial subjects with an absolute risk difference of -2% (95% CI -3%, +1%) associated with methylprednisolone. Each of 9 sensitivity analyses demonstrated greater probability of benefit than harm in the methylprednisolone group with 8 of 9 demonstrating >80% probability of benefit and ≥1% absolute difference in risk of death, transplant or major complications.ConclusionProbability of benefit with prophylactic methylprednisolone is high and harm is unlikely. This more in-depth analysis of the data expands the initial clinical evaluation of methylprednisolone provided by the STRESS trial.
Expression ofmecAreduces the daptomycin susceptibility ofStaphylococcus aureus
Authors: Ledger Elizabeth V. K. , Recker Mario , Massey Ruth C. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractStaphylococcus aureusis a leading cause of bacteraemia and infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) are especially challenging to treat. MRSA strains are resistant to front-line beta-lactams due to PBP2a, a low-affinity penicillin-binding protein encoded bymecA. Daptomycin is used to treat MRSA infections but is not always effective and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Understanding why daptomycin fails is crucial to devising strategies to improve treatment outcomes. Here, using a panel of clinical bacteraemia isolates, we show that MRSA strains are less susceptible to daptomycin than methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) strains. This difference in susceptibility was due tomecAand was independent of any changes in surface properties previously associated with altered daptomycin susceptibility. Instead, using amecAtransposon mutant, we found that a lack of this gene led to higher activity of the Agr quorum sensing system, resulting in an increased release of the phenol-soluble modulin toxins. Increased levels of these surfactant-like toxins prevented daptomycin from being inactivated by lipids released by the bacteria, leading to enhanced susceptibility to the antibiotic. Additionally, the clinical MRSA strains tested produced lower levels of toxins than the MSSA strains and inactivated daptomycin to a greater extent, explaining their reduced susceptibility. Expression ofmecAin clinical MSSA strains reduced toxin production, increasing daptomycin inactivation and thereby enhancing survival. Together, these results demonstrate thatmecAdoes not only affect beta-lactam susceptibility but also compromises the efficacy of the last resort antibiotic daptomycin.
TMEM145 is a key component in stereociliary link structures of outer hair cells
Authors: Roh Jae Won , Oh Kyung Seok , Lee Jiahn , Choi Yujin , Kim Soomin , Hong Ji Won , Kim Yelim , Lew Hogun , Jang Seung Hyun , Shin Hae-Sol , Ohk Jiyeon , Jung Hosung , Seo Kyoung Yul , Bok Jinwoong , Kim Chul Hoon , Gee Heon Yung 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTOuter hair cells (OHCs) in the cochlea contain specialized stereociliary structures essential for auditory function. These include horizontal top connectors (HTCs), linking adjacent stereocilia and tectorial membrane-attachment crowns (TM-ACs), anchoring the tallest stereocilia to the tectorial membrane. The known molecular components of these structures, such as stereocilin, otogelin, otogelin-like, and tubby, lack transmembrane domains, suggesting the existence of anchoring proteins. This study identified TMEM145, a transmembrane protein with a Golgi dynamics (GOLD) domain, as a crucial OHC stereocilia component. TMEM145 was expressed in both OHCs and spiral ganglion neurons, with specific localization to TM-ACs and HTCs in OHCs.Tmem145knockout (KO) mice exhibited profound hearing impairment at three weeks of age, with complete loss of distortion product otoacoustic emissions, indicating OHC dysfunction. Immunostaining and scanning electron microscopy revealed the absence of TM-ACs and HTCs inTmem145KO mice. In heterologous cell systems, TMEM145 interacted with stereocilin and tubby, facilitating their extracellular secretion. TMEM145 was undetectable instereocilinKO and tubby mutant mice, indicating interdependence among these proteins. These findings establish TMEM145 as an essential membrane protein for the structural integrity of OHC stereocilia, providing insights into the molecular architecture of cochlear hair cells and their role in auditory function.
Dynamic nanoscale architecture of synaptic vesicle fusion in mouse hippocampal neurons
Authors: Kroll Jana , Kravčenko Uljana , Sadeghi Mohsen , Diebolder Christoph A. , Ivanov Lia , Lubas Małgorzata , Sprink Thiemo , Schacherl Magdalena , Kudryashev Mikhail , Rosenmund Christian 
Published: February 2025

SummaryDuring neurotransmission, presynaptic action potentials trigger synaptic vesicle fusion with the plasma membrane within milliseconds. To visualize membrane dynamics before, during, and right after vesicle fusion at central synapses under near-native conditions, we developed an experimental strategy for time-resolvedin situcryo-electron tomography with millisecond temporal resolution. We coupled optogenetic stimulation with cryofixation and confirmed the stimulation-induced release of neurotransmitters via cryo-confocal microscopy of a fluorescent glutamate sensor. Our morphometric analysis of tomograms from stimulated and control synapses allowed us to characterize five states of vesicle fusion intermediates ranging from stalk formation to the formation, opening, and collapsing of a fusion pore. Based on these measurements, we generated a coarse-grained simulation of a synaptic vesicle approaching the active zone membrane. Both, our morphofunctional and computational analyses, support a model in which calcium-triggered fusion is initiated from synaptic vesicles in close proximity to the active zone membrane, whereby neither tight docking nor an induction of membrane curvature at the active zone are favorable. Numbers of filamentous tethers closely correlated to the distance between vesicle and membrane, but not to their respective fusion readiness, indicating that the formation of multiple tethers is required for synaptic vesicle recruitment preceding fusion.
Tissue damage-induced axon injury-associated responses in sensory neurons – requirements, prevention, and potential role in persistent post-surgical pain
Authors: Rau Kristofer K. , Harrison Benjamin J. , Venkat Gayathri , Petruska Sara E. , Taylor Bradley K. , Hill Caitlin E. , Petruska Jeffrey C. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractPain resulting from tissue damage, including surgical incision, is often only partially responsive to standard treatments focusing on inflammation, suggesting additional mechanisms are involved. Tissue damage leads to expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons of genes associated with axonal injury and regeneration, most notably activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) and GAP-43. ATF3 expression is associated with sensitization of cellular physiology and enhanced amplitude/duration of a nociceptive reflex. It is unclear how tissue damage leads to these changes in the sensory neurons, but it could include direct damage to the tissue-innervating axons and inflammation-associated retrograde biochemical signalling. Using the CTM reflex to map innervation fields, we examined the necessity and sufficiency of incision, inflammation, and axonal conduction for induction of ATF3 in response to skin incision. Incision outside the innervation field, but close enough to induce inflammation inside the innervation field, was not sufficient to induce ATF3 expression in the field-innervating DRG. Incision inside the innervation field led to strong expression of ATF3. Anti-inflammatory treatments did not prevent this induction of ATF3. In rodent models of repeated injury - a major etiological factor for chronic pain - ATF3 expression was synergistically-increased and the threshold for paw-withdrawal to mechanical stimulation was significantly decreased for an extended duration. Together, these results suggest that actual damage to axons innervating the skin is both necessary and sufficient for induction of ATF3, expression of which appears additionally increased by repeated injury. Further, pre-treatment of the nerves innervating the incised skin with bupivacaine, a local anesthetic commonly used to reduce surgical pain, did not prevent induction of ATF3, indicating that conduction of action potentials is not necessary for induction of ATF3. We also determined that closure of incision with surgical glue significantly reduced incision-induced expression of GAP-43. Intriguingly, treatment with polyethylene glycol (PEG), known to enhance membrane integrity after injury among other effects, reduced incision-associated ATF3 expression and electrophysiological changes. These results suggest that pain resulting from tissue damage may arise from a mix of ATF3-/axonal-damage-associated mechanism as well as ATF3-independent inflammation-related mechanisms and therefore require a mix of approaches to achieve more complete control.
An artificial metal-free peroxidase designed using a ferritin cage
Authors: Tian Jiaxin , Maity Basudev , Furuta Tadaomi , Pan Tiezheng , Ueno Takafumi 
Published: February 2025

AbstractDeveloping artificial enzymes is challenging because it requires precise design of active sites with well-arranged amino acid residues. Histidine-rich oligopeptides have been recently shown to exhibit peroxidase-mimetic activities, but their catalytic function relies on maintaining unique supramolecular structures. This work demonstrates the design of a specific array of histidine residues on the internal surface of the ferritin cage to function as an active center for catalysis. The crystal structures of the ferritin mutants revealed histidine-histidine interactions, forming well-defined histidine clusters (His-clusters). These mutants exhibit peroxidase-mimetic activities by oxidizing 3,3’,5, 5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Molecular dynamics simulations further highlight the co-localization of TMB and hydrogen peroxide at the histidine-rich clusters, indicating that the confined environment of the ferritin cage enhances their interactions. This study presents a simple yet effective approach to design cofactor-free artificial enzymes, paving the way for innovations in bioinspired catalysis.