bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic clues to COVID-19 severity: exploring the stromal cell-derived factor-1/CXCL12 rs2839693 polymorphism in adult Egyptians
Authors: Korayem Osama H. , Ahmed Amr E. , Meabed Mohamed H. , Magdy Doaa M. , Abdelghany Wafaa M. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
A novel corona virus called SARS-CoV-2 was identified at the end of December 2019, and the illness induced by it was designated as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Severity of the disease could vary significantly since most of the infected individuals experience mild to moderate respiratory symptoms and recover without specialized care. Genetic polymorphisms have implications in influencing the varying degrees of COVID-19 severity. This study aims to assess the potential association between the CXCL12 rs2839693 polymorphism and the severity of COVID-19 in Assiut University Quarantine Hospital during the period from May 2022 to August 2022.

Methods
The present study is a cross-sectional study and is applied to 300 COVID-19 patients confirmed by RT-PCR admitted to Assiut University Quarantine Hospital from May 2022 to August 2022. Based on the clinical symptoms, the recruited participants had been divided into two groups. Group I involved mild or moderate cases; Group II involved severe or critical conditions. The rs2839693 polymorphism was detected by real time PCR using TaqMan assay probe.

Results
The frequency of the T allele and the TT genotype was significantly higher in the severe or critical group compared with the mild or moderate group (p value < 0.001). C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimers are significantly elevated in the combined variants (CT + TT) and the TT compared with the CC (P value 0.006 and 0.017 respectively) and the CC,CT genotypes (p value 0.019 and 0.002 respectively). The combined variants (CT + TT) of CXCL12 were found to be independent predictors to severe or critical COVID-19 risk with P value =  < 0.001, OR = 3.034& 95% CI = 1.805–5.098.

Conclusion
Our findings revealed that CXCL12 rs2839693 had a role in the development and seriousness of COVID-19. Patients with the TT genotype or the T allele at increased risk developed severe or critical rather than mild or moderate disease.
Nuclei instance segmentation from histopathology images using Bayesian dropout based deep learning
Authors: Gudhe Naga Raju , Kosma Veli-Matti , Behravan Hamid , Mannermaa Arto 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe deterministic deep learning models have achieved state-of-the-art performance in various medical image analysis tasks, including nuclei segmentation from histopathology images. The deterministic models focus on improving the model prediction accuracy without assessing the confidence in the predictions.MethodsWe propose a semantic segmentation model using Bayesian representation to segment nuclei from the histopathology images and to further quantify the epistemic uncertainty. We employ Bayesian approximation with Monte-Carlo (MC) dropout during the inference time to estimate the model’s prediction uncertainty.ResultsWe evaluate the performance of the proposed approach on the PanNuke dataset, which consists of 312 visual fields from 19 organ types. We compare the nuclei segmentation accuracy of our approach with that of a fully convolutional neural network, U-Net, SegNet, and the state-of-the-art Hover-net. We use F1-score and intersection over union (IoU) as the evaluation metrics. The proposed approach achieves a mean F1-score of 0.893 ± 0.008 and an IoU value of 0.868 ± 0.003 on the test set of the PanNuke dataset. These results outperform the Hover-net, which has a mean F1-score of 0.871 ± 0.010 and an IoU value of 0.840 ± 0.032.ConclusionsThe proposed approach, which incorporates Bayesian representation and Monte-Carlo dropout, demonstrates superior performance in segmenting nuclei from histopathology images compared to existing models such as U-Net, SegNet, and Hover-net. By considering the epistemic uncertainty, our model provides a more reliable estimation of the prediction confidence. These findings highlight the potential of Bayesian deep learning for improving medical image analysis tasks and can contribute to the development of more accurate and reliable computer-aided diagnostic systems.
The value of shear wave elasticity and shear wave dispersion imaging to evaluate the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular diseases
Authors: Yao Shixiang , Cai Yingying , Hu Shanshan , Liu Xiao , Gao Xia , Li Guanyu , Wang Hongying , Yu Hongkui 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
To study the value of shear wave elasticity and shear wave dispersion imaging to evaluate the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular diseases.

Methods
Forty-three children with glomerular diseases were prospectively evaluated by shear wave elasticity (SWE) and shear wave dispersion imaging (SWD); 43 healthy volunteers served as the control group. The shear wave velocities (SWV) and the dispersion slopes were measured at the upper, middle, and lower poles of both kidneys. The analysis of mean SWV and mean dispersion slope in control and patient groups was used to further evaluate the value of SWE and SWD in the viscoelasticity of renal parenchyma in children with glomerular disease.

Results
The mean SWV in children with glomerular disease was higher than that in the healthy control group (1.61 ± 0.09 m/s vs. 1.43 ± 0.07 m/s, p < 0.001). Compared with healthy group, the mean dispersion slope in children with glomerular disease was significantly increased (13.5 ± 1.39 (m/s)/kHz vs. 12.4 ± 1.40 (m/s)/kHz, p < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed absence of correlation between the SWV and dispersion slope of occult blood, serum creatinine, 24-h urine protein, blood albumin, BMI and ROI box depth of children with glomerular disease.

Conclusions
The present study shows that it is feasible to use SWE and SWD to evaluate the difference of viscoelasticity of the renal parenchyma between healthy children and those with glomerular disease.
What do mothers think about their antenatal classes? A mixed-method study in Switzerland
Authors: Avignon Valérie , Gaucher Laurent , Baud David , Legardeur Hélène , Dupont Corinne , Horsch Antje 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Problem
Research so far has evaluated the effect of antenatal classes, but few studies have investigated its usefulness from the perspective of mothers after birth.

Background
Antenatal classes evolved from pain management to a mother-centred approach, including birth plans and parenting education. Evaluating the perception of the usefulness of these classes is important to meet mother’s needs. However, so far, research on the mothers’ perception of the usefulness of these classes is sparse, particularly when measured after childbirth. Given that antenatal classes are considered as adult education, it is necessary to carry out this evaluation after mothers have had an opportunity to apply some of the competences they acquired during the antenatal classes during their childbirth.

Aim
This study investigated mothers’ satisfaction and perceived usefulness of antenatal classes provided within a university hospital in Switzerland, as assessed in the postpartum period.

Methods
Primiparous mothers who gave birth at a Swiss university hospital from January 2018 to September 2020 were contacted. Those who had attended the hospital’s antenatal classes were invited to complete a questionnaire consisting of a quantitative and qualitative part about usefulness and satisfaction about antenatal classes. Quantitative data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings
Among the 259 mothers who answered, 61% (n = 158) were globally satisfied with the antenatal classes and 56.2% (n = 145) found the sessions useful in general. However, looking at the utility score of each theme, none of them achieved a score of usefulness above 44%. The timing of some of these sessions was questioned. Some mothers regretted the lack of accurate information, especially on labour complications and postnatal care.

Discussion
Antenatal classes were valued for their peer support. However, in their salutogenic vision of empowerment, they did not address the complications of childbirth, even though this was what some mothers needed. Furthermore, these classes could also be more oriented towards the postpartum period, as requested by some mothers.

Conclusion
Revising antenatal classes to fit mothers’ needs could lead to greater satisfaction and thus a better impact on the well-being of mothers and their families.
Accurate interpretation of p53 immunohistochemical patterns is a surrogate biomarker for TP53 alterations in large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Li Xinyi , Luo Danju , Zhang Liling , Li Qiuhui , Fan Jun , Zhang Jiwei , Huang Bo , Yang Ming , Nie Xiu , Chang Xiaona , Pan Huaxiong 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
To clarify the relationship between p53 immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and TP53 alterations (including mutations and deletions) in large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs) and to explore the possibility of p53 IHC expression patterns as surrogate markers for TP53 alterations.

Methods
A total of 95 patients diagnosed with LBCLs were selected, and paraffin samples were taken for TP53 gene sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization and p53 IHC staining. The results were interpreted by experienced pathologists and molecular pathologists.

Results
Forty-three nonsynonymous TP53 mutations and p53 deletions were detected in 40 cases, whereas the remaining 55 cases had wild-type TP53 genes. The majority of TP53 mutations (34/43, 79.1%) occurred in exons 4-8, and R248Q was the most common mutation codon (4/43, 9.3%). The highest frequency single nucleotide variant was C > T (43.6%). p53 expression was interpreted as follows: Pattern A: p53 staining was positive in 0%-3% of tumor cells, Pattern B: p53 staining was positive in 4-65% of tumor cells, Pattern C: more than 65% of tumor cells were stained positive for p53. The p53 IHC expression patterns were associated with TP53 alterations. Gain of function variants and wild-type TP53 tended to exhibit type C and B p53 expression patterns, but loss of function variants were exclusively seen in type A cases. Additionally, interpretation of the staining by various observers produced significant reproducibility.

Conclusions
The p53 IHC expression patterns can be used to predict TP53 alterations and are reliable for diverse alteration types, making them possible surrogate biomarkers for TP53 alterations in LBCLs.
Nutritional status of young children born with low birthweight in a low resource setting: an observational study
Authors: Namiiro Flaviah B. , Batte Anthony , Rujumba Joseph , Nabukeera-Barungi Nicolette , Kayom Violet O , Munabi Ian G. , Serunjogi Robert , Kiguli Sarah 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Objective
Every year, an estimated 20 million babies are born with low birthweight and this number is increasing globally. Survivors are at risk of lifelong morbidities like undernutrition. We assessed the growth and nutritional status for children born with low birthweight at Mulago Hospital, Uganda.

Methods
We conducted a cross sectional study to describe the nutritional status of children aged between 22 and 38 months and born weighing ≤ 2000 g. Anthropometric measurements; weight for height, height for age and weight for age z-scores were generated based on the World Health Organization standards to define wasting, stunting and underweight respectively. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysis was done using STATA version 14.

Results
Of the 251 children, 129 (51.4%) were male, mean age was 29.7 months SD 4.5) and maternal mean age was 29.9 (SD 5.3). A total of 101(40.2%) had normal nutritional status. The prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting were: 8 (3.2%), 36 (14.4%) and 106 (42.2%) respectively.

Conclusion
Six of ten children born with low birthweight were at risk of undernutrition in early childhood: underweight and stunting were higher than the national prevalence. Targeted interventions are needed for children with very low birth weight.
Decomposition and comparative analysis of health inequities between the male and female older adults in China: a national cross-sectional study
Authors: Zhao Zhe , Yu Boyang , Hu Fangyuan , Zheng Chao , Gui Jing , Liu Jiahao , Sun Jinhai , Shi Jinhao , Yuan Lei 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
This study aimed to examine the factors influencing self-rated health (SRH) among Chinese older adults by gender differences and provide suggestions and theoretical references to help make policies for older adults’ health concerns by government agencies.

Methods
Chinese Longitudinal Health Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2018 was adopted, the chi-squared test and the logistic regression analysis were performed to analyse self-rated health reported by Chinese female and male older adults and its influencing factors. In addition, Fairlie decomposition analysis was performed to quantify the contribution level of different influencing factors.

Results
Among older adults, males (48.0%) reported a significantly higher level of good self-rated health than females (42.3%). Residence, body mass index (BMI), self-reported income, smoking, drinking, exercise, and social activity were the factors that influenced SRH reported by male and female respondents, with age, marital status and education reaching the significance level only in women. The Fairlie decomposition model can explain the underlying reasons for 86.7% of the gender differences in SRH, with self-reported income (15.3%), smoking (32.7%), drinking (42.5%), exercise (17.4%), social activity (15.1%) and education (-14.6%) being the major factors affecting gender differences in SRH.

Conclusions
The study results can help promote the implementation of the Healthy China Initiative, inform intervention measures, and offer new proposals on creating policies for older adults’ health issues by the Chinese government to improve health equity.
How and to what extent did the Coventry City of Culture ‘City Host’ volunteer programme affect the volunteers’ mental wellbeing? A qualitative study
Authors: Whelan Maxine , Ghosh Iman , Bell Lauren , Oyebode Oyinlola 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
A team of volunteers, known as City Hosts, were recruited to support UK City of Culture 2021 awarded to Coventry. City Hosts held various roles facilitating cultural event delivery and promoting a positive experience for visitors. This study aimed to (i) understand how and to what extent the volunteering programme impacted volunteer subjective wellbeing, and (ii) explore the mechanisms of change and intermediate outcomes between volunteering and subjective wellbeing.

Methods
This qualitative study comprised inductive and deductive analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews, conducted between December 2021–May 2022 with City Hosts. This was complimented with secondary qualitative analysis of free text responses within Monitoring and Evaluation data collected from City Hosts in surveys conducted in August and November 2021, and April 2022.

Results
Approximately 180 City Hosts responded to the free text questions in each survey and 27 completed interviews. Analysis of data collected from City Hosts suggested positive wellbeing impacts from volunteering and supported theorised pathways to improved wellbeing. Strengths of the City Host programme included (i) facilitating the full range of mechanisms of change that mediate improved volunteer wellbeing, particularly promoting social connections and developing a strong role and group identity and (ii) flexibility around what volunteers do, how much, and how often.

Conclusions
This study offers lessons for others designing volunteering programmes who wish to promote wellbeing among associated volunteers. We also offer evidence that exposure to culture may be one mechanism by which volunteering can improve wellbeing.
Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among workers in the automobile manufacturing industry in China: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: He Xiongda , Xiao Bin , Wu Junle , Chen Chunshuo , Li Wankang , Yan Maosheng 
Published: October 2023

AbstractObjectivesWork-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have become one of the major occupational health problems. Lots of auto workers in China are exposed to WMSDs. However, there are few systematic review and meta-analysis about WMSDs in this field. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of WMSDs among these workers.MethodsThis study was carried out using the Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses method under the most up to date PRISMA guidelines. A literature search was conducted for studies on the epidemiology of WMSDs among auto workers in China from inception to August 2022, using English and Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, China Biology Medicine Disc, China Science and Technology Journal Database, PubMed, and Web of Science). All statistical analyses were performed using STATA V.16.0.ResultsOut of the 849 references identified, 26 articles were were eligible for inclusion, of which 12 reported the overall 12-month prevalence of WMSDs, while 14 stated the 12-month prevalence of WMSDs on body regions. The overall 12-month prevalence rate of WMSDs among workers was 53.1% [95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 46.3% to 59.9%]. The lower back/waist was the body region affected most (36.5%, 95%CI = 28.5% to 44.5%). The definition on WMSDs of “Chinese version” resulted in a high prevalence of WMSDs. Obesity, high educational level, long job tenure, female, logistic workers, and foundry workers are factors that led to a high prevalence rate of WMSDs in the lower back/waist.ConclusionsThis study showed a high prevalence rate of WMSDs among auto workers in China. Thus, it is necessary to pay particular stress to them. Several effective measures should be taken to prevent these workers from WMSDs.Trial registrationThis review was registered on PROSPERO (registration number CRD42023467152).
The effect of self-assessment on student competence in physiotherapy clinical training: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Atrash Hammam , Katz-Leurer Michal , Shahar Gila 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
Self-assessment is a method that allows students to reflect on and critically evaluate their performance, increases students’ involvement in learning, and improves academic achievement. In physiotherapy (PT) education, clinical training is a crucial component, guided by clinical educators (CEs), who assess and provide feedback, fostering student development. Limited research has investigated the impact of self-assessment on PT clinical training outcomes. This study aims to assess the effect of mid-term self-assessment during PT clinical training on students’ competence and on level of agreement between students’ self-assessment and CEs’ assessment at the end of the training.

Methods
23 CEs and their 52 undergraduate PT students participated in the study. The students underwent eight weeks of clinical training in outpatient PT clinics in groups of two or three. For each group, one CE performed student assessment at the mid-term and the end of the training using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) form, an assessment tool used to evaluate clinical competence in PT clinical training. One student from each group was randomly assigned to join the intervention group (IG). These students completed a self-assessment process at the mid-term of the training. All students were asked to complete a self-assessment form at the end of the training.

Results
The median CE’s evaluation score halfway through the training was 80 [50–96] and 91 [65–100] at the end of the training, with no significant differences between the two groups. The level of agreement between the student and CE’s evaluation at the end of the training was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.05). It noted that students who scored themselves higher than their CEs tended to have lower APP scores than others, based on CEs’ assessment. These students were found to have less academic experience. Nevertheless, those from the IG improved significantly, based on the CE’s assessment, during the second half of the training, compared to the controls.

Conclusion
The main finding of the present study is that student participation in self-assessment during PT clinical training is advantageous, mainly for individuals undergoing their initial clinical training and in the early stages of their academic studies.
Comparison of remote learning methods to on-site teaching -randomized, controlled trial
Authors: Tolonen Marko , Arvonen Miika , Renko Marjo , Paakkonen Heikki , Jäntti Helena , Piippo-Savolainen Eija 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
In the digitalized world, there is a need for developing new online teaching and learning methods. Although audio and video recordings are increasingly used in everyday learning, little scientific evidence is available on the efficacy of new online methods. This randomized trial was set out to compare the learning outcomes of online and classroom teaching methods in training healthcare students to diagnose breathing difficulties in children.

Methods
In total, 301 students of medicine (N = 166) and nursing (N = 135) volunteered to participate in this total sampling study in 2021–2022. The students were randomized into four groups based on teaching methods: classroom teaching (live, N = 72), streamed classroom teaching (live-stream, N = 77), audio recording (podcast, N = 79) and video recording (vodcast, N = 73). Each 45-minute lesson was taught by the same teachers and used the same protocol. The students participated an online test with their own electronic device at three distinct time points: prior to any teaching (baseline), immediately after teaching (final test), and five weeks later (long-term memory test). The test consisted of 10 multiple-choice questions on recognizing breathing difficulties from real-life videos of breathing difficulties in pre-school age. The test results scale ranged from − 26 to 28 points. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA multiple comparison and multiple regression tests.

Results
The mean scores (SD) of the final tests were 22.5 (5.3) in the vodcast, 22.9 (6.1) in the live, 20.0 (5.6) in the podcast (p < 0.05 vs. live) and 20.1 (6.8) in the live-stream group. The mean difference of test scores before and after the lesson improved significantly (p < 0.05) in all study groups, with 12.9 (6.5) in the vodcast, 12.6 (5.6) in the live, 10.9 (7.0) in the live-stream and 10.4 (6.9) in the podcast group. The improvement in test scores was significantly higher in the vodcast (p = 0.016) and the live (p = 0.037) groups than in the podcast group. No significant differences were found between the other groups. However, there was a nonsignificant difference towards better results in the vodcast group compared to the live-stream group.

Conclusions
While the new online teaching methods produce learning, only video learning is comparable to team teaching in classrooms.