bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Paxillin participates in the sphingosylphosphorylcholine-induced abnormal contraction of vascular smooth muscle by regulating Rho-kinase activation
Authors: Zhang Ying , Li Nan , Kobayashi Sei 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
The Ca2+-independent contraction of vascular smooth muscle is a leading cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular spasms. In the previous study, we demonstrated the involvement of Src family protein tyrosine kinase Fyn and Rho-kinase in the sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC)-induced abnormal and Ca2+-independent contraction of vascular smooth muscle, but the specific mechanism has not been completely clarified.

Methods
Paxillin knockdown human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs) and smooth muscle-specific paxillin knockout mice were generated by using paxillin shRNA and the tamoxifen-inducible Cre-LoxP system, respectively. CASMCs contraction was observed by time-lapse recording. The vessel contractility was measured by using a myography assay. Fyn, Rho-kinase, and myosin light chain activation were assessed by immunoprecipitation and western blotting. The paxillin expression and actin stress fibers were visualized by histological analysis and immunofluorescent staining.

Results
The SPC-induced abnormal contraction was inhibited in paxillin knockdown CASMCs and arteries of paxillin knockout mice, indicating that paxillin is involved in this abnormal contraction. Further study showed that paxillin knockdown inhibited the SPC-induced Rho-kinase activation without affecting Fyn activation. In addition, paxillin knockdown significantly inhibited the SPC-induced actin stress fiber formation and myosin light chain phosphorylation. These results suggest that paxillin, as an upstream molecule of Rho-kinase, is involved in the SPC-induced abnormal contraction of vascular smooth muscle.

Conclusions
The present study demonstrated that paxillin participates in the SPC-induced abnormal vascular smooth muscle contraction by regulating Rho-kinase activation.
ALA-RDT in GBM: protocol of the phase I/II dose escalation trial of radiodynamic therapy with 5-Aminolevulinic acid in patients with recurrent glioblastoma
Authors: Pepper Niklas Benedikt , Eich Hans Theodor , Müther Michael , Oertel Michael , Rehn Stephan , Spille Dorothee Cäcilia , Stummer Walter 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Despite improvements in surgical as well as adjuvant therapies over the last decades, the prognosis for patients with glioblastoma remains poor. Five-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) induced porphyrins are already used for fluorescence-guided resection and as photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy. New findings reveal their potential use as sensitizing agents in combination with ionizing radiation.

Methods
We initiated a phase I/II dose escalation study, treating patients with recurrence of glioblastoma with oral 5-ALA concurrent to radiotherapy (RT). This prospective single-center study based in the University Hospital Münster aims to recruit 30 patients over 18 years of age with histologically verified recurrence of supratentorial glioblastoma in good performance status (KPS ≥ 60). Following a 3 + 3 dose-escalation design, patients having undergone re-resection will receive a 36 Gy RT including radiodynamic therapy fractions (RDT). RDT constitutes of oral administration of 5-ALA before the irradiation session. Two cohorts will additionally receive two fractions of neoadjuvant treatment three and two days before surgery. To determine the maximum tolerated dose of repeated 5-ALA-administration, the number of RDT-fractions will increase, starting with one to a maximum of eight fractions, while closely monitoring for safety and toxicity. Follow-up will be performed at two and five months after treatment. Primary endpoint will be the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of repeated ALA-administration, secondary endpoints are event-free-, progression-free-, and overall-survival. Additionally, 5-ALA metabolites and radiobiological markers will be analysed throughout the course of therapy and tissue effects after neoadjuvant treatment will be determined in resected tissue. This protocol is in accordance with the SPIRIT guidelines for clinical trial protocols.

Discussion
This is the protocol of the ALA-RDT in GBM-study, the first-in-man evaluation of repeated administration of 5-ALA as a radiosensitizer for treatment of recurrent glioblastoma.

Trial registration
This study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe and the University of Münster on 12.10.2022, the German federal institute for Drugs and medical devices on 13.10.2022 and the federal office for radiation protection on 29.08.2022. This trial was registered on the public European EudraCT database (EudraCT-No.: 2021-004631-92) and is registered under www.cliniclatrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05590689).
An analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis in non-fracture patients awaiting total hip arthroplasty: a retrospective study of 1244 cases
Authors: Yao Yao , Chai Senlin , Qiao Liang , Jiang Qing , Xu Rong 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has been one of the most dangerous complications in total hip arthroplasty (THA). If a patient’s pre-surgical DVT is overlooked, it can easily be mistaken for a post-operative thrombus and lead to an increased risk of DVT during and after surgery. This retrospective study was to explore the incidence and associated risk factors of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in non-fracture patients before total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods
From September 2015 to September 2020, 1242 patients admitted for THA were enrolled with 1120 patients (90.2%) for primary THA and 122 patients (9.8%) for revision THA. An experienced sonographer performed a bedside ultrasound to detect DVT in bilateral lower limbs preoperatively. Univariate and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent risk factors.

Results
38 patients (3.1%) were detected with preoperative DVT. Univariate analysis showed that age (P < 0.001), D-dimer level (P = 0.002), female patients (P = 0.016), revision THA (P < 0.001), Barthel Index score (P = 0.010) were significantly associated with preoperative DVT. In subgroup comparison, the incidence of DVT increased with age significantly (P < 0.001) and D-dimer level (P < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 75 years old (odds ratio [OR] 3.678, 95% CI [2.197–18.721], P < 0.001), gender (OR 2.709, 95% CI [1.244–5.896], P = 0.012), higher D-dimer ≥ 0.5 mg/l (OR 6.841, 95% CI [2.197–18.721], P < 0.001) and revision THA (OR 2.240, 95% CI [1.143–5.372], P = 0.05) were confirmed as the independent risk factors.

Conclusions
The incidence of preoperative DVT in non-fracture patients was 3.1%, with 2.4% in primary THA and 9.0% in revision THA. Age ≥ 75 years old, female, D-dimer ≥ 0.5 mg/l, and revision THA were independent risk factors. When evaluating the risk factors associated with thrombus formation preoperatively, it is important to take these into account before surgery.
HRCTCov19-a high-resolution chest CT scan image dataset for COVID-19 diagnosis and differentiation
Authors: Abedi Iraj , Vali Mahsa , Otroshi Bentolhoda , Zamanian Maryam , Bolhasani Hamidreza 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction
Computed tomography (CT) was a widely used diagnostic technique for COVID-19 during the pandemic. High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT), is a type of computed tomography that enhances image resolution through the utilization of advanced methods. Due to privacy concerns, publicly available COVID-19 CT image datasets are incredibly tough to come by, leading to it being challenging to research and create AI-powered COVID-19 diagnostic algorithms based on CT images.

Data description
To address this issue, we created HRCTCov19, a new COVID-19 high-resolution chest CT scan image collection that includes not only COVID-19 cases of Ground Glass Opacity (GGO), Crazy Paving, and Air Space Consolidation but also CT images of cases with negative COVID-19. The HRCTCov19 dataset, which includes slice-level and patient-level labeling, has the potential to assist in COVID-19 research, in particular for diagnosis and a distinction using AI algorithms, machine learning, and deep learning methods. This dataset, which can be accessed through the web at http://databiox.com, includes 181,106 chest HRCT images from 395 patients labeled as GGO, Crazy Paving, Air Space Consolidation, and Negative.
Multiple electrolytes imbalances in a patient with inflammatory bowel disease associated with vitamin D deficiency: a case report
Authors: Nakamura Yumiko , Kawai Yuichiro , Nagoshi Sumiko , Ogawa Tomonari , Hasegawa Hajime 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Inflammatory bowel disease involves chronic inflammation and ulceration, primarily Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease is rising in industrialized countries. We describe the case of a patient with inflammatory bowel disease and multiple electrolyte disturbances that emphasize the link between a vitamin D deficiency and electrolyte imbalances.

Case
An 86‐year‐old Japanese man with severe hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia was referred to the gastroenterology and hepatology department our university hospital for severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. Based on clinical symptoms and biochemical and endoscopic findings, Crohn’s disease, intestinal Behçet’s disease, and intestinal tuberculosis were considered as differential diagnoses, but a final diagnosis was not reached. Prednisolone, azathioprine, and metronidazole were administered, and no apparent electrolyte abnormality was observed at the patient’s admission to our hospital. On the 80th hospital day, marked hypocalcemia, hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia were noted and prolonged, despite daily supplementation with Ca and inorganic P. At his consultation with our department, we observed decreased fractional excretion of Ca, tubular reabsorption of phosphate, fractional excretion of K, and fractional excretion of Mg, suggesting the depletion of vitamin D and extrarenal wasting of K and Mg. The patient’s serum Ca and inorganic P were quickly elevated in response to treatment with an active form of vitamin D, and his serum levels of K and Mg were restored to the normal range by an intravenous administration of K and Mg. A vitamin D deficiency is not rare in inflammatory bowel disease and is caused primarily by the decreased intestinal absorption of vitamin D. In the management of electrolyte imbalances in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, clinicians must consider the possible development of vitamin D deficiency-related disorders.

Conclusion
Vitamin D deficiency in entero-Behçet’s disease leads to severe hypocalcemia and hypophosphatemia, highlighting the importance of awareness in management.
Assessing risk of bias in the meta-analysis of round 1 of the Health Care Innovation Awards
Authors: Smith Kevin W. , Freeman Nikki L. B. , Bir Anupa 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundSystematic reviews of observational studies can be affected by biases that lead to under- or over-estimates of true intervention effects. Several tools have been reported in the literature that attempt to characterize potential bias. Our objective in this study was to determine the extent to which study-specific bias may have influenced intervention impacts on total costs of care (TCOC) in round 1 of the Health Care Innovation Awards.MethodsWe reviewed 82 statistical evaluations of innovation impacts on Medicare TCOC. We developed five risk-of-bias measures and assessed their influence on TCOC impacts using meta-regression.ResultsThe majority of evaluations used propensity score matching to create their comparison groups. One third of the non-randomized interventions were judged to have some risk of biased effects due largely to the way they recruited their treatment groups, and 35% had some degree of covariate imbalance remaining after propensity score adjustments. However, in the multivariable analysis of TCOC effects, none of the bias threats we examined (comparison group construction method, risk of bias, or degree of covariate imbalance) had a major impact on the magnitude of HCIA1 innovation effects. Evaluations using propensity score weighting produced larger but imprecise savings effects compared to propensity score matching.DiscussionOur results suggest that it is unlikely that HCIA1 TCOC effect sizes were systematically affected by the types of bias we considered. Assessing the risk of bias based on specific study design features is likely to be more useful for identifying problematic characteristics than the subjective quality ratings used by existing risk tools.
Accuracy of procalcitonin for diagnosing sepsis in adult patients admitted to the emergency department: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zaki Hany A. , Bensliman Soumaya , Bashir Khalid , Iftikhar Haris , Fayed Mohamed H. , Salem Waleed , Elmoheen Amr , Yigit Yavuz 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Differentiating sepsis from non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is challenging. Biomarkers like procalcitonin (PCT) aid early risk assessment and guide antibiotic use. This study aims to ascertain PCT's accuracy as a sepsis biomarker among adult emergency department admissions.

Method
The PRISMA guidelines were followed to search for relevant articles in five electronic databases between April 14th and August 4th, 2023: PubMed, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, EMBASEs, and ScienceDirect. Studies had to be published in English to avoid directly translating scientific terms. Besides, the inclusion criteria were based on the diagnosis of sepsis in adult patients admitted to an emergency department. QUADAS-2 tool provided by the Review Manager version 5.4.1 was utilized to assess the risk of bias in included studies. STATA (v. 16) software was used to perform the meta-analysis.

Results
Ten of 2457 studies were included. We sampled 2980 adult sepsis patients for the under-investigated role of PCT in ED sepsis diagnosis. PCT emerged as the primary early diagnostic biomarker with high levels (29.3 ± 85.3 ng/mL) in sepsis patients. Heterogeneity in outcomes, possibly due to bias in cohort and observational studies, was observed.

Conclusion
PCT tests offer moderate accuracy in diagnosing sepsis and stand out for rapidly and precisely distinguishing between viral and bacterial inflammations.
Blockchain-enabled supervised secure data sharing and delegation scheme in Web3.0
Authors: Gao Hongmin , Duan Pengfei , Pan Xiaofeng , Zhang Xiaojing , Ye Keke , Zhong Ziyuan 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWeb3.0 represents the ongoing evolution of blockchain technology, placing a strong emphasis on establishing a decentralized and user-controlled Internet. Current data delegation solutions for Web3.0 predominantly rely on attribute-based encryption algorithms (ABE) but lack the essential capabilities for processing ciphertext. Additionally, the attribute-based ciphertext transformation algorithm (ABCT) falls short when it comes to verifying the transformed ciphertext provided by data proxies. The primary objective of this article is to design a fine-grained and supervised attribute-based data delegating solution tailored specifically for Web3.0. This scheme aims to enhance the ciphertext processing capabilities of existing data delegation solutions based on blockchain and ABE. Additionally, it addresses the current limitations of ABCT technology. This includes its inability to verify re-encrypted ciphertext and ensure non-repudiation of transformation results. We leverage smart contracts to ensure the automatic execution of the data delegation process and to store permanent records on the blockchain for auditing and traceability. This approach guarantees a fair distribution of interests among all stakeholders. Furthermore, we employ a commitment mechanism and digital signature to enhance the regulatory compliance of existing ABCT technology. We present a secure access control and supervised data delegation scheme for Web3.0 with blockchain along with its instantiation, emphasizing its fine-grained nature and verifiability. Finally, the evaluation results demonstrate its practicality and effectiveness.
Taxonomic dependency and spatial heterogeneity in assembly mechanisms of bacteria across complex coastal waters
Authors: Yan Huizhen , Lin Dandan , Gu Gaoke , Huang Yujie , Hu Xuya , Yu Zhenhao , Hou Dandi , Zhang Demin , Campbell Barbara J. , Wang Kai 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Understanding community assembly mechanisms across taxa and space is fundamental for microbial ecology. However, the variability and determinants of assembly processes over taxa and space remain unclear. Here, we investigated taxonomic dependency and spatial heterogeneity in bacterial assembly mechanisms across coastal waters in the East China Sea using neutral and null models with customized visualization strategies.

Results
Overall, bacterial assembly mechanisms varied across broad taxonomic groups (phyla and proteobacterial classes) and space at the regional scale. A determinism–stochasticity balanced mechanism governed total bacterial assembly, while taxonomic dependency existed in assembly mechanisms and ecological processes. Among community ecological features, niche breadth and negative-to-positive cohesion ratio were strongly associated with the determinism-to-stochasticity ratio of bacterial groups. Bacterial assembly mechanisms commonly exhibited spatial heterogeneity, the extent and determinants of which varied across taxonomic groups. Spatial assembly of total bacteria was directly driven by many environmental factors and potential interactions between taxa, but not directly by geographic factors. Overall, the bacterial groups with higher spatial heterogeneity in assembly mechanisms were more related to environmental and/or geographic factors (except Bacteroidetes), while those with lower heterogeneity were more related to ecological features.

Conclusions
Our results confirm the pervasiveness of taxonomic dependency and spatial heterogeneity in bacterial assembly, providing a finer understanding about regulation across complex coastal waters.
Determinants of employees’ creativity: modeling the mediating role of organizational motivation to innovate
Authors: Yesuf Yohannes Mekonnen , Getahun Demis Alamirew , Debas Asemamaw Tilahun 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe study aims to empirically investigate the effects of the work environment and family–work resource spillover on employees’ creativity in agricultural research institutes. Additionally, this research proposes to examine the mediating role of organizational motivation to innovate in the relationships between the work environment and family–work resource spillover on employees’ creativity. Using a sample of 302 researchers from agricultural research institutes in Ethiopia, the hypothesized relationships were tested through the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results reveal significantly positive direct effects of work group support and family–work resource spillover on employees’ creativity. However, the results did not confirm the direct relationships of factors such as sufficient resources, reliable workload pressure, freedom, challenging work, managerial encouragement, and employees’ creativity. The findings of the study contribute to our understanding of work contexts in agricultural research institutes and suggest ways in which administrators can create a conducive working environment to enhance employees’ creativity.
Cellular automata-based simulators for the design of prescribed fire plans: the case study of Liguria, Italy
Authors: Perello Nicoló , Trucchia Andrea , Baghino Francesco , Asif Bushra Sanira , Palmieri Lola , Rebora Nicola , Fiorucci Paolo 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Socio-economic changes in recent decades have resulted in an accumulation of fuel within Mediterranean forests, creating conditions conducive to potential catastrophic wildfires intensified by climate change. Consequently, several wildfire management systems have integrated prescribed fires as a proactive strategy for land management and wildfire risk reduction. The preparation of prescribed fires involves meticulous planning, entailing the identification of specific objectives, verification of prescriptions, and the definition of various scenarios. During the planning phase, simulation models offer a valuable decision-support tool for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of different scenarios. In this study, we harnessed the capabilities of the well-established wildfire simulation tool , to identify areas where prescribed fires can be performed, optimizing the wildfire risk mitigation and the costs. We selected a case study in the Liguria region, Italy, where the model is utilized operationally by the regional wildfire risk management system in emergency situations.

Results
Initially, we employed the propagation model to simulate a historical wildfire event, showcasing its potential as an emergency response tool. We focused on the most significant fire incident that occurred in the Liguria region in 2022. Subsequently, we employed to identify optimal areas for prescribed fires with the dual objectives of maximizing the mitigation of wildfire risk and minimizing treatment costs. The delineation of potential areas for prescribed fires has been established in accordance with regional regulations and expert-based insights. The methodology put forth in this study is capable of discerning the most suitable areas for the implementation of prescribed burns from a preselected set. A Monte Carlo simulation framework was employed to evaluate the efficacy of prescribed burns in mitigating the spread of wildfires. This assessment accounted for a variety of conditions, including fuel loads, ignition points, and meteorological patterns. The model was utilized to simulate the progression of wildfire spread.

Conclusions
This study underscores the utility of in offering both quantitative and qualitative insights that can inform prescribed fire planning. Our methodology has been designed to involve active engagement with subject matter experts throughout the process, to develop scenarios grounded in their expert opinions. The ability to assess diverse scenarios and acquire quantitative information empowers decision-makers to make informed choices, thereby advancing safer and more efficient fire management practices.