bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Restricted Cubic Spline Model Analysis of the Association between Anal Fistula and Anorectal Abscess incidence and Body Mass Index
Authors: Ye Sangyu , Huang Zichen , Zheng Lihua , Shi Yuying , Zhi Congcong , Liu Ningyuan , Cheng Yicheng 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background
The epidemiological profile of anal fistula and anorectal abscess has not been well studied. Based on the results of a retrospective cross-sectional survey, we aimed to investigate the potential influential factors associated with anal fistula and anorectal abscess.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients between January 2017 and May 2022. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed to collect potential influential factors, all the participants were divided into patients with anal fistula or perianal abscess and healthy control group. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors in significant association with anal fistula and perianal abscess. Additionally, we combined restricted cubic spline regression to examine the dose-response relationship between factors and the risk of developing anal fistula or anorectal abscess.
Results
The present study included 1223 participants, with 275 anal fistulas, 184 anorectal abscesses, and 765 healthy controls. We found no statistically significant differences between patients and controls in basic information and preoperative assessment of life factors, except for body mass index. It was indicated that people with overweight or obesity were more prone to anal fistula or anorectal abscess than normal-weight individuals. The dose-response research indicated the J-shaped trend between the ascending BMI levels and the higher risk of suffering from anal fistula and anorectal abscess.
Conclusions
Our findings indicate that overweight and obesity are risk factors for anal fistula and anorectal abscess, which plays a role in the prevention of anorectal diseases. This provides some theoretical basis for clinicians to provide health education to their patients.
Unlocking the Green Solution: Progesterone and Brassinosteroids Synergistically Enhance Progesterone Phytoremediation and Antioxidant Capacity of Solanum nigrum L.
Authors: Pinto Ana , Silva Daniela Correia da , Cardoso Ana , Fernandes Fátima , Soares Cristiano , Valentão Patrícia , Fidalgo Fernanda , Teixeira Jorge 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Aims: Progesterone (PROG) has been detected in various concentrations in the environment, with adverse effects on humans and wildlife. So, tactics to reduce the accumulation of this steroid in the environment must be studied. This work aimed the evaluation of the phytoremediation potential of PROG by Solanum nigrum L. plants and the understanding of how 2,4-epibrassinolide (24-EBL) would enhance this species’ remediation capacities.
Methods: Three treatments were assembled: 1) control; 2) plants irrigated with 0.8 µM PROG; and 3) plants treated with 0.8 µM PROG but pre‑treated with a foliar application of 1 µM 2,4-EBL (PROG/24 EBL). PROG levels, and several antioxidant-related biochemical and molecular endpoints in roots and shoots were evaluated after 20 days of treatment.
Results: No PROG was detected in the nutrient solution and plant tissues at the end of the treatment, indicating that plants were able to remove PROG from the irrigating solution. Lipid peroxidation significantly decreased in response to PROG in shoots and roots and the pretreatment with 24-EBL was even more effective in both organs. Also, a decrease in H2O2 levels was observed in both treatments in both organs. Plus, the exogenous application of both steroid hormones increased the plants’ antioxidant system both at the biochemical and gene expression levels.
Conclusions: S. nigrum can swiftly phytoremediate PROG per se with no negative effects to its growth and the use of 24-EBL synergistically decreases oxidative damage by increasing the AOX system and enhances the PROG removal ability of the plants.
Nitrogen deposition and climate drive plant nitrogen uptake in terrestrial ecosystems
Authors: Vallicrosa Helena , Fleischer Katrin , Baquerizo Manuel Delgado , Fernandez-Martinez Marcos , Černý Jakub , Tian Di , Kourmouli Angeliki , Mayoral Carolina , Grados Diego , Lu Minghzen , Terrer César 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
The role of plants in sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide is a critical component in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. A key aspect of this role involves plant nitrogen (N) uptake (Nup) and N use efficiency (NUE), as these factors directly influence the capacity of plants to capture and store carbon. However, the contribution of climatic changes and N inputs remains inadequately understood, introducing significant uncertainties into climate change projections. Here, we used on-the-ground observations across 159 locations to calculate Nup and NUE and identify the main drivers of these processes in natural ecosystems. We found that Nup is primarily driven by abiotic factors, showing an increase with N deposition from anthropogenic activities such as agriculture and combustion, as well as increases in temperature and precipitation. NUE is primarily influenced by biotic factors, showing an increase with the presence of symbiotic ectomycorrhizal fungi and a decrease with microbial nitrogen stocks, likely due to microbial competition for N, and soil pH. In opposition to the classic paradigm in ecology, total soil N stocks were not found to be an important driver of Nup or NUE. A comparison with TRENDY land surface models revealed a potential Nup overestimation by land system models of around 100 Tg N yr-1 in the tropics and tripling the standard deviation on boreal latitudes. Our results underscore the importance of anthropogenic impacts, climate, and microbes as the main drivers of Nup and NUE.
Racial disparities in U.S. climate migration
Authors: Alverio Gabriela Nagle , Leblang David 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Floods are increasingly frequent and severe due to climate change, thereby impacting migration within the United States. Considering that Black and Brown populations are disproportionately exposed to floods, less likely to receive disaster-related government funds, and vulnerable during subsequent displacement, an examination of differences in migration patterns across racial/ethnic groups is critical. The prevailing conjecture is that after floods, Black and Brown populations will migrate while White ones remain in place. We test this hypothesis by examining the effect of floods on migration across all U.S. county-pairs between 2006-2016 and find that this hypothesis is incorrect: generally, after floods Black populations remain in place and White populations migrate. However, this pattern reverses when the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides financial support. Notably, migration by Hispanic and Asian populations is not significantly affected by floods. These results provide the first evidence of racial disparities in climate migration.
The digital signature of emergent tremor in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Bronte-Stewart Helen , Gala Aryaman , Wilkins Kevin , Pettruci Matthew , Kehnemouyi Yasmine , Velisar Anca , Trager Megan 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Background
Emergent tremor in Parkinson’s disease (PD) can occur during sustained postures or movement that is different from action tremor. Tremor can contaminate the clinical rating of bradykinesia during finger tapping. Currently, there is no reliable way of isolating emergent tremor and measuring the cardinal motor symptoms based on voluntary movements only.
Objective
Investigate whether emergent tremor during repetitive alternating finger tapping (RAFT) on a quantitative digitography (QDG) device can be reliably identified and distinguished from voluntary tapping.
Methods
Ninety-six individuals with PD and forty-two healthy controls performed a thirty-second QDG-RAFT task and the Movement Disorders Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III (MDS-UPDRS III). Visual identification of tremor during QDG-RAFT was labelled by an experienced movement disorders specialist. Two methods of identifying tremor were investigated: 1) physiologically-informed temporal thresholds 2) XGBoost model using temporal and amplitude features of tapping.
Results
The XGBoost model showed high accuracy for identifying tremor (area under the precision-recall curve of 0.981) and outperformed temporal-based thresholds. Percent time duration of classifier-identified tremor showed significant correlations with MDS-UPDRS III tremor subscores (r = 0.50, P < 0.0001). There was a significant change in QDG metrics for bradykinesia, rigidity and arrhythmicity after tremor strikes were excluded (p < 0.01).
Conclusions
Emergent tremor during QDG-RAFT has a unique digital signature and the duration of tremor correlated with the MDS-UPDRS III tremor items. When involuntary tremor strikes were excluded, the QDG metrics of bradykinesia and rigidity were significantly worse, demonstrating the importance of distinguishing tremor from voluntary movement when rating bradykinesia.
Bio-synthesis of gold nanoparticles from Codariocalyx motorius leaf extract: Physiochemical evaluation, antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activity against Hep G2 cell lines
Authors: Deivanathan Saravana Kumar , Dayana B. Mary , Prakash J. Thomas Joseph 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This research delved into the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) utilizing leaf extract derived from Codariocalyx motorius (C.motorius). The confirmation of C.motorius gold nanoparticles (CM-AuNPs) formation was established through the visual observation of color changes in the colloidal solution. A comprehensive characterization of CM-AuNPs employed UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDAX, XRD, HR-TEM, DLZ and Zeta potential. The UV- vis spectrum exhibited a distinctive peak at 534 nm, indicative of CM-AuNPs. The FT-IR spectrum identified the presence of -OH and -NH functional groups intricately associated with the AuNPs. HR-SEM analysis revealed average size of approximately 44 nm for the CM-AuNPs. XRD confirmed the face-centered cubic crystallinity of CM-AuNPs. In the DPPH assay, the bio-synthesized CM-AuNPs demonstrated robust antioxidant activity, displaying an IC50 of 61.27%. Moreover, the bio-synthesized CM-AuNPs exhibited significant antibacterial efficacy against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. Inhibition values for these bacteria were recorded at 6 ± 2.94392 mm and 5 ± 2.58199 mm respectively. Further, the bio-synthesized AuNPs showcased antiproliferative activity against Hep G2 cells, with an IC50 value 6.89 µg/mL. These compelling findings underscore the potential applications of CM-AuNPs, synthesized from C.motorius leaf extract in the realm of medication delivery.
Scientific design: evaluating the contribution of design in the interpretation of scientific images
Authors: Birbeire Wagner N. De S. , Silveira Guilherme 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

This study seeks to quantify the impact of applying design concepts on the transmission of the information contained in scientific images. Members of the academic public were shown sets of six images, one of which had been developed by the researchers and another that was redone by a designer. Participants, who were selected based on their academic background and training area, answered a quantitative questionnaire on the information presented in the images. The original researcher-developed images received a significantly lower score of 3.335 (95% CI: 3.269–3.401) than those reworked by the designer, which received a score of 4.147 (95% CI: 4.095–4.199). Additionally, fewer participants stated that the designer's images needed additional description, and more participants reported that they experimented with a new data source. Area of training and academic background played a role in these differences. This study helps to quantify the capacity for improvement in publicizing scientific findings and the potential applicability of design concepts.
Telemedicine in Neurology: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Al-Faraj Abrar , Ukonu Nene , Mohtar Omar , Jha Vibhav , Chen Dickson T. , lau K. H. Vincent 
Published: October 2023

Abstract

Objective: Our objective is to explore challenges encountered by neurologists with the use of telemedicine in neurology.
Methods: A cross- sectional study via an anonymous survey to explore neurologists’ experiences with telemedicine. They survey was sent to randomly selected 200 participants from Academic Institutions in the United States. Descriptive statistics were reported as percentages for each survey question.
Results: 110 neurologists completed the survey. Fifty-one percent of neurologists stated that they experienced technological issues in (1%-20%) of telemedicine visits and 57% of neurologists needed technological assistance from informational technology support. With regards to the impact of limited neurological examination via telemedicine, 34% of neurologists agreed that the limited examination makes them worried that they are providing a suboptimal care to patients and 55% recommended a subsequent in-person visit (in 1%-20% of telemedicine visits) for further evaluation. Among the challenges that hindered patients’ ability to participate in telemedicine visits, 95% of neurologists rated patients’ technological challenges with setting up telemedicine to be the most common issue encountered, 37% of neurologists rated patient’s cognitive/mental disability to be the second most common challenge to complete telemedicine visits as well as availability of interpreter services for non-English speaking patients. Neurologists rated improving administrative support (39%), integration of EMR for video and telephone calls (37%), and sufficient time allotment to complete telemedicine visits (27%) to be the most important issues to address to optimize the use of telemedicine in neurology.
Significance: Potential opportunities to improve neurologists’ experiences in telemedicine include improving technological support, integration of virtual platforms within the EMR, and adequate administrative support. Patients with cognitive/physical disabilities may need additional support to engage in the health system via telemedicine.
The role of genetic polymorphisms in the sulfation of pregnenolone by human cytosolic sulfotransferase SULT2B1a
Authors: Alatwi Eid , Bairam Ahsan 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Pregnenolone is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of many steroid hormones and neuroprotective steroids. Sulfotransferase family cytosolic 2B member 1 (SULT2B1a) has been reported to be highly selective to sulfate pregnenolone. This study aimed to clarify the effect of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the human SULT2B1 gene on the sulfating activity of coded SULT2B1a allozymes toward Pregnenolone. To investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the SULT2B1 gene on the sulfation of pregnenolone by SULT2B1a allozymes, 13 recombinant SULT2B1a allozymes were generated, expressed, and purified using established procedures. Human SULT2B1a SNPs were identified by a comprehensive database search. 13 SULT2B1a nonsynonymous missense coding SNPs (cSNPs) were selected, and site-directed mutagenesis was used to generate the corresponding cDNAs, packaged in pGEX-2TK expression vector, encoding these 13 SULT2B1a allozymes, which were bacterially expressed in BL21 E. coli cells and purified by glutathione-Sepharose affinity chromatography. Purified SULT2B1a allozymes were analyzed for sulfating activities towards pregnenolone. In comparison with the wild-type SULT2B1a, of the 13 allozymes, 11 showed reduced activity toward pregnenolone at 0.1 µM. Specifically, P134L and R259Q allozymes, reported to be involved in autosomal-recessive congenital ichthyosis, displayed low activity (1–10%) toward pregnenolone. The findings of this study may demonstrate the impact of genetic polymorphism on the sulfation of pregnenolone in individuals with different SULT2B1 genotypes.
The Effect of Seed Rate on the Growth and Yield of Rice in Wet Direct Seeding System in Northern Iran
Authors: Pouramir Farzin , Yaghoubi Bijan 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Direct seeding has become a suitable alternative to rice transplanting worldwide due to less water and labor needed. This is while, due to the lack of suitable cultivars and agronomic practices, rice wet direct seeding has not been very well received in Iran. Therefore, in this research, we tried to evaluate the growth and yield response of different rice cultivars (Anam, Hashemi, and Kian) to different seed densities (65, 80, 95, 110, and 125 kg seed/ha) in this cultivation method. The experiment was performed in two years at the Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII). The results showed that paddy yield in 2019 was higher than in 2020. The highest yield of the Hashemi cultivar (5412 kg/ha) was obtained at a seed rate of 110 kg/ha, although, there was no significant difference in this regard with 80 and 95 kg seed/ha. The highest paddy yields of Kian and Anam cultivars (6257 and 5997 kg/ha, respectively) were obtained at 95 kg seed/ha. Biomass, the number of tillers, and panicles had the highest correlation with paddy yield. Increasing the seed rate up to 95 kg/ha led to an increase in the panicle number per meter square, while the number of filled grains in the panicle and the grain weight decreased. In conclusion, the best performance of the Anam and Kian genotypes was obtained at a density of 95 kg seed/ha and the Hashemi genotype with a density of 110 kg seed/ha.
Involving patients and clinicians in the development of a randomised clinical trial protocol to assess spinal manual therapy versus nerve root injection for patients with lumbar radiculopathy: a patient and public involvement project to inform the SALuBRITY trial design
Authors: Ryf Corina , Hofstetter Léonie , Clack Lauren , Hincapié Cesar A 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background:
Spinal manual therapy and corticosteroid nerve root injection are commonly used to treat patients with lumbar radiculopathy. The SALuBRITY trial—a two parallel group, double sham controlled, randomised clinical trial—is being developed to compare their effectiveness. By gathering patients’ and clinicians’ perspectives and involving them in discussions related to the trial research question and objectives, proposed trial recruitment processes, methods, and outcome measures, we aimed to improve the relevance and quality of the SALuBRITY trial.
Methods:
We involved patients with lived experience of lumbar radiculopathy (n=5) and primary care clinicians (n=4) with experience in the treatment of these patients. Involvement activities included an initial kick-off event to introduce the project, establishing a shared purpose statement, and empowering patient and clinician advisors for their involvement, followed by semi-structured group and individual interviews, and questionnaires to evaluate the experience throughout the project.
Results:
Both patient and clinician advisors endorsed the significance and relevance of the trial’s objectives. Patients assessed the proposed trial methods as acceptable within the context of a trusting patient-clinician relationship. A trial recruitment and enrolment target time of up to five days was regarded as acceptable, although patients with chronic radiculopathy may need more time to consider their trial participation decision. All advisors reached consensus on the acceptability of a medication washout phase of 12- to 24-hours before pain outcome measurement, with the inclusion of a rescue medication protocol. Both advisory groups preferred leg pain over back pain as the primary clinical outcome, with patient advisors advocating for personalized primary pain localization. Furthermore, patients requested expanding the pain, enjoyment, and general activity scale with peak pain intensity, rather than average pain alone. Patient and clinician advisors evaluated their engagement in clinical research as meaningful and impactful.
Conclusion:
Patient and public involvement resulted in important and relevant considerations for the SALuBRITY trial, spanning all research phases. These findings hold promise for enhancing the trial’s quality and relevance and improving its translation into clinical practice.
“Fontan Conduit Stent-Angioplasty and Progression of Fontan-Associated Liver Disease”
Authors: Kavin Umakanthan , Shahrier Aniqa , Bandisode Varsha M. , Chowdhury Shahryar M. , Rhodes John F. , Gaydos Stephanie S. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Background: Patients with Fontan circulation insidiously develop congestive hepatopathy related to chronically reduced cardiac output and central venous hypertension, also known as Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD). Fontan pathway obstruction is increasingly detected and may accelerate FALD. The impact of conduit stent-angioplasty on FALD is unknown.
Methods: Retrospective, single-center review of patients with Fontan circulation who underwent conduit stent-angioplasty at cardiac catheterization over 5-year period. Demographics and cardiac histories were reviewed. Labs, liver ultrasound elastography, echocardiogram, hemodynamic and angiographic data at catheterization were recorded pre- and post-stent-angioplasty. Primary outcome was change in hepatic function via MELD-XI scores and liver stiffness (kPa), with secondary outcomes of ventricular function, BNP, and repeat catheterization hemodynamics.
Results: 33 patients underwent Fontan conduit stent angioplasty, 19.3 ±7.0 years from Fontan operation. Original conduit diameter was 19.1 ±1.9 mm. Prior to angioplasty, conduit size was reduced to a cross-sectional area 132 (91, 173) mm2 and increased to 314 (255, 363) mm2 post-stent. Subjects' baseline median MELD-XI of 11 (9, 12) increased to 12 (9, 13) at 19 ± 15.5 months post-angioplasty (n=22, p= 0.053). There was no significant change in liver stiffness at 12.1 ±8.9 months post-angioplasty (n=15, p= 0.13). Median total bilirubin significantly increased (1.4 [0.9, 1.8]), from baseline 1.1 [0.7, 1.5], p= 0.04), as did median BNP (41 [0, 148] from baseline 34 [15, 79]; p= 0.02). There were no significant changes in ventricular function or repeat invasive hemodynamics (n=8 subjects).
Conclusions: Mid-term follow-up of Fontan subjects post-conduit stent angioplasty did not show improvements in non-invasive markers of FALD.