bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long-term survival of patients receiving home hemodialysis with self-punctured arteriovenous access
Authors: Tomori Koji , Inoue Tsutomu , Sugiyama Masao , Ohashi Naoto , Murasugi Hiroshi , Ohama Kazuya , Amano Hiroaki , Watanabe Yusuke , Okada Hirokazu 
Published: May 2024

Objective
To determine the long-term survival of patients receiving home hemodialysis (HHD) through self-punctured arteriovenous access.

Methods
We conducted an observational study of all patients receiving HHD at our facility between 2001 and 2020. The primary outcome was treatment survival, and it was defined as the duration from HHD initiation to the first event of death or technique failure. The secondary outcomes were the cumulative incidence of technique failure and mortality. Cox proportional hazard models were used to identify the predictive factors for treatment survival.

Results
A total of 77 patients (mean age, 50.7 years; 84.4% male; 23.4% with diabetes) were included. The median dialysis duration was 18 hours per week, and all patients self-punctured their arteriovenous fistula. During a median follow-up of 116 months, 30 treatment failures (11 deaths and 19 technique failures) were observed. The treatment survival was 100% at 1 year, 83.5% at 5 years, 67.2% at 10 years, and 34.6% at 15 years. Age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.07) and diabetes (aHR, 2.45) were significantly associated with treatment survival. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause of death, and vascular access-related issues were the primary causes of technique failure, which occurred predominantly after 100 months from HHD initiation.

Conclusion
This study showed a favorable long-term prognosis of patients receiving HHD. HHD can be a sustainable form of long-term kidney replacement therapy. However, access-related technique failures occur more frequently in patients receiving it over the long term. Therefore, careful management of vascular access is crucial to enhance technique survival.
CVD incidence and mortality among people with diabetes and/or hypertension: Results from the English longitudinal study of ageing
Authors: Zaninotto Paola , Steptoe Andrew , Shim Eun-Jung 
Published: May 2024

Background and aims
Diabetes and/or hypertension are the most common conditions in older people, and also related to higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. This study aims to explore the risk of CVD incidence and mortality among older people with diabetes and/or hypertension over a 16 years follow-up period and investigates the role of depression and obesity in these relationships.

Methods
6,855 participants aged 50+ from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The main exposure is having diabetes and/or hypertension at baseline (2002/2003) compared to not having, but excluded those with coronary heart disease (CHD) and/or stroke (CVD). Survival models are used for CVD incidence and mortality up to 2018, adjusted for socio-demographic, health, health behaviours, cognitive function, and physical function characteristics.

Results
39.3% of people at baseline had diabetes and/or hypertension. The risk of CVD incidence was 1.7 (95%CI: 1.5; 1.9) higher among people with diabetes and/or hypertension compared to those without and was independent of covariates adjustment. People with diabetes and/or hypertension were also 1.3 (95%CI: 1.1; 1.8) times more likely to die from CVD than those without. We did not find evidence for an elevated risk of CVD incidence and mortality among people with obesity nor among those with depression.

Conclusions
In order to effectively reduce the risk of CVD incidence and mortality among older people, treatment as well as management of hypertension and diabetes should be routinely considered for older people with diabetes and/or hypertension.
Visual impairment among diabetes patients in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Aytenew Tigabu Munye , Kefale Demewoz , Birhane Binyam Minuye , Kebede Solomon Demis , Asferie Worku Necho , Hailemeskel Habtamu Shimels , Kassaw Amare , Asnakew Sintayehu , Kassie Yohannes Tesfahun , Mekonnen Gebrehiwot Berie , Kebede Melese , Eshetie Yeshiambaw , Ejigu Netsanet , Zeleke Shegaw , Agimas Muluken Chanie , Simegn Amare 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionThe increased prevalence of visual impairment among diabetes patients has become a major global public health problem. Although numerous primary studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of visual impairment and its associated factors among diabetes patients in Ethiopia, these studies presented inconsistent findings. Therefore, this review aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of visual impairment and identify associated factors among diabetes patients.MethodsAn extensive search of literature was done on PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Sciences databases. A manual search of the reference lists of included studies was performed. A weighted inverse-variance random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of visual impairment.ResultsA total of 34 eligible primary studies with a sample size of 11,884 participants were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of visual impairment was 21.73% (95% CI: 18.15, 25.30; I2= 96.47%; P<0.001). Diabetes mellitus with a duration of diagnosis ≥10 years [AOR = 3.18, 95% CI: 1.85, 5.49], presence of co-morbid hypertension [AOR = 3.26, 95% CI: 1.93, 5.50], poor glycemic control [AOR = 4.30, 95% CI: 3.04, 6.06], age ≥56 years [AOR = 4.13, 95% CI: 2.27, 7.52], family history of diabetes mellitus [AOR = 4.18 (95% CI: 2.61, 6.69], obesity [AOR = 4.77, 95% CI: 3.00, 7.59], poor physical activity [AOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.75, 3.46], presence of visual symptoms [AOR = 4.28, 95% CI: 2.73, 6.69] and no history of eye exam [AOR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.47, 3.57] were significantly associated with visual impairment.ConclusionsThe pooled prevalence of visual impairment was high in Ethiopia. Diabetes mellitus with a duration of diagnosis ≥10 years, presence of co-morbid hypertension, poor glycemic control, age ≥56 years, and family history of diabetes mellitus, obesity, poor physical activity, presence of visual symptoms, and no history of eye exam were independent predictors. Therefore, diabetic patients with these identified risks should be screened, and managed early to reduce the occurrence of visual impairment related to diabetes. Moreover, public health policy with educational programs and regular promotion of sight screening for all diabetes patients are needed.
Bayesian rank likelihood-based estimation: An application to low birth weight in Ethiopia
Authors: Bekalo Daniel Biftu , Wanjoya Anthony Kibira , Mwalili Samuel Musili 
Published: May 2024

Background
Low birth weight is a significant risk factor associated with high rates of neonatal and infant mortality, particularly in developing countries. However, most studies conducted on this topic in Ethiopia have small sample sizes, often focusing on specific areas and using standard models employing maximum likelihood estimation, leading to potential bias and inaccurate coverage probability.

Methods
This study used a novel approach, the Bayesian rank likelihood method, within a latent traits model, to estimate parameters and provide a nationwide estimate of low birth weight and its risk factors in Ethiopia. Data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) of 2016 were used as a data source for the study. Data stratified all regions into urban and rural areas. Among 15, 680 representative selected households, the analysis included complete cases from 10, 641 children (0-59 months). The evaluation of model performance considered metrics such as the root mean square error, the mean absolute error, and the probability coverage of the corresponding 95% confidence intervals of the estimates.

Results
Based on the values of root mean square error, mean absolute error, and probability coverage, the estimates obtained from the proposed model outperform the classical estimates. According to the result, 40.92% of the children were born with low birth weight. The study also found that low birth weight is unevenly distributed across different regions of the country with the highest amounts of variation observed in the Afar, Somali and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples regions as represented by the latent trait parameter of the model. In contrast, the lowest low birth weight variation was recorded in the Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, and Amhara regions. Furthermore, there were significant associations between birth weight and several factors, including the age of the mother, number of antenatal care visits, order of birth and the body mass index as indicated by the average posterior beta values of (β1= -0.269, CI=-0.320, -0.220), (β2= -0.235, CI=-0.268, -0.202), (β3= -0.120, CI=-0.162, -0.074) and (β5= -0.257, CI=-0.291, -0.225).

Conclusions
The study showed that the low birth weight estimates obtained from the latent trait model outperform the classical estimates. The study also revealed that the prevalence of low birth weight varies between different regions of the country, indicating the need for targeted interventions in areas with a higher prevalence. To effectively reduce the prevalence of low birth weight and improve maternal and child health outcomes, it is important to concentrate efforts on regions with a higher burden of low birth weight. This will help implement interventions that are tailored to the unique challenges and needs of each area. Health institutions should take measures to reduce low birth weight, with a special focus on the factors identified in this study.
Prognostic effect of osteoprotegerin in patients with ischemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Pang Linlin , Lin Hongyu , Wei Xinxian , Wei Wenxin , Lan Yu 
Published: May 2024

Background
Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is supposed to participate in the development of atherosclerosis and cardio-cerebrovascular disease. However, the results of research on relationship between OPG and ischemic stroke (IS) are controversial. Therefore, we carried out the first systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate prognostic effect of osteoprotegerin in patients with IS.

Methods
We comprehensively searched databases of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library through 21 August 2023 to identify observational studies that evaluated effect of OPG on poor functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] Score of 3–6) and mortality in patients with IS. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of each included study were used as much as possible to assess the pooled effect.

Results
Five studies that enrolled 4,506 patients in total fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Three studies were included in the pooled analysis for each endpoint since one of the included studies had provided data on poor functional outcome as well as mortality. OPG was neither associated with poor functional outcome (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 0.90–1.85) nor with mortality (aOR 1.57, 95% CI 0.90–2.74) in patients with IS.

Conclusions
There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate the correlation between OPG and mortality or poor functional outcome in IS patients. OPG cannot be applied to predict worse neurological function in IS patients based on the current evidence.
Association between muscle strength and depression in a cohort of young adults
Authors: Vodička Tomáš , Bozděch Michal , Vespalec Tomáš , Piler Pavel , Paludo Ana Carolina 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundThe study investigated the association between knee joint muscle strength and the prevalence of depression in a cohort of young adults.MethodsThe observational, population-based study was performed with 909 participants (29.02 ± 2.03 years; 48.73% male) from the Central European Longitudinal Studies of Parents and Children: Young Adults (CELSPAC: YA), who were retained to analysis. Quadriceps and hamstring knee muscle strength were assessed by isokinetic dynamometry, and depression by Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Statistical comparisons (Mann-Whitney and Chi-squared test) and effect size analyses (Eta-Squared, and Odds Ratio) were conducted.ResultsThe main findings revealed an inverse association between knee joint muscle strength and depression, with individuals who had low muscle strength having 3.15 (95% CI = 2.74–3.62) times higher odds of experiencing depression. Specifically, participants with low extensor strength had 4.63 (95% CI = 2.20–9.74) times higher odds, and those with low flexor strength had 2.68 (95% CI = 1.47–4.89) times higher odds of experiencing depression compared to those individuals with high muscle strength. Furthermore, gender-specific analyses revealed that males with low muscle strength had 2.51 (95% CI = 1.53–4.14) times higher odds, while females had 3.46 (95% CI = 2.93–4.08) times higher odds of experiencing depression compared to individuals with high muscle strength.ConclusionsStrong knee muscles seems to be a key factor in preventing depression, specially in female young adults. The results support the importance of promoting an increase in muscle strength through physical activity as a preventive strategy against depression in this population.
Health-related quality of life and associated factors among family caregivers of patients with cancer in oncologic centers of Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Tamene Fasil Bayafers , Mihiretie Endalamaw Aschale , Desalew Akalu Fetene , Tafesse Fasika Argaw , Wondm Samuel Agegnew 
Published: May 2024

Background
Providing care for individuals dealing with long-term illnesses like cancer demands significant amounts of time, energy, and emotional investment, potentially resulting in a challenging and overwhelming quality of life for those providing the care.

Objective
The purpose of this study was to assess the level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and associated factors among family caregivers of patients with cancer in oncologic centers of Northwest Ethiopia.

Method
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 412 family caregivers of patients with cancer who were following treatment at oncologic centers in Northwest Ethiopia from August to October 2023. Systematic random sampling was used to enroll study participants. Epi-data version 4.6.1 and SPSS version 26 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. The relationship between quality of life and independent variables was examined using linear regression. Statistical significance was determined for variables having a p-value of less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence range.

Result
A total of 412 eligible caregivers were included in the study out of 422 approached samples, yielding a 97.6% response rate. The mean score of the overall Quality of Life Brief—Scale Version was 52.7 ± 9.57. Being Spouse (β = -3.39; 95% CI: -6.49, -0.29), presence of chronic illness (β = -3.43; 95% CI: -5.56, -1.31), depression, (β = -2.55; 95% CI: -4.34, -0.75), anxiety (β = -3.27; 95% CI: -5.22, -1.32),and social support, (β = -3.61; 95% CI: -6.20, -1.02) were negatively associated with quality of life.

Conclusion and recommendation
In this study, the psychological domain had the lowest mean score. Caregivers being as spouse, who were with chronic illness, manifested depression and anxiety and had a poor social support needs attention and support to improve HRQoL.
The impact of accessibility to non-calcium-based phosphate binders and calcimimetics on mineral outcomes in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis: A 10-year retrospective analysis of real-world data
Authors: Disthabanchong Sinee , Kasempin Panhathai , Srisuwarn Praopilad , Chansomboon Payupol , Buachum Nuchcha 
Published: May 2024

Introduction
Hyperphosphatemia and hyperparathyroidism are common in end-stage kidney disease and are associated with poor outcomes. In addition to adequate dialysis, medications are usually required for optimum control of serum phosphate and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. The use of calcium-based phosphate binders (CBPBs) and active vitamin D is associated with an increase in serum calcium and worsening vascular calcification. To overcome these limitations, non-calcium-based phosphate binders (NCBPBs) and calcimimetics have been developed. However, the coverage for these new medications remains limited in several parts of the world due to the lack of patient-level outcome data and cost. The present study examined the differences in mineral outcomes between two main categories of healthcare programs that provided different coverage for medications used to control mineral and bone disorders (MBD). The Social Security/Universal Coverage (SS/UC) program covered only CBPBs and active vitamin D, whereas the Civil Servant/State Enterprise (CS/SE) program provided coverage of CBPBs, active vitamin D, NCBPBs, and calcimimetics.

Methods
This 10-year retrospective cohort study examined the differences in mineral outcomes between two healthcare programs in maintenance hemodialysis patients. The differences in serum calcium, phosphate, and PTH levels, as well as the aortic arch calcification score, were analyzed according to dialysis vintage by linear mixed-effects regression analyses. The difference in the composite outcome of severe hyperparathyroidism and parathyroidectomy was analyzed by the Cox-proportional hazard regression model.

Results
714 patients were included in the analyses (full cohort). Of these patients, 563 required at least one type of medication to control MBD (MBD medication subgroup). Serum calcium, phosphate, and the proportions of patients with hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia were substantially higher in the SS/UC group compared with the CS/SE group after appropriate adjustments for confounders in both the full cohort and the MBD medication subgroup. These findings were confirmed in propensity-score matched analyses. Higher parathyroid hormone levels and a higher rate of the composite endpoint of severe hyperparathyroidism and parathyroidectomy were also observed in the SS/UC group. A more rapid progression of aortic arch calcification was suggested in the SS/UC group, but between-group changes were not significant.

Conclusion
Patients under the healthcare program that did not cover the use of NCBPBs and calcimimetics showed higher serum calcium and phosphate levels and a more rapid progression of hyperparathyroidism. The difference in the progression of vascular calcification could not be confirmed in the present study.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Storage Compressibility of Pre-Trained ML Models but Were Afraid to Ask
Authors: Su Zhaoyuan , Ahmed Ammar , Wang Zirui , Anwar Ali , Cheng Yue 
Published: May 2024

As the number of pre-trained machine learning (ML) models is growing exponentially, data reduction tools are not catching up. Existing data reduction techniques are not specifically designed for pre-trained model (PTM) dataset files. This is largely due to a lack of understanding of the patterns and characteristics of these datasets, especially those relevant to data reduction and compressibility.
This paper presents the first, exhaustive analysis to date of PTM datasets on storage compressibility. Our analysis spans different types of data reduction and compression techniques, from hash-based data deduplication, data similarity detection, to dictionary-coding compression. Our analysis explores these techniques at three data granularity levels, from model layers, model chunks, to model parameters. We draw new observations that indicate that modern data reduction tools are not effective when handling PTM datasets. There is a pressing need for new compression methods that take into account PTMs' data characteristics for effective storage reduction.
Motivated by our findings, we design Elf, a simple yet effective, error-bounded, lossy floating-point compression method. Elf transforms floating-point parameters in such a way that the common exponent field of the transformed parameters can be completely eliminated to save storage space. We develop Elves, a compression framework that integrates Elf along with several other data reduction methods. Elves uses the most effective method to compress PTMs that exhibit different patterns. Evaluation shows that Elves achieves an overall compression ratio of 1.52×, which is 1.31×, 1.32× and 1.29× higher than a general-purpose compressor (zstd), an error-bounded lossy compressor (SZ3), and the uniform model quantization, respectively, with negligible model accuracy loss.
Contributions Estimation in Federated Learning: A Comprehensive Experimental Evaluation
Authors: Chen Yiwei , Li Kaiyu , Li Guoliang , Wang Yong 
Published: May 2024

Federated Learning (FL) provides a privacy-preserving and decentralized approach to collaborative machine learning for multiple FL clients. The contribution estimation mechanism in FL is extensively studied within the database community, which aims to compute fair and reasonable contribution scores as incentives to motivate FL clients. However, designing such methods involves challenges in three aspects: effectiveness, robustness, and efficiency. Firstly, contribution estimation methods should utilize the data utility information of various client coalitions rather than that of individual clients to ensure effectiveness. Secondly, we should beware of adverse clients who may exploit tactics like data replication or label flipping. Thirdly, estimating contribution in FL can be time-consuming due to enumerating various client coalitions.Despite numerous proposed methods to address these challenges, each possesses distinct advantages and limitations based on specific settings. However, existing methods have yet to be thoroughly evaluated and compared in the same experimental framework. Therefore, a unified and comprehensive evaluation framework is necessary to compare these methods under the same experimental settings. This paper conducts an extensive survey of contribution estimation methods in FL and introduces a comprehensive framework to evaluate their effectiveness, robustness, and efficiency. Through empirical results, we present extensive observations, valuable discoveries, and an adaptable testing framework that can facilitate future research in designing and evaluating contribution estimation methods in FL.
Art, pictoriality and semiotics – a reflection on Göran Sonesson’s contribution to art theory
Authors: Sandin Gunnar 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
This reflection on Göran Sonesson’s writings and theoretical engagement in art is also a survey of a set of semiotic concepts related to this area. As a semiotician Sonesson wrote about varying sub-genres like fine art, photography, film and architecture. The reflection is also a personal recollection – as a colleague, friend and participant in the Lund circle of semiotics – of ideas and discussions highlighting the relation between semiotics, art theory and artistic practice. This reflection captures a couple of notions of importance in Sonesson’s contributions to semiotic theory relating to pictoriality, art and culture, such as “secondary iconicity”, “projected Ego, Alter and Alius”, “sedimentation of impressions”, “picture subject and picture object”, etc. The reflection ends in stating the importance of the specifically Lifeworld-based semiotic contribution by Sonesson to art theory, a contribution perhaps yet to be fully appreciated, and how this contribution also corresponds with how practicing artists reach out to, but also goes beyond, the art world itself.