bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating dynamic brain functional redundancy as a mechanism of cognitive reserve
Authors: Schwarz Julia , Zistler Franziska , Usheva Adriana , Fix Anika , Zinn Sebastian , Zimmermann Juliana , Knolle Franziska , Schneider Gerhard , Nuttall Rachel 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionIndividuals with higher cognitive reserve (CR) are thought to be more resilient to the effects of age-related brain changes on cognitive performance. A potential mechanism of CR is redundancy in brain network functional connectivity (BFR), which refers to the amount of time the brain spends in a redundant state, indicating the presence of multiple independent pathways between brain regions. These can serve as back-up information processing routes, providing resiliency in the presence of stress or disease. In this study we aimed to investigate whether BFR modulates the association between age-related brain changes and cognitive performance across a broad range of cognitive domains.MethodsAn open-access neuroimaging and behavioral dataset (n = 301 healthy participants, 18–89 years) was analyzed. Cortical gray matter (GM) volume, cortical thickness and brain age, extracted from structural T1 images, served as our measures of life-course related brain changes (BC). Cognitive scores were extracted from principal component analysis performed on 13 cognitive tests across multiple cognitive domains. Multivariate linear regression tested the modulating effect of BFR on the relationship between age-related brain changes and cognitive performance.ResultsPCA revealed three cognitive test components related to episodic, semantic and executive functioning. Increased BFR predicted reduced performance in episodic functioning when considering cortical thickness and GM volume as measures of BC. BFR significantly modulated the relationship between cortical thickness and episodic functioning. We found neither a predictive nor modulating effect of BFR on semantic or executive performance, nor a significant effect when defining BC via brain age.DiscussionOur results suggest that BFR could serve as a metric of CR when considering certain cognitive domains, specifically episodic functioning, and defined dimensions of BC. These findings potentially indicate the presence of multiple underlying mechanisms of CR.
Secondary bilateral synchronization of interictal EEG discharges in focal epilepsy: prevalence and associated factors
Authors: Specktor Polina , Spierer Ronen , Katson Mark , Herskovitz Moshe 
Published: February 2025

BackgroundEpilepsy is commonly categorized based on etiology, treatment, and prognosis. Misclassification can occur due to the presence of interictal secondary bilateral synchronization (SBS) discharges seen on an electroencephalogram (EEG), misleading the classification process.ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of interictal SBS discharges in patients with focal epilepsy and to identify predictors of these discharges.DesignRetrospective analysis of patients who underwent long-term video EEG monitoring (LTVEM) from August 2001 to May 2014.MethodsWe included patients with focal epilepsy. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether or not they had SBS discharges.ResultsWe found 1,017 patients who underwent LTVEM. Of the 221 patients included in the final analysis, 36 (16%) exhibited SBS discharges. Patients in the SBS group were younger and had an earlier onset age of epilepsy. They also had higher rates of unclear seizure onset zone and focal to bilateral tonic–clonic seizures. In the binary logistic regression analysis, young onset age of epilepsy was the only significant factor.ConclusionThe prevalence of SBS discharges in focal epilepsy is relatively high (16%), emphasizing the importance of cautious interpretation of interictal EEG in epilepsy classification. Young age of disease onset is associated with higher rates of SBS.
Evaluating the efficacy of vestibular rehabilitation therapy on quality of life in persistent postural-perceptual dizziness: the role of anxiety and depression in treatment outcomes
Authors: Alahmari Khalid A. , Alshehri Sarah 
Published: February 2025

BackgroundPersistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) is a chronic disorder that significantly affects the quality of life (QoL) and daily living. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy (VRT) has emerged as a promising treatment option, yet its effectiveness, particularly in relation to symptom duration, anxiety, and depression, remains underexplored.MethodsThis cross-sectional study assessed the effect of VRT on the QoL in 188 PPPD patients, as well as the correlation between the duration of symptoms and dizziness severity and the role of anxiety and depression in the treatment response. QoL was assessed using the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D), and dizziness-related handicap using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).ResultsNinety three patients were included in the analysis. QoL was significantly improved post-VRT with a greater mean EQ-5D score (EQ-5D post-VRT 0.72; EQ-5D pre-VRT 0.61, p = 0.032). Age was also found to correlate with increased dizziness severity (p &lt; 0.001), although this was not as strong as the correlation of symptom duration (longer duration correlating with increased dizziness severity; p &lt; 0.01), anxiety (r = −0.45, p = 0.002) and depression (r = −0.51, p &lt; 0.001) (both significantly associated with poorer outcomes especially with reference to VRT) emerging as independent correlates of reduced effectiveness of treatment.ConclusionsThis study revealed the benefit of VRT in patients with PPPD on QoL and indicates the importance of identifying and treating psychological factors to improve the success of treatment for PPPD.
Case report: Primary intraosseous meningioma: a radiological study of two cases confirmed pathologically
Authors: Wang Yue , Hu Jibo 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionPrimary intraosseous meningioma (PIM) is a rare lesion often misidentified preoperatively due to its ambiguous benign or malignant characteristics. In this report, we introduce two novel cases of PIM and explore the potential correlation between pathological classification and imaging features. Our aim is to enhance our understanding of PIM and improve its preoperative diagnosis.Case presentationThe first case is a 68-year-old female patient presenting with a brain mass located in the temporal region. Computed tomography (CT) imaging demonstrated the destruction of adjacent bone structures. A right frontal temporal craniectomy was subsequently performed and histological examination pathologically confirmed the lesion was the chordoid variant of PIM. The second case is a 56-year-old male patient who exhibited an irregular soft-tissue mass in the right sphenoid as visualized on brain CT. The patient underwent a surgical intervention for a skull base neoplasm. Postoperative pathological analysis confirmed the presence of the meningothelial variant of PIM. Upon pathological examination, the two cases were respectively classified as atypical meningioma (Grade II) and benign meningioma (Grade I).ConclusionsWhile pathological examination remains indispensable for the definitive confirmation of PIM, the early identification of PIM is critically dependent on radiological imaging methods. The imaging characteristics of PIM exhibit variability across different pathological grades, a factor that can significantly aid in both the diagnostic process and the formulation of appropriate treatment strategies.
Proteomic profiling of serum in cats with naturally occurring degenerative joint disease and co-morbid conditions
Authors: Lascelles B. Duncan X. , Ponnala Rakesh , Kamerling Steven G. , Williams Tracey 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionDegenerative joint disease (DJD) occurs very commonly in cats and can be associated with pain. Almost 70% of cats with DJD-associated pain suffer the co-morbidity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). There are currently very limited treatment or management options. A greater understanding of the systems biology of DJD, DJD-associated pain, and CKD may contribute to identifying disease specific biomarkers and relevant targets for the development of therapeutics for the control of these conditions in cats, and help inform human pain therapeutic development.MethodsUsing mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling of the serum of 200 highly phenotyped cats with varying burdens of DJD, pain, and CKD, we identified significant individual proteins and pathways.ResultsFunctional pathway analysis, based on differentially abundant proteins across individual disease states (DJD, pain, CKD), identified pathways playing a role in DJD and DJD-associated pain including acute phase response signaling, LXR/RXR and FXR/RXR activation and the complement system. With the added co-morbidity of CKD, similar pathways were identified, with the addition of IL-12 signaling and production in macrophages.DiscussionWe identified differentially abundant proteins associated with DJD, pain and CKD and future work should evaluate these proteins as potential biomarkers of disease (individually or as clusters). Further, these data could be leveraged to identify novel therapeutic targets to address the gap in our ability to manage DJD, pain, and CKD in cats. Given that our work was in cats with naturally occurring DJD, these results may have translational applicability to human health.
Malaria prevalence and patients’ knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices toward the disease in the Jawi District, Awi Zone, Northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Damen Mekete , Bekele Damtew , Gashaw Fikru 
Published: February 2025

BackgroundMalaria is the most important parasitic illness causing morbidity and mortality with high prevalence in tropical regions.ObjectiveThis study was aimed at evaluating the 7-year malaria trend and community awareness at Jawi Health Center and primary Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA retrospective and cross-sectional or prospective design were used for the study. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. The findings were considered significant at P &lt; 0.05.ResultsAmong 62,624 blood films between 2015 and 2021 at Jawi Health Center, 40.9% were positive. Plasmodium falciparum accounted for 85.8%. Women had more mixed infections (P. falciparum and P. vivax) (X2 = 8.9, df = 2, P = 0.011) than men. A greater proportion (20.6%) of malaria cases was observed within the under 5 years age group and the number of malaria cases was higher in September, October, and June. The overall prevalence of malaria was found to be 25.2% and June had the highest proportion (75.6%). In total, 335 (80.9%) respondents recognized mosquito bites as the cause and fever (50%) as a clinical symptom of malaria. More than half of the respondents (60.1%) never sleep under mosquito nets.ConclusionThus, these findings have substantial implications for the trend of malaria prevalence and patient awareness of the disease which support the existing malaria control efforts.
Global visualization of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treatment: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Zheng Xiaodong , Han Wenjin , Gao Shan , Jia MengLong , Liu LiJun , Yu Longtan 
Published: February 2025

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to present a comprehensive overview of current advancements, prominent areas of interest, emerging trends, and frontiers in global research concerning the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The aim is to offer valuable insights and guidance for future research endeavors in this field.MethodsWe conducted a literature search on the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using the Web of Science Core Collection database spanning from 2009 to 2024. Visualization of countries, institutions, authors, and keywords was performed using CiteSpace.Results1,002 English articles were included in this study. Between 2009 and 2020, publications remained relatively low and stable. However, in 2021, interest in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis began to surge, a noticeable increase in publications, with a peak reached in 2022. The United States emerged as the leading contributor among countries, institutions, and authors. Nanjing University and Peter O. Newton were the most prolific institutions and authors, respectively. The academic journal with the highest number of published articles was Spine. Notably, areas such as Cobb angle measurement, the efficacy of non-surgical treatments for AIS, and factors influencing the success of brace treatment garnered significant attention as hot topics in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis treatment.ConclusionThe prognosis remains consistent across patients with varying degrees of curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Given the limited understanding of its etiology, the relationship between curvature and prognosis, as well as the exploration of its underlying causes, could emerge as new research directions in the future.
Exploring the anti-metastatic potential of sunitinib and novel analogs in colorectal cancer: insights into HIF-1α mediated metastasis
Authors: Rassouli Fatemeh B. , Matin Maryam M. , Hadizadeh Farzin , Nejabat Masoud , Allahverdizadeh Hossein , Jamali Hamidreza , Gharedaghi Shahin , Hassanzadeh Halimeh 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionColorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy worldwide with high mortality rate. Metastasis, the primary cause of cancer-related deaths, is attributed to various factors including tumor hypoxia. Due to the urgent demand for potent anti-metastatic agents, we aimed to determine the effects of sunitinib and novel analogs on the metastatic behavior of human CRC cells in hypoxic condition for the first time.MethodsFor in silico analyses, pathogenic targets of metastatic CRC were identified, PPI network was constructed and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was conducted. The expression of HIF1A was evaluated in seven CRC cell lines, and computational modeling was carried out to define the interaction of sunitinib with HIF-1α. For in vitro studies, analogs of sunitinib were synthesized, and cells were assessed for viability, migration, invasion, MMPs activity and gene expression in hypoxic condition.Results and DiscussionComputational analyses highlighted the importance of HIF-1α as a crucial mediator of metastasis in CRC. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations demonstrated favorable and stable interaction of sunitinib and three novel analogs with HIF-1α PAS-B domain. Volcano plots indicated upregulation of HIF1A in LoVo cells compared to six other CRC cell lines. Findings of in vitro studies revealed considerable inhibitory effects of sunitinib and analogs on LoVo cell migration and invasion in hypoxic condition. Gelatin zymography and qPCR analysis indicated decreased activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, along with downregulation of EMT transcription factors in hypoxic condition. Current study reports promising anti-metastatic effects of sunitinib and novel analogs on CRC cells, providing foundation for further investigation to combat cancer metastasis.
A semantic strength and neural correlates in developmental dyslexia
Authors: Lukic Sladjana , Jiang Fei , Mandelli Maria Luisa , Qi Ting , Inkelis Sarah M. , Rosenthal Emily , Miller Zachary , Wellman Emma , Bunge Silvia A. , Gorno-Tempini Maria Luisa , Pereira Christa Watson 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionMost studies of dyslexia focus on domains of impairment (e.g., reading and phonology, among others), but few examine possible strengths. In the present study, we investigated semantic fluency as a cognitive strength in English-speaking children with dyslexia aged 8–13.MethodsNinety-seven children with dyslexia completed tests of letter and semantic verbal fluency, standardized measures of reading and cognitive functions, and task-free resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). First, we adjusted performance on semantic fluency by letter fluency and created a residual score that was used to separate participants into high (residual &gt;0) or average (residual &lt;0) semantic performance groups. We then employed a psycholinguistic clustering and switching approach to the semantic fluency task and performed dynamic task-free rs-fMRI connectivity analysis to reveal group differences in brain dynamics.ResultsHigh and average semantic fluency groups were well-matched on demographics and letter fluency but differed on their psycholinguistic patterns on the semantic fluency task. The high semantic fluency group, compared to the average semantic fluency group, produced a higher number of words within each cluster, a higher max cluster size, and a higher number of switches. Differential dynamic rs-fMRI connectivity (shorter average dwell time and greater brain state switches) was observed between the high and average groups in a large-scale bilateral frontal-temporal-occipital network.DiscussionThese data demonstrate that a subgroup of children with dyslexia perform above average on semantic fluency tasks and their performance is strongly linked to distinct psycholinguistic patterns and differences in a task-free resting-state brain network, which includes regions previously implicated in semantic processing. This work highlights that inter-individual differences should be taken into account in dyslexia and reveals a cognitive area of strength for some children with dyslexia that could be leveraged for reading interventions.
From strain to strength: a yearlong study on the transformative influence of inner engineering online program on mental well-being
Authors: Swaminathan Ashwin , DeSchryver Braiden , Rayapuraju Akila , Barbaro Julianna , Orui Hibiki , Subramaniam Balachundhar , Reed Preeti Upadhyay 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionHealth is a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being, all of which are deeply interconnected. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of mental and social health, as rates of loneliness, depression, and anxiety surged. Mindfulness practices, such as Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya (SMK), have gained attention for their potential to enhance well-being by integrating breath regulation, meditation, and cognitive reframing techniques. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Inner Engineering Completion Online (IECO) program was created to effectively teach SMK with global travel restrictions in effect. This study examines the long-term effects of SMK, taught through the IECO, on various measures of well-being over a one-year follow-up period.MethodsParticipants were recruited from the January 2020 IECO course. Participants completed surveys at consent, post-IECO, and 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1-year post-IECO. The surveys consisted of 4 validated neuropsychological scales: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Positive Emotion/Relationship/Engagement Scale (PERMA) Profiler, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Survey data was analyzed using linear mixed effect modeling. Two-sided p-values of &lt;0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsHundred and eighty-eight participants were enrolled. Hundred and sixty-four participants completed baseline measurements, and 41 participants completed surveys at all timepoints. The baseline median [IQR] PSS score in participants was 13 [8, 18]; post-IECO median [IQR] PSS was 11 [8, 16] and 6-week median [IQR] PSS was 7 [4, 12], suggesting that consistent practice of Shambhavi Mahamudra Kriya resulted in reduced stress. This score was sustained up to a year post-IECO with a median [IQR] of 7 [3, 12]. The mean mindfulness scale (MAAS) score increased by 0.97 (95% C.I. 0.7–1.2 p &lt; 0.01, η2p = 0.30) at the 1-year timepoint compared to baseline. The global PSQI score reduced at the week 6 timepoint by 1.3 (95% C.I. 0.49–2.0, p &lt; 0.01) with medium effect size and was sustained until 1 year.DiscussionWithin 6 weeks of participating in IECO, regular practice of SMK significantly reduced stress, improved sleep quality, and boosted mindfulness. These benefits were sustained for at least a year with continued practice, suggesting that this practice is an effective path to maintaining general well-being.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, trial identification number NCT04189146.
A new Bayesian method for the estimation of emergency nurses’ thresholds and agreement in the context of telephone triage
Authors: Vicovaro Michele , Mignemi Giuseppe , Nucci Massimo , Bolognani Luigi , Iannattone Sara , Bruno Giovanni , Spoto Andrea 
Published: February 2025

IntroductionTriage is the process aimed at ensuring that patients receive a level and quality of care matching the urgency of their conditions. The present study focuses on telephone triage. We discuss the application of a new decision-making model to the task of telephone triage.MethodsThe model allows to estimate the nurse’s Belonging Threshold (BT), which quantifies the minimum level of severity of an emergency scenario that leads the nurse to activate a rescue vehicle with emergency devices. The BT can be used as an index of the possible tendency of the nurse to systematically over-or under-triage. The model also provides accurate estimations of the level of agreement between different nurses, and between the nurses and reference experts, net of the noise due to the possible differences between the nurses’ BTs.Results and discussionThe model and the related experimental procedure were applied to a sample of 21 emergency nurses at the SUEM 118 Operations Center in Venice. We discuss how the model can be useful to identify nurses who would benefit from a training to improve the consistency of their application of the protocol, as well as to identify specific emergency scenarios for which the assignment of priority codes was most problematic.