bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cognitive Functioning Among Community-dwelling Older Adults in Rural Population of Lucknow and Its Association with Comorbidities
Authors: Pandit Pratyaksha , Kumari Reema , Tripathi Adarsh , Mishra Prabhakar 
Published: February 2024

Background: The transitional state between normal aging and dementia is known as Cognitive impairment (CI) where a person has memory complaints and objective evidence of CI but no evidence of dementia. With the globe undergoing a “demographic transition,” the magnitude of neurodegenerative disorders is rising. In India, 27.3% of older persons with comorbidities had CI. Early identification of CI will likely help initiate proper remedial intervention, leading to better overall outcomes. In order to determine the prevalence of CI in older persons and whether it is associated with co-morbid conditions, this study was designed. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 350 older adults aged ≥60 residing in rural areas of Lucknow, selected using multistage cluster sampling. The Hindi Mental State Examination (HMSE) scale was used to assess cognitive function. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidity status. Results: Among 350 participants, with mean ± SD age 70.66 ± 9.53 years, the prevalence of CI as per HMSE (<23) was 24.9%. Overall, the mean HMSE score was less in individuals with (25.2) than without (27.19) comorbidities. Those with comorbidities had significantly lower mean scores in all individual domains of HMSE. Conclusion: CI affects one-fourth of the older adult population. Risk increases with the presence of comorbidities. Hence, screening, and early treatment are recommended.
Effects of doxorubicin on autophagy in fibroblasts
Authors: Shuey Anna , Patricelli Conner , Oxford Julia T , Pu Xinzhu 
Published: February 2024

Objectives: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a highly effective chemotherapeutic used to treat many adult and pediatric cancers, such as solid tumors, leukemia, lymphomas and breast cancer. It can also cause injuries to multiple organs, including the heart, liver, and brain or kidney, although cardiotoxicity is the most prominent side effect of DOX. In this study, we examined the potential effects of DOX on autophagy activity in two different mouse fibroblasts. Methods: Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (NIH3T3) and mouse primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were treated with DOX to assess changes in the expression of two commonly used autophagy protein markers, LC3II and p62. We also examined the effects of DOX the on expression of key genes that encode components of the molecular machinery and regulators modulating autophagy in response to both extracellular and intracellular signals. Results: We observed that LC3II levels increased and p62 levels decreased following the DOX treatment in NIH3T3 cells. However, similar effects were not observed in primary cardiac fibroblasts. In addition, DOX treatment induced the upregulation of a significant number of genes involved in autophagy in NIH3T3 cells, but not in primary cardiac fibroblasts. Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicate that DOX upregulates autophagy in fibroblasts in a cell-specific manner.
Ethical challenges in organ transplants for refugees in a healthcare system
Authors: Birtan Deniz , Akpinar Aslihan 
Published: February 2024

Background Several ethical issues are associated with providing living organ transplantation services, and there is limited information on these issues faced by the teams providing service to refugees or asylum seekers. Aim To determine the challenges healthcare professionals face in organ transplant centers providing services to Syrians under temporary protection status and discern whether these difficulties align with ethical issues in living organ transplantation. Research design This study employed a qualitative design and conducted individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 18 transplant team members in Istanbul between September and November 2022. Data analysis was based on Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Participants and research context The participants comprised 18 healthcare professionals, including 6 physicians and 12 nurses working in organ transplant teams in Istanbul. Ethical considerations The University’s Ethics Committee provided approval. Participants were informed regarding confidentiality and signed an informed consent form. Results Three themes emerged from the data on ethical issues faced by organ transplantation services to Syrians: (a) beneficence or double equipoise, (b) autonomy, and (c) justice. Transplant teams experience problems related to preserving double equipoise in the provision of living donor organ transplantation because of language barriers, poor socioeconomic conditions, and cultural factors, which increases transplant teams’ individual and indirect social burden. Although problems arise from the language barrier when obtaining informed consent in the autonomy theme, institutional and national policies in preventing donor abuse have a comforting effect. Health workers had the least problems with the justice theme, wherein national health policies are determined. Conclusion Fewer issues related to autonomy and justice were reported in providing organ transplantation services to Syrians, with the most intense reported issues being maintaining double equipoise. The results revealed the need to develop institutional, national, and international policies with individual solutions to prevent difficulties healthcare professionals face in this process.
Low Dose Amantadine and Escitalopram in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Multiple System Atrophy
Authors: Chutia Porimita , Tripathi Shailendra Mohan 
Published: February 2024

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are less responsive to usual antiparkinsonian drugs. Purpose: To assess the treatment outcome of the combination of low-dose amantadine and escitalopram in the study population. Methods: A retrospective study of PSP and MSA patients from June 2021 to December 2022 treated with the dose of amantadine 100 mg and escitalopram 5 mg per day with a follow-up of 2 months at a tertiary care centre in India. The primary outcome measure was a change in the PSP and MSA severity rating scale scores, while cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms and functionality scale scores were secondary outcomes on follow-up visits. Repeated measures ANOVA and Friedman rank test were used to analyse the data. Results: A total of 21 patients (8 PSP and 13 MSA), including 19 males, with a mean age of 72.84 years, were included. The mean total PSP rating scale score had a significant decline from baseline to week 2 and 8 ( p < .001), along with the scores for limb symptoms ( p < .001), ocular ( p = .001), history ( p = .003), gait ( p = .007), mentation ( p = .014) and bulbar ( p = .018) symptoms. Similarly, the mean score of the MSA rating scale significantly decreased on follow-up visits ( p < .001). The cognition, functional disability and behavioural symptoms scores also had significant improvement with p < .01. Conclusion: The PSP and MSA patients had clinically significant improvement with the combination treatment in both motor and non-motor domains. Further prospective trials for longer durations are needed to establish the effect size and stability of response.
Antihistaminic, Antiarthritic, and Antiobesity Activities of Yellow Horn Poppy Natural Products
Authors: Ashour Mohamed A. , Soomro Samreen 
Published: February 2024

Background Yellow horn poppy ( Glaucium flavum, syn. Chelidonium flavum) in the family Papaveraceae, is growing in many geographical areas; it is mostly native to Northern Africa, Western Asia, and Europe. The plant is well known for its different types of alkaloids, including aporphines, protopines, and phenolic compounds. In Eastern Europe, the HCl and HBr salts of glaucine (the common active constituent in G. flavum) have been approved as cough suppressants, in addition to several therapeutic applications in traditional medicine. The natural products of G. flavum varied according to the geographical habitat, the stage of maturity, and the selected plant organ. Materials and Methods For the first time, the extraction and isolation of natural products (alkaloids and flavonoids) from dried aerial parts of the Libyan population of yellow horn poppy and testing their biological effects, which include antihistaminic, antiarthritic, and antiobesity effects. Results Alkaloids (glaucine and isoboldine) and flavonoid constituents (quercetin-7- O-rutinoside and rutin) have been isolated, while the biological activity results showed that quercetin-7- O-rutinoside and rutin showed half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) (µg) = 29.7 and 46.6, 26.2 and 61.3, and 58.8 and 50.1 for antihistaminic, antiarthritic, and antiobesity, respectively, compared with those of glaucine and isoboldine effects, IC50 = 77.4 and 159.3, 61.7 and 118.7, and 237.8 and 157.6, respectively. Conclusion According to the obtained results, the antihistaminic, antiarthritic, and antiobesity effects of the flavonoid compounds were stronger than those of the alkaloidal constituents of yellow horn poppy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine Offers New Ideas for the Treatment of Osteoporosis Through Multi-method Interventions in Ferroptosis
Authors: Sun Weikang , Shao Zichen , Yuan Qipeng , Li Huanan 
Published: February 2024

Osteoporosis, a chronic metabolic bone disease, has a serious impact on the quality of life of postmenopausal women and elderly men. Its prevalence is on the rise as the population ages worldwide. There are many drawbacks to the current clinical approaches to treatment, and traditional chinese medicine (TCM) has long had a unique advantage in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. As research in the field of ferroptosis continues to intensify, the study of TCM has become a hot area in the treatment of the disease through multimethod interventions for ferroptosis. Based on this, this study searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CBM, CNKI, WanFang Data, and VIP databases using osteoporosis, TCM, and ferroptosis as keywords. Up to April 2023, research literature on the relationship between TCM, osteoporosis, and ferroptosis was collected. The results found a strong relationship between the main regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis and osteoporosis. TCM methods with good therapeutic effects on osteoporosis, such as Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Curcumae longae, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Astragalus membranaceus, Bushen Huanjing Recipe, and external treatment of TCM, can all achieve interventions on ferroptosis under different pathways. It provides a new theoretical basis and research direction for the future treatment of osteoporosis through multiple methods of TCM to intervene in ferroptosis. Traditional Chinese Medicine, chinese herbal medicine, osteoporosis, ferroptosis, osteoblasts, osteoclasts
Molecular Targets and Mechanisms of Poria cocos-Licorice Drug Pair for the Treatment of Henoch–Schönlein Purpura Nephritis Based on Network Pharmacology
Authors: Liu Jiahua , Liu Qingqing , Ma Xiaoqin , Guo Weiyan , Mi Jie 
Published: February 2024

Background The herbal Poria cocos-Liquorice drug pair (PLDP) possesses the ability to be a diuretic, stimulating the spleen and benefiting the kidney, which plays an important role in the treatment of Henoch–Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN). However, the mechanism of action is unknown. Objectives Through the method of network pharmacology, this research sought to determine the mechanism of PLDP against HSPN. Materials and Methods The screening of active ingredients in PLDP was conducted by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) databases, while their targets were obtained from the TCMSP and Swiss Target Prediction (STP) databases. The genes of HSPN were searched by OMIM, DisGeNET, and GeneCards databases. Then, the common targets of active ingredients in PLDP and HSPN were mapped by Venn analysis. To get the main targets, the researchers utilized the STRING database to construct the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of the common targets. Then, the function of gene ontology (GO) and the enrichment of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway of the main targets were examined on the Metascape database to identify the molecular mechanism of PLDP against HSPN. The most relevant signaling pathways with HSPN screened from the top 20 pathways were defined as the key pathways. Finally, the “active ingredient-main target-key pathway” network was built in order to identify the core targets and key active ingredients of PLDP against HSPN. Results There were 101 active ingredients and 360 targets for PLDP. One hundred and fifty-seven genes for HSPN and 35 common targets between PLDP and HSPN were identified. Through the “active ingredient-main target-key pathway” network, quercetin, kaempferol, polyporenic acid C, dehydrotumulosic acid, poricoic acid A, and naringenin were identified as key active ingredients; TNF, NOS3, RELA, AKT1, ICAM1, and IFNG were identified as core targets; and the key pathways include TNF signaling pathways, HIF-1 signaling pathways, and IL-17 signaling pathways. Conclusion The research initially investigated the pathways, active ingredients, and targets involved in PLDP against HSPN. The mechanism appears to be linked to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, thus establishing a scientific foundation for further investigation.
Promising Impact of Telenovela Intervention for Caregivers of Hospice Patients: A Pilot Study
Authors: Cruz-Oliver Dulce M. , Milner Gabrielle E. , Mensh Kelsea , Bugayong Marielle , Blinka Marcela D. , Durkin Nowella , Abshire Saylor Martha , Budhathoki Chakra , Oliver Debra Parker 
Published: February 2024

Background Hospice family caregivers (HFCGs) support the needs of their loved ones but are at risk of developing distress and anxiety. NOVELA is a four-chapter telenovela-style educational video to support topics related to hospice caregiving. Telehealth visits are scheduled in 4 weekly sessions consisting of a chapter and subsequent discussion with an interventionist. This feasibility pilot study tested NOVELA’s effect to change HFCGs’ outcomes, session and outcome measure completion (defined a priori as >70%). Methods This is a single-group pretest-posttest study of HFCGs of care recipients with PPS score >20% from 3 hospices in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. At baseline and at final posttest, participants completed a web-based survey assessing 3 outcomes: anxiety, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with intervention. Descriptive, t-test, and chi-square statistics were computed. Results Participants in our study (N = 59) were mainly collage educated, White, female, adult children of home-bound people with a non-cancer diagnosis. Outcomes changed in the expected direction ( P > .05) with higher self-efficacy (Cohen’s d = −.08 [95% CI −.4 to .2) and lower anxiety (Cohen’s d = .2 [95% CI −.1 to .5]) scores from final to baseline, 86% of HFCGs were satisfied or very satisfied with NOVELA, session (33/59) and outcome measure (43/59) completion averaged 68%. Conclusion Encouraging trends in NOVELA’s estimation of effect suggests that NOVELA may buffer stressful aspects of hospice caregiving. However, further refinement of NOVELA is needed. Supporting HFCGs through supportive educational interventions may reduce distress and anxiety with broad implications for quality improvement.
Reselling/Agency Selling and Online Intermediaries’ Information Sharing With Manufacturers and Resellers
Authors: Lin Xiaogang , Lin Qiang , Chen Ying-Ju 
Published: February 2024

Manufacturers and their resellers generally employ online intermediaries to sell their products. These intermediaries often possess superior demand information and decide whether to share it with their sellers. In practice, the manufacturers can employ two possible selling formats: reselling ([Formula: see text]), under which they sell the products to the intermediaries who subsequently resell to customers and agency selling ([Formula: see text]), under which they sell the products to customers through the intermediaries by paying a proportional fee. Additionally, the manufacturers can also sell the products to their resellers who subsequently resell to customers through the intermediaries. We develop a game-theoretic model to investigate an e-commerce supply chain in which an online intermediary first decides whether to disclose information option to a manufacturer and/or reseller; thereafter, the manufacturer selects between the [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text] format. Regardless of the information-sharing decision made by the intermediary, the manufacturer’s selling format selection remains qualitatively unchanged. However, the intermediary can compel the manufacturer to change his selling format by sharing information with only the manufacturer or reseller in certain market environments. When the intensity is small but the proportional fee is intermediate, the intermediary should share information with only the manufacturer to compel him to change his selling format choice from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. When both the intensity and fee are intermediate, the intermediary should share information exclusively with the manufacturer (or reseller) to prompt a change in the manufacturer’s selling format, switching from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text] (or from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]), contingent upon whether the magnitude of demand fluctuation is small or large.
Real-world treatment outcomes from a retrospective cohort of patients with acute myeloid leukemia from an urban safety net hospital
Authors: Marshalek Joseph P , Epistola Raisa , Tomassetti Sarah 
Published: February 2024

Introduction While continual advancements in acute myeloid leukemia have augmented response rates and survival, outcomes in clinical trials may not correlate with real-world practice as trials may underrepresent individuals with comorbidities, decreased performance status, and older age. Additionally, clinical trials may underrepresent certain ethnicities, and disparities based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and insurance have been demonstrated in acute myeloid leukemia. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia who were treated at Harbor-UCLA from 2014 to 2022 to examine patient characteristics, management patterns, and outcomes in a safety net hospital setting. Results The median age was 56 years old (range 18–84). In regards to risk stratification, 22%, 33%, and 41% had favorable, intermediate, and adverse risk acute myeloid leukemia, respectively. The most common induction regimens included 7 + 3 (55%), azacitidine (10%), azacitidine + venetoclax (7%), and 7 + 3 + midostaurin (7%). The complete remission rate was 51%. Among patients who received intensive induction chemotherapy, 15% underwent re-induction with a second cycle, 51% received consolidation therapy, and 5% received maintenance therapy with a targeted agent. Overall, 12% of patients received allogeneic stem cell transplant. Median overall survival was 12.2 months, and 5-year overall survival was 18%. Conclusions Suboptimal response rates and survival in this population may be related to low rates of re-induction and allogeneic transplant in addition to high rates of adverse cytogenetics, secondary acute myeloid leukemia, and supportive care only. Efforts to increase access to clinical trials, novel therapies, and transplants for diverse and underinsured populations are essential.
Neural and Cognitive Predictors of Stimulant Treatment Efficacy in Medication-Naïve ADHD Adults: A Pilot Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study
Authors: Hung Yuwen , Green Allison , Kelberman Caroline , Gaillard Schuyler , Capella James , Rudberg Nicole , Gabrieli John D. E. , Biederman Joseph , Uchida Mai 
Published: February 2024

Objective: Stimulant medications are the main treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but overall treatment efficacy in adults has less than a 60% response rate. This study aimed to identify neural and cognitive markers predictive of longitudinal improvement in response to stimulant treatment in drug-naïve adults with ADHD. Method: We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and executive function measures with 36 drug-naïve adult ADHD patients in a prospective study design. Results: Structural connectivity (measured by fractional anisotropy, FA) in striatal regions correlated with ADHD clinical symptom improvement following stimulant treatment (amphetamine or methylphenidate) in better medication responders. A significant positive correlation was also found between working memory performance and stimulant-related symptom improvement. Higher pre-treatment working memory scores correlated with greater response. Conclusion: These findings provide evidence of pre-treatment neural and behavioral markers predictive of longitudinal treatment response to stimulant medications in adults with ADHD.
Assessment of patients’ knowledge and preferences for the use of orthodontic aligners
Authors: Paim Joice , Souza Luiz Felipe Duarte de , Fialho Tiago , Borba Daniela Bezerra de Menezes , Freitas Karina Maria Salvatore de , Cotrin Paula , Neis Vivian Binder , Ohira Eduardo 
Published: February 2024

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and preference of patients treated at a Dental School in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil, about using aligners and the reasons for choosing this device as a treatment option. Design: A cross-sectional study. Participants: A total of 82 participants aged 18–45 years recruited at a screening clinic. Methods: A questionnaire was completed in person using a tablet with digital forms. Results: Almost half of the participants (49%) knew about aligners; 40% were aged 18–24 years, and 77% were female. When observing the images of the types of orthodontic appliances, the aligners had an acceptance rate of 80%. Among the reasons that led to the preference for choosing aligners, 68% cited aesthetics and 42% comfort. Conclusion: Recently, clear aligners have become a popular choice for orthodontic treatment, particularly among adults. Despite their popularity and effectiveness, many patients still need more information about aligner treatment. Over half of the respondents did not know what orthodontic aligners were. Younger participants had more knowledge about aligners than older participants. Patients still need more knowledge about the types of appliances available for orthodontic treatment. When presented with images of the kinds of devices available, almost 80% of participants showed greater satisfaction with aligners.