bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association between helminth infection and allergic disorders among children in Batu, Ethiopia
Authors: Walelign Sosina , Tesfaye Mheret , Tasew Geremew , Desta Kassu , Tsegaye Aster , Taye Bineyam 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundHelminths are potent immunomodulators and in their chronic infection state they may protect against allergy‐related disease and atopy. However, they are also known for inducing allergic conditions. This study aimed to assess the association between helminths, atopy and allergic conditions.MethodsA total of 461 school children participated in this cross‐sectional study. Data on allergic symptoms and a range of confounding variables was gathered from parents via an interviewer‐led questionnaire. Skin sensitization to house dust mite and cockroaches was analyzed, and a stool sample was collected for helminth analysis. Serum total Immunoglobulin E using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and eosinophil count were also measured.ResultsOverall sensitivity to both allergens was 2.4%. Self‐reported allergic outcomes in the last 12 months for the 461 participants had been : wheezing 3.7%, asthma 2.2%, eczema 13.2% and hay fever 6.9%. Overall, the prevalence of helminth infection was 11.9% (53/444). A borderline significant association was found between atopy and any allergy symptoms (odds ratio [OR]: 3.32, 95% confidence interval [95% CI: 0.99, 11.1], p = .052). There was no significant association between helminths and atopy (OR: 0.64 [95% CI: 0.29, 1.41], p = .268) and also between helminths and allergic symptoms (OR: 0.64 [95% CI: 0.29, 1.41], p = .268). Bivariate analysis showed keeping an animal in the house increases the risk of atopy while maternal and paternal history of allergy increases the risk of developing allergic symptoms in the children.Conclusion and clinical relevanceThis study found a non‐significant inverse association between helminths infection and atopy and allergic disorders, likely due to reduced statistical power, resulting in a lower prevalence of atopy and allergic conditions. A high powered longtitudinal study is necessary to explore the casuality and potential therapeutic benefits of helminths for allergic disorders.
Computerized diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis from x‐ray images using combined texture features: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative
Authors: Messaoudene Khadidja , Harrar Khaled 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) cases has witnessed a significant increase on a global scale in recent years, emphasizing the need for automated diagnostic computer systems to aid in early‐stage osteoarthritis (OA) diagnosis. The accurate characterization of knee KOA stages through feature extraction poses significant research challenges due to the complexity of identifying relevant attributes. In this study, the development of a KOA diagnostic system is presented, leveraging a combination of Gabor, and Tamura parameters using the Canonical Correlation Analysis algorithm. Two feature selection algorithms, namely Principal Component Analysis and Relief, were employed for KOA classification. Furthermore, various classifiers, including K‐Nearest Neighbors, AdaBoost, Bagging, and Random Forest, were used to assess the proposed feature extraction approach. The diagnostic system was assessed using a dataset comprising 688 x‐ray images sourced from the OA initiative (OAI) dataset, consisting of 344 images from healthy subjects (Grade 0) and 344 images from pathological patients (Grade 2). To mitigate overfitting, a 10‐fold cross‐validation method was utilized. The experimental results indicate that the combination of Tamura and Gabor parameters with the Random Forest classifier achieved remarkable performance in KOA diagnosis, yielding an accuracy of 94.59%, and an area under the curve of 98.3%. Notably, the combined Gabor and Tamura models exhibited superior performance compared to individual models, as well as existing techniques reported in the literature.
Investigating the compatibility of an irrigation decision support system with water rights and allocation in a selected irrigation network
Authors: Dehghanisanij Hossein , Emami Somayeh , Nourjou Amir , Rezaverdinejad Vahid 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIt is necessary to use different planning models, including decision support systems (DSSs), to allocate water resources. For this purpose, in this study, an irrigation decision support system (IDSS) was developed to improve irrigation management in the farming fields of Mahabad Plain located to the south‐east of Lake Urmia. Next, the compatibility of the IDSS with the conditions of the Mahabad irrigation and drainage network, water and soil resources, meteorological data and soil moisture (SM) were investigated. The statistical indices of coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (EF) and Wilmot agreement (d) were used to evaluate the adaptability of the IDSS. The results showed that the IDSS has reasonable compatibility with soil and water resources, crop yield and meteorological data. Irrigation scheduling provided by the IDSS led to a 13.9% reduction in water consumption and a 6.7% increase in crop yield. The IDSS estimated minimum and maximum temperature and sunshine hours to a satisfactory degree and relative humidity with an acceptable degree (NRMSE = 0.72–0.77) compared to regional synoptic station data. The performance of the IDSS in simulating SM is ranked from good to well (NRMSE = 0.75–0.83). The results indicate that the IDSS has a sufficient performance in estimating meteorological and soil moisture data with R2 = 0.90, RMSE = 4.65, NRMSE = 0.78, EF = 0.76 and d = 0.80. In addition, the IDSS provides the optimal irrigation schedule by considering the ability to deliver water from the irrigation and drainage network to the third‐grade canal and agricultural fields as the upstream condition.
High pre‐Delta and early‐Omicron SARS‐CoV‐2 seroprevalence detected in dried blood samples from Kinshasa (D.R. Congo)
Authors: de Aguirre Paula Martínez , Carlos Silvia , Pina‐Sánchez Manuel , Mbikayi Samclide , Burgueño Eduardo , Tendobi Céline , Chiva Luis , Holguín África , Reina Gabriel 
Published: March 2024

AbstractStudies on the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic in sub‐Saharan Africa have yielded varying results, although authors universally agree the real burden surpasses reported cases. The primary objective of this study was to determine SARS‐CoV‐2 seroprevalence among patients attending Monkole Hospital in Kinshasa (D.R. Congo). The secondary objective was to evaluate the analytic performance of two chemiluminescence platforms: Elecsys® (Roche) and VirClia® (Vircell) on dried blood spot samples (DBS). The study population (N = 373) was recruited in two stages: a mid‐2021 blood donor cohort (15.5% women) and a mid‐2022 women cohort. Crude global seroprevalence was 61% (53.9%–67.8%) pre‐Delta in 2021 and 90.2% (84.7%–94.2%) post‐Omicron in 2022. Anti‐spike (S) antibody levels significantly increased from 53.1 (31.8–131.3) U/mL in 2021 to 436.5 (219.3–950.5) U/mL in 2022 and were significantly higher above 45 years old in the 2022 population. Both platforms showed good analytic performance on DBS samples: sensitivity was 96.8% for IgG (antiN/S) (93.9%–98.5%) and 96.0% (93.0%–98.0%) for anti‐S quantification. These results provide additional support for the notion that exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2 is more widespread than indicated by case‐based surveillance and will be able to guide the pandemic response and strategy moving forward. Likewise, this study contributes evidence to the reliability of DBS as a tool for serological testing and diagnosis in resource‐limited settings.
Functionally aligned total knee arthroplasty: A lateral flexion laxity up to 6 mm is safe!
Authors: Nixon Jeremy , Tadros Baha John , Moreno‐Suarez Ignacio , Pretty William , Collopy Dermot , Clark Gavin 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPurposeLoose flexion gaps are associated with poor functional outcomes and instability in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The effect of a trapezoidal flexion gap in a functionally aligned TKA remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a larger lateral flexion gap in a robotic‐assisted (RA), functionally aligned (FA) and cruciate‐retaining (CR) TKA on clinical outcomes.MethodsData from 527 TKA in 478 patients from 2018 to 2020 were collected. All patients underwent an RA (MAKO, Stryker), FA and CR TKA. Gap measurements were collected intraoperatively. Patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs), pain Visual analogue score (VAS) and range of motion were collected postoperatively. Patients were also asked about the ease of stair ascent and descent and kneeling on a 5‐point scale. The minimum follow‐up was 2 years. Patients were stratified into three groups based on lateral flexion laxity.ResultsAt 2 years postoperatively, the group with a looser gap (3–6 mm) had higher mean PROMs when compared with the group with a gap of 2–3 mm. There were no differences detected in any other outcomes at 2 years. A total of 70.9% of patients in the group with a 3–6 mm gap reported being able to walk down a flight of stairs 'easily', compared with 56.7% in the 2–3 mm group and 54% in the <2 mm group (p = 0.04).ConclusionThe study shows that a loose lateral flexion gap in functionally aligned CR TKA does not adversely affect outcomes in the short term.Level of EvidenceLevel III, retrospective cohort study.
Influence of cryogenic turning strategies on the surface morphology and resulting wear behavior of metastable AISI 347 austenitic stainless steel
Authors: Zhu T. , Smaga M. , Thielen S. , Hotz H. , Kirsch B. , Aurich J. C. , Sauer B. , Koch O. , Beck T. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractCryogenic turning of metastable austenitic stainless steels can improve wear resistance of the resulting surface due to the phase transformation of γ‐austenite into α’‐ and/or ϵ‐martensite in the near surface layer. By using a cryogenic two‐step turning process, the amount of deformation‐induced α’‐martensite in the subsurface regime can be further increased. To determine the influence of the implemented and optimized two‐step turning strategy on the tribological properties of countersurfaces for radial shaft seals, an evaluation of wear behavior of the shaft seal countersurface as well as microstructural analyses in subsurface regime is presented and compared to the cryogenic single step turning process. The results show that not only the integral phase transformation in the overall subsurface region, but also the local phase distribution plays an important role when it comes to the surface performance in tribological applications.
Traditional Chinese medicine for gastric cancer: An evidence mapping
Authors: Dai Zelei , Tan Chenfeng , Wang Jun , Wang Qin , Wang Ying , He Ying , Peng Yalan , Gao Mingyou , Zhang Yonggang , Liu Lei , Song Ningying , Li Nian 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAs a complementary and alternative therapy, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been playing a significant role in gastric cancer treatment. Data from individual systematic reviews have not been comprehensively summarized, and the relationship between certain interventions and outcomes are ill‐defined. This study aimed to analyze the advantages of TCM interventions for gastric cancer by the method of evidence mapping. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Scientific Journals Database, and Wanfang Database for systematic reviews of TCM treating gastric cancer up to December 31, 2023. We used Excel, Endnote 20, and Python software for the analysis of incorporated studies. We assessed the quality of included SRs by AMSTAR‐2 and performed evidence mapping including 89 SRs, 1648 RCTs and 122,902 patients, identifying 47 types of interventions and 39 types of outcomes. From a visual overview, we displayed that most SRs reported beneficial effects in improving short‐ and long‐term survival, myelosuppression, and immune function, even though the quality of evidence was generally low. The benefits of Brucea javanica Oil Emulsion Injection, ShenQiFuZheng Injection, XiaoAiPing, Astragalus‐Containing TCM and Guben Xiaoji Therapy were found the most solid in corresponding aspects. Our findings suggest that although more rigorous clinical trials and SRs are needed to identify the precise effectiveness, integrating such evidence into clinical care of gastric cancer is expected to be beneficial.
Feasibility and safety of robotic liver resection for huge (≥10 cm) hepatocellular carcinoma in a single centre: A propensity score‐matched single‐surgeon study
Authors: Wu Shurui , Boyuan Liu , Zeng Tao , Ma Ben , Lin Zhaoyi , Hu Minggen 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe applicability of robot‐assisted resection for huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of ≥10 cm remains contentious with limited available data.MethodsThis retrospective analysis involved 337 patients who underwent robotic liver resection for HCC by a single surgeon. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to compare perioperative indicators between patients with regular and huge HCC.ResultsThe regular HCC group exhibited a shorter median operative duration than the huge HCC group. The IWATE criteria revealed higher scores in the huge HCC group than in the regular HCC group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in Pringle time, drainage tube removal, duration of hospital stays, blood loss volume, blood product transfusion, margin status, conversion rate to open surgery, bile leakage, in‐hospital mortality, and reoperation rate.ConclusionRobotic liver resection is feasible for huge HCC, with effective perioperative risk management potentially improving outcomes for subsequent minimally invasive surgeries.
Conformal Conversion of Polyphosphazene@Sb2MoO6 Nanowires to N/S‐Doped/Carbon‐Coated SbPO4/MoOx for High‐performance Lithium Storage
Authors: Zhang Qingmiao , Wang Hongkang , Yao Tianhao , Lu Xuan , Li Chao , Qiu Yao , Zhang Peijuan , Wang Daquan , Chen Yu , Meng Lingjie 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAlloy‐type antimony (Sb) and conversion‐type molybdenum (Mo) anodes have attracted extensive attention in the application of lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical capacity. In this study, Sb2MoO6 nanowires are prepared via a hydrothermal method and assessed their thermal behavior upon heat treatment, observing an intriguing transformation from nanowire to Sb2O3/MoOx nanosheets. To enhance structure stability, the Sb2MoO6 nanowires are successfully coated with a polyphosphazene layer (referred to as PZS@Sb2MoO6), which not only preserved the nanowires form but also yielded N/S co‐doped carbon‐coated SbPO4/MoOx (NS‐C@SbPO4/MoOx) nanowires following annealing in an inert environment. This composite benefits from the stable PO43− anion that serve as a buffer against volume expansion and form a Li3PO4 matrix during cycling, both of which substantially bolster ion transport and cycle endurance. Doping with heteroatoms introduces numerous oxygen vacancies, augmenting the number of electrochemically active sites, and carbon integration considerably enhances the electronic conductivity of the electrode and alleviates the volume‐change‐induced electrode pulverization. Employed as anode materials in LIBs, the NS‐C@SbPO4/MoOx electrode exhibits remarkable cycling performance (449.8 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1 over 700 cycles) along with superior rate capability (394.2 mA h g−1 at 2000 mA g−1).
Multiscale Structured Trimetal Oxide Heterojunctions for Urinary Metabolic Phenotype‐Dependent Screening of Early and Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Shi Fangying , Ning Liuxin , Sun Nianrong , Yao Qunyan , Deng Chunhui 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDeveloping a standardized screening tool for the detection of early and small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through urinary metabolic analysis poses a challenging yet intriguing research endeavor. In this study, a range of intricately interlaced 2D rough nanosheets featuring well‐defined sharp edges is fabricated, with the aim of constructing diverse trimetal oxide heterojunctions exhibiting multiscale structures. By carefully engineering synergistic effects in composition and structure, including improved adsorption, diffusion, and other surface‐driven processes, the optimized heterojunctions demonstrate a substantial enhancement in signal intensity compared to monometallic or bimetallic oxides, as well as fragmented trimetallic oxides. Additionally, optimal heterojunctions enable the extraction of high‐quality urinary metabolic fingerprints using high‐throughput mass spectrometry. Leveraging machine learning, discrimination of HCC patients from high‐risk and healthy populations achieves impressive performance, with area under the curve values of 0.940 and 0.916 for receiver operating characteristic and precision‐recall curves, respectively. Six crucial metabolites are identified, enabling accurate detection of early, small‐tumor, alpha‐fetoprotein‐negative HCC (93.3%–97.3%). A comprehensive screening strategy tailored to clinical reality yields precision metrics (accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score) exceeding 95.0%. This study advances the application of cutting‐edge matrices‐based metabolic phenotyping in practical clinical diagnostics.
Boosting Oxygen Reduction Reaction Selectivity in Metal Nanoparticles with Polyoxometalates
Authors: Quirós‐Díez Eugenia Pilar , Herreros‐Lucas Carlos , Vila‐Fungueiriño José Manuel , Vizcaíno‐Anaya Lucía , Sabater‐Algarra Yolanda , Giménez‐López María del Carmen 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe lack of selectivity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in metal nanoparticles can be linked to the generation of intermediates. This constitutes a crucial constraint on the performance of specific electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries. To boost selectivity of metal nanoparticles, a novel methodology that harnesses the unique electrocatalytic properties of polyoxometalates (POM) to scavenge undesired intermediates of the ORR (such as HO2−) promoting selectivity is proposed. It involves the covalent functionalization of metal nanoparticle's surface with an electrochemically active capping layer containing a new sulfur‐functionalized vanadium‐based POM (AuNP@POM). To demonstrate this approach, preformed thiolate Au(111) nanoparticles with a relatively poor ORR selectivity are chosen. The dispersion of AuNP@POM on the surface of carbon nanofibers (CNF) enhances oxygen diffusion, and therefore the ORR activity. The resulting electrocatalyst (AuNP@POM/CNF) exhibits superior stability against impurities like methanol and a higher pH tolerance range compared to the standard commercial Pt/C. The work demonstrates for the first time, the use of a POM‐based electrochemically active capping layer to switch on the selectivity of poorly selective gold nanoparticles, offering a promising avenue for the preparation of electrocatalyst materials with improved selectivity, performance, and stability for ORR‐based devices.
Assessing Macroeconomic Effects of a Carbon Tax as a Tipping Intervention in Economies Undergoing Coal Phase-Out: The Cases of Poland and Greece
Authors: Frankowski Jan , Sokołowski Jakub , Michas Serafeim , Mazurkiewicz Joanna , Kleanthis Nikos , Antosiewicz Marek 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIntroducing carbon taxation could accelerate systemic change towards a decarbonised future. In this book chapter, we aim to test to which extent this policy can be considered a tipping intervention that can encourage fast green technological innovation and infrastructure development in coal and carbon-intensive regions (CCIRs) and how this policy affects the sectoral structure of the economy. We use a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model (ΜΕΜΟ) to assess the impacts of implementing a carbon tax on GDP and unemployment in Poland and Greece. These two countries are currently phasing out coal. Our results show that carbon tax implementation significantly affects the macroeconomic indicators and may also lead to considerable labour market effects on sectors other than mining, such as the light industry and construction in Greece and energy-intensive and advanced manufacturing industries in Poland. We also discuss funding and recycling revenue mechanisms that could enable the successful implementation of a carbon tax. We conclude that it would be more reasonable to treat carbon tax as an additional political tool that must be combined with other interventions coordinated with an overall broader full-system transformation narrative rather than a single tool that can determine or ex-ante detect any future tipping point.
The INNODIA Type 1 Diabetes Natural History Study: a European cohort of newly diagnosed children, adolescents and adults
Authors: Marcovecchio M. Loredana , Hendriks A. Emile J. , Delfin Carl , Battelino Tadej , Danne Thomas , Evans Mark L. , Johannesen Jesper , Kaur Simranjeet , Knip Mikael , Overbergh Lut , Pociot Flemming , Todd John A. , Van der Schueren Bart , Wicker Linda S. , Peakman Mark , Mathieu Chantal ,   on behalf of the INNODIA consortium
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Aims/hypothesis
Type 1 diabetes is an heterogenous condition. Characterising factors explaining differences in an individual’s clinical course and treatment response will have important clinical and research implications. Our aim was to explore type 1 diabetes heterogeneity, as assessed by clinical characteristics, autoantibodies, beta cell function and glycaemic outcomes, during the first 12 months from diagnosis, and how it relates to age at diagnosis.

Methods
Data were collected from the large INNODIA cohort of individuals (aged 1.0–45.0 years) newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, followed 3 monthly, to assess clinical characteristics, C-peptide, HbA1c and diabetes-associated antibodies, and their changes, during the first 12 months from diagnosis, across three age groups: <10 years; 10–17 years; and ≥18 years.

Results
The study population included 649 individuals (57.3% male; age 12.1±8.3 years), 96.9% of whom were positive for one or more diabetes-related antibodies. Baseline (IQR) fasting C-peptide was 242.0 (139.0–382.0) pmol/l (AUC 749.3 [466.2–1106.1] pmol/l × min), with levels increasing with age (p<0.001). Over time, C-peptide remained lower in participants aged <10 years but it declined in all age groups. In parallel, glucose levels progressively increased. Lower baseline fasting C-peptide, BMI SD score and presence of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis were associated with lower stimulated C-peptide over time. HbA1c decreased during the first 3 months (p<0.001), whereas insulin requirement increased from 3 months post diagnosis (p<0.001).

Conclusions/interpretation
In this large cohort with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, we identified age-related differences in clinical and biochemical variables. Of note, C-peptide was lower in younger children but there were no main age differences in its rate of decline.

Graphical Abstract