bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Integrated systems biology approach to identify key candidate genes, signaling pathways and therapeutic targets of oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Choubey Jyotsna , Wolkenhauer Olaf , Chatterjee Tanushree 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
This research aims to uncover gene signatures associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the sixth most prevalent cancer globally, constituting about 5% of all malignant tumors. The study focuses on biomarker screening and identifying therapeutic targets, addressing a significant global issue.

Materials and Methods:
The study involved a comprehensive analysis of publicly available gene expression datasets, namely GSE30784 and GSE74530. The researchers conducted gene ontology (GO) and pathway analyses on genes that displayed differential expression (DEGs). They utilized the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery database to accomplish this. The String database also established a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. This network was visualized through Cytoscape, and further exploration was carried out using Molecular Complex Detection and CytoHubba plugins. These steps aimed to identify crucial hub genes and functional modules. Furthermore, the study investigated transcription factor-gene regulatory networks focusing on the identified hub genes. The researchers employed the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 tool to evaluate these hub genes’ expression levels and prognostic significance.

Results:
A comparison between OSCC and normal oral mucosa revealed 1210 DEGs across two databases. The obtained DEG list was cross-referenced with the DisGeNET disease database, identifying 205 potential DEG candidates. These DEGs exhibited enrichments in various biological functions, including angiogenesis, protein binding, focal adhesion, cell surface interactions, and extracellular matrix components. Among the enriched pathways, the interleukin (IL)-17 and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathways related to viral protein interactions showed significant enrichment. Further exploration involved extracting the top five hub genes from intricate PPI networks. These selected hub genes were subsequently verified in clinical samples, paving the way for subsequent in-depth analysis.

Conclusion:
In the study context, IL-6, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2, C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 8, IL-1beta, and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 emerged as the leading hub genes linked to the IL-10 signaling pathway in OSCC. These findings offer valuable insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the advancement of OSCC. However, it is essential to underscore that further research must validate these findings conclusively. The study’s outcomes have broadened our understanding of oral cancer’s molecular intricacies by identifying differentially expressed and pivotal hub genes. This newfound knowledge has the potential to catalyze the development of novel biomarkers, thereby enhancing the efficacy of both diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Prevalence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency among children attending federal medical center, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
Authors: Ugboaja Chijioke I , Ogbonnaya Ewa , Dimgba Ubani C , Ayuba Victoria , Chijindu Ihezue U , Wassagwa John , Yusuf Kabir M 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
This study focuses on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a hereditary disease with a sex-linked recessive pattern leading to abnormally low levels of G6PD. The condition is primarily associated with drug and infection-induced hemolytic anemia, neonatal jaundice, and related consequences. The absence of locally sourced evidence-based data has contributed significantly to the elevated mortality rate observed in children affected by G6PD deficiency. As a result, the main objective of this research is to determine the prevalence of G6PD deficiency among children attending the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods:
Over 6 months, a study was conducted at the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, South Eastern Nigeria. The study involved 150 children of both sexes, aged between 1 and 10 years, whose G-6-PD status was previously unknown. With the consent of their parents, the children underwent screening for G6PD deficiency, and qualitative data were collected from the parents. G6PD deficiency was identified using standard procedures.

Results:
The study included 150 children between 1 and 10 years old. Of these, 68 (45.5%) were females, and 82 (54.7%) were males. The study findings indicated that 31 subjects (20.7%) were found to have G6PD deficiency. Notably, a higher percentage of males, 82 (54.7%), had G6PD deficiency compared with 68 (45.5%) females. Furthermore, the research revealed that a significant proportion of G6PD deficient children 16 (35.6%) were within the age range of 1–2 years.

Conclusion:
The results of this research emphasize the importance of critical stakeholders directing their efforts toward establishing an effective mechanism to improve early detection and management of G6PD deficient children.
Acute flaccid paralysis surveillance and management in rural and urban reporting sites in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Onoja Ali J , Sanni Felix O , Babarinde James D , Onoja Sheila I , Babarinde Modupe T 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
The study evaluated the significance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance within the polio eradication strategy and its integral role in the overall eradication efforts. Specifically, the research assessed the implementation of AFP surveillance and its management at reporting sites in Northern Nigeria.

Materials and Methods:
This study utilized quantitative research methods, including administering interviewer-administered questionnaires to health facility staff and caregivers of children within the community. The research was conducted between May and July 2019 and involved 592 participating health facilities enrolled in the AFP surveillance program for polio eradication. These facilities were spread across 11 states in Nigeria’s Northeast and Northwest regions. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0 (Armonk, New York).

Results:
A total of 171 AFP cases were reported 6 months prior, with the highest proportion recorded in Kano (18.7%), Bauchi, and Kaduna (13.5% each) states. Most cases were seen in rural areas (73.1%), with an average of 1–3 cases (80.8%). Of the 171 AFP cases reported in the past 6 months, >90% were investigated, >80% had a complete clinical investigation, and >70 were followed up for residual paralysis examination. Most rural health facilities (>80%) had 1–3 trained staff compared with 70.9% of facilities in urban areas. On the other hand, the proportion of facilities in urban areas with 4–6 trained staff was almost double rural area facilities (18.4% vs. 9.8%). It was a surprise that a higher proportion of pastoral facility staff was able to define AFP correctly (94%) than urban facilities with 85.1% (P < 0.05). Also, AFP surveillance and management were better in rural facilities than in urban.

Conclusion:
According to the research findings, the AFP surveillance system in the northern region demonstrated strong performance. However, urban and rural healthcare providers require regular training in AFP surveillance to maintain practical surveillance standards.
Efficacy of spinal anesthesia—ultrasound guided versus landmark-based, in patients undergoing spinal anesthesia: a prospective cross-sectional study
Authors: Kakaraddi Sanjeev , Priya Krishnamurthy , Kavaraganahalli Deepak Mukundarao 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Objective:
This research aims to assess the effectiveness and practical value of ultrasound imaging (US group) in minimizing the discomfort and potential hazards associated with spinal anesthesia compared to traditional landmark-based (LM group) approaches.

Materials and Methods:
In this prospective, randomized comparative investigation, 80 patients were enrolled to undergo spinal anesthesia using either the landmark-based or ultrasound-guided method, with an equal distribution of 40 patients in each respective group. The study recorded various parameters, including evaluation duration, count of needle insertion attempts, instances of redirection, duration of spinal anesthesia, overall procedure time (comprising assessment and administration of spinal anesthesia), and measurement of intrathecal space depth. Patient comfort was evaluated employing a visual analog scale (VAS).

Results:
Demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and body mass index, exhibited no notable differences. The overall procedure time was approximately 2–3 min for the LM group and 3–4 min for the US group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.0001). The initial successful needle insertion rate was considerably more critical in the US group (52.5%) than in the LM group (10%). The distance from the skin to the subarachnoid space was notably more remarkable in the US group, with a statistically significant distinction from the LM group (P = 0.034). The successful spinal needle placement rate was 77.5% in the US group, significantly surpassing the LM group’s rate of 25% (P < 0.05). Regarding patient comfort assessed using the VAS, the US group demonstrated significantly greater comfort levels than the LM group. In the US group, every patient reported a VAS score of <4, whereas only 27.5% achieved the same level of comfort in the LM group.

Conclusion:
Our study provides evidence supporting the utility of pre-procedural ultrasound evaluation of the subarachnoid space as an effective tool for achieving successful lumbar punctures in patients receiving spinal anesthesia. Compared to the traditional landmark technique, this approach reduces the number of attempts required while enhancing patient comfort.
Comparative analysis of clinical and sonographic estimation of fetal weight in term pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Patil Shobha , B Sarvamangala , Malipatil Vidyashree 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Objectives:
Determining fetal weight is crucial in effectively managing labor and delivery. It helps make informed decisions about the most suitable delivery method and also aids in identifying conditions such as low birth weight, macrosomia, and intrauterine growth restriction in the fetus. In settings where ultrasound may not be readily available due to limited resources, it becomes essential to assess how accurately fetal weight can be estimated clinically by comparing it to ultrasound measurements and the actual birth weight. This study aimed to assess fetal weight in full-term pregnancies using clinical and ultrasound methods and compare their accuracy while examining their correlation with birth weight.

Materials and Methods:
This cross-sectional observational and comparative study included 200 women in their full-term pregnancies. The study was conducted from November 2019 to October 2021. In this research, we calculated birth weight estimates using clinical methods (using Johnson’s and Dare’s formulas) and ultrasound (using Hadlock’s procedure). Subsequently, these estimated weights were compared to the actual birth weight data.

Results:
The findings of this study revealed that Hadlock’s ultrasound formula offered the most precise fetal weight estimates, with Dare’s clinical method following closely. Clinical and ultrasound estimations notably showed a significant positive correlation with birth weight.

Conclusion:
The ultrasound method is superior in accurately assessing birth weight compared to the clinical approach. Consequently, it is advisable to prioritize ultrasound whenever available and feasible.
Role of basic infection control practices to curtail the outbreak of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in a tertiary care hospital’s trauma intensive care unit
Authors: Mudshingkar Swati , Dedwal Ashwini , Karyakarte Rajesh 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common hospital-acquired infection in intensive care units (ICUs), with high mortality and morbidity rates. Multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter spp. generally cause VAP. Following an outbreak of VAP due to Klebsiella pneumonia in the trauma ICU (TICU), aggressive infection control practices and effective interventions were instituted to reduce the infection. We summarize the timely implementation and changes in infection control practices that helped reduce VAP incidence in an ICU.

Materials and Methods:
An intervention was done in the form of the implementation of infection control practices, training of healthcare workers (HCWs), and auditing of practices. Data were collected, and VAP rates were calculated pre- and postintervention.

Results:
Twenty-four VAP cases/1000 ventilator days due to multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae were identified in April–May 2019. After the intervention in the form of training and auditing, there was a change in the behavior of healthcare workers. The hand hygiene compliance rate improved from 33% to 74%. Overall bundle adherence rate in the study period was 62.5%, with semirecumbent position (head end elevation) achieved in 95%, administration of deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in 56%, peptic ulcer prophylaxis in more than 90% of patients, and daily oral care was achieved in 96% patients. Their VAP rate decreased to 8 cases/1000 ventilator days in June and July 2019 from 24/1000 ventilator days in April–May 2019. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:
The VAP rates in TICUs were reduced by strengthening basic infection control practices.
Ensemble method employing quantitative biomarkers and deep learning approach from structural magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Varnagar Chintan R , Shah Hitesh B 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Introduction:
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that impairs activities of daily living and sharply declines gross cognitive ability. Over 152 million individuals worldwide will live with the dreaded consequence of a longer lifespan by the year 2050, making it a pressing public health issue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides excellent soft tissue contrast and helps image the brain in vivo, non-invasively.

Aims and Objectives:
To summarize AD’s anatomical, physiological, and pathophysiological changes and derivation of quantifiable biomarkers from MRI to develop artificial intelligence (AI) based computer-aided detection (CAD) system to classify subjects among AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and cognitively normal (CN).

Materials and Methods:
This retrospective study uses clinical and standardized, pre-processed, quality-controlled, and quality-checked—structural MRI imaging (diagnosed/labeled) data of 1069 subjects, age, gender, and class matched, taken from Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging initiative. A pipeline is developed to get quantified biomarkers from the assessment of (1) cortical thickness, (2) volumetric segmentation for whole brain volumes, and (3) region of interest (ROI) areas most affected in AD. A gradient boosting method is used to predict class labels. The second approach implements a convolution neural network (CNN) model comprising 3D ROI.

Results:
Implemented CAD system using an ensemble gradient boosting approach has demonstrated good receiver operating characteristics characteristic and yielded balanced accuracy (BA) of 82.31%, 78.52%, and 72.73%, and the CNN approach has given better results 88.44%, 82.96%, and 74.34% for classification task AD versus CN, AD versus MCI, and MCI versus CN, respectively.

Conclusion:
This study has used a substantially large dataset of 1069 subjects. The deep learning-based efficient and optimal CNN model has used significantly large ROI-based 3-Dimentional volume, resulting in impressive performance improvements over comparable methods. The CNN model had given higher accuracy (6.13% for AD vs. CN, 4.44% for AD vs. MCI and 1.61% for MCI vs. CN) over gradient boosting, as the model uses significantly large ROI-based 3D brain volume and an inherent capability of it in learning most discriminative features automatically. However, quantitative biomarkers derived from brain morphometry, which accesses structural changes, yield reasonable estimates over pathophysiological alterations across the brain and augment a clinician with insightful and a holistic view, resulting in higher confidence over predicated class label by CNN and is a step closer to explainable AI. Accuracy for MCI versus CN drops as these classes share similar features and characteristics and can be improved by integrating biomarkers from other MRI modalities.
Relevance of CBNAAT in the early diagnosis of suspected tubercular swelling
Authors: Gupta Supriya , Srivastava Abhinav , Kumar Amit , Mohan Nitesh 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
Globally, tuberculosis is a prevalent disease, with an estimated 10.5 million cases. According to the World Health Organization, extrapulmonary tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, affects tissues and organs outside the lungs and constitutes 20%–25% of all tuberculosis cases. The delayed diagnosis of this form of tuberculosis is expected due to challenges in obtaining representative samples and lower bacterial loads in the samples obtained. Despite the availability of various diagnostic tests, the current lack of a proper diagnostic algorithm poses a daily challenge for clinicians in accurately identifying extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) has emerged as a promising and faster option for diagnosis. In light of these issues, a study has been initiated to evaluate the manifestations of otorhinolaryngological tuberculosis and develop a protocol that enables early diagnosis of this specific form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. The goal is to enhance the timely detection and management of otorhinolaryngological tuberculosis.

Materials and Methods:
During the study period, 39 samples were collected, and the research received ethical approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee.

Results:
Of the 39 cases examined, the sensitivity and specificity of CBNAAT were determined to be 78.3% and 100%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) was also 100%, whereas the negative predictive value was 20%.

Conclusion:
For any suspected neck swelling indicative of tuberculosis, CBNAAT should be the primary investigation. It offers ease of use, delivers faster results within a few hours, and boasts a 100% PPV.
Information and communication technology: Examining knowledge, availability, and utilization among nurses in secondary health care facilities in Ondo State, Nigeria
Authors: Oye Modupe Jokotola , Adeniran Janet Adebukola , Jonathan-Adebiyi Olayinka Senami 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background:
Globally, information and communication technology (ICT) has been recognized as a pivotal strategy for embracing the evolving healthcare landscape. Despite its substantial role in facilitating information sharing, its adoption remains notably constrained in most developing nations.

Objective:
This study investigated the knowledge, accessibility, and usage of ICT resources among nurses in secondary healthcare establishments within Ondo State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods:
The research employed a survey approach involving the participation of 200 nurses. A structured instrument was created to gather data, ensuring its validity and internal consistency. Both descriptive and inferential analysis of data was done. Hypothesis testing utilized Pearson correlation and Chi-square tests.

Results:
Most nurses, comprising 127 individuals (61.5%), demonstrated a commendable understanding of ICT within secondary healthcare establishments in Ondo State. Half of the participants (108, 54%) possessed ICT equipment in their respective units, whereas other essential ICT infrastructure was notably absent. Chi-square tests revealed an association between nurses’ age and their level of ICT knowledge (P = 0.10). This study discerned a direct connection between knowledge and utilization, denoted by a strong correlation coefficient of 0.738. Notably, gender substantially correlated with nurses’ ICT proficiency as evidenced by a significant P value of 0.459.

Conclusion:
The research indicates that rectifying the observed disparities can be achieved by ensuring an adequate supply of ICT resources and offering ongoing training sessions for practicing nurses. This approach will improve healthcare outcomes in secondary healthcare institutions in Ondo State.
Holistic Approach to Enhance Airborne Infection Control Practices in Health Care Facilities Involved in the Management of Tuberculosis in a Metropolitan City in India – An Implementation Research
Authors: Devaleenal Daniel Bella , Jeyapal Lavanya , Thiruvengadam Kannan , Giridharan Prathiksha , Velayudham Banurekha , Krishnan Rajendran , Baskaran Abinaya , Mercy Hephzibah , Dhanaraj Baskaran , Chandrasekaran Padmapriyadarsini 
Published: October 2023

Background:
Airborne infection control (AIC) is a less focused aspect of tuberculosis (TB) prevention. We describe AIC practices in primary health care centres, awareness and practices of AIC among health care providers (HCPs) and TB patients. We implemented a package of interventions to improve awareness and practices among them and assessed its impact.

Methodology:
The study used a quasi-experimental study design. A semi-structured checklist was used for health facility assessment and a self-administered questionnaire of HCPs. Pre- and postintervention assessments were made in urban primary health centers (UPHCs), HCPs, and patients. Interventions included sharing facility-specific recommendations, AIC plans and guidelines, HCP training, and patient education. Statistical difference between the two time periods was assessed using the Chi-square test.

Results:
A total of 23 and 25 UPHCs were included for pre- and postintervention assessments. All 25 centers participated in interventions. Open areas were >20% of ground area in all facilities. No AIC committee was present in any of the facilities at both pre- and postintervention. Of all HCPs, 7% (23/337) versus 65% (202/310) had undergone AIC training. Good awareness improved from 24% (81/337) to 71% (220/310) after intervention (P < 0.001). Appropriate cough hygiene was known to 20% (51/262) versus 58% (152/263) patients at two assessments (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:
Comprehensive intervention, including supportive supervision of health centers, training of HCPs, and patient education, can improve AIC practices.