bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Long-term outcomes of adults with FSGS in the German Chronic Kidney Disease cohort
Authors: Stamellou Eleni , Nadal Jennifer , Hendry Bruce , Mercer Alex , Bechtel-Walz Wibke , Schiffer Mario , Eckardt Kai-Uwe , Kramann Rafael , Moeller Marcus J , Floege Jürgen ,   GCKD study investigators, Eckardt Kai-Uwe , Meiselbach Heike , Schneider Markus P , Schiffer Mario , Prokosch Hans-Ulrich , Bärthlein Barbara , Beck Andreas , Reis André , Ekici Arif B , Becker Susanne , Alberth-Schmidt Ulrike , Marschall Sabine , Weigel Anke , Walz Gerd , Köttgen Anna , Schultheiß Ulla T , Kotsis Fruzsina , Meder Simone , Mitsch Erna , Reinhard Ursula , Floege Jürgen , Saritas Turgay , Schaeffner Elke , Baid-Agrawal Seema , Theisen Kerstin , Schmidt-Ott Kai , Zeier Martin , Sommerer Claudia , Aykac Mehtap , Wolf Gunter , Busch Martin , Steiner Andi , Sitter Thomas , Wanner Christoph , Krane Vera , Bauer Britta , Kronenberg Florian , Raschenberger Julia , Kollerits Barbara , Forer Lukas , Schönherr Sebastian , Weissensteiner Hansi , Oefner Peter , Gronwald Wolfram , Schmid Matthias , Nadal Jennifer 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

Background
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) can lead to kidney failure in adults. This study examines the progression of FSGS in the German Chronic Kidney Disease (GCKD) cohort.

Methods
The GCKD study (N = 5217), a prospective cohort, included 159 patients with biopsy-confirmed FSGS recruited from 2010 to 2012. Baseline was defined as the first study visit. Adjudicated endpoints included a composite kidney endpoint (CKE), including an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decrease &gt;40%, eGFR &lt;15 ml/min/1.73 m2 or initiation of kidney replacement therapy and combined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including non-fatal myocardial infarction or stroke and all-cause mortality. Associations between baseline demographics, laboratory data, comorbidity and CKE and MACE were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Results
The mean age at baseline was 52.1 ± 13.6 years, with a disease duration of 4.72 years (quartile 1: 1; quartile 3: 6) before joining the study. The median urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) at baseline was 0.7 g/g (IQR 0.1;1.8), while mean eGFR was 55.8 ± 23 ml/min/1.73 m2. Based on clinical and pathological features, 69 (43.4%) patients were categorized as primary FSGS, 55 (34.6%) as secondary FSGS and 35 (22%) as indeterminate. Over a follow-up of 6.5 years, 44 patients reached the composite kidney endpoint and 16 individuals had at least one MACE. UACR ≥0.7 g/g was strongly associated with both the composite kidney endpoint {hazard ratio [HR] 5.27 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4–11.5]} and MACE [HR 3.37 (95% CI 1.05–10.82)] compared with &lt;0.7 g/g, whereas a higher eGFR at baseline (per 10 ml/min) was protective for both endpoints [HR 0.8 (95% CI 0.68–0.95) and HR 0.63 (95% CI 0.46–0.88), respectively]. Patients with secondary FSGS experienced a greater rate of eGFR decline than patients with primary FSGS.

Conclusions
Lower eGFR and higher albuminuria are key risk factors for kidney disease progression and cardiovascular events in patients with FSGS.
Contemporary outcomes of left thoraco-abdominal esophagectomy due to cancer in the esophagus or gastroesophageal junction, a multicenter cohort study
Authors: Klevebro F , Ash S , Mueller C , Garbarino G M , Gisbertz S S , van Berge Henegouwen M I , Mandeville Y , Ferri L , Davies A , Maynard N , Low D E 
Published: April 2024

Summary
Surgery for cancer of the esophagus or gastro-esophageal junction can be performed with a variety of minimally invasive and open approaches. The left thoracoabdominal esophagectomy (LTE) is an open technique that gives an opportunity to operate in the chest and abdomen with excellent exposure of the gastro-esophageal junction through a single incision, and there is currently no equivalent minimally invasive technique available. The aim of this multi-institutional review was to study a large contemporary international study cohort of patients treated with LTE. An international multicenter cohort study was performed including all patients treated with LTE at six high-volume centers for gastro-esophageal cancer surgery between 2012 and 2022. Patient data were prospectively collected in each participating centers’ institutional database. Information about patient, tumor, and treatment details were collected. The study cohort included a total of 793 patients treated with LTE during the study period. The most frequently observed complications were pneumonia in 185/727 (25.5%) patients and atrial fibrillation in 91/727 (12.5%). Anastomotic leak occurred in 35/727 (4.8%) patients; no patient suffered from conduit necrosis. Thirty-day mortality occurred in 15/785 (1.9%) patients and 90-day mortality in 39/785 (5.0%) patients. Factors with statistically significant association with survival were American Society for Anesthesiologists-score, tumor location, tumor stage, and tumor free resection margins. Neoadjuvant therapy was not associated with increased survival compared to surgery alone but neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed statistically significant improved survival with hazard ratio 0.60 (95% confidence intervals:0.44–0.80, P = 0.001) in a multivariable adjusted model. This study demonstrates that LTE can be applied in selected patients with results that are comparable to other large studies of open and minimally invasive surgery for esophageal or gastro-esophageal cancer at high-volume centers.
Long-term outcomes after hospitalization for atrial fibrillation or flutter
Authors: Ngo Linh Thi Hai , Peng Yang , Denman Russell , Yang Ian , Ranasinghe Isuru 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
Atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter are common causes of hospitalizations but contemporary long-term outcomes following these episodes are uncertain. This study assessed outcomes up to 10 years after an acute AF or flutter hospitalization.

Methods
Patients hospitalized acutely with a primary diagnosis of AF or flutter from 2008–17 from all public and most private hospitals in Australia and New Zealand were included. Kaplan–Meier methods and flexible parametric survival modelling were used to estimate survival and loss in life expectancy, respectively. Competing risk model accounting for death was used when estimating incidence of non-fatal outcomes.

Results
A total of 260 492 adults (mean age 70.5 ± 14.4 years, 49.6% female) were followed up for 1 068 009 person-years (PY), during which 69 167 died (incidence rate 6.5/100 PY) with 91.2% survival at 1 year, 72.7% at 5 years, and 55.2% at 10 years. Estimated loss in life expectancy was 2.6 years, or 16.8% of expected life expectancy. Re-hospitalizations for heart failure (2.9/100 PY), stroke (1.7/100 PY), and myocardial infarction (1.1/100 PY) were common with respective cumulative incidences of 16.8%, 11.0%, and 7.1% by 10 years. Re-hospitalization for AF or flutter occurred in 21.3% by 1 year, 35.3% by 5 years, and 41.2% by 10 years (11.6/100 PY). The cumulative incidence of patients undergoing catheter ablation of AF was 6.5% at 10 years (1.2/100 PY).

Conclusions
Patients hospitalized for AF or flutter had high death rates with an average 2.6-year loss in life expectancy. Moreover, re-hospitalizations for AF or flutter and related outcomes such as heart failure and stroke were common with catheter ablation used infrequently for treatment, which warrant further actions.
Louis Pasteur, a child of the Jura, a man for the world
Authors: Raichvarg Daniel , Jagielski Tomasz 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
How did Louis Pasteur, born in a small town in the Jura—Dole, still little known to the world today, become a man of global recognition and fame? The answer to this question is guided by two pivotal considerations. First is Pasteur's relationship to the representation of reality. This relationship was seeded and steadily developed since his juvenile years through practicing different forms of artistic expression, the most famous of which were subtle pastels portraying Pasteur's parents and neighbors. This genuine attraction towards art gradually became «scientificized» at the same time, when new means of reproducing the reality were invented, such as photography. The second consideration, critical to understand the phenomenon of Pasteur's celebrity, is a strong linkage of his research with nature-based agricultural production. Here again, deeply rooted in his youth and home environment, permeated with the taste of wine and the smell of tanned leather, Pasteur's interests necessitated the processes of communication, not only at the scientific level, but also on a daily life basis, with numerous «social actors» at play (ferments, silkworms etc.). Throughout his work, Pasteur had to provide himself with the means to set up these interdisciplinarity and communication. The final result was the Pasteur Institute, or rather the Pasteur Institutes and the global Pasteur network.
Selective Orexin 2 Receptor Blockade Alleviates Cognitive Impairments and the Pathological Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease in 3xTg-AD Mice
Authors: Hu Xiao-Hong , Yu Kai-Yue , Li Xin-Xin , Zhang Jin-Nan , Jiao Juan-Juan , Wang Zhao-Jun , Cai Hong-Yan , Wang Lei , He Ye-Xin , Wu Mei-Na 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The orexin system is closely related to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Orexin-A aggravates cognitive dysfunction and increases amyloid β (Aβ) deposition in AD model mice, but studies of different dual orexin receptor (OXR) antagonists in AD have shown inconsistent results. Our previous study revealed that OX1R blockade aggravates cognitive deficits and pathological progression in 3xTg-AD mice, but the effects of OX2R and its potential mechanism in AD have not been reported. In the present study, OX2R was blocked by oral administration of the selective OX2R antagonist MK-1064, and the effects of OX2R blockade on cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms in 3xTg-AD mice were evaluated via behavioral tests. Then, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and ELISA were used to detect Aβ deposition, tau phosphorylation, and neuroinflammation, and electrophysiological and wheel-running activity recording were recorded to observe hippocampal synaptic plasticity and circadian rhythm. The results showed that OX2R blockade ameliorated cognitive dysfunction, improved LTP depression, increased the expression of PSD-95, alleviated anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and circadian rhythm disturbances in 3xTg-AD mice, and reduced Aβ pathology, tau phosphorylation, and neuroinflammation in the brains of 3xTg-AD mice. These results indicated that chronic OX2R blockade exerts neuroprotective effects in 3xTg-AD mice by reducing AD pathology at least partly through improving circadian rhythm disturbance and the sleep-wake cycle and that OX2R might be a potential target for the prevention and treatment of AD; however, the potential mechanism by which OX2R exerts neuroprotective effects on AD needs to be further investigated.
Non-contacting laser-based acousto-seismics at the laboratory scale: towards near-real-time monitoring of granular analogue models
Authors: Smits J , Vasconcelos I , Willingshofer E , Beekman F 
Published: April 2024

SUMMARY
In this work we present a novel, experimentally efficient set-up for performing non-contacting laser vibrometry on geologic materials and their analogues. We show it is possible to acoustically monitor a granular material experiment in real time compared to the typical timescale of analogue modelling experiments. We acquire non-contacting waveform data with consistently high signal-to-noise ratio. Compared to previously used standard contacting transducers, the novel joint use of sources and receivers that are both laser-based resulted in measured signals with improved waveforms and temporal bandwidths. These data acquisition improvements, in our case where surface waves are prominent in the data, enable enhanced multichannel surface wave processing, for example, in terms of reliable dispersion curve estimates. We find, given the high waveform fidelity of our acquisition system, that the observed surface waves are highly sensitive to relatively small changes in the medium’s elastic properties, making them a demonstrably reliable to monitor any processes that affect elasticity in these models in near real time. As a demonstration, we continuously monitor a scaled analogue model containing granular glass beads. By continuously monitoring—that is, performing repeatable active-source acousto-seismic surveys at short time-lapse intervals—over a period of 10 hr, we find that an increase of relative humidity of 10 per cent can lead to as much as a factor of two increase in surface wave group velocities. Finally, we discuss future applications of the developed method by considering surface wave inversion for fault and stress monitoring during the deformation of a model.
Understanding the municipal-level design and adaptation of pay-for-performance schemes across two states of Brazil
Authors: Fardousi Nasser , Dantas Gurgel Junior Garibaldi , Shimizu Helena , Silene de Brito E Silva Keila , Da Silva Everton , Dos Santos Mariana Olivia Santana , Falangola Benjamin Bezerra Adriana , Gomes Luciano , Powell-Jackson Timothy , Sampaio Juliana , Borghi Josephine 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The design of complex health systems interventions, such as pay for performance (P4P), can be critical to determining such programmes’ success. In P4P programmes, the design of financial incentives is crucial in shaping how these programmes work. However, the design of such schemes is usually homogenous across providers within a given scheme. Consequently, there is a limited understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of P4P design elements from the implementers’ perspective. This study takes advantage of the unique context of Brazil, where municipalities adapted the federal incentive design, resulting in variations in incentive design across municipalities. The study aims to understand why municipalities in Brazil chose certain P4P design features, the associated challenges and the local adaptations made to address problems in scheme design. This study was a multiple case study design relying on qualitative data from 20 municipalities from two states in Northeastern Brazil. We conducted two key informant interviews with municipal-level stakeholders and focus group discussions with primary care providers. We also reviewed municipal Primary Care Access and Quality laws in each municipality. We found substantial variation in the design choices made by municipalities regarding ‘who was incentivized’, the ‘payment size’ and ‘frequency’. Design choices affected relationships within municipalities and within teams. Challenges were chiefly associated with fairness relating to ‘who received the incentive’, ‘what is incentivized’ and the ‘incentive size’. Adaptations were made to improve fairness, mostly in response to pressure from the healthcare workers. The significant variation in design choices across municipalities and providers’ response to them highlights the importance of considering local context in the design and implementation of P4P schemes and ensuring flexibility to accommodate local preferences and emerging needs. Attention is needed to ensure that the choice of ‘who is incentivized’ and the ‘size of incentives’ are inclusive and fair and the allocation and ‘use of funds’ are transparent.
Finite element methods for multicomponent convection-diffusion
Authors: Aznaran Francis R A , Farrell Patrick E , Monroe Charles W , Van-Brunt Alexander J 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
We develop finite element methods for coupling the steady-state Onsager–Stefan–Maxwell (OSM) equations to compressible Stokes flow. These equations describe multicomponent flow at low Reynolds number, where a mixture of different chemical species within a common thermodynamic phase is transported by convection and molecular diffusion. Developing a variational formulation for discretizing these equations is challenging: the formulation must balance physical relevance of the variables and boundary data, regularity assumptions, tractability of the analysis, enforcement of thermodynamic constraints, ease of discretization and extensibility to the transient, anisothermal and nonideal settings. To resolve these competing goals, we employ two augmentations: the first enforces the definition of mass-average velocity in the OSM equations, while its dual modifies the Stokes momentum equation to enforce symmetry. Remarkably, with these augmentations we achieve a Picard linearization of symmetric saddle point type, despite the equations not possessing a Lagrangian structure. Exploiting structure mandated by linear irreversible thermodynamics, we prove the inf-sup condition for this linearization, and identify finite element function spaces that automatically inherit well-posedness. We verify our error estimates with a numerical example, and illustrate the application of the method to nonideal fluids with a simulation of the microfluidic mixing of hydrocarbons.
Port-Hamiltonian discontinuous Galerkin finite element methods
Authors: Kumar Nishant , van der Vegt J J W , Zwart H J 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
A port-Hamiltonian (pH) system formulation is a geometrical notion used to formulate conservation laws for various physical systems. The distributed parameter port-Hamiltonian formulation models infinite dimensional Hamiltonian dynamical systems that have a nonzero energy flow through the boundaries. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for discontinuous Galerkin (DG) discretizations of pH-systems. Linking DG methods with pH-systems gives rise to compatible structure preserving semidiscrete finite element discretizations along with flexibility in terms of geometry and function spaces of the variables involved. Moreover, the port-Hamiltonian formulation makes boundary ports explicit, which makes the choice of structure and power preserving numerical fluxes easier. We state the Discontinuous Finite Element Stokes–Dirac structure with a power preserving coupling between elements, which provides the mathematical framework for a large class of pH discontinuous Galerkin discretizations. We also provide an a priori error analysis for the port-Hamiltonian discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Method (pH-DGFEM). The port-Hamiltonian discontinuous Galerkin finite element method is demonstrated for the scalar wave equation showing optimal rates of convergence.
The Lane-Emden System on Cartan-Hadamard Manifolds: Asymptotics and Rigidity of Radial Solutions
Authors: Muratori Matteo , Soave Nicola 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
We investigate existence and qualitative properties of globally defined and positive radial solutions of the Lane-Emden system, posed on a Cartan-Hadamard model manifold $ {{\mathbb{M}}}^{n} $. We prove that, for critical or supercritical exponents, there exists at least a one-parameter family of such solutions. Depending on the stochastic completeness or incompleteness of $ {{\mathbb{M}}}^{n} $, we show that the existence region stays one dimensional in the former case, whereas it becomes two dimensional in the latter. Then, we study the asymptotics at infinity of solutions, which again exhibit a dichotomous behavior between the stochastically complete (where both components are forced to vanish) and incomplete cases. Finally, we prove a rigidity result for finite-energy solutions, showing that they exist if and only if is isometric to $ {\mathbb{R}}^{n} $.
Voting Rights, Agenda Control and Information Aggregation
Authors: Bouton Laurent , Llorente-Saguer Aniol , Macé Antonin , Xefteris Dimitrios 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This paper examines the comparative properties of voting rules based on the richness of their ballot spaces, assuming a given distribution of voting rights. We focus on how well voting rules aggregate the information dispersed among voters. We consider how different voting rules affect both voters’ decisions at the voting stage and the incentives of the agenda-setter, who decides whether to put the proposal to a vote. Without agenda-setter, the voting efficiency of rules is higher when their ballot space is richer. Moreover, full-information efficiency requires full divisibility of the votes. In the presence of an agenda-setter, we uncover a novel trade-off: in some cases, rules with high voting efficiency provide worse incentives to the agenda-setter to select good proposals. This negative effect can be large enough to wash out the higher voting efficiency of even the most efficient rules.
Differences in postoperative prognosis between early-stage lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Izaki Yu , Mimae Takahiro , Kagimoto Atsushi , Handa Yoshinori , Tsutani Yasuhiro , Miyata Yoshihiro , Okada Morihito , Takeshima Yukio 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Although prognosis and treatments differ between small-cell- and nonsmall-cell carcinoma, comparisons of the histological types of NSCLC are uncommon. Thus, we investigated the oncological factors associated with the prognosis of early-stage adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods
We retrospectively compared the clinicopathological backgrounds and postoperative outcomes of patients diagnosed with pathological stage I–IIA adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma primary lung cancer completely resected at our department from January 2007 to December 2017. Multivariable Cox regression analysis for overall survival and recurrence-free survival was performed.

Results
The median follow-up duration was 55.2 months. The cohort consisted of 532 adenocarcinoma and 96 squamous cell carcinoma patients. A significant difference in survival was observed between the two groups, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 90% (95% confidence interval 86–92%) for adenocarcinoma and 77% (95% CI 66–85%) for squamous cell carcinoma (P &lt; 0.01) patients. Squamous cell carcinoma patients had worse outcomes compared to adenocarcinoma patients in stage IA disease, but there were no significant differences between the two groups in stage IB or IIA disease. In multivariate analysis, invasion diameter was associated with overall survival in adenocarcinoma (hazard ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval 1.36–2.28), but there was no such association in squamous cell carcinoma (hazard ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval 0.45–1.14).

Conclusions
The importance of tumor invasion diameter in postoperative outcomes was different between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Thus, it is important to consider that nonsmall-cell carcinoma may have different prognoses depending on the histological type, even for the same stage.