bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The mutual effect of dental caries on NAFLD and liver fibrosis: Results from the NHANES and MR study
Authors: Huang Yanqiu , Wang Xiaoyu , Wang Wenhui , Yang Yang , Shi Wentao , Li Xiaoguang , Wang Hui 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background & Aims: Dental caries and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) overlap in risk factors and etiology, but the relationship remains unexplored.. Methods 6650 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2017–2020 were included. Two multivariable logistic regression models were employed to evaluate the relationship among untreated dental caries (UDC) and liver conditions of NAFLD and fibrosis, with adjustments for demographics, lifestyle and medical history. Further more, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed with caries as exposure and NAFLD with NAFLD-related conditions as outcome, and vice versa for bidirectional causality validation. Results In the observational research, UDCs were notably associated with NAFLD (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.06–1.86) and significant fibrosis (SF) (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03–1.62). NAFLD and SF showed significant associations with UDCs (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.08–1.83; OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.26–2.08). In MR analysis, dental caries had an insignificant risk towards liver conditions. In contrast, caries were insignificantly protected by liver conditions. Conclusions Observational studies suggested a significant association between UDC and liver conditions of NAFLD and fibrosis. However, MR suggested an insignificant causal relationship of caries with liver conditions; reversely, liver conditions had a protective effect on caries.
Integer multi-wavelength gradient phase metagrating for perfect refraction: Phase choice freedom in supercell
Authors: Xu Lin , Quan Jia-Qi , Fu Yangyang , Gao Lei , Chen Huanyang , Xu Yadong 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Phase gradient metagratings (PGMs) reshape the impinging wavefront though the interplay between the linear adjacent phase increment inside supercells and the grating diffraction of supercells. However, the adjacent phase increment is elaborately designed by tuning the resonance of each subcell at a certain target frequency, which inevitably confines PGMs to operate only at the single frequency in turn. We notice that there exists a freedom of phase choice with a multi- increment in a supercell of PGMs, whereas conventional designs focus on the increment. This freedom can induce a collaborative mechanism of surface impedance matching and multi-wavelength subcells, enabling the design of PGMs at multi-wavelengths. We further design and fabricate a supercell consisting of eight curved pipes to construct the two-wavelengths PGMs for acoustic waves in quasi-two-dimensional space. The linear adjacent phase gradient of at the fundamental frequency 3430Hz is achieved, while the almost perfect transmission effect is observed due to the impedance match at the ends of curved pipes. In addition, the transmission field at the double frequency 6860Hz is measured, whose refraction direction is consistent with that at 3430Hz. This design strategy originated from phase choice freedom in the supercell and the experimental fabrication in quasi-two-dimensional space might stimulate applications on other multi-wavelength metasurfaces/metagratings.
The intra-articular combined intravenous administration of antibiotics versus intravenous administration of antibiotics in patients with prosthetic joint infection: a prospective, randomized controlled trial
Authors: Zhang Tao , Kang Runxing , Yang Yaji , Zhou Haotian , Shen Yidong , Li Yujian , Qin Leilei , Huang Wei 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of combined intra-articular and intravenous administration of antibiotics with intravenous administration of antibiotics in patients with periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) undergoing one-stage revision.
Methods
A prospective study of 52 patients was performed between October 2021 and February 2023.Patients undergoing one-stage revision as the treatment for PJI were randomized into group A (intravenous administration) or group B (combined intra-articular and intravenous administration). All patients receive intravenous antibiotic therapy.Patients with gram-positive bacteria and culture-negative infections in group B received additionally intra-articular administration of 0.5g of vancomycin every morning.For the infections caused by negative bacteria and fungal organisms,a pathogen-sensitive antibiotic was selected for intra-articular administration.The primary outcome was the treatment success rates of both groups at the last final follow-up.The serum inflammatory markers and indicators of kidney and liver function were compared between the two groups on post-admission day 1 and on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21.The Harris Hip Score (HHS), Knee Society Scores (KSS), and activities of daily living (ADL) were compared between the 2 groups.
Results
With a mean follow-up of 22.19 ± 4.69 months,the success rates of group A (n = 26) and group B (n = 26) were 88.5% and 96.2%, respectively (P = 0.610).At the 21-day time point after surgery, the levels of CRP and ESR were significantly lower in group B than in group A (P < 0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in indicators of kidney and liver function between two groups. The ADL and KSS of group B were higher than those of group A (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Combined intra-articular and intravenous administration of antibiotics is an effective treatment for PJI. Compared with intravenous administration of antibiotics therapy, a combination of intra-articular and intravenous administration of antibiotics therapy is a superior means of addressing systemic inflammation and promoting functional recovery.
Self-directed learning readiness among medical, dental and nursing students: a cross-sectional study at a tertiary care medical university
Authors: Kaur Apjit , Awasthi Shally , Pandey Amita 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
– The present study analysed self-directed learning readiness among undergraduate medical, dental and nursing students across the academic years.
Methods
- The cohort consisted of the undergraduate medical, dental and nursing students of King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India. After institutional ethical clearance, the study started in October 2022 and data collection was completed in March 2023. Following voluntary consent, 746 /775 students (335 medical, 220 dental, and 220 nursing students) recorded their socio-demographic details on a semi-structured questionnaire. They filled the Modified Kumar self-directed learning readiness scale to assess the three domains of self-management, desire for learning and self-control. Data was analysed using SPSS version 26.0 (IBM Corp.).
Results
− 59.6% of the participants were females, 74% were students aged between 20–24 years, 90% were hostellers, 74% belonged to the middle socioeconomic status and 54% of students had a rural background. Statistical analysis revealed that self-management, desire for learning and self-control were not statistically different at the time of entry into the three courses. However, medical students demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in all parameters as they progressed in years of education. Nursing students maintained their parameters. Scores of female students were higher, but the effect of other demographic parameters was insignificant.
Conclusion -
The maximum decrease in scores of medical students may be attributed to academic and infrastructure issues. This sets a need for further large-scale longitudinal studies using mixed methods that address various facets of curriculum and institutional infrastructure.
Statistical modeling of deep features reduces false alarms in video change detection
Authors: Bou Xavier , Artola Aitor , Ehret Thibaud , Facciolo Gabriele , Morel Jean-Michel , Grompone Rafael 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Detecting relevant changes is a fundamental problem of video surveillance. Because of the high variability of data and the difficulty of properly annotating changes, unsupervised methods dominate the field. Arguably one of the most critical issues to make them practical is to reduce their false alarm rate. In this work, we develop a method-agnostic weakly supervised a-contrario validation process, based on high dimensional statistical modeling of deep features, to reduce the number of false alarms of any change detection algorithm. We also raise the insufficiency of the conventionally used pixel-wise evaluation, as it fails to precisely capture the performance needs of most real applications. For this reason, we complement pixel-wise metrics with object-wise metrics and evaluate the impact of our approach at both pixel and object levels, on six methods and several sequences from different datasets. Experimental results reveal that the proposed a-contrario validation is able to largely reduce the number of false alarms at both pixel and object levels.
Efficacy of irrigation in inland river basins: A comprehensive assessment
Authors: Gao Hongbei , Cai Qinyang , Shi Xiujiao , Shan Shengdao 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Understanding the availability of irrigation water at various growth stages is crucial for guiding agricultural scheduling in arid areas with limited water sources. However, challenges persist in swiftly and synchronously tracking water utilization post-irrigation. Depending on the high-frequency water vapor and CO2 fluxes recorded by the eddy-covariance system, a modified evapotranspiration partitioning method was employed to continuously monitor the availability of irrigated water in a wheat field. Concurrently, in-situ reference measurements were taken using micro-lysimeters to evaluate the effectiveness of this partitioning approach. The findings demonstrated that the refined partitioning method effectively segregated evapotranspiration into transpiration and evaporation. Transpiration, accounting for 54.8%, provided the primary contribution to evapotranspiration (454 mm) during the growth period. Evaporation (205 mm) played a significant role during the seeding and maturation stages. The evapotranspiration consumed 75.5% of the irrigated water (605 mm), and the remaining 24.5% was recharged to the groundwater during the wheat growth period. These results suggest that 58.4% (353 mm) of irrigation water was not absorbed by the crops. Changes in the plant canopy had the most substantial impact on water-use efficiency. Environmental factors like air temperature, relative humidity, vapor pressure deficit, and net radiation subtly and consistently regulated the ratio of evaporation and transpiration. However, the effects of irrigation events on water vapor fluxes were significant, albeit temporary.
Effects of oral nutritional supplement on postoperative orthognathic surgery patients’ nutritional status: a randomised clinical trial
Authors: Prachasartta Naratorn , Siriwatana Kiti , Trachoo Vorapat , Sapwarobol Suwimol , Chantrasilapin Praew 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background
Orthognathic surgery limits oral intake and increases metabolic demand, leading to decreased muscle mass. To mitigate these effects, incorporating oral nutritional supplements (ONS) into a nutritional therapy plan is recommended. However, nutrition therapy has not received much attention in orthognathic surgery. This study aimed to assess the effect of ONS on postoperative orthognathic surgery patients’ nutritional status.
Methods
A 12-week randomised controlled trial was conducted between June and December 2022 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Patients were included if they were 18 years of age or older, underwent orthognathic surgery involving at least one jaw, and had no metabolic-related diseases, milk or soy allergies, or galactosemia. Patients who underwent segmental procedures or genioplasty alone were excluded. The predictor variable was ONS. Subjects were randomly assigned by the block randomisation method into two groups: 1) subjects who received ONS, and 2) subjects who did not receive ONS. The primary outcome variable was nutritional status, which was measured using anthropometric, biomarker, and muscle strength assessments at 5 time points: a day before surgery (T0), the day of discharge (T1), 2 weeks (T2), 4 weeks (T3), and 12 weeks postoperatively (T4). Covariates were subjects’ demographics, oral health-related quality of life, and dietary record assessment. The T-test, or Mann-Whitney U test, was used to compare the mean difference of continuous data, where appropriate. The differences were considered statistically significant when the p-value was less than 0.05.
Results
A total of 36 subjects were included in the study. Subjects receiving either nutritional counselling alone or both nutritional counselling and ONS experienced postoperative weight and muscle mass loss, with no significant differences observed across all nutritional status parameters after the 12-week postoperative mark.
Conclusion
These results suggest the need for more personalised and intensive nutrition therapy plans to reduce the negative impact of muscle mass loss and the associated risk of postoperative infection in orthognathic surgery patients.
Trial registration:
This study has been registered with the Thai Clinical Trial Registration (https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/), with the registration number TCTR20220624006, registered on June 24, 2022.
An increased ratio of plasma IL-10 to TNF-α levels is a risk factor for the occurrence of septic shock in children with infectious diseases
Authors: Cao Lulu , Ren Yiqian , Zhao Li , Li Jiru , Zhu Yueniu , Zhu xiaodong 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background: Cytokine storm contributes to the pathogenesis of septic shock and is a risk factor for unfavorable prognosis in patients with infectious diseases. This retrospective case-control study aimed to investigate whether a ratio of plasma interleukin-10 (IL-10) to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels (IL-10/TNF-α) could serve as a biomarker for assessing the occurrence of septic shock in children with infectious diseases.
Methods: The demographic and clinical data were collected from 122 hospitalized children with suspected sepsis and they were classified into the infectious, sepsis and septic shock groups, based on the diagnostic criteria. Their plasma IL-10 and TNF-α levels were measured on days 1 and 5. The relationship between plasma IL-10, TNF-α, and IL-10/TNF-α and the disease severities was analyzed.
Results: The SOFA and PRISM scores on days 1 and 5 in the septic shock group (n=35) were significantly higher than that in the infectious group (n=65) and the sepsis group (n=22) (p<0.05). Furthermore, plasma IL-10 and TNF-α levels and the IL-10/TNF-α in the septic shock group on day 1 were also significantly higher than that in the infectious and sepsis groups (p<0.05). The plasma IL-10/TNF-α was positively correlated with severities of diseases and an independent risk factor for the onset of septic shock in this population (p<0.05).
Conclusions: These findings suggest that the plasma IL-10/TNF-α may be a valuable measure to predict the development of septic shock in children with infectious diseases.
Characterization Barley Genotypes Adaptability to Semi-Arid Environment
Authors: Ghazy Abdelhalim I. , Motawei Mohamed I. , Ali Mohamed A. , Ibrahim Eid I. , Sallam Mohammed , Al-Ateeq Talal K. , Al-Ashkar Ibrahim , Attia Kotb , Abdel-Haleem Hussein , Al-Doss Abdullah A. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Barley is the fourth largest grain crop globally and used for food and feed.It is necessary to evaluate those germplasm responses and stabilities under agricultural practices of respected geographical regions before. A set of 32 new barley genotypes were evaluated under desert environments to identify superior genotypes based on their agro-morphological characters and molecular markers diversity. In general, the developed Saudi barley lines were superior to the landraces and checks cultivars for several traits. The KSU-BR-G121/L-4 line had the highest grain yield and harvest index in the second season, while the inbred line KSU-BR-C/G-2 had the highest grain yield and harvest index in the first season. The line KSU-BR-40-18-4 had the highest grain protein content 15.24 and 15.12 (six row). The two-row ICARDA line (Carina/Moroc9-75) had the highest grain and flour protein, 17.63 and 13.74 respectively. The barley inbred lines revealed a considerable diversity level based on agro-phenotypic and molecular characterization indicating the possibility to improve for semi-arid conditions. The introduction of novel Saudi barley lines and more comprehensive use of genetic resources could be important tool to increase the genetic variability within Saudi barley breeding programs.
Immunotherapy induced by plant microRNA via ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles delivery enhances chemotherapy effects of Triple-negative breast cancer
Authors: ye Hanyi , Feng Yifan , Wu Ze , Zheng Tingting , Sun Shuhui , Xiong Yingxia , Cui Mengyao , Lv Shun , Han Miaomiao , Jin Bing , Liu Chang , Li Ying , Miao Lei , Dong Zhengqi 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly malignant subtype of breast cancer (BC) that commonly affects females, is occurring at an increasingly younger age, yet there is a lack of clinically effective and safe drugs. The cross-kingdom regulation of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer immunotherapy has brought new therapeutic hope for TNBC. Here, we searched for plant miRNAs, twa-miRNA152-5p (miR152), from the anticancer plant Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis (Pilger) Florin, which can safely target to regulate human CTLA-4 immune checkpoint across kingdoms. The plant miRNA as a therapeutic requires safe and effective in vivo delivery technologies to prevent its degradation and mediate intracellular delivery. Therefore, we constructed a tumor-targeted folic acid-modified ionizable lipid nanoparticles vector to efficiently encapsulate miR152 and assist in targeted delivery of miR152 to tumor sites. The efficacy, immune antitumor mechanisms and biosafety of miR152 alone or in combination with clinical chemotherapeutic agents to treat TNBC were clarified in vitro and in vivo. The study demonstrated the potential for plant miRNAs cross-kingdom regulation as checkpoint inhibitors to exert immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs for potentiating antitumor efficacy.
The effect of family centered care on unplanned emergency room visit, hospital readmissions and intensive care admissions after abdominal surgery: a root cause analysis
Authors: Kreca Sani Marijke , Albers Iris Sophie , Musters Selma , Dijkum Els Nieveen van , Tuinman Pieter Roel , Eskes Anne 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background
Optimising transitional care by practicing family-centred care might reduce unplanned events for patients who undergo major abdominal cancer surgery. However, it remains unknown whether involving family caregivers in patients’ healthcare also has negative consequences for patient safety. This study assesses the safety of family involvement in patients’ healthcare by examining the cause of unplanned events in patients who participated in a family involvement programme (FIP) after major abdominal cancer surgery. Unplanned events per patient were compared between patients who received care from their family caregiver and patients who received professional at-home care after discharge.
Methods
This is a secondary analysis of the intervention group of a prospective cohort study. Participants in the intervention group were patients who engaged in a FIP. Unplanned events were analysed, and root causes were identified using the medical version of a prevention- and recovery-information system that analyses unintended events in healthcare. Statistical differences in the number of unplanned events were compared between patients who participated in the FIP and were cared for by their family caregiver after discharge and patients who participated in the FIP but received professional at-home care after discharge. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyse data.
Results
Of the 152 FIP participants, 68 experienced an unplanned event and were included. In total, 112 unplanned events occurred with 145 root causes since some unplanned events had several root causes. Most root causes of unplanned events were patient-related factors (n = 109, 75%), such as patient characteristics, patient conditions and disease-related factors. No root causes due to inadequate healthcare from the family caregiver were identified. Unplanned events did not differ statistically (interquartile range 1-2) (p = 0.35) between patients who received care from trained family caregivers and those who received professional at-home care after discharge.
Conclusion
Active family engagement in healthcare after major abdominal cancer surgery does not lead to unexpected events such as unplanned ER visits or unplanned hospital readmissions and ICU admissions. Additionally, the risk of experiencing an unplanned event does not increase when the family caregiver provides care after hospital discharge.
Unraveling the Structure-Dependent Activity of Ru/CeO2 Catalysts for Oxidative Degradation of Plastic Chemical Bisphenol A by Catalytic Wet Oxidation
Authors: Roy Shyamal , Barman Puspendu 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
One of the important defects is the oxygen vacancy on metal oxide surfaces, and the defects function as the active sites in different catalytic reactions. Herein, Ru/CeO2-rod and Ru/CeO2-cube catalysts were prepared via the ESI method, and CeO2-rod and CeO2-cube supports were synthesized by hydrothermal processes. The activity of these catalysts was tested in a high-pressure fixed-bed reactor, and the oxidative degradation of industrial organic raffinate containing the plastic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) was compared with their oxygen vacancy concentration estimated after calcination. The Ru/CeO2-rod catalyst showed higher catalytic activity with 90% BPA conversion at 453 K, 30 bar, 0.5% Ru metal content, 15 O2 to BPA molar ratio, and 2 g-1.h-1 BPA feed WHSV. In contrast, 80% BPA degradation was achieved using the Ru/CeO2-cube catalyst under similar reaction conditions. The higher oxygen vacancy concentration and the higher interfacial surface area between metal and the support of the CeO2-rod supported Ru catalyst triggered the higher BPA degradation at low oxidation conditions. Besides, the atomic ratio, Ce3+/Ce4+, is lower in the Ru/CeO2-rod catalyst than that of the Ru/CeO2-cube catalyst, indicating the higher Ce4+ available in the catalyst, leading to the higher degradation of BPA. Moreover, the Ru/CeO2-rod catalyst possesses {111} planes that boost the generation of energetic Ru to improve the pursuit of the catalyst. The Weisz-Prater modulus and Thiele modulus values indicated that the surface reaction is the rate limitation step and there is no diffusion limitation. TEM, HRTEM, XPS, Raman, H2-TPR, XRD, CO chemisorption and BET surface area analyzers were used to characterize the catalysts.