bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sensommatic: an efficient pipeline to mine and predict sensory receptor genes in the era of reference-quality genomes
Authors: Ryan Louise , Lawless Colleen , Hughes Graham M 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Summary
Sensory receptor gene families have undergone extensive expansion and loss across vertebrate evolution, leading to significant variation in receptor counts between species. However, due to their species-specific nature, conventional reference-based annotation tools often underestimate the true number of sensory receptors in a given species. While there has been an exponential increase in the taxonomic diversity of publicly available genome assemblies in recent years, only ∼30% of vertebrate species on the NCBI database are currently annotated. To overcome these limitations, we developed ‘Sensommatic’, an automated and accessible sensory receptor annotation pipeline. Sensommatic implements BLAST and AUGUSTUS to mine and predict sensory receptor genes from whole genome assemblies, adopting a one-to-many gene mapping approach. While designed for vertebrates, Sensommatic can be extended to run on non-vertebrate species by generating customized reference files, making it a scalable and generalizable tool.

Availability and implementation
Source code and associated files are available at: https://github.com/GMHughes/Sensommatic
Psychometric Properties of the Instrument for Scoring Clinical Outcomes of Research for Epidermolysis Bullosa patient score (iscorEB-p): a patient-reported outcome measure
Authors: Salamon Gudrun , Strobl Sophie , Field-Werners Ursula , Diem Anja , Schwieger-Briel Agnes , Pope Elena 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background
In contrast to clinical diagnosis via external examination, patient-related outcome measures (PROMs) allow access to patients’ internal perceptions. In the case of epidermolysis bullosa (EB) – a rare disease characterized by a wide variety of symptoms and individual disease courses – it is important to integrate the patient’s perspective into diagnostic processes. The Instrument for Scoring Clinical Outcomes of Research for EB (iscorEB) is an EB-specific measurement tool, combining a clinician score (iscorEB-c) and a patient questionnaire (iscorEB-p).

Objectives
The aim of this study is to establish the iscorEB-p as an independent PROM tool by exploring its psychometric properties.

Methods
Sample-based psychometric testing and evaluation were performed on data collected via a multinational online cross-sectional study.

Results
Data analysis was performed with n = 95 participants across all EB types. The reliability and internal consistency of the iscorEB-p was excellent (α = 0.90). Principal component analysis with a varimax rotation resulted in a two-factor solution, explaining 55.6% of the total variance, with the distinct factors ‘everyday life functioning’ and ‘specific EB symptoms’. Convergent validity was shown by high correlations to the Satisfaction With Life Scale (r = –0.52, P &lt; 0.001), the Quality of Life in Epidermolysis Bullosa questionnaire (r = 0.72, P &lt; 0.001) and the Epidermolysis Bullosa Family Burden of Disease questionnaire (r = –0.73, P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusions
The iscorEB-p is a reliable and valid instrument to assess patient-reported health status of people with EB.
Biomechanical engineering analysis of neochordae length’s impact on chordal forces in mitral repair
Authors: Zhu Yuanjia , Lee Seung Hyun , Venkatesh Akshay , Wu Catherine A , Stark Charles J , Ethiraj Sidarth , Lee Justin J , Park Matthew H , Yajima Shin , Woo Y Joseph 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Artificial neochordae implantation is commonly used for mitral valve (MV) repair. However, neochordae length estimation can be difficult to perform. The objective was to assess the impact of neochordae length changes on MV haemodynamics and neochordal forces.

METHODS
Porcine MVs (n = 6) were implanted in an ex vivo left heart simulator. MV prolapse (MVP) was generated by excising at least 2 native primary chordae supporting the P2 segments from each papillary muscle. Two neochordae anchored on each papillary muscle were placed with 1 tied to the native chord length (exact length) and the other tied with variable lengths from 2× to 0.5× of the native length (variable length). Haemodynamics, neochordal forces and echocardiography data were collected.

RESULTS
Neochord implantation repair successfully eliminated mitral regurgitation with repaired regurgitant fractions of approximately 4% regardless of neochord length (P &lt; 0.01). Leaflet coaptation height also significantly improved to a minimum height of 1.3 cm compared with that of MVP (0.9 ± 0.4 cm, P &lt; 0.05). Peak and average forces on exact length neochordae increased as variable length neochordae lengths increased. Peak and average forces on the variable length neochordae increased with shortened lengths. Overall, chordal forces appeared to vary more drastically in variable length neochordae compared with exact length neochordae.

CONCLUSIONS
MV regurgitation was eliminated with neochordal repair, regardless of the neochord length. However, chordal forces varied significantly with different neochord lengths, with a preferentially greater impact on the variable length neochord. Further validation studies may be performed before translating to clinical practices.
When one size does not fit all: aid and health system strengthening for Small Island Developing States
Authors: Meessen Bruno , Ancia Anne , Gill Danny , LaFoucade Althea , Lalta Stanley , Sandoval Guillermo , Waqa Gade 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Health System strengthening is high on the agenda of the global health community. We review some of the specific challenges faced by Small Island Developing States in the development of their health systems. We propose a list of action points for aid actors willing to adapt their health programs and interventions.
Enabling cross-country learning and exchange to support universal health coverage implementation
Authors: Oliveira Hashiguchi Lauren , Conlin Maeve , Roberts Dawn , McGee Kathleen , Marten Robert , Nachuk Stefan , Mukti Ali Ghufron , Nigam Aditi , Ahluwalia Naina , Nagpal Somil 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
As countries transition from external assistance while pursuing ambitious plans to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), there is increasing need to facilitate knowledge sharing and learning among them. Country-led and country-owned knowledge management is foundational to sustainable, more equitable external assistance for health and is a useful complement to more conventional capacity-building modalities provided under external assistance. In the context of external assistance, few initiatives use country-to-country sharing of practitioner experiences, and link learning to receiving guidance on how to adapt, apply and sustain policy changes. Dominant knowledge exchange processes are didactic, implicitly assuming static technical needs, and that practitioners in low- and middle-income countries require problem-specific, time-bound solutions. In reality, the technical challenges of achieving UHC and the group of policymakers involved continuously evolve. This paper aims to explore factors which are supportive of experience-based knowledge exchange between practitioners from diverse settings, drawing from the experience of the Joint Learning Network (JLN) for UHC—a global network of practitioners and policymakers sharing experiences about common challenges to develop and implement knowledge products supporting reforms for UHC—as an illustration of a peer-to-peer learning approach. This paper considers: (1) an analysis of JLN monitoring and evaluation data between 2020 and 2023 and (2) a qualitative inquiry to explore policymakers’ engagement with the JLN using semi-structured interviews (n = 14) with stakeholders from 10 countries. The JLN’s experience provides insights to factors that contribute to successful peer-to-peer learning approaches. JLN relies on engaging a network of practitioners with diverse experiences who organically identify and pursue a common learning agenda. Meaningful peer-to-peer learning requires dynamic, structured interactions, and alignment with windows of opportunity for implementation that enable rapid response to emerging and timely issues. Peer-to-peer learning can facilitate in-country knowledge sharing, learning and catalyse action at the institutional and health system levels.
Predicting host-based, synthetic lethal antiviral targets from omics data
Authors: Staheli Jeannette P , Neal Maxwell L , Navare Arti , Mast Fred D , Aitchison John D 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Traditional antiviral therapies often have limited effectiveness due to toxicity and the emergence of drug resistance. Host-based antivirals are an alternative, but can cause nonspecific effects. Recent evidence shows that virus-infected cells can be selectively eliminated by targeting synthetic lethal (SL) partners of proteins disrupted by viral infection. Thus, we hypothesized that genes depleted in CRISPR knockout (KO) screens of virus-infected cells may be enriched in SL partners of proteins altered by infection. To investigate this, we established a computational pipeline predicting antiviral SL drug targets. First, we identified SARS-CoV-2-induced changes in gene products via a large compendium of omics data. Second, we identified SL partners for each altered gene product. Last, we screened CRISPR KO data for SL partners required for cell viability in infected cells. Despite differences in virus-induced alterations detected by various omics data, they share many predicted SL targets, with significant enrichment in CRISPR KO-depleted datasets. Our comparison of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infection data revealed potential broad-spectrum, host-based antiviral SL targets. This suggests that CRISPR KO data are replete with common antiviral targets due to their SL relationship with virus-altered states and that such targets can be revealed from analysis of omics datasets and SL predictions.
Digital Collateral
Authors: Gertler Paul , Green Brett , Wolfram Catherine 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
A new form of secured lending using “digital collateral” has recently emerged, most prominently in low- and middle-income countries. Digital collateral relies on lockout technology, which allows the lender to temporarily disable the flow value of the collateral to the borrower without physically repossessing it. We explore this new form of credit in a model and a field experiment using school-fee loans digitally secured with a solar home system. Securing a loan with digital collateral drastically reduced default rates (by 19 percentage points) and increased the lender’s rate of return (by 49 percentage points). Using a variant of the Karlan and Zinman (2009) methodology, we decompose the total effect on repayment and find that roughly two-thirds is attributable to moral hazard, and one-third to adverse selection. In addition, access to digitally secured school-fee loans significantly increased school enrollment and school-related expenditures without detrimental effects on households’ balance sheets.
The Value of Social Work to Health, Health Systems, and Interprofessional Teams: A Scoping Review
Authors: Ross Abigail M , Jashinski Julia , Lombardo Molly Zatony , Keane Jazmyne , Wilkinson Geoffrey 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Social workers are an integral part of the U.S. healthcare system, yet specific contributions of social work to health and cost-containment outcomes is sparse. This scoping review describes and evaluates the state of the evidence on how social work interventions impact health and economic outcomes since the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Three databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL) were searched using the convention [“social work” OR “social services”] AND “health” AND [“cost” OR “utilization” OR “readmission”] for studies published between 2010 and 2022. Unique records were evaluated on inclusion criteria (U.S.-based, reported social work, and cost or health outcomes) using a five-phase scoping review process. Methodological quality was assessed using two validated metrics. Of 1,655 unique records retrieved, 40 (2.4%) met inclusion criteria. Full-text review yielded 15 studies. Most (75%) studies described transitional care interventions for older patients and high utilizers of health services, with the majority (75%) led by social workers. While health and cost outcomes were generally positive, overall methodological quality of the sample was low. Social work intervention can improve health and cost outcomes. More robust economic analyses that inform policy, practice, and health service delivery are needed.
Tropical Origin, Global Diversification, and Dispersal in the Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionoidea) Revealed by a New Molecular Phylogeny
Authors: Willink Beatriz , Ware Jessica L , Svensson Erik I 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
The processes responsible for the formation of Earth’s most conspicuous diversity pattern, the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), remain unexplored for many clades in the Tree of Life. Here, we present a densely sampled and dated molecular phylogeny for the most speciose clade of damselflies worldwide (Odonata: Coenagrionoidea) and investigate the role of time, macroevolutionary processes, and biome-shift dynamics in shaping the LDG in this ancient insect superfamily. We used process-based biogeographic models to jointly infer ancestral ranges and speciation times and to characterize within-biome dispersal and biome-shift dynamics across the cosmopolitan distribution of Coenagrionoidea. We also investigated temporal and biome-dependent variation in diversification rates. Our results uncover a tropical origin of pond damselflies and featherlegs ~105 Ma, while highlighting the uncertainty of ancestral ranges within the tropics in deep time. Even though diversification rates have declined since the origin of this clade, global climate change and biome-shifts have slowly increased diversity in warm- and cold-temperate areas, where lineage turnover rates have been relatively higher. This study underscores the importance of biogeographic origin and time to diversify as important drivers of the LDG in pond damselflies and their relatives, while diversification dynamics have instead resulted in the formation of ephemeral species in temperate regions. Biome-shifts, although limited by tropical niche conservatism, have been the main factor reducing the steepness of the LDG in the last 30 Myr. With ongoing climate change and increasing northward range expansions of many damselfly taxa, the LDG may become less pronounced. Our results support recent calls to unify biogeographic and macroevolutionary approaches to improve our understanding of how latitudinal diversity gradients are formed and why they vary across time and among taxa.
Italian resident individuals with interests in Liechtenstein entities: notes on Italian income taxes—Part 1
Authors: Quartana Claudio , Bolis Lodovico 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
It is not uncommon for Italian resident taxpayers to resort to Liechtenstein entities to take advantage of the benefits that they can offer, like asset protection, confidentiality and favorable taxation. This article tries to address some of the Italian income tax implications that Italian resident individuals with interests in Liechtenstein entities should consider. Part 1, after providing an overview on the recent agreement for the elimination of double taxation stipulated between Italy and Liechtenstein, focuses on Liechtenstein foundations and establishments, also covering the potential advantages that may derive from the combination of the Italian lump sum tax regime with the use of these legal entities. Part 2 (to be published soon in 2024), will deal with Liechtenstein limited companies and “the Italian Controlled Foreign Companies regime”.
Prone Position Increases the Risk of Postoperative Deep Vein Thrombosis in Cervical Spine Surgery by Limiting Venous Return in the Lower Limbs
Authors: Wang Yu , Chen Xiaohui , Wu Qilong , Wang Yefeng , Wang Jing , Teng Honglin , Xu Shihao , Wang Yu 
Published: January 2024

Study Design.
Retrospective clinical study with confirmatory evaluation in healthy volunteers

Objective.
To investigate the association between deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and surgical position after cervical spine surgery.

Summary of Background Data.
It is unclear whether posterior cervical surgery using the prone position increases the risk of postoperative DVT relative to anterior cervical surgery.

Methods.
340 patients undergoing surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy were included. Multivariate analysis was used to identify the predictors of postoperative DVT, adjusting for potential confounders. In addition, 45 healthy volunteers were used to study blood flow velocity and intravascular diameter of the posterior tibial vein (PTV) and popliteal vein (PV) of the subjects were monitored by ultrasound and compared among three positions (supine, prone, and prone with iliac cushions).

Results.
Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age (>63.5 y old), preoperative varicose veins, D-dimer>0.255 mg/L, bleeding volume>303 mL and prone positioning were significantly associated with DVT after cervical spine surgery. The results of vascular ultrasound showed that blood flow velocities of PV and PTV in the prone position with cushions were significantly lower than those in the supine position. The diameter of PV in prone position with cushions was also significantly larger. The blood flow velocity and diameter of PV in the prone position with cushions were significantly lower and larger, respectively, than those in the prone position without cushions.

Conclusions.
Posterior cervical surgery in the prone position was significantly associated with postoperative DVT. The prone position with iliac cushions may decrease venous flow within the lower extremities due to compression of iliac veins, obstructing venous return and thus increasing the incidence of postoperative DVT. The prone position without iliac cushions may reduce the potential for DVT.

Level of Evidence.
3
A Nationwide, Prospective Study of Tracheal Intubation in Critically Ill Adults in Spain: Management, Associated Complications, and Outcomes
Authors: Garnacho-Montero José , Gordillo-Escobar Elena , Trenado Josep , Gordo Federico , Fisac Lourdes , García-Prieto Emilio , López-Martin Cristina , Abella Ana , Jiménez Juan Ramón , García-Garmendia José Luis ,   and the Intubation Prospective (INTUPROS) Study Investigators.
Published: January 2024

Objectives:
Our aims were to explore current intubation practices in Spanish ICUs to determine the incidence and risk factors of peri-intubation complications (primary outcome measure: major adverse events), the rate and factors associated with first-pass success, and their impact on mortality as well as the changes of the intubation procedure observed in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design:
Prospective, observational, and cohort study.

Setting:
Forty-three Spanish ICU.

Patients:
A total of 1837 critically ill adult patients undergoing tracheal intubation. The enrollment period was six months (selected by each center from April 16, 2019, to October 31, 2020).

Interventions:
None.

Measurement and Main Results
: At least one major adverse peri-intubation event occurred in 40.4 % of the patients (973 major adverse events were registered) the most frequent being hemodynamic instability (26.5%) and severe hypoxemia (20.3%). The multivariate analysis identified seven variables independently associated with a major adverse event whereas the use of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) was associated with reduced odds of major adverse events. Intubation on the first attempt was achieved in 70.8% of the patients. The use of videolaryngoscopy at the first attempt was the only protective factor (odds ratio 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28–0.66; p < 0.001) for first-attempt intubation failure. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of videolaryngoscopy and NMBAs increased significantly. The occurrence of a major peri-intubation event was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality. Cardiovascular collapse also posed a serious threat, constituting an independent predictor of death.

Conclusions:
A major adverse event occurred in up to 40% of the adults intubated in the ICU. Peri-intubation hemodynamic instability but not severe hypoxemia was identified as an independent predictor of death. The use of NMBAs was a protective factor for major adverse events, whereas the use of videolaringoscopy increases the first-pass success rate of intubation. Intubation practices changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ovarian Leiomyosarcoma as Incidentaloma during Postbariatric Abdominoplasty Surgical Procedure
Authors: Mazzarella Francesca , Brunelli Daniele , Foletto Mirto , Bassetto Franco , Vindigni Vincenzo 
Published: January 2024

Summary:
This case report addresses the discovery, surgical management, histology, and postoperative outcomes of an incidentaloma during the preoperative evaluation of a 58-year-old woman planning to undergo abdominoplasty and hernia correction after bariatric surgery. The patient’s computed tomography scan revealed a large pelvic mass in addition to an enlarged uterus and an umbilical hernia. Subsequent surgical intervention included umbilical hernia repair, subtotal omental excision, and en-bloc removal of the uterine and ovarian structures. Histological analysis confirmed the mass as a high-grade utero-ovarian leiomyosarcoma. The patient received adjuvant chemotherapy and demonstrated a positive response in follow-up imaging at 6 months, with reduced mass size and no significant lymphadenopathy. Both aesthetic and morpho-functional outcomes were satisfactory. The report highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating incidentalomas, emphasizing the need for individualized management. It discusses the rarity of primary ovarian leiomyosarcoma and the surgical approach used. The case ultimately emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary clinical evaluations in ensuring comprehensive care for patients with unexpected radiological findings, such as utero-ovarian leiomyosarcoma.