bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development and content validity of the DizzyQuest
Authors: Martin E. C. , de Joode L. E. G. H. , Lucieer F. , Sitters D. , Delespaul P. A. E. G. , Leue C. , van de Weijer S. C. F. , Meijers-Erdkamp A. , Grill E. , Zwergal A. , Guinand N. , Perez-Fornos A. , van Rompaey V. , Widdershoven J. , Kimman M. L. , van de Berg R. 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionVestibular disorders have a high prevalence and impact on general health. Currently questionnaires to measure vestibular symptoms and the impact on daily life, do not capture disease-specific symptoms or induce recall bias. The DizzyQuest was introduced, to measure vestibular symptoms in the flow of daily life, using the ecological momentary assessment (EMA) strategy. The development and content validity of the DizzyQuest are described in this article.MethodsThe development process consisted of two stages: First, the development of a concept version of the DizzyQuest based on the conceptual model of positive health, semi-structured interviews with patients diagnosed with bilateral vestibulopathy (BV) and expert input. Second, the assessment of content validity through a 4-week pilot trial, followed by focus group meetings with patients and professionals separately.ResultsPatient interviews, an expert meeting and a conceptual model resulted in the first pilot version of the DizzyQuest, which included a morning-, within-day-, evening- and attack-questionnaire. To report patient characteristics, complimentary patient- and doctor-questionnaires were added. The pilot trial (N = 5) and two patient focus group meetings resulted in multiple suggestions for response options. Two professional focus group meetings provided recommendations for sampling time and sampling schedule. As a result, two versions of the DizzyQuest were developed, consisting of a regular DizzyQuest (DQ) and an extended DizzyQuest-XL (DQ-XL).ConclusionThe DizzyQuest enables the administration of multiple questionnaires during the flow of daily life, therefore increasing reliability and ecological validity. The DQ and DQ-XL, using a big data approach, has the potential to improve precision medicine.
Association of HbA1C and comfort with diabetes self-management among adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes
Authors: Onwukwe Obichi , Lundgrin Erika L. 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionAdolescents and young adults (AYA) living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are a vulnerable demographic at risk for sub-optimal glycemic outcomes at a time when they are taking over their diabetes management. The purposes of this study were to examine levels of self-reported comfort with diabetes management tasks among AYA living with T1D and to describe the relationships among comfort levels, sociodemographic factors, and HbA1c. MethodsDuring a routine diabetes care visit, AYA aged 15–23 years old living with T1D received a transition survey to self-assess their comfort level with different diabetesmanagement tasks. ResultsAmong 161 participants who completed the survey (median age 17 years, median diabetes duration 7 years, 82.3% White, 40.9% female, 66.5% with private insurance, and median HbA1c 8.8%), comfort with diabetes management tasks was generally rated highly (median overall comfort level of 4.5 out of 5), irrespective of race or insurance type. Regression analysis revealed that higher self-reported comfort level with diabetes management tasks was associated with a higher HbA1c (p = 0.006), after controlling for age, sex, race, insurance type, and diabetes duration. DiscussionThese findings suggest that self-reported comfort with independently managing T1D may not be a sufficient metric in assessing AYA patients’ need for further intervention to optimize glycemic outcomes as they transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care, and highlights the importance of continuity of care to support diabetes management during this transitional period.
Recruitment strategies for reaching adults aged 50 years and older with low socioeconomic status for participation in online physical activity interventions
Authors: Collombon Eline H. G. M. , Bolman Catherine A. W. , de Bruijn Gert-Jan , Peels Denise A. , Lechner Lilian 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundGenerally, the health condition of those with higher socioeconomic status (SES) is better compared to those with lower SES. The application of appropriate strategies to reach low SES populations with electronic health (eHealth) interventions is thus of major importance to reduce health inequalities. eHealth-studies providing detailed information on recruitment strategies are scarce, despite the fact that this information is crucial for comparable research and implementation.ObjectiveTo provide insight into the reach, sample characteristics and costs of three pre-planned strategies for recruiting adults aged 50 years and older with low SES for participation in an online physical activity intervention, as part of a field study.MethodsRecruitment took place via (1) invitation letters via a municipality, (2) gyms and (3) social media advertisements, aiming to include 400 participants. Additional procedures were followed to reach specifically the low SES group. Response rates, sociodemographic characteristics and costs per strategy were assessed.ResultsThe highest response was shown for the municipality approach (N = 281), followed by social media (N = 71) and gyms (N = 45). Ten participants were recruited via family/friends. The most low-educated participants were reached via the municipality (N = 128) followed by social media (N = 9), gyms (N = 8) and family/friends (N = 5). Recruitment costs were with €2,142.37 the highest for the municipality compared to €96.81 for social media and no costs for gyms.ConclusionsRecruitment via invitation letters through a municipality has the highest potential for reaching low SES participants of the three applied strategies, although the higher recruitment costs need to be taken into account.
Exploring the digital divide: results of a survey informing mobile application development
Authors: Claudio Maira Corinne , Rehany Zachary , Stachtari Katerina , Guadagno Elena , Osmanlliu Esli , Poenaru Dan 
Published: May 2024

IntroductionMobile health apps risk widening health disparities if they overlook digital inclusion. The digital divide, encompassing access, familiarity, and readiness, poses a significant barrier to medical interventions. Existing literature lacks exploration of the digital divide's contributing factors. Hence, data are needed to comprehend the challenges in developing inclusive health apps.MethodsWe created a survey to gauge internet and smartphone access, smartphone familiarity, and readiness for using mobile health apps among caregivers of pediatric patients in tertiary care. Open-ended questions solicited feedback and suggestions on mobile health applications. Responses were categorized by similarity and compared. Developed with patient partners, the survey underwent cognitive testing and piloting for accuracy.ResultsData from 209 respondents showed that 23% were affected by the digital divide, mainly due to unfamiliarity with digital skills. Among 49 short text responses about health app concerns, 31 mentioned security and confidentiality, with 7 mentioning the impersonal nature of such apps. Desired features included messaging healthcare providers, scheduling, task reminders, and simplicity.ConclusionsThis study underscores a digital divide among caregivers of pediatric patients, with nearly a quarter affected primarily due to a lack of digital comfort. Respondents emphasized user-friendliness and online security for health apps. Future apps should prioritize digital inclusion by addressing the significant barriers and carefully considering patient and family concerns.
Non-metastatic primary neuroendocrine neoplasms of the breast: a reference cancer center’s experience of a heterogenous entity
Authors: Püsküllüoğlu Mirosława , Grela-Wojewoda Aleksandra , Ambicka Aleksandra , Pacholczak-Madej Renata , Pietruszka Agnieszka , Mucha-Małecka Anna , Rudzińska Agnieszka , Ziobro Marek , Ryś Janusz , Mituś Jerzy W. 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundPrimary neuroendocrine neoplasms of the breast (Br-NENs) are rare. The classification has been updated in recent years making interpretation of the data published challenging. It is unclear whether neuroendocrine differentiation is associated with poorer prognosis and what treatment approaches should be applied.MethodsThe database for breast cancer patients treated between 2009 and 2022 at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology Branch Krakow was explored to search for Br-NENs. Patients’ medical and pathological data were collected and analyzed.ResultsWe included 22 females with Br-NEN without metastases at the time of diagnosis. The median age was 64 years (range: 28-88), Of the cases, 18 were hormone receptor positive, all were HER-2 negative, the median Ki67 was 27% (10-100%). The median tumor size at the time of diagnosis was 29.5mm (7-75mm), 9 patients were N-positive. DCIS was present in 5 cases. Only one case was negative for chromogranin and synaptophysin staining, but data were missing for 4 cases. Nine patients received adjuvant chemotherapy, mainly based on anthracyclines and taxanes, while 16 received adjuvant hormonal therapy and 15 received postoperative radiotherapy. Radical surgery was performed in all patients, but two underwent suboptimal tumorectomy. One patient had local recurrence, three experienced metastatic disease, all involving the lungs, but these patients are still alive. The median follow-up was 96 months (8–153). Two patients died, with a follow up time of no recurrence &gt;4 years. Our results were compared to twelve case series collecting clinical data on Br-NENs, with median patient number of 10.5 (range: 3-142).ConclusionBr-NENs represent a heterogenous group of diseases, lacking data from prospective studies or clinical trials. There are no established treatment standards tailored for Br-NENs. Our patients’ cohort exhibited a favorable prognosis, potentially attributed to lower tumor stage and Ki67 index compared to other reported case series. We suggest that radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy be administered akin to standard treatment for breast cancer of no special type. ESMO also advocates for this approach in systemic treatment, although we recommend considering platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with poorly differentiated Br-NENs exhibiting high Ki67.
Analysis of extreme precipitation variation characteristics in mountain grasslands of arid and semi-arid regions in China
Authors: Li Wei , Guan Jing , Wang Wenjun , Wu Yingjie , Zhao Yawen , Zhang Weijie , Wang Sinan , Chen Zexun 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: With global warming, the disaster losses caused by extreme precipitation events are increasing. The poor natural conditions and climate change make the arid and semi-arid mountainous grassland area a sensitive region of climate change. The study on the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of extreme precipitation events in this region is helpful to improve the ability of climate prediction and disaster prevention and reduction in grassland.Methods: Based on the daily precipitation data of four meteorological monitoring stations in the Yinshanbeilu from 1970 to 2020, the trend analysis, M-K test and wavelet analysis were used to select seven typical extreme precipitation indicators to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics of extreme precipitation.Results and Discussion: The results showed that the precipitation in the Yinshanbeilu increased in the past 51a, and the number of heavy rain days increased significantly. The significance test of CDD and CWD showed that the number of continuous dry days and continuous wet days decreased abruptly. The spatial analysis showed that the high value areas of R95p, R95d and PRCRTOT were all located in Siziwang Banner, and it could be concluded that the extreme precipitation risk was the highest in Siziwang Banner, while the low value areas of SDII, Rx1day, R95p and PRCRTOT were all located in Sonid Right Banner, which could be inferred that the Sonid Right Banner was relatively dry. The first main cycle of the seven indexes of extreme precipitation almost runs through the whole time series, and the starting point of the minimum main cycle changes inconsistent. In addition to the number of consecutive dry days, the other indices have a good correlation with annual precipitation, flood season and monthly precipitation from June to September, and July is the peak period of extreme precipitation events.
A novel NTRK1 splice site variant causing congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis in a Chinese family
Authors: Sun Ling , Dai Jin , Zhang Yuan , Zhou Lijun , Ren Yaqiong , Wang Hongying 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundCongenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA, OMIM #256800), also known as hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type Ⅳ (HSAN-IV), is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent episodic fevers, anhidrosis, insensitivity to noxious stimuli, self-mutilating behavior and intellectual disability. CIPA can be caused by the variants in NTRK1 gene, which encodes a high-affinity tyrosine kinase receptor for nerve growth factor. To ascertain the hereditary cause of a patient with CIPA accompanied by the additional symptoms of mild growth retardation, prone to fracture, underdeveloped nails of fingers and toes, irregular tooth alignment, enamel hypoplasia, postoperative wound healing difficulty, hand and limb deformity, and dislocation of hip joint, whole exome sequencing was used and revealed a compound heterozygous variant in NTRK1.MethodsDNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples of pediatric patients and their parents, and subjected to comprehensive analysis using whole-exome sequencing (WES), followed by verification of variant sites in the NTRK1 gene through Sanger sequencing. To elucidate the functional impact of the newly discovered variants, an in vitro experimental system was established. Splicing analysis was conducted using PCR and Sanger sequencing, while expression levels were assessed through qPCR and Western blot techniques.ResultsOne hotspot variant c.851-33T&gt;A(ClinVar ID: 21308) and a novel variant c.850 + 5G&gt;A(ClinVar ID:3069176) was inherited from her father and mother, respectively, identified in the affected individuals. The c.850 + 5G&gt;A variant in NTRK1 resulted in two forms of aberrant mRNA splicing: 13bp deletion (c.838_850del13, p. Val280Ser fs180) and 25bp deletion (826_850del25, p. Val276Ser fs180) in exon 7, both leading to a translational termination at a premature stop codon and forming a C-terminal truncated protein. The expression of two abnormal splicing isoforms was decreased both in the level of mRNA and protein.ConclusionIn conclusion, this study elucidated the genetic cause of a patient with CIPA and identified a novel variant c.850 + 5G&gt;A in NTRK1, which broadened the and enriched the NTRK1 mutation spectrum.
Lipidome is a valuable tool for the severity prediction of coronavirus disease 2019
Authors: Zhang Shan-Shan , Zhao Zhiling , Zhang Wan-Xue , Wu Rui , Li Fei , Yang Han , Zhang Qiang , Wei Ting-Ting , Xi Jingjing , Zhou Yiguo , Wang Tiehua , Du Juan , Huang Ninghua , Ge Qinggang , Lu Qing-Bin 
Published: May 2024

ObjectiveTo describe the lipid metabolic profile of different patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and contribute new evidence on the progression and severity prediction of COVID-19.MethodsThis case–control study was conducted in Peking University Third Hospital, China. The laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients aged ≥18 years old and diagnosed as pneumonia from December 2022 to January 2023 were included. Serum lipids were detected. The discrimination ability was calculated with the area under the curve (AUC). A random forest (RF) model was conducted to determine the significance of different lipids.ResultsTotally, 44 COVID-19 patients were enrolled with 16 mild and 28 severe patients. The top 5 super classes were triacylglycerols (TAG, 55.9%), phosphatidylethanolamines (PE, 10.9%), phosphatidylcholines (PC, 6.8%), diacylglycerols (DAG, 5.9%) and free fatty acids (FFA, 3.6%) among the 778 detected lipids from the serum of COVID-19 patients. Certain lipids, especially lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), turned to have significant correlations with certain immune/cytokine indexes. Reduced level of LPC 20:0 was observed in severe patients particularly in acute stage. The AUC of LPC 20:0 reached 0.940 in discriminating mild and severe patients and 0.807 in discriminating acute and recovery stages in the severe patients. The results of RF models also suggested the significance of LPCs in predicting the severity and progression of COVID-19.ConclusionLipids probably have the potential to differentiate and forecast the severity, progression, and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients, with implications for immune/inflammatory responses. LPC 20:0 might be a potential target in predicting the progression and outcome and the treatment of COVID-19.
Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine to prevent and treat COVID-19 household close contacts in Hong Kong: an open-label, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Du Peipei , Lam Wai Ching , Leung Choryin , Li Huijuan , Lyu Zipan , Yuen Chun Sum , Cheung Chun Hoi , Lam Tsz Fung , Bian Zhaoxiang , Zhong Linda 
Published: May 2024

ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of CHM in the prevention of COVID-19 infection and treatment for COVID-19 related symptoms.DesignProspective open-label randomized controlled trial.SettingParticipants’ home in Hong Kong.ParticipantsParticipants who had household close contact with COVID-19-infected family members.InterventionsClose contacts were stratified into 4 groups (cohort A, B, C, D) based on symptoms and infection status and were randomized in 4:1 ratio to receive CHM granules (9g/sachet, two times daily) or blank control for 7 days with 2 weeks of follow-up.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was the rate of positive nucleic acid tests. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of developed COVID-19 related symptoms and adverse events during the whole 3-week study period. Subgroup analysis was used to evaluate demographic factors associated with positive infection rates.ResultsA total of 2163 contacts were enrolled and randomly assigned to the CHM group (1720 contacts) and blank control (443 contacts) group. During the 21 days, the rate of PCR-positive cases in cohort A was markedly lower in the CHM group (3.6%) compared to the control group (7.0%) (P=0.036). Overall, the rate of infection in the CHM group was significantly lower than that in the control group (10.69% vs. 6.03%; RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.39-0.82) after 7-day treatment. No serious adverse events were reported during the medication period.ConclusionThe preliminary findings indicate that CHM may be effective and safe in preventing COVID-19. Future double-blind, randomized controlled trials and long-term follow-up are needed to fully evaluate the efficacy of CHM in a larger contact population.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT05269511
Association of the systemic immune-inflammation index with anemia: a population-based study
Authors: Chen Shuying , Xiao Jigang , Cai Wenyu , Lu Xulin , Liu Chenxi , Dong Yan , Zheng Yingchun , Song Ge , Sun Qi , Wang Huijun , Xiao Zhijian 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundInflammation has been reported to be related to anemia. As a novel inflammatory marker, Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has not been studied with Anemia. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between SII and anemia.MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional survey was conducted using data from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) population. In total, 19851 American adults aged ≥18 years were included. SII was calculated as the platelet count×neutrophil count/lymphocyte count. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin (Hgb) levels of &lt; 13 g/dL in males and &lt; 12 g/dL in females. Logistic regression analyses, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between SII and anemia.ResultsOur study included a total of 19851 patients, of which 1501 (7.6%) had anemia. After adjusting for all covariates, the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher SII (In-transform) level was associated with increased likelihood of anemia (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.36–1.68, P&lt;0.001). The association between SII and anemia exhibited a nonlinear manner. The positive correlation between SII and anemia was related to the severity of anemia. Subgroup analysis showed that there was no significant dependence on age, family income, body mass index, hypertension, kidney disease and cancer except gender on this positive association. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of our results.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that SII was positively associated with anemia especially among female participants. And this positive correlation was related to the severity of anemia. Further large-scale prospective studies are still needed to analyze the role of SII in anemia.
Spatial interaction and functional status of CD68+SHP2+ macrophages in tumor microenvironment correlate with overall survival of NSCLC
Authors: Liu Xu , Zhang Zengfu , Yuan Jupeng , Yu Jinming , Chen Dawei 
Published: May 2024

BackgroundTumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a plastic and heterogeneous cell population of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that can regulate tumor proliferation and support resistance to therapy, constituting promising targets for the development of novel anticancer agents. Our previous results suggest that SHP2 plays a crucial role in reprogramming the phenotype of TAMs. Thus, we hypothesized that SHP2+ TAM may predict the treatment efficacy of non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC patients as a biomarker.MethodsWe analyzed cancer tissue samples from 79 NSCLC patients using multiplex fluorescence (mIF) staining to visualize various SHP-2+ TAM subpopulations (CD68+SHP2+, CD68+CD86+, CD68 + 206+, CD68+ CD86+SHP2+, CD68+ CD206+SHP2+) and T cells (CD8+ Granzyme B +) of immune cells. The immune cells proportions were quantified in the tumor regions (Tumor) and stromal regions (Stroma), as well as in the overall tumor microenvironment (Tumor and Stroma, TME). The analysis endpoint was overall survival (OS), correlating them with levels of cell infiltration or effective density. Cox regression was used to evaluate the associations between immune cell subsets infiltration and OS. Correlations between different immune cell subsets were examined by Spearman’s tests.ResultsIn NSCLC, the distribution of different macrophage subsets within the TME, tumor regions, and stroma regions exhibited inconsistency. The proportions of CD68+ SHP2+ TAMs (P &lt; 0.05) were higher in tumor than in stroma. And the high infiltration of CD68+SHP2+ TAMs in tumor areas correlated with poor OS (P &lt; 0.05). We found that the expression level of SHP2 was higher in M2-like macrophages than in M1-like macrophages. The CD68+SHP2+ subset proportion was positively correlated with the CD68+CD206+ subset within TME (P &lt; 0.0001), tumor (P &lt; 0.0001) and stroma (P &lt; 0.0001).ConclusionsThe high infiltration of CD68+SHP2+ TAMs predict poor OS in NSCLC. Targeting SHP2 is a potentially effective strategy to inhibit M2-phenotype polarization. And it provides a new thought for SHP2 targeted cancer immunotherapy.