bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A dataset of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in colorectal cancer patients using limited resources
Authors: Hasnaoui Anis , Helal Imen , Ben Azouz Zouhour , Hmidi Amira , Jouini Raja , Chadli-Debbiche Aschraf 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
In the realm of cancer research, specifically focusing on colorectal carcinomas (CRCs), a novel diagnostic test referred to as ‘Immunoscore’ (IS) has emerged. This test relies on assessing the density of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, specifically CD3 and CD8, in both the centre of the tumour (CT) and its invasive margin (IM). IS holds promise as a potential prognostic factor. A retrospective descriptive study was conducted within the Pathology Department of Habib Thameur Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia. The study’s aim was to evaluate the prognostic efficacy of IS for patients with CRC by means of a comprehensive survival analysis. This publication introduces the immunoscore in colorectal cancer (ISCRC) dataset, which was meticulously compiled during the aforementioned study. The ISCRC dataset comprises digital slide images sourced from biopsies of 104 patients diagnosed with CRC. Using the tissue microarray technique, an immunohistochemical investigation involving anti-CD3 and anti-CD8 markers was performed in regions designated as ‘Hot Spots’ within the CT and IM. The images were captured using a smartphone camera. Each marker’s percentage presence within its respective region was quantified. The IS was estimated utilizing a semi-quantitative method. The ISCRC dataset encompasses anonymized personal data, along with macroscopic and microscopic attributes. The captured images, acquired through manual efforts using smartphones, stand as a valuable asset for the advancement of predictive algorithms Importantly, the potential applications of these models extend beyond mere prediction capabilities. They lay the groundwork for innovative mobile applications that could potentially revolutionize the practices of pathologists, particularly in healthcare settings constrained by resources and the absence of specialized scanning equipment.
Database URL: https://figshare.com/s/5b4fa3e58c247a4851d4
The first reported case of intravascular ultrasound-guided reverse overlapping stenting of a long calcified lesion using ultra-low contrast and metallic roadmaps: case report
Authors: Leesar Massoud A , Chen Shao-Liang 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of a long calcified coronary lesion in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is challenging and can lead to stent under-expansion and contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). We described the first case of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided reverse overlapping stenting of long calcified left anterior descending (LAD) coronary lesion using ultra-low contrast and the metallic roadmaps to prevent CI-AKI after PCI.

Case summary
A 77-year-old man with a history of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and CKD was admitted with angina class 4 and ruled in for non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. His ejection fraction was 40%. He was referred for cardiac catheterization and PCI. Coronary angiography showed a long calcified stenosis of the LAD. IVUS catheter was advanced at least 10 mm distal to the lesion or stent edge. IVUS images were obtained with automated pullback (1 mm/s) using a commercially available IVUS system with a 60-MHz mechanical transducer (Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts). IVUS showed calcified plaque fractures after balloon angioplasty and intracoronary lithotripsy. The first stent was deployed proximally using the guidewire in the diagonal branch as a metallic roadmap, and the second stent was deployed distally overlapping at the distal edge of the first stent as a roadmap with no contrast injection. Percutaneous coronary intervention was completed successfully using only 12 mL contrast. Glomerular filtration rate remained stable after PCI. Glomerular filtration rate and ejection fraction improved at 12-month follow-up.

Discussion
We described the first case of the reverse overlapping stenting technique guided by IVUS with no contrast in a patient with CKD and a long calcified LAD lesion. Conventionally, in long lesions, the first stent is deployed distally and the second stent proximally, which requires contrast injection for stent deployment. We demonstrated that the above technique resulted in preventing CI-AKI and improving creatinine as well as ejection fraction at follow-up.
Factors predicting normalization of reproductive hormones after cessation of anabolic-androgenic steroids in men: a single center retrospective study
Authors: Grant Bonnie , Campbell John , Pradeep Anjali , Burns Angela D , Bassett Paul , Abbara Ali , Saket Priyadarshi , Minhas Sukhbinder , Dhillo Waljit S , McVeigh James , Bhasin Shalender , Jayasena Channa N 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Objective
Symptomatic hypogonadism discourages men from stopping anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Some men illicitly take drugs temporarily stimulating endogenous testosterone following AAS cessation (post-cycle therapy; PCT) to lessen hypogonadal symptoms. We investigated whether prior PCT use was associated with the normalization of reproductive hormones following AAS cessation.

Methods
Retrospective analysis of 641 men attending a clinic between 2015-2022 for a single, nonfasting, random blood test &lt;36 months following AAS cessation, with or without PCT. Normalized reproductive hormones (ie, a combination of reference range serum luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and total testosterone levels) were the surrogate marker of biochemical recovery.

Results
Normalization of reproductive hormones was achieved in 48.2% of men. PCT use was associated with faster biochemical recovery (13.0 (IQR8.0-19.0) weeks, PCT; 26.0 (IQR10.5-52) weeks, no-PCT; P &lt; .001). Odds of biochemical recovery during multivariable analysis were: (1) higher with PCT (OR3.80) vs no-PCT (P = .001), in men stopping AAS ≤3 months previously; (2) reduced when 2 (OR0.55), 3 (OR0.46), or 4 (OR0.25) AAS were administered vs 1 drug (P = .009); (3) lower with AAS &gt;6 vs ≤3 months previously (OR0.34, P = .01); (4) higher with last reported AAS &gt;3 months (OR 5.68) vs ≤3 months (P = .001). PCT use was not associated with biochemical recovery in men stopping AAS &gt;3 months previously.

Conclusion
Without evidence-based withdrawal protocols, men commonly try avoiding post-AAS hypogonadism with PCT, which is illicit, ill-defined, and not recommended. Only half of men had complete biochemical testicular recovery after stopping AAS. The surprising association of self-reported PCT use with short-term biochemical recovery from AAS-induced hypogonadism warrants further investigation.
The wreck of the Gloucester revisited
Authors: Holman Peter 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The wreck of the frigate Gloucester off Norfolk on 6 May 1682 has always figured in histories of the Restoration period; it was taking James, Duke of York (the future James II and VII) to Edinburgh to collect his wife Mary of Modena and his daughter Princess Anne after his years of exile in Scotland. It has long been known that there were royal musicians on board, two of whom were drowned, though interest in the subject has been rekindled by the discovery of the wreck and an exhibition of artefacts from it in Norwich in 2023. Some other historic wrecks have proved to contain musical instruments, including the Mary Rose and several Dutch ships, though the Gloucester is unique in that a musical artefact—a brass trumpet mouthpiece—can be matched to documentary evidence concerning the musicians on board.
Court documents concerned with replacing lost instruments and compensating survivors and the families of victims show that those on board included four royal trumpeters and a kettledrummer (Walter Vanbright, who was drowned); a five-man group drawn from the Twenty-Four Violins, led by the composer Thomas Farmer and including Thomas Greeting (who was also drowned); and the oboist, recorder player and bass violinist James Paisible, who had apparently been working in Edinburgh in the Duke of York’s household. Paisible may have been a member of Farmer’s string group, though there is a possibility that he was accompanied by three other French musicians, forming a separate recorder/oboe consort. An anecdote concerning James rescuing the string player Edmund Flower from drowning throws light on the musical and religious politics on board the Gloucester: the earliest version, published in 1730, claimed wrongly that the duke ‘turn’d him out of his band because he would not turn Papist’.
Effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention on the structural and functional substrate for atrial fibrillation in people with metabolic syndrome
Authors: Rossello Xavier , Ramallal Raúl , Romaguera Dora , Alonso-Gómez Ángel M , Alonso Alvaro , Tojal-Sierra Lucas , Fernández-Palomeque Carlos , Martínez-González Miguel Ángel , Garrido-Uriarte María , López Luis , Díaz Agnes , Zaldua-Irastorza Olatz , Shah Amit J , Salas-Salvadó Jordi , Fitó Montserrat , Toledo Estefania 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Aims
To evaluate the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) on the structural and functional cardiac substrate of atrial fibrillation (AF) in overweight or obese people with metabolic syndrome (Mets).

Methods and results
Participants of the PREvención con DIeta MEDiterranea-Plus trial (n = 6874) were randomized 1:1 to an ILI programme based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet, increased physical activity, and cognitive-behavioural weight management or to a control intervention of low-intensity dietary advice. A core echocardiography lab evaluated left atrial (LA) strain, function, and volumes in 534 participants at baseline, 3-year, and 5-year follow-ups. Mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of the ILI on LA structure and function. In the subsample, the baseline mean age was 65 years [standard deviation (SD) 5 years], and 40% of the participants were women. The mean weight change after 5 years was −3.9 kg (SD 5.3 kg) in the ILI group and −0.3 kg (SD 5.1 kg) in the control group. Over the 5-year period, both groups experienced a worsening of LA structure and function, with increases in LA volumes and stiffness index and decreases in LA longitudinal strain, LA function index, and LA emptying fraction over time. Changes in the ILI and control groups were not significantly different for any of the primary outcomes {LA emptying fraction: −0.95% [95% confidence interval (CI) −0.93, −0.98] in the control group, −0.97% [95% CI −0.94, −1.00] in the ILI group, Pbetween groups = 0.80; LA longitudinal strain: 0.82% [95% CI 0.79, 0.85] in the control group, 0.85% [95% CI 0.82, 0.89] in the ILI group, Pbetween groups = 0.24} or any of the secondary outcomes.

Conclusion
In overweight or obese people with Mets, an ILI had no impact on the underlying structural and functional LA substrate measurements associated with AF risk.
‘Single-shot’ pulmonary vein isolation using a novel lotos pulsed field ablation catheter: a pre-clinical evaluation of feasibility, safety, and 30-day efficacy
Authors: Pu Sijia , Liu Fangzhou , Chen Yuhan , Luo Cihua , Li Peng , Chen Yanlin , Fu Lu , Liu Huiyi , Ye Xingdong , Wu Shulin , Xue Yumei , Lin Weidong 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Aims
Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is emerging as a non-thermal, tissue-specific technique for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in atrial fibrillation therapy. This pre-clinical study aims to investigate the feasibility and safety of PVI using a novel PFA system including a nanosecond-scale PFA generator, a novel lotos PFA catheter, and a customized 12 Fr steerable sheath.

Methods and results
A total of 11 Yorkshire swine were included in this study, with 4 in the acute cohort and 7 in the chronic cohort. Under general anaesthesia, transseptal puncture and pulmonary vein (PV) angiography was initially performed. The PFA catheter was navigated to position at the right and left PV antrum after the electroanatomic reconstruction of the left atrium. Biphasic PFA applications were performed on PVs in both the spindle-shaped and the lotos-shaped poses. Pulmonary vein isolation and PFA-associated safety were assessed 30 min after ablation in both cohorts and 30 days later in the chronic cohort. Detailed necropsy and histopathology were performed. Additional intracardiac echocardiography and coronary angiogram were evaluated for safety. All target PVs (n = 20) were successfully isolated on the first attempt. No spasm of coronary artery or microbubble was seen during the procedure. Eleven of 12 PVs (91.6%) remained in isolation at the 30-day invasive study. No evidence of PV stenosis was observed in any targets. However, transient diaphragm capture occurred in 17.6%. Histopathological examinations showed no evidence of collateral injury.

Conclusion
This study provides scientific evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the novel PFA catheter and system for single-shot PVI, which shows great potential.
The Mediating Role of Proxy Respondents on the Relationship Between Cognitive Function and Self-Rated Health
Authors: Alberth Andrew G , Miller Edward Alan , Silverstein Nina M , Stokes Jeffrey , Su Yan-Jhu 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background and Objectives
Proxy respondents are an important tool in survey research, especially among people with cognitive impairment. However, proxy respondents may be unable to accurately answer subjective survey instruments for cognitively impaired persons. This study investigates the mediating effect of proxy status on the relationship between cognitive impairment and subjectively rated health.

Research Design and Methods
Respondents from the 2018 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 17,146) were included, and the Baron and Kenny method assessed the potential mediating role of having a proxy on subjectively rated health. Subjectively rated health and proxy status were dichotomously coded, and relationships between cognitive impairment, proxy status, and subjectively rated health were assessed using logistic regression.

Results
Findings indicate that cognitive impairment is inversely associated with subjectively rated health, and it is directly associated with having a proxy. They also indicate that having a proxy is inversely related to subjectively rated health. When including proxy status and cognitive impairment in the same model, cognitive impairment no longer predicted subjectively rated health. This indicates that proxy status perfectly mediated the relationship between cognitive impairment and subjectively rated health.

Discussion and Implications
Measuring the experiences of people with cognitive impairment is challenging in survey research due to the limiting features of cognitive impairment. Although having a proxy respondent helps address attrition-related measurement challenges in survey research, findings indicate that proxies report worse subjectively rated health for people with cognitive impairment compared to individuals with comparable levels of cognitive impairment without a proxy. Future research may benefit from exploring optimal proxy-respondent characteristics.
Decadal comparisons identify the drivers of persistent changes in the zooplankton community structure in the northwest Atlantic
Authors: Pershing Andrew J , Kemberling Adam 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Plankton community structure changes seasonally in response to the annual cycles of stratification, temperature, and primary productivity. These communities also change from year-to-year, in some cases exhibiting persistent regime shifts. How changes in physical conditions structure the plankton community and why conditions persist is a fundamental question in oceanography. Continuous plankton recorders have been used to sample the plankton community across the Gulf of Maine since 1961. Historically, this community has had a classic subarctic structure dominated by Calanus finmarchicus. However, during the 1990s, C. finmarchicus became less prominent, and a more diverse community of smaller copepods emerged. This shift was related to an influx of cold, low-salinity water. We show that a similar community shift occurred around 2012. We use high-resolution hydrographic data to link the shift to an influx of saltier water and warmer conditions. By comparing the 1990s with the recent decade, we develop a synthesis for how physical changes lead to community shifts. Our synthesis suggests that the link between the 1990s and 2010s is enhanced water column stratification. We further propose that ecological interactions link declines in C. finmarchicus with the emergence of the more diverse community, drawing parallels with classic food web ecology.
Assessing environmental and operational efficiencies: a multi-objective optimization problem in a two-stage network data envelopment analysis
Authors: Omid Azadeh , Azar Adel , Taleb Mushtaq 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Accepted by: Ali Emrouznejad
The environmental efficiency of industries plays an important role in economic development of countries. Accordingly, dividing the internal network structure of industries into two sub-processes, including green and operational stages, enables decision-makers to assess both of the efficiencies simultaneously. Such assessment can be implemented using a non-parametric methodology termed data envelopment analysis (DEA). Standard DEA models consider the whole system of decision-making units (DMUs) as a single process (i.e. black-box). The black-box approach ignores modelling of the internal network structure of the assessed DMUs. This issue tackled by network DEA models since it considers the internal network structure of DMUs. In the network DEA, the efficiency evaluation of system stages is essential to identify its overall efficiency, resulting to a multi-objective optimization problem. Therefore, the network DEA is a widely welcomed methodology proposed for solving multi-objective problems. This paper assesses the operational and environmental efficiencies of a network structure system by converting the multi-objective optimization problem into a linear single objective function. In this investigation, a technique of tri-objective function problem is proposed. The proposed technique transforms into a single objective function by keeping one objective function and shifting the other two objective functions into the model’s constraints. The applicability and usefulness of the proposed technique have been tested using a data set of 20 industries. The developed approach provides valuable evaluations to decision-makers to rank DMUs by considering their green and operational efficiency simultaneously.
Analyzing Chinese banking performance with a trigonometric envelopment analysis for ideal solutions model
Authors: Antunes Jorge , Tan Yong , Wanke Peter 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Accepted by: Prof. Ali Emrouznejad
Non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) is susceptible to the curse of dimensionality, a challenge that can be mitigated through the use of the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method. Conversely, DEA can overcome the limitations of the MCDM method by defining the weights of the decision-making unit to calculate the data envelop. This study addresses this issue by introducing a novel model, the Trigonometric Envelopment Analysis for Ideal Solutions (TEA-IS). TEA-IS combines DEA and the Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution approaches. The proposed method is employed to assess the efficiency and performance of 367 Chinese banks over a 19-year period using various financial variables. The TEA-IS model leverages machine learning techniques to predict positive or negative outcomes for Chinese banks, taking into account various influencing factors. Our results indicate that TEA-IS scores demonstrate superior discriminatory power and reliability compared with non-parametric and MCDM methods. Furthermore, our findings reveal the presence of synergy amongst Chinese banks and illustrate a pattern of volatility in the Chinese banking industry’s performance. Notably, performance improved from 2000 to 2005, declined during the period from 2006 to 2013 and subsequently experienced a recovery until 2018. The majority of Chinese banks in the sample are categorized as medium performers with lower synergy levels. Additionally, the study underscores the positive impact of bank listing and age on bank performance, suggesting that regional banks outperform domestic ones.
Effect of directive laboratory comments on prescribing response to positive throat swab cultures
Authors: Bloomfield Max , van der Werff Koen , Todd Sue , Balm Michelle , Blackmore Tim 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background
In patients without ethnicity risk factors for acute rheumatic fever (ARF), our local guidelines recommend limiting antibiotic use following a positive throat swab culture (TSC). If symptoms are severe, a 5–7 day course is recommended. Despite this, most local patients with a positive TSC for group A Streptococcus (GAS) or Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) were being prescribed 10 days of antibiotics. In response, we added comments to positive TSC reports recommending shorter treatment durations in those without ARF risk factors. No other antimicrobial stewardship initiatives were implemented.

Objectives
To assess the effect of these comments on antibiotic course duration after positive TSC.

Methods
All community TSC results from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2023 (1 year pre- to 6 months post-change) were matched to antibiotic dispensing data. Patients who had been empirically dispensed an antibiotic prior to the culture report were excluded. The outcome of interest was the antibiotic duration dispensed in the 5 day period after the TSC report.

Results
Following introduction of the comments, median course duration reduced from 10 (IQR 5–10) to 7 days (IQR 0–10; P &lt; 0.01) and from 7 (IQR 0–10) to 0 days (IQR 0–5; P &lt; 0.01) following GAS- and SDSE-positive TSC, respectively, in those without ARF risk factors. The percentage of people receiving 10 days of antibiotics decreased from 63.0% to 37.0% (P &lt; 0.01) and 41.2% to 14.6% (P &lt; 0.01) for GAS and SDSE, respectively.

Conclusions
The introduction of comments providing direct prescribing advice to requestors appears to have been highly effective at improving guideline-compliant prescribing following positive TSC report.