bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The SmartRX trial: Acute effectS of manipulating stRength eXercise volume on insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese adults: a protocol for a randomized controlled, crossover, clinical trial
Authors: Silva Luis Filipe Rocha , Garcia Bruna Caroline Chaves , Esteves Elizabethe Adriana , Mang Zach A , Amorim Fabiano Trigueiro , Dias-Peixoto Marco Fabrício , Gripp Fernando , Tricoli Valmor , Magalhaes Flávio de Castro 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a disease in which insulin action on sensitive tissues is impaired, and even an acute bout of strength exercise can cause positive changes on insulin sensitivity. Current guidelines for strength exercise prescription suggest that 8 to 30 sets should be performed, although it is not known how such variations in volume impact insulin action. Additionally, this means an almost 4-fold difference in time commitment, which might directly impact an individual’s motivation and perceived capacity to exercise. This study will assess the effects of different strength exercise volumes on insulin sensitivity.
Methods: Fourteen overweight/obese individuals of both sexes who are over 35 years old will undergo 3 experimental sessions in a random order, with a minimum washout period of 4 days between them, after being thoroughly familiarized with the procedures: Session 1: high-volume (7 exercises, 3 sets per exercise, 21 total sets)]; Session 2: low-volume (7 exercises, 1 set per exercise, 7 total sets); Session 3: control session, where no exercise will be performed. Psychological assessment (affect, enjoyment, and self-efficacy) will be performed after the sessions. All sessions will be held at night, and the next morning, an oral glucose tolerance test will be performed in a local laboratory, from which indexes of insulin sensitivity will be derived.
Discussion: We believe this study will aid in strength exercise prescription for those individuals who claim not to have time to exercise and to those who perceive high-volume strength exercise intimidating to adhere to.
Trial registration: Clinical trial registry number: ReBEC #RBR-3vj5dc5 (https://ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-3vj5dc5) World Health Organization Universal Trial Number (UTN): U1111-1287-9212 Open Science Framework (OSF): https://osf.io/4gu87/
The collaborative working group method for pre-trial knowledge mobilisation: a qualitative evaluation of a structured process for iteratively refining a complex intervention (DAFNEplus)
Authors: Breckenridge Jenna , Gossage-Worrall Rebecca , Chadwick Paul , de Zoysa Nicole , Elliott Jackie , Gianfrancesco Carla , Hamilton Kathryn , Heller Simon , Lawton Julia , Rankin David , Stanton-Fay Stephanie , Coates Elizabeth 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background:
There is a lack of practical guidance about how to effectively mobilise knowledge at the pre-trial stage. Despite increased guidance on developing complex interventions in recent years, much of this focuses on the theory and principles behind high quality intervention development, rather than the practical aspects of how this should be achieved. This paper shares the findings from an embedded, qualitative evaluation of the Collaborative Working Group (CWG) process, a structured approach we developed to iteratively refine a complex intervention prior to a randomised controlled trial.
Methods:
The CWG was designed and delivered to support iterative refinements to a complex intervention pre-trial as part of the DAFNEplus research programme, a large intervention development study to refine and pilot a self-management education programme for people with type 1 diabetes. The CWG comprised monthly teleconferences and four strategically timed face-to-face meetings throughout the pre-trial period to support knowledge sharing between the practitioners delivering the pilot intervention and the researchers evaluating it. We conducted an embedded qualitative study to elicit CWG members’ experiences and to hear their views of the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of the approach. Data were generated through two focus groups with CWG members, four individual interviews with CWG facilitators and documentary analysis of meeting materials.
Results:
This qualitative evaluation shows that participants generally found the CWG to be an acceptable, feasible and useful approach to supporting complex intervention refinement pre-trial. The qualitative findings highlight five critical elements that shape the success and acceptability of the CWG approach: funnelling knowledge over time, negotiating trust, balancing practicalities, making epistemic compromises, and managing power and hierarchy in decision making. The findings highlight the need to build in adequate time and resources to support trust-building and knowledge sharing throughout each stage in the research process, in addition to the benefits of creating boundary spanning roles.
Conclusions:
This paper showcases a practical approach to operationalising collaborative intervention refinement and development pre-trial, with tangible lessons and recommendations for future research teams. The paper adds new insights and practical guidance to the intervention development and knowledge mobilisation fields
Novel and Rapid Molecular Diagnosis Methods in Comprehensive Genetic Analysis of 21-hydroxylase Deficiency
Authors: xia yanjie , Yu Feng , Jiang Lili , Shi Panlai , Jiang Zhengwen , Kong Xiangdong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Molecular analysis of CYP21A2 gene is of great importance to understanding the etiology of 21-hydroxylase deficiency. The aim of the study was to introduce a novel approach named CNVplex, together with SNaPshot assay and direct sequencing to identify CYP21A2 mutations efficiently and comprehensively. Targeted CYP21A2 mutation analysis was performed in 113 patients and 226 parents. Large rearrangements of CYP21A2 were characterized by CNVplex, twenty prevalent mutations including nine common microconversions and eleven high-frequency mutations reported in the literature were detected by SNaPshot, and rare mutations were investigated by direct sequencing.
Results
Of the 113 21-OHD patients, 95.6% of affected alleles could be detected accurately by SNaPshot and CNVplex. Prevalent mutations were detected in 69.5% alleles, with 62.4% were pseudogene-derived microconversions, 1.8% were non pseudogene-derived mutations, and the rest 5.3% were complex variations resulting from multiple recombination between CYP21A2 and CYP21A1P. Large rearrangements were identified in 27.0% alleles, including five types (CH-1, CH-3, CH-4, CH-5 and CH-8) of chimeric CYP21A1P/CYP21A2 genes. Two novel CYP21A2 haplotypes and four de novo CYP21A2 mutations were characterized. Rare haplotype with a c.955C > T mutation on the duplicated CYP21A2 gene was found in 0.9% of proband and 33.3% of parents. In addition, four parents were also diagnosed for 21-OHD patients.
Conclusion
CNVplex and SNaPshot appears to be a highly efficient and reliable technique to use in a molecular diagnosis laboratory and together with direct sequencing based on locus-specific PCR might be a definitive way to detect almost all, common as well as rare, 21-OHD alleles.
Application of Geochemical Modelling and Multiple Regression Analysis to Reassess Groundwater Evolution in Kaduna Basin, NW Nigeria
Authors: Wali Saadu Umar , Alias Noraliani , Harun Sobri Bin , Mohammed Ibrahim Umar , Garba Muhammed Lawal , Atiku Mudassir 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

This review reassesses groundwater's hydrochemical evolution in the Kaduna Basin using geochemical modelling (GM) and multiple regression analysis (MRA). Hydrochemical data were obtained from the literature using a systematic approach and were subjected to GM and MRA. The geochemical modelling results showed that aquifers are saturated with Anhydrite, Chlorite, Chrysotile, Dolomite, Gypsum, Halite, K-Mica, Pyrite, Quartz, Dolomite, and Goethite. The Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O system indicated that the studied locations fell in Na-montmorillonite and Kalinite fields. However, the K2OAl2O3-SiO2-H2O system showed that groundwater is stable with Montmorillonite, Kaolinite, and K-Feldspar. MRA and Na+/Cl- molar ratio revealed that rock weathering significantly controls groundwater. The Na+/Cl- values are above 1 in 83.33%, 54.84%, and 26.27% sampling locations in the Kudenda-Nassarawa area, Kaduna South, and Kakuri and its Environs, respectively. The overall p-value was less than 0.01 and R-Sq = 63%, suggesting that all elements significantly influence aquifers' hydrochemistry. Results of geochemical modelling, Na+/Cl- molar ratio, and MRA are concurrent as they both show silicate weathering as the factor controlling groundwater hydrochemistry. Thus, geochemical and multiple regression analysis offers a reliable and user-friendly tool for assessing aquifers' hydrochemistry. We hope this review's findings will stimulate other researchers to an analogous procedure in a forthcoming study on hydrochemical analysis, especially those from semi-arid environments.
Direction-dependent conductivity in planar Hall set-ups with tilted Weyl/multi-Weyl semimetals
Authors: Mandal Ipsita , Ghosh Rahul 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
We compute the magnetoelectric conductivity tensors in planar Hall set-ups, which are built with tilted Weyl semimetals (WSMs) and multi-Weyl semimetals (mWSMs), considering all possible relative orientations of the electromagnetic fields (E and B) and the direction of the tilt. The non-Drude part of the response arises from a nonzero Berry curvature in the vicinity of the WSM/mWSM node under consideration. Only in the presence of a nonzero tilt do we find linear-in-|B| terms in set-ups where the tilt-axis is not perpendicular to the plane spanned by E and B. The advantage of the emergence of the linear-in-|B| terms is that, unlike the various |B|2-dependent terms that can contribute to experimental observations, they have purely a topological origin and they dominate the overall response-characteristics in the realistic parameter regimes. The important signatures of these terms are that they (1) change the periodicity of the response from π to 2π, when we consider their dependence on the angle θ between E and B; and (2) lead to an overall change in sign of the conductivity depending on θ, when measured with respect to the B = 0 case.
Cancer Cell Line Inhibition by Osmotic Pump-administered Xylitol in a Syngeneic Mouse Model
Authors: Cannon Mark , Dempsey Elizabeth , Cosantino Ashlee , Chandel Navdeep , Ghoreishi-Haack Nayereh 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of continuous administration of xylitol (a commonly used dental prebiotic) via a subcutaneous osmotic minipump in a B16F10 syngeneic mouse model.
Methods: The B16F10 syngeneic model consisted of 6–8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice subcutaneously injected with five × 105 B16F10 cells suspended in 100 μl PBS in the right flank. The mice were randomly assigned to two groups: Group 1 was the treatment group with 10% xylitol-loaded pumps (n=10), while Group 2 was the control group with saline-loaded pumps (n=10). Alzet minipumps were implanted subcutaneously in the left flank of B16F10-injected mice once more than 50% of all mice developed palpable tumors. After pump implantation surgery, the mice were monitored daily and weighed 2–3x/week. Tumor sizes were measured with calipers 2–3x/week, and all mice were euthanized when their tumors became too large (20 mm on any axis or 2,000 mm3). The excised tumors were weighed and cut in half, with one half sent for histology and the other for metabolomic analysis.
Results: The xylitol-treated group survived substantially longer than the control group. The tumor size was reduced by approximately 35% by volume. Histological sections of xylitol treat mice suggested reduced infiltration and angiogenesis, which is consistent with previous studies. The metabolomic analysis demonstrates that xylitol reduces the tumor production of histamine, NADP+, ATP, and glutathione from the tumor, thereby improving the host immune response with ROS reactive oxygen species.
Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that xylitol has potential as an adjunct to oncological treatment and is being further investigated in comparison to monoclonal antibody therapy (Opdualag).
Improving the predictive assessment of water biological quality using macrophytes: Empirical testing and method selection
Authors: Gebler Daniel , Segurado Pedro , Ferreira Maria Teresa , Aguiar Francisca C. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Bioassessment in southern European rivers has been hampered by difficulties in reference data availability and the unknown effect of the interacting multiple stressors on plant communities. Predictive modelling may help to overcome this limitation. This study aims to develop and evaluate macrophyte-based predictive models of the biological status of rivers using various modelling techniques. We compared models based on multiple linear regression (MLR), boosted regression trees (BRT) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Secondarily, we investigated the relationship between two macrophyte indices grounded in distinct conceptual premises (the Riparian Vegetation Index – RVI, and the Macrophyte Biological Index for Rivers – IBMR) and a set of environmental variables, including climatic conditions, geographical characteristics, land use, water chemistry and habitat quality of rivers. We assembled a dataset of 292 Mediterranean sampling locations on perennial rivers and streams (mainland Portugal) with macrophyte and environmental data. The quality of models for the IBMR was higher than for the RVI for all cases, which indicates a better ecological linkage of IBMR with the stressor and abiotic variables. The IBMR using ANN outperformed the BRT models, for which the r-Pearson correlation coefficients were 0.877 and 0.801, and the normalised root mean square errors were 10.0 and 11.3, respectively. Variable importance analysis revealed that longitude and geology, hydrological/climatic conditions, water body size, and land use had the highest impact on the IBMR model predictions. Despite the differences in the quality of the models, all showed similar importance to individual input variables, although in a different order. Despite some difficulties in model training for ANNs, our findings suggest that BRT and ANNs can be used to assess ecological quality, and for decision-making on the environmental management of rivers.
Rewilding shows differential fitness of Physella acuta snail populations with different invasive potential
Authors: McQuirk Kevin Arthur , DeCore Juliana , Castillo Maria , Adema Coen 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The freshwater snail Physella acuta is globally invasive. Within this species, however, cox1 haplotype markers distinguished a globally invasive population (A) from a non-invasive population (B) restricted to North America, the native range of P. acuta. This study investigated whether invasiveness is associated with differential population fitness. Field-collected P. acuta were genetically characterized to establish laboratory populations representing mito-haplotypes A and B. While the nuclear rDNA cassette (7,023 nt) differed only by 0.03% between populations A and B, the mitogenome haplotypes differed in size (14,383 vs 14,333 bp) and sequence content (~ 9%). Under controlled laboratory conditions, growth rate, age at maturity, size at maturity, and reproductive output did not show fitness differences between populations A and B (3 trials). Population fitness was also studied using a rewilding approach. Survival and fecundity of A and B snails were evaluated during one- or two-week intervals among cohorts of 20 laboratory-bred P. acuta adult snails in flow-through cages in the laboratory or exposed to natural field conditions. Only modest differences in fitness parameters were indicated under laboratory conditions, providing no clear association of population fitness with global distribution patterns. Under field conditions, however, population level fecundity differed with population A having a 3-fold greater fitness than population B in 5 of 7 trials (survival in 3 trials; realized fecundity in 2 trials). Whereas laboratory-based studies indicated only minor differences, the rewilding approach showed significant differential fitness between P. acuta populations A and B that differ in invasiveness.
Galvanic Hydrogenation Reaction in Metal Oxide
Authors: Eom KwangSup , Kwon JunHwa , So Soonsung , Cho Ki-Yeop , Lee Seungmin , Sim Kiyeon , Kim Subin , Jo Seunghyun , Kang Byeol , Lee Youn-Ki , Park Hee-Young , Lee Jung Tae , Lee Joo-Hyoung , Fuller Thomas F 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Rational reforming of metal oxide has a potential importance to modulate their inherent properties toward appealing characteristics for various applications. Here, we present a detailed fundamental study of the proton migration phenomena between mediums and propose the methodology for an exquisitely controllable metal oxide hydrogenation through galvanic reactions with metallic cation under ambient atmosphere. As a proof of concept for hydrogenation, we study the role of proton adoption on the structural properties of molybdenum trioxide, as a representative, and its impact on redox characteristics in Li-ion battery (LiB) systems using electrochemical experiments and first-principles calculation. The proton adoption contributes to a lattice rearrangement facilitating the faster Li-ion diffusion along the selected layered and mediates the diffusion pathway that promote the enhancements of high rate performance and cyclic stability. Our work provides great physicochemical insights of hydrogenations and underscores the viable approach for improving the redox characteristics of layered oxide materials.
Impact of Ramadan Fasting on Nutrition, Inflammation and Dialysis Adequacy among Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Elnoty Eman T. , Elwasif Salwa Mahmoud , Nassar Mohammed K. , Mortada Wael I. , Nabieh Kareem A. , Sobh Mohammed A. , Refaie Aymen F. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Background
Fasting the holy month of Ramadan is one of the obligatory rituals in Islam. Although sick people are exempted, some insist on fasting. Several studies concerning safety and its impact on patients with different diseases have been reported. In this context, the hemodialysis population represents a special entity. The present study aimed to assess the impact of fasting on nutritional status, inflammatory status, and the adequacy of hemodialysis.
Methods
In this prospective cohort study, 65 hemodialysis patients were recruited from the hemodialysis unit in the Urology and Nephrology Center at Mansoura University, Egypt. The participants were divided into three groups based on different intentions to fast during Ramadan. Group 1 included 21 patients who fasted daily (DFG). Group 2 included 25 patients who fasted non-hemodialysis hemodialysis days; we referred to this group as the partial fasting group (PFG). Group 3 included 19 patients who did not fast; these patients composed the nonfasting group (NFG).
Nutritional status was assessed using a subjective global assessment (SGA) and triceps skin fold thickness. The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), human B-cell lymphoma/leukemia2 (BCL2), and advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) were used as inflammatory markers. Hemodialysis adequacy was evaluated by KT/V and the urea reduction ratio (URR). All patient assessments were carried out before, immediately after, and 3 months after Ramadan.
Results
There was a significant reduction in nutritional status in all studied groups (all P <0.05), despite a significant reduction in serum cholesterol and fasting blood sugar levels.
The urea reduction ratio (URR) and intradialytic weight gain (IDWG) were the same before and after fasting Ramadan.
Kt/V and human soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE)
In the RPFG, fasting led to significant reductions (all P < .02) only in the serum albumin concentration and triceps skin fold thickness.
There were no significant changes in BMI, URR, cholesterol, FBS, KT/V, IDWG, SGA score, NLR, and BCL2 or sRAGE.
In the RNFG, there was a significant reduction (all P<0.02) in triceps skin fold thickness, and a significant change in the SGA score, and in the sRAGE. and BCL2 levels.
Conclusion
There was no harmful effect for Muslim patients receiving regular HD who wanted to fast with Ramadan on days other than HD session days. In the present study, this particular group benefited from both fasting and insignificant changes in almost all nutritional assessment points, inflammatory markers, and the adequacy of HD.
Therefore, our findings suggest that partial Ramadan fasting is tolerable by hemodialysis. patients and is not associated with important clinical complications. They should be closely monitored and instructed to adhere to their dietary and fluid intake allowances.
Dorsal Ulnar Cutaneous Nerve Conduction Study Based on Nerve Ultrasound
Authors: Park Eunjin , Chang So-youn , Park Hye Jung , Won Sun Jae 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of the anatomical separation point of the dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve (DUCN) on nerve conduction studies (NCS). Involving 26 subjects with DUCN NCS findings, it utilizes ultrasound to mark the DUCN's divergence from the ulnar nerve. NCS was performed at four points relative to the separation point. The findings indicate the maximal amplitudes occurred 2cm distal to the separation point, with significant amplitude reduction observed at 4cm. The study suggests optimal NCS results when stimulation occurs between the separation point and 2cm distal to it.