bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nomograms confirm serum IL-6 and CRP as predictors of immune checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Du Jiajia , Huang Zhiyong , Zhang Erlei 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundImmunotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become the first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, only a small portion of patients are responsive to ICIs. It is important to identify the patients who are likely to benefit from ICIs in clinical practice. We aimed to examine the significance of serum IL-6 and CRP levels in predicting the effectiveness of ICIs for uHCC.MethodsWe retrospectively recruited 222 uHCC patients who received ICIs treatment (training cohort: 124 patients, validation cohort: 98 patients). In the training cohort, patients are categorized into the response group (R) and no-response group (NR). The levels of serum IL-6 and CRP were compared between the two groups. Internal validation was performed in the validation cohort. Survival analysis was carried out using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard regression model. The nomograms were developed and assessed using the consistency index (C-index) and calibration curve.ResultsSerum levels of IL-6 and CRP were significantly lower in the R group than in the NR group (9.94 vs. 36.85 pg/ml, p&lt; 0.001; 9.90 vs. 24.50 mg/L, p&lt; 0.001, respectively). An ROC curve was employed to identify the optimal cut-off values for IL-6 and CRP in both groups, resulting in values of 19.82 pg/ml and 15.50 mg/L, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that MVI (HR 1.751, 95%CI 1.059-2.894, p=0.029; HR 1.530, 95%CI 0.955-2.451, p=0.077), elevated IL-6 (HR 1.624, 95%CI 1.016-2.596, p=0.043; HR 2.146, 95%CI 1.361-3.383, p =0.001) and high CRP (HR 1.709, 95%CI 1.041-2.807, p=0.034; HR 1.846, 95%CI 1.128-3.022, p = 0.015) were independent risk factors for PFS and OS, even after various confounders adjustments. Nomograms are well-structured and validated prognostic maps constructed from three variables, as MVI, IL6 and CRP.ConclusionLow levels of IL-6 and CRP have a positive correlation with efficacy for uHCC patients receiving ICIs.
Measuring tactile sensitivity and mixed-reality-assisted exercise for carpal tunnel syndrome by ultrasound mid-air haptics
Authors: Akdağ Mehmet Akif , Menekşeoğlu Ahmet Kıvanç , Seğmen Hatice , Gözek Berk , Korkmaz Merve Damla , Güçlü Burak 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionCarpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment neuropathy, which causes numbness and pain in the thumb, the index and middle fingers and the radial side of the ring finger. Regular hand exercises may improve the symptoms and prevent carpal tunnel surgery. This study applied a novel ultrasonic stimulation method to test tactile sensitivity in CTS and also a mixed-reality-assisted (MR-assisted) exercise program which measured hand movements and provided haptic feedback for rehabilitation.MethodsTwenty patients with mild unilateral CTS took part in the experiments. A mid-air haptics device (Ultrahaptics STRATOS Explore) was used to apply amplitude-modulated ultrasound waves (carrier frequency: 40 kHz) onto the skin to create tactile stimulation mechanically. Participants performed a two-alternative forced-choice task for measuring tactile thresholds at 250-Hz modulation frequency. They were tested at the index fingers and the thenar eminences of both hands. Additionally, 15 CTS patients used an MR-assisted program to do hand exercises with haptic feedback. Exercise performance was assessed by calculating errors between target and actual hand configurations. System Usability Scale (SUS) was adopted to verify the practical usability of the program.ResultsThresholds at the thenar eminences of the affected and healthy hands were not significantly different. While the thresholds at the healthy index fingers could be measured, those of the affected fingers were all higher than the stimulation level produced by the maximum output from the ultrasound device. In the exercise program, a significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.89, p &lt; 0.001) was found between the performance scores and the SUS scores, which were above the criterion value established in the literature.DiscussionThe results show that thenar tactile sensitivity is not affected in mild CTS as expected from the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve (PCBm), but index finger threshold is likely to be higher. Overall, this study suggests that mid-air haptics, with certain improvements, may be used as a preliminary test in the clinical setting. Moreover, the device is promising to develop gamified rehabilitation programs and for the treatment follow-up of CTS.
Analysis of the influencing factors in the long-term survival of esophageal cancer
Authors: Rui Wang , Li Congcong , Da Qin , Yue Yang , Jing Li , Ruirui Guo , Youbin Cui , Lu Tianyu , Li Bo 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundTo analyze the prognosis and diagnostic value of relevant hematological indexes on the survival status of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgery.MethodsThis study included 206 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical R0 resection. The data, including the basic information, preoperative blood routine, albumin, fibrinogen, surgery-related information, postoperative pathology, and overall survival, of the patients were compared.ResultsThe survival and death groups showed a significant difference in overall survival (OS), the degree of differentiation, depth of infiltration, pathological stage, vascular infiltration, nerve infiltration, fibrinogen, white blood cell, neutrophils, platelet, and platelet hematocrit (P&lt;0.05). Tumor located in the middle thorax, larger lesion length, deeper invasion, later pathological stage, vascular infiltration, nerve infiltration, lymph node metastasis, cardiovascular disease, and higher smoking grade were risk factors for poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) (P&lt;0.05). Cardiovascular disease, lower differentiation, tumor located in the middle thorax, and nerve infiltration were independent risk factors for the reduction of survival time of patients with ESCC (P&lt;0.05).ConclusionsHistory of cardiovascular disease, tumor located in the middle chest, poorly differentiated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, visible nerve cancer invasion, hematocrit (HCT), mean erythrocyte hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and hemoglobin (HB) are independent risk factors for the long-term survival of patients with ESCC.
Identification of wheat seedling varieties based on MssiapNet
Authors: Feng Yongqiang , Liu Chengzhong , Han Junying , Lu Qinglin , Xing Xue 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionIn the actual planting of wheat, there are often shortages of seedlings and broken seedlings on long ridges in the field, thus affecting grain yield and indirectly causing economic losses. Variety identification of wheat seedlings using physical methods timeliness and is unsuitable for universal dissemination. Recognition of wheat seedling varieties using deep learning models has high timeliness and accuracy, but fewer researchers exist. Therefore, in this paper, a lightweight wheat seedling variety recognition model, MssiapNet, is proposed.MethodsThe model is based on the MobileVit-XS and increases the model's sensitivity to subtle differences between different varieties by introducing the scSE attention mechanism in the MV2 module, so the recognition accuracy is improved. In addition, this paper proposes the IAP module to fuse the identified feature information. Subsequently, training was performed on a self-constructed real dataset, which included 29,020 photographs of wheat seedlings of 29 varieties.ResultsThe recognition accuracy of this model is 96.85%, which is higher than the other nine mainstream classification models. Although it is only 0.06 higher than the Resnet34 model, the number of parameters is only 1/3 of that. The number of parameters required for MssiapNet is 29.70MB, and the single image Execution time and the single image Delay time are 0.16s and 0.05s. The MssiapNet was visualized, and the heat map showed that the model was superior for wheat seedling variety identification compared with MobileVit-XS.DiscussionThe proposed model has a good recognition effect on wheat seedling varieties and uses a few parameters with fast inference speed, which makes it easy to be subsequently deployed on mobile terminals for practical performance testing.
Neighbourhood-level socioeconomic status and prevalence of teacher-reported health disorders among Canadian kindergarten children
Authors: Janus Magdalena , Brownell Marni , Reid-Westoby Caroline , Pottruff Molly , Forer Barry , Guhn Martin , Duku Eric 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundThe evidence on the association between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES) and health disorders in young children is scarce. This study examined the prevalence of health disorders in Canadian kindergarten (5–6 years old) children in relation to neighborhood SES in 12/13 Canadian jurisdictions.MethodsData on child development at school entry for an eligible 1,372,980 children out of the total population of 1,435,428 children from 2004 to 2020, collected using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were linked with neighborhood sociodemographic data from the 2006 Canadian Census and the 2005 Taxfiler for 2,058 neighborhoods. We examined the relationship using linear regressions. Children’s HD included special needs, functional impairments limiting a child’s ability to participate in classroom activities, and diagnosed conditions.ResultsThe neighborhood prevalence of health disorders across Canada ranged from 1.8 to 46.6%, with a national average of 17.3%. The combined prevalence of health disorders was 16.4%, as 225,711 children were identified as having at least one health disorder. Results of an unadjusted linear regression showed a significant association between neighborhood-level SES and prevalence of health disorders (F(1, 2051) = 433.28, p &lt; 0.001), with an R2 of 0.17. When province was added to the model, the R2 increased to 0.40 (F(12, 2040) = 115.26, p &lt; 0.001). The association was strongest in Newfoundland &amp; Labrador and weakest in Ontario.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that the prevalence of health disorders among kindergarten children was higher in lower SES neighborhoods and varied by jurisdiction in Canada, which has implications for practice and resource allocation.
Refusal of treatment among HER2-positive breast cancer patients in China: a retrospective analysis
Authors: Wang Xin , Lian Zhiwei , Wu Qiyou , Wu Fan , Zhang Gong , Liu Jian , Chen Chuanben , Sun Jing 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundThere is a need to update the understanding of treatment refusal among cancer patients in China, taking into account recent developments. This study investigated how public insurance coverage of the first breast cancer targeted therapy contributed to the changes in treatment refusal among HER2-positive breast cancer patients in China. And it intensively examined and discussed additional barriers affecting patient utilization of innovative anticancer medicines based on the types and reasons for treatment refusal.MethodsThis retrospective study included female breast cancer patients diagnosed as HER2-positive who received treatment at a provincial oncology center in southern China between 2014 and 2020. Multivariable analysis was conducted using a binary logistic regression model. Subgroup analysis was performed with the same regression model.ResultsAmong the 1,322 HER2-positive breast cancer patients who received treatment at the study hospital between 2014 and 2020, 327 (24.55%) had ever refused treatment. Economic reasons were reported as the primary cause by 142 patients (43.43%). Patients diagnosed after September 2017, when the first breast cancer targeted therapy was included in the public health insurance, were less likely to refuse treatment (OR = 0.64, 95% CI:0.45 ~ 0.91, p = 0.01) compared to those diagnosed before September 2017. Patients enrolled in the resident health insurance were more likely to refuse treatment (OR = 2.43, 95% CI:1.77 ~ 3.35, p &lt; 0.001) than those enrolled in the employee health insurance.ConclusionThis study reveals a high rate of treatment refusal among HER2-positive breast cancer patients, primarily attributed to financial factors. The disparity in public health insurance benefits resulted in a heavier economic burden for patients with less comprehensive benefits. Furthermore, the study identified challenges faced by patients seeking quality-assured cancer care in underdeveloped regions in China. By addressing economic barriers, promoting accurate health information, and improving cancer care capacity across the country can reduce the rate of treatment refusal.
Global disability-adjusted life years and deaths attributable to child and maternal malnutrition from 1990 to 2019
Authors: Liu Rong , Pi Lucheng , Leng Fangqun , Shen Qing 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundChild and maternal malnutrition (CMM) caused heavy disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and deaths globally. It is crucial to understand the global burden associated with CMM in order to prioritize prevention and control efforts. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the global DALY and deaths attributable to CMM from 1990 to 2019 in this study.MethodsThe age-standardized CMM related burden including DALY and death from 1990 to 2019 were accessed from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019 (GBD 2019). The changing trend were described by average annual percentage change (AAPC). The relationship between sociodemographic factors and burden attributable to CMM were explored by generalized linear model (GLM).ResultsGlobally, in 2019, the age-standardized DALY and death rates of CMM were 4,425.24/100,000 (95% UI: 3,789.81/100,000–5,249.55/100,000) and 44.72/100,000 (95% UI: 37.83/100,000–53.47/100,000), respectively. The age-standardized DALY rate (AAPC = −2.92, 95% CI: −2.97% to −2.87%) and death rates (AAPC = −3.19, 95% CI: −3.27% to −3.12%) presented significantly declining trends during past 30 years. However, CMM still caused heavy burden in age group of &lt;28 days, Sub-Saharan Africa and low SDI regions. And, low birth weight and short gestation has identified as the primary risk factors globally. The GLM indicated that the highly per capita gross domestic product, per capita current health expenditure, physicians per 1,000 people were contributed to reduce the burden attributable to CMM.ConclusionAlthough global burden attributable to CMM has significantly declined, it still caused severe health burden annually. To strengthen interventions and address resources allocation in the vulnerable population and regions is necessary.
Multiple disadvantages: class, social capital, and well-being of ethnic minority groups in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Li Yaojun , Ding Lin 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold damage to the socio-economic lives of people all over the world. Research has also demonstrated great inequality in the pandemic experience. In the UK as in many other countries, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and in working-class positions have suffered disproportionately more than the majority group and those in salariat positions in terms of income loss, financial difficulty, and vulnerability to infection. Yet little is known about how people coped in the daily lives and tried to maintain their well-being during the most difficult days of the pandemic through social capital.MethodsIn this paper, we draw data from the COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Studies to address these questions. The survey covered the period from May 2020 to February 2021, the height of the pandemic in the UK. It contains numerous questions on contact, help and support among family, friends, community members, socio-political trust, and physical and mental health. We conceptualise three types of social capital and one type of overall well-being and we construct latent variables from categorical indicator variables. We analyse the ethnic and socio-economic determinants of the three types of social capital and their impacts on well-being.ResultsOur analysis shows that social capital plays very important roles on well-being, and that ethnic minority groups, particularly those of Pakistani/Bangladeshi and Black heritages, faced multiple disadvantages: their poorer socio-economic positions prevented them from gaining similar levels of social capital to those of the white group. However, for people with the same levels of social capital, the effects on well-being are generally similar.DiscussionSocio-economic (class) inequality is the root cause for ethnic differences in social capital which in turn affects people’s well-being.
Bone transport combined with sequential nailing technique for the management of large segmental bone defects after trauma
Authors: Wang Qian , Ma Teng , Li Zhong , Zhang Kun , Huang Qiang 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundBone transport technique is widely used for the management of large segmental bone defects. However, several reasons may prevent its successful completion, such as poor osteogenesis, docking site nonunion, severe chronic pain and psychological problems. We used sequential nailing technique to solve these problems. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical effects of our modified technique for the management of large segmental bone defects after trauma.MethodsTwenty-three patients using bone transport combined with sequential nailing technique in our institution from June 2011 to June 2020 were included and analyzed retrospectively. There were 15 males and eight females. The age ranged from 19 to 64 years. There were eight cases suffering from basic medical diseases. The initial injury was open in 14 patients. Seven cases encountered femoral defects and 16 for tibia. The main reasons for sequential nailing technique were docking site nonunion (nine cases), poor osteogenesis (five cases), severe chronic pain (five cases) and psychological problems (four cases). The residual bone defects after removing the external fixator, operation plans, complications and follow-up time were recorded. Bone defect healing was evaluated by Paley score.ResultsThe mean residual bone defects were (2.9 ± 1.9) cm. The mean time in external fixator was (9.5 ± 3.4) months. The average follow-up time was (23 ± 3) months. With respect to complications, two cases suffered from nonunion again and were treated by bone graft with augmented plate fixation. No infection recurrence was found in these cases. The excellent and good rate of bone defect healing was 91.3%.ConclusionBone transport combined with sequential nailing technique could shorten the external fixation time, overcome the inconvenience of the external frame to patients, eliminate chronic pain and be easy for patients to accept. Patients using this modified technique achieved high satisfaction.
Effect of Oregon grape root extracts on P-glycoprotein mediated transport in in vitro cell lines
Authors: Fan Ying , Zhou Zhu , Zhang Lei 
Published: January 2024

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the potential of Oregon grape root extracts to modulate the activity of P-glycoprotein.Methods: We performed 3H-CsA or 3H-digoxin transport experiments in the absence or presence of two sources of Oregon grape root extracts (E1 and E2), berberine or berbamine in Caco-2 and MDCKII-MDR1 cells. In addition, real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed in Caco-2 and LS-180 cells to investigate the mechanism of modulating P-glycoprotein.Results: Our results showed that in Caco-2 cells, Oregon grape root extracts (E1 and E2) (0.1–1 mg/mL) inhibited the efflux of CsA and digoxin in a dose-dependent manner. However, 0.05 mg/mL E1 significantly increased the absorption of digoxin. Ten µM berberine and 30 µM berbamine significantly reduced the efflux of CsA, while no measurable effect of berberine was observed with digoxin. In the MDCKII-MDR1 cells, 10 µM berberine and 30 µM berbamine inhibited the efflux of CsA and digoxin. Lastly, in real time RT-PCR study, Oregon grape root extract (0.1 mg/mL) up-regulated mRNA levels of human MDR1 in Caco-2 and LS-180 cells at 24 h.Conclusion: Our study showed that Oregon grape root extracts modulated P-glycoprotein, thereby may affect the bioavailability of drugs that are substrates of P-glycoprotein.
Disfunções olfativas e complicações neurológicas em pacientes com COVID-19
Authors: Rossa Isabella Cristina Mendes , Stocco Rebecca Benicio , Pereira Marcos Roberto Curcio , Pinto Maria Fernanda Braga Vilacio , Trintinalha Mariana de Oliveira , Twardowschy Carlos Alexandre 
Published: January 2024

Introdução. Casos de pneumonia de etiologia desconhecida, mas com características semelhantes a um quadro viral, foram identificados na China no final de 2019. Pesquisadores constataram o coronavírus da síndrome respiratória aguda grave 2 como o causador dessa infecção, a qual foi denominada COVID-19. A COVID-19 pode estar associada à injúria cerebral. Dois mecanismos de chegada do vírus até o cérebro: via hematogênica e disseminação neuronal retrógrada, esta envolve o sistema olfatório. Os distúrbios olfativos podem indicar injúria cerebral e associação com complicações neurológicas. Objetivos. Analisar a associação entre disfunções olfativas e complicações neurológicas na COVID-19. Método. Estudo retrospectivo observacional. Resultados. Foram avaliados 989 prontuários. Comorbidades mais prevalentes: hipertensão arterial sistêmica (47,3%), diabetes mellitus (25,2%) e dislipidemia (24,2%). Sintomas mais prevalentes: cefaleia (22,3%), astenia (15,5%), anosmia (8,3%), ageusia (5,0%). Presença de AVC prévio foi preditor de morte, 52% desses pacientes evoluíram para óbito. Cefaleia, anosmia e/ou ageusia foram preditoras de quadro mais leve, visto que 14%, 10,2% e 10,2% evoluíram para óbito, respectivamente. Rebaixamento do nível de consciência (RNC), confusão mental e AVC durante o internamento foram preditores de óbito, visto que, respectivamente, 54,5%, 70% e 60% dos pacientes evoluíram para óbito. Conclusão. Presença de AVC prévio, RNC, confusão mental e Acidente Vascular Cerebral durante o internamento foram preditores de óbito. Anosmia, ageusia e cefaleia foram relacionadas a desfechos favoráveis.
Perancangan Sistem Informasi Akuntansi Laporan Sisa Hasil Usaha Berbasis Web pada Koperasi Karyawan PT. Kahatex “Wiryatama” Cimahi
Authors: Azizah Rizqi Nur , Karyadi  , Kusumadiarti Rini Suwartika 
Published: January 2024

This study aims to create an accounting information system design for web-based residual business results at the PT. KAHATEX "WIRYATAMA" Cimahi Employee Cooperative. This research uses qualitative methods. Data collection techniques are used by observation, interviews and . The software method used is the waterfall. From the research conducted, the authors found several problems including the savings and loan process and the calculation of remaining business results still using Microsoft Exel, so data processing takes a long time and the accuracy of reports is less accurate. Therefore, an information system is designed using data flow diagrams and implemented in the PHP and MYSQL programming languages as databases. As for some suggestions given to deal with existing problems, namely optimizing savings and loan information systems and residual business results using applications that have been designed, can develop existing systems and can maintain system to improve better performance.