bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self-perceptions of mental health among U.S. Veterans and non-Veterans: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
Authors: Frederickson Nicole , Blake Anthony , Kolm-Valdivia Nicole , Maloney Patrick 
Published: February 2025

LAY SUMMARY Many studies investigate the various health conditions that impact Veteran populations and describe patterns of diagnosed mental health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression. These high rates of mental health diagnoses may be connected to traumatic experiences, military culture, and other challenges when facing reintegration into civilian life. Even though these mental health diagnoses are known to exist among Veteran communities, not very much is known about how Veterans see their health. Do Veterans view their mental distress as being poor? If so, do they report more days of poor mental health than non-Veterans? In this study, the authors found that Veterans perceive their mental health as poor and are more likely to report a greater number of poor mental health days than non-Veterans. Knowledge of a Veteran’s perceived mental health provides insight into population-level mental distress among Veterans rather than solely diagnosed mental health conditions. Veteran populations will remain, and researchers must continue to improve the understanding of the complexities surrounding health to expand Veteran-centred care.
Cultivation of Babesia divergens in vitro
Authors: Levytska V. A. , Kovalova O. M. 
Published: February 2025

This article presents the results of a study on the optimal conditions for in vitro cultivation of Babesia divergens. Cultivating species of the genus Babesia is essential for studying their biology, pathogenesis, and for developing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Different Babesia species require specific cultivation conditions, including optimal medium composition, serum and erythrocyte concentrations, oxygen levels, and additional nutritional components. Research on B. divergens in vitro is particularly relevant, as this species is a causative agent of human babesiosis and has limited therapeutic options available. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of three different media for cultivation: RPMI 1640, DMEM, and M-199. The culture was maintained by regularly replacing the medium and performing passages every two days. This process involved centrifuging the culture to remove the supernatant, transferring the infected erythrocytes into fresh medium, and adding fresh erythrocytes to achieve an optimal hematocrit concentration of 5 %. Parasitemia levels were routinely monitored by preparing blood smears from infected samples. The RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with bovine erythrocytes and 10% fetal calf serum yielded the highest parasitemia level and stable replication. The results indicated that the absence of serum adversely affected the viability of B. divergens, with parasites dying by the fourth day of culture without serum components. The optimal erythrocyte ratio was 5 %, providing a stable environment for the prolonged replication of the parasite. Regular monitoring of parasitemia showed sustained growth of B. divergens over six days, with parasitemia levels increasing from 2 % to 20 %. Confocal microscopy with fluorescent staining of genetic material confirmed active parasite growth, allowing visualization of intracellular forms. The data obtained for B. divergens emphasize the necessity of serum factors in the medium, distinguishing this species from others. This study enhances cultivation methods and may support future research aimed at understanding the biology, pathogenesis, and potential therapeutic strategies for controlling babesiosis caused by B. divergens.
Sonographic diagnostics, prevalence and age-based dynamics of the manifestation of prostate gland pathologies in dogs
Authors: Serhiienko V. R. , Naumenko S. V. , Koshevoy V. I. 
Published: February 2025

Modern requirements for the welfare of domestic animals are focused not only on compliance with the requirements of maintenance, feeding, but also on ensuring a long active life of animals, especially older ones – 8–10 years and more. The problems that practical veterinary andrology constantly faces are due to the age factor, hormonal and metabolic changes and quite often, a long-term lack of sexual use of males, which lead to the occurrence of reproductive pathologies, including – the prostate gland. The main among these pathologies are the development of hyperplasia, inflammatory processes and neoplasms – all of them cause discomfort in animals and can significantly worsen the quality of life. Therefore, monitoring the condition of the prostate in dogs, especially older ones, is an urgent task. At the same time, it is important to establish the dynamics of the manifestation of prostate diseases and develop diagnostic and differential criteria. This can be done with the help of modern ultrasound scanners, the regular use of which for the diagnosis of sexual pathologies in males is a perfect tool used all over the world. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to conduct sonographic diagnostics of the prostate in dogs, whose owners turned to private veterinary clinics in the city of Kharkiv in 2022–2024. to establish diagnostic and differential signs, forms of manifestation, prevalence of prostate pathologies depending on the age of the male. The key characteristics of prostate scanograms in normal, with prostatitis, hyper- and neoplasia, cystic lesions were determined. It was shown that in dogs aged 7–9 years, prostate pathologies were detected in 41.2 % of the total number of examined animals (in particular, prostatitis in 38.2 %, including acute form in 14.7 %, and chronic – in 23.5 % of dogs). In older males (10 years and older), pathological changes in the prostate were diagnosed in 81.3 % of the number of examined animals, with chronic prostatitis being the most common in them (84.6 % of the number of animals with prostate pathology). On the contrary, in younger dogs, pathological processes in the prostate gland were rarely visualized. Thus, further research by the authors of the article will be aimed at developing an effective means of treating prostatitis in dogs, as a significant component of the structure of prostate diseases.
Sindrome de la orina púrpura
Authors: Llamas Nieves Andrés Elías , Plaza Morales Maria 
Published: February 2025

Introducción: el síndrome de la bolsa de orina púrpura es una entidad poco frecuente que consiste en un cambio en la coloración de la orina, que se vuelve púrpura en determinados escenarios: pacientes de edad avanzada o con múltiples comorbilidades, portadores de sonda vesical y en el seno de una infección del tracto urinario por determinados gérmenes. Se presenta el caso de un hombre de 83 años con cuadro clásico de síndrome de orina púrpura, con el propósito de ampliar el conocimiento revisando la literatura vigente. Caso clínico: paciente de 83 años con antecedente de hiperplasia prostática benigna, portador de sonda vesical de cuatro años de evolución, quien consulta al servicio de urgencias de una institución de salud de primer nivel de Bolívar, Colombia, por cuadro clínico de 5 días de evolución consistente en picos febriles, asociado a coloración violácea de la orina. La exploración física fue normal y los laboratorios reportan leucocitosis, parcial de orina sugestivo de infección urinaria. Se inició tratamiento empírico con ciprofloxacino, el paciente presentó adecuada evolución clínica con desaparición de la fiebre y recuperación de la coloración normal de la orina en aproximadamente 48 horas. Conclusión: el síndrome de la orina púrpura es una entidad cuya incidencia va en aumento debido al mayor número de pacientes portadores de sonda vesical permanente con factores de riesgo asociados. En cada caso debe individualizarse tratamiento, establecer la necesidad de instaurar antibioticoterapia y educar sobre la importancia de consultar de manera oportuna.
Phenotype of sickle cell disease. Correlation of haplotypes and polymorphisms in cluster β, BCL11A, and HBS1L−MYB. Pilot study
Authors: Ropero Paloma , Peral Miriam , Sánchez-Martínez Luis Javier , Rochas Sara , Gómez-Álvarez Miguel , Nieto Jorge M. , González Fernando A. , Villegas Ana , Benavente Celina 
Published: February 2025

Objective/BackgroundSickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenic disease with a highly variable phenotype depending on the amount of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), the main modulator. Variation of HbF levels among patients is genetically regulated. HbF determines both the phenotype of the disease and the response to treatment with the main drug used, hydroxyurea. The efforts of the researchers have focused on discovering the genetic factors responsible for HbF variation, mainly describing the haplotypes of the β cluster and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at three different loci: BCL11A, HBS1L-MYB, and the β-globin cluster. This study aimed to determine the possible correlation between the number of SNPs and haplotypes with higher HbF levels in a cohort of patients with SCD. A positive association could explain why certain haplotypes, such as Senegal or Arab-Indian, show higher HbF levels and less severe disease.MethodsTo test this hypothesis, the characterization of haplotypes was performed using the PCR-RFLP technique and genotyping of three SNPs representative of the three loci with the greatest association with HbF variation: XmnI (rs7482144), BCL11A (rs4671393), and HBS1L-MYB (rs9376092).ResultsWe found more SNPs in haplotypes related to higher HbF than those with less HbF, although only the SNP XmnI (rs7482144) showed a statistically significant association.ConclusionWe found a direct correlation between haplotypes and the number of SNPs. Haplotypes with higher levels of HbF and less severe phenotypes showed a higher number of SNPs. Thus, the Benin and Bantu haplotypes traditionally associated with poor prognosis showed the fewest mutated SNPs.
Can patient self-evaluation of functional status be used for evaluation of impairment of motor function in Guillain-Barré syndrome? Mapping clinician- and patient-reported outcomes in a phase 3 study of eculizumab in Japan
Authors: Regnault Antoine , Loubert Angély , Quéré Stéphane , Lin Qun , Frick Glen , Ishida Hirokazu , Abeta Yuko , Chevrou-Severac Helene 
Published: February 2025

Background and purposeGuillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by muscle weakness. In clinical trials, treatment benefit and disease severity are typically measured using clinician-reported outcome measures like the Hughes Functional Grading Scale (HFGS). However, patient-reported outcome measures, such as the Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (R-ODS) may provide additional insight into the patient experience during treatment. In this study, exploratory analyses of clinical trial data were performed to investigate how existing clinician-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcomes can help to assess disease progression by providing an accurate measurement of functional status.MethodsData were collected as part of a phase 3 study to assess the safety and efficacy of eculizumab in patients in Japan with severe GBS. The association between HFGS score and R-ODS total centile score (linear measure of limitations; 0, most severe activity and social participation limitations and 100, no limitations) was assessed using the Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient. Threshold values of R-ODS total centile score that could differentiate between patients with an HFGS score of ≤ 1 and &gt; 1 were determined using receiver-operating characteristic curve analyses and mapping (Rasch measurement theory). A triangulation approach was used to establish a proposed value for R-ODS total centile score equivalent to an HFGS score of ≤ 1 or &gt; 1.ResultsOverall, 57 patients were included in this analysis. These exploratory analyses revealed good correlation between R-ODS total centile and HFGS scores. Using the Rasch model, mapping of HFGS to R-ODS scores showed a good fit. Evaluation of the R-ODS threshold that could approximate the functional motor symptom categories based on HFGS (score of 0 or 1) revealed a range of values from 60 to 80. Based on a trial sample, a threshold of 60 was found to have 100% sensitivity and 87% specificity at week 4, and 93.8% sensitivity and 77.8% specificity at week 24.ConclusionThis study established thresholds for the R-ODS total centile score that could approximate classification of functional impairment in GBS based on the HFGS score. Given that the R-ODS reflects the patient perspective, it may be used to capture a more complete picture of GBS severity.
Digital twin-enhanced three-organ microphysiological system for studying drug pharmacokinetics in pregnant women
Authors: Graf Katja , Murrieta-Coxca José Martin , Vogt Tobias , Besser Sophie , Geilen Daria , Kaden Tim , Bothe Anne-Katrin , Morales-Prieto Diana Maria , Amiri Behnam , Schaller Stephan , Kaufmann Ligaya , Raasch Martin , Ammar Ramy M. , Maass Christian 
Published: February 2025

BackgroundPregnant women represent a vulnerable group in pharmaceutical research due to limited knowledge about drug metabolism and safety of commonly used corticosteroids like prednisone due to ethical and practical constraints. Current preclinical models, including animal studies, fail to accurately replicate human pregnancy conditions, resulting in gaps in drug safety and pharmacokinetics predictions. To address this issue, we used a three-organ microphysiological system (MPS) combined with a digital twin framework, to predict pharmacokinetics and fetal drug exposure.MethodsThe here shown human MPS integrated gut, liver, and placenta models, interconnected via the corresponding vasculature. Using prednisone as a model compound, we simulate oral drug administration and track its metabolism and transplacental transfer. To translate the generated data from MPS to human physiology, computational modelling techniques were developed.ResultsOur results demonstrate that the system maintains cellular integrity and accurately mimics in vivo drug dynamics, with predictions closely matching clinical data from pregnant women. Digital twinning closely aligned with the generated experimental data. Long-term exposure simulations confirmed the value of this integrated system for predicting the non-toxic metabolization of prednisone.ConclusionThis approach may provide a potential non-animal alternative that could contribute to our understanding of drug behavior during pregnancy and may support early-stage drug safety assessment for vulnerable populations.
New Control Algorithms for Rearrangeable Wavelength–Space–Wavelength Switches in Elastic Optical Networks
Authors: Żal Mariusz , Abuelela Enass , Kabaciński Wojciech 
Published: February 2025

The main objective of this paper is to propose a set of new algorithms for assigning frequency slots in the inter-stage links of the wavelength–space–wavelength switching networks used in nodes in elastic optical networks. The algorithms are based on decomposition of the set of inter-stage link frequency slots into subsets, which can be utilized for realizing conflict-free connections. Similar algorithms have previously been proposed for switching networks with two, three, or four inputs and outputs. The algorithms proposed in this paper have been adapted to work in switching networks with five inputs and outputs. These algorithms make it possible to reduce the required number of frequency slots in inter-stage links. From the comparison conducted in this work with the switching networks for three and four inputs and outputs, it follows that the new algorithms for networks with five inputs/outputs allow for a reduction in the number of frequency slots by about 20%. Additionally, the approximation of the proposed algorithms for switching networks with a larger number of inputs and outputs also leads to a reduction in the required frequency slots, compared to previously known algorithms. The proposed algorithms allow for reducing the number of frequency slots in inter-stage links, which is associated with reducing the capacity range of wavelength-selective switches and the tunability range of spectrum converters, and therefore also the costs of switching networks.
The Simultaneous Deletion of pH-Sensing Receptors GPR4 and OGR1 (GPR68) Ameliorates Colitis with Additive Effects on Multiple Parameters of Inflammation
Authors: Foti Federica , Schuler Cordelia , Ruiz Pedro A. , Perren Leonie , Malagola Ermanno , de Vallière Cheryl , Seuwen Klaus , Hausmann Martin , Rogler Gerhard 
Published: February 2025

G protein-coupled receptors (GPRs), including pro-inflammatory GPR4 and ovarian cancer GPR1 (OGR1/GPR68), are involved in the pH sensing of the extracellular space and have been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previous data show that a loss of GPR4 or OGR1 independently is associated with reduced intestinal inflammation in mouse models of experimental colitis. In the present manuscript, we investigated the impact of the simultaneous loss of GPR4 and OGR1 in animal models of IBD. To study the effects of combined loss of Gpr4 Ogr1 in IBD we used the well-established acute dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and spontaneous Il10−/− murine colitis models. Disease severity was assessed using multiple clinical scores (e.g., body weight loss, disease activity score, murine endoscopic index of colitis severity (MEICS) and histological analyses). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), Western blot, and flow cytometry were used to investigate changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines expression and immune cells infiltration. We found that a combined loss of GPR4 and OGR1 significantly reduces colon inflammation in IBD relative to single deficiencies as evidenced by reduced body weight loss, disease score, CD4/CD8 ratio, and Il1β, Il6, and Tnf in the colon. Similarly, in the II10 deficiency model, the inflammation was significantly ameliorated upon the simultaneous deletion of GPR4 and OGR1, evidenced by a reduction in the MEICS score, colon length, Tnf and Il1β measurements, and a decrease in the number of macrophages in the colon, as compared to single deletions. Importantly, hydroxyproline levels were decreased close to baseline in Il10−/− × Gpr4−/− × Ogr1−/− mice. Our findings demonstrate that the simultaneous loss of GRP4 and OGR1 functions exerts an additive effect on multiple parameters associated with colonic inflammation. These results further reinforce the hypothesis that chronic inflammatory acidosis is a driver of fibrosis and is dependent on GPR4 and OGR1 signaling. The inhibition of both GPR4 and OGR1 by pH-sensing receptor modulators may constitute as a potential therapeutic option for IBD, as both pH-sensing receptors appear to sustain inflammation by acting on complementary pro-inflammatory pathways.
Wound Healing, Antioxidant, and Antiviral Properties of Bioactive Polysaccharides of Microalgae Strains Isolated from Greek Coastal Lagoons
Authors: Vasilakis Gabriel , Marka Sofia , Ntzouvaras Alexandros , Zografaki Maria-Eleftheria , Kyriakopoulou Eirini , Kalliampakou Katerina I. , Bekiaris Georgios , Korakidis Evangelos , Papageorgiou Niki , Christofi Stefania , Vassilaki Niki , Moschopoulou Georgia , Tzovenis Ioannis , Economou-Amilli Athena , Papanikolaou Seraphim , Flemetakis Emmanouil 
Published: February 2025

Microalgae have gained significant attention as sustainable sources of high value compounds, such as bioactive polysaccharides that are usually rich in sulfated groups and exhibit antioxidant properties. Here, 14 new microalgae strains of the genera Tetraselmis, Dunaliella, and Nannochloropsis, isolated from Greek coastal lagoons were analyzed to quantify and characterize their polysaccharide content. Heterogeneity was observed regarding the content of their total sugars (5.5–40.9 g/100 g dry biomass). The strains with a total sugar content above 20% were analyzed concerning the content of total, α- and β-glucans. Tetraselmis verrucosa f. rubens PLA1-2 and T. suecica T3-1 were rich in β-glucans (11%, and 8.1%, respectively). The polysaccharides of the two Tetraselmis strains were isolated and they were mainly composed of glucose and galactose. The isolated polysaccharides were fractionated using ion-exchange-chromatography. The anionic fraction from T. verrucosa f. rubens PLA1-2 was rich in sulfated polysaccharides, had antioxidant capacity, and exhibited healing properties. The anionic polysaccharides from the two Tetraselmis strains did not negatively influence the viability of human cells, while exhibiting antiviral properties against the replication of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), with median efficient concentrations (EC50) at a range of 210–258 μg/mL.
Bacteria Pseudomonas sp. and Pantoea sp. Are the New Etiological Agents of Diseases on Forest Trees
Authors: Porotikova Elena , Brusnova Natalia , Sushchenko Andrei , Kolganikhina Galina , Vinogradova Svetlana 
Published: February 2025

Forest trees significantly affect human life. The spread of pathogens, including bacterial ones, poses a serious threat to their health. Despite this, however, the species composition and distribution of pathogenic bacteria, as well as the etiology of common diseases affecting forest trees, remain virtually unstudied. In this study, we, for the first time, describe different species of Pseudomonas and Pantoea as new etiological agents associated with the symptoms of leaf spotting and wood darkening on Acer tataricum L., Fraxinus pennsylvanica L., Ulmus minor Mill. Ulmus laevis Pallas. and Populus tremula L. For the identification of bacteria species, we used an integrated approach based on the characterization of their morphology, biochemistry, physiology and genetics. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using multilocus typing for five genes for Pseudomonas and six genes for Pantoea. Leaf spotting on A. tataricum, F. pennsylvanica, U. minor and U. laevis was shown to be caused by Pseudomonas cerasi, Pseudomonas congelans, Pseudomonas graminis, Pseudomonas syringae and Pantoea agglomerans both in monoinfection and coinfection. Wood darkening in U. minor U. laevis and P. tremula was found to be associated with the presence of Pantoea sp. and P. agglomerans. The coinfection of forest trees with bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas and Pantoea indicates a complex mechanism of interaction between the two populations, which will be the subject of future studies.