bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding Dental Caries in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Examination of Risk Factors and Dietary Behaviors
Authors: Elsahoryi Nour , Maghaireh Ghada , Hammad Fwziah 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Aim
This study aimed to evaluate dental caries prevalence using the Decay-Missing-Filled Teeth (DMFT) index while exploring the relationship between DMFT scores and various factors such as dietary behaviors and health-related practices.
Material and Methods
This cross-sectional analysis included 402 adults aged 18 to 59 attending oral health outpatient centers, selected through random sampling. Participants completed a validated nutrition questionnaire, and dental professionals assessed their DMFT index.
Results
The study revealed that 40.3% of patients fell into the "High DMFT index" category (scores exceeding 13.9), while only 11.90% were in the "very low DMFT index" group. Higher education correlated inversely with DMFT scores, indicating lower scores for individuals with greater educational attainment. Notably, regular tooth brushing and mouthwash use were associated with lower DMFT index values, reflecting improved oral health. Conversely, habits such as consuming sugary snacks, sweetened drinks, and frequent snacking between meals were linked to higher DMFT index scores, indicating an elevated risk of dental caries.
Conclusion
This study underscores the importance of proper oral hygiene and mindful dietary choices in reducing the likelihood of tooth decay, providing valuable insights into dental caries levels and associated factors.
Volume regulated anion channel blocker, DCPIB modulates microglial M1/M2 polarization via MAPK pathway and attenuates oxidative stress after AIS
Authors: Cao Guihua , Guo Jianbin , Yang Kaikai , Xu Rong , jia Xin , Wang Xiaoming 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Microglia play a central role in maintenance of brain homeostasis. Microglial polarization plays an important role in the recovery of homeostasis after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). DCPIB, as a blocker of volume-regulated ion channel plays an important role in maintaining intracellular homeostasis. But the relationship between DCPIB and microglial M1/M2 polarization is currently unclear. This study is to investigate the relationship between DCPIB and microglial M1/M2 polarization after AIS. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). DCPIB was given within 5 min after reperfusion. Behavior assessments were conducted at 1, 3, and 7 days after tMCAO. Pathological injuries were evaluated by TTC, HE and Nissl staining and immunofluorescence co-staining (IFC). The phenotypic variations of microglia were examined by IFC. The levels of inflammatory cytokines were analyzed by RT-PCR and ELISA. In mice tMCAO model, DCPIB remarkably reduced mortality, pathological injury and improved behavioral performance and alleviated. DCPIB significantly inhibited inflammatory response, promoted the conversion of M1 microglia to the M2 via MAPK pathway and protected neurons from microglia-mediated inflammatory response. In addition, it was found that DCPIB inhibited oxidative stress after AIS. In conclusions, DCPIB attenuates ischemia-reperfusion injury via regulating microglial M1/M2 polarization and oxidative stress.
Unveiling Cancer Risk in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis: Result from the Turkish Vasculitis Study Group (TRVaS)
Authors: Bilgin Emre , Yıldırım Tuba Demirci , Ulusoy Bahar Özdemir , Öğüt Tahir Saygın , Karabacak Murat , Çağdaş Öznur Sadioğlu , Yıldırım Reşit , Güven Deniz Can , Akleylek Cansu , Ediboğlu Elif , Kutu Muhammet Emin , Özgür Duygu , Kardaş Riza Can , Bölek Ertuğrul Çağrı , Uzun Gül Sandal , Özsoy Zehra , Sarıyıldız Emine , Ayan Gizem , Armağan Berkan , Erden Abdussamet , Kılıç Levent , Erbasan Funda , Alibaz-Öner Fatma , Aşıcıoğlu Ebru , Yazici Ayten , Bilge Nazife Şule , Küçük Hamit , Çelik Selda , Bes Cemal , Akar Servet , Yılmaz Neslihan , Kaşifoğlu Timuçin , Cefle Ayşe , Direskeneli Haner , Yazısız Veli , Dizdar Ömer , Omma Ahmet , Önen Fatoş , Karadağ Ömer 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Aim:To investigate cancer incidence in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides (AAV), compare it with the age/sex-spesific cancer risk of Turkish population, explore independent risk factors associated with cancer.
Methods:This multicenter, incidence case-control study was conducted using TRVaS registry. AAV patients without cancer history before AAV diagnosis were included. Demographic and AAV-related data of patients with and without an incident cancer were compared. Standardized cancer incidence rates were calculated using age/sex-spesific 2017 Turkish National Cancer Registry data for cancers (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers). Cox regression was performed to find factors related to incident cancers in AAV patients.
Results:Of 461 AAV patients (236[51.2%] male), 19 had incident cancers after 2022.8 patient-years follow-up. Median(IQR) disease duration was 3.4(5.5) years, and 58(12.6%) patients died [7 with cancer and 1 without cancer (log-rank,p=0.04)]. Cancer-diagnosed patients were older, mostly male, and more likely to have anti-PR3-ANCA positivity. The cumulative cyclophosphamide dose was similar in patients with and without cancer. Overall cancer risk in AAV was 2.1(SIR)(1.3-3.2),p=0.004); lung and head-neck [primary target sites for AAV] cancers were the most common. In Cox regression, male sex and ≥60 years of age at AAV diagnosis were associated with increased cancer risk, while receiving rituximab was associated with decreased cancer risk.
Conclusions:Cancer risk was 2.1-times higher in AAV patients than the age/sex-spesific cancer risk of Turkish population, despite a high rate of rituximab use and lower dose of cyclophosphamide doses. Vigilance in cancer screening for AAV patients covering lung, genitourinary, and head-neck regions, particularly in males and the elderly, is vital.
Experiences of birth companions as they provide support to labouring women at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Southern Malawi
Authors: Linyama Yamikani , Pajogo Masuzgo , Kamanga Martha , Kafulafula Ursula K. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Introduction: Malawi embraced the birth companionship concept in the early 2000s. Selected government hospitals, including Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, have been implementing birth companionship. Since its introduction, little has been known about the feelings, views, perceptions, and experiences of the birth companions. This study explored the experiences of birth companions at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
Methods: This was an exploratory qualitative study that used a sample size of eleven participants who were purposefully selected. In-depth interviews were conducted among purposively selected birth companions that had been with the labouring woman throughout the time of labour up to the time of giving birth. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data.
Results: Most birth companions were aged 50 and above, and most of them attended primary education (63.6%), respectively. Birth companions perceived their roles as assisting midwives as well as providing emotional support to women in labour. Birth companions highlighted several negative experiences, including being shouted at by midwives, ignored, and chased away from labour ward. Besides this, the majority of birth companions expected women in labour to abide by their cultural beliefs.
Conclusion: Policymakers in Malawi should introduce policies and guidelines for birth companionship that clearly stipulate the roles of birth companions.
Multiple Low-level Viremia Suggest Hindered Liver Fibrosis Regression in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients during Antiviral Therapy
Authors: Lu Zhengzhao , Sun Yameng , Chen Shuyan , Meng Tongtong , Wang Bingqiong , Zhou Jialing , Wu Xiaoning , Zhao Xinyan , Ou Xiaojuan , Kong Yuanyuan , Jia Jidong , Zhao Xinyu , You Hong 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background:Low-level viremia (LLV) occurs in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients despite antiviral treatment, which may cause failed histological regression. Our study aims to investigate the impact of different LLV types on fibrosis regression.
Methods: The prospective study enrolled CHB patients with paired liver biopsies before and after 260 weeks of entecavir treatment. Fibrosis regression was defined by the Ishak score or P-I-R system. Patients were grouped as the SVR (HBV DNA <20 IU/ml persistently) or LLV (HBV DNA between 20 to 2000 IU/mL), which were further grouped as very low-level viremia (VLLV, HBV DNA <50 IU/ml), occasionally LLV (OLLV, HBV DNA ≥50 IU/ml only once), and multiple LLV (MLLV, HBV DNA ≥50 IU/ml more than once). Logistic regression models were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results: The analysis included 111 CHB patients. In the SVR group (N=54), 39 (72.2%) patients had fibrosis regression, which was higher than the LLV (56.1%, p=0.080). The fibrosis regression rates for VLLV (30 patients), OLLV (17 patients), and MLLV (10 patients) were 70.0%, 52.9%, and 30.0%, respectively. Compared with SVR, VLLV (aOR=0.78; 95% CI: 0.28-2.21; p=0.644) was not associated with fibrosis regression, but patients with non-VLLV (aOR=0.27; 95% CI:
0.09-0.85; p=0.025), especially with MLLV (aOR=0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.97; p=0.046) is significantly associated with hindered fibrosis regression.
Conclusions: Our study suggests that patients with detectable serum HBV DNA levels higher than 50 IU/mL need to be monitored carefully, especially in those with more than once.
Multi-objective energy optimization of a trade center based on genetic algorithm using environmentally-friendly materials
Authors: Kabiri Elham , Maftouni Negin 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
It is very important to optimize energy consumption in buildings. The first step of the present study involved an EnergyPlus simulation of a trade center building in Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Tabriz, Iran, and selection of the city benefiting the most from the radiant ceiling cooling system. The objective functions and design parameters were then determined in EnergyPlus and a multi-objective optimization was performed based on non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) in jEPlus + EA to establish the building in the selected city. Effective parameters in building optimization included building orientation as the only continuous variable and discrete variables such as insulation, facade, window and shading. Efforts were also made to select environmentally-friendly materials. The objective functions to be minimized comprised the total annual energy consumption of the building and the discomfort hours of the occupants. NSGA-II was used based on the proposed parameters to minimize the energy consumption considering cost and comfort constraints, and Pareto charts were employed to select the final solution. Cooling loads and energy consumption were then recalculated. The final solution was found to decrease the energy consumption by 52%, the cooling load by 37.3% and the hours of discomfort by 17.4%, compared to those of the initial design.
Grain size characteristics of different types of surface sediments around Qixing Lake in Kubuqi Desert
Authors: XI Cheng , ZUO Hejun , YAN Min , YAN Yu 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Sediment grain size characterization is one of the main components of wind-sand geomorphology research. The distribution and form of grain size parameters of different types of sediments were calculated using six surface types of sediments around Qixing Lake in the Kubuqi Desert: Mobile dune(MD), Semi-fixed dune(SFD), Fixed dune(FD), Lakeshore terrace(LST), Wetland(WL) and Grassy flat wetland(GFW). The results showed that the surface sediments around Qixing Lake in Kubuqi Desert were mainly composed of medium sand and fine sand, and all of them were negatively skewed. The plant measures altered sediment transport and deposition patterns, and the trend of changes in medium sands was influenced by vegetation measures to the greatest extent, followed by pink sands. The state of movement of suspended material is the main factor leading to the negative bias of sediments, and the percentage of contribution of suspended components in lakeshore terraces, wetlands, and Grassy flat wetlands (total average 21.07%) is more than twice as much as that of mobile dunes, semifixed dunes, and fixed dunes (total average 9.47%), which suggests that mobile dunes, semifixed dunes, and fixed dunes are not the main contributing surface type of suspended material in the Qixing Lake area of the Kubuqi Desert.
Embryonic piRNAs target horizontally transferred vertebrate transposons in assassin bugs
Authors: Pane Attilio , de Brito Tarcisio , Cardoso Maira , Atinbayeva Nazerke , Brito Ingrid , Costa Lucas da , Iovino Nicola 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Piwi proteins and the associated Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) coordinate a surveillance system that protects the animal genome from DNA damage induced by transposable element (TE) mobilization. Here, we investigated the adaptation of the piRNA pathway to horizontally transferred transposons (HTTs) in the assassin bug Rhodnius prolixus, a primary vector of Chagas disease. Rhodnius acquired specific classes of HTTs by feeding on bats, opossums and squirrel monkeys. By analyzing the temporal dynamics of piRNA cluster expression and piRNA production during critical stages of Rhodnius development, we show that peak levels of ~28 nt long piRNAs correlate with reduced HTT and resident TE expression primarily during embryogenesis. Strikingly, while resident TEs piRNAs seem to engage in a typical ping-pong amplification mechanism, sense and antisense HTT piRNAs instead overlap by ~20 nt or do not display ping-pong signatures. These features are explained at least in part by the low number of HTT copies inserted into the piRNA clusters and might point to a non-canonical mechanism of biogenesis. Our data reveal that the piRNA, but not the siRNA pathway, responded to HTTs that were recently transferred from vertebrate tetrapods to a hematophagous insect of medical relevance.
Incidence and management of BPH surgery-related urethral stricture: results from a large U.S. database
Authors: Autorino Riccardo , Licari Leslie Claire , Bologna Eugenio , Manfredi Celeste , Franco Antonio , Ditonno Francesco , DE NUNZIO COSIMO , Antonelli Alessandro , Simone Giuseppe , De Sio Marco , Cindolo Luca , Olweny Ephrem , Cherullo Edward E. , Leonardo Costantino 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Introduction and objectives: Urethral stricture (US) is a well-known complication after surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), whose treatment options range from conservative or endoscopic approaches to more invasive ones. This study aimed to evaluate the contemporary incidence of US after different types of BPH surgery, to identify associated risk factors and to assess its management.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using the PearlDiver™ Mariner database, containing de-identified patient records compiled between 2011 and 2022. Specific International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes were employed to identify population characteristics and outcomes. All the most employed surgical procedures for BPH treatment were considered. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to evaluate factors associated with diagnosis of post-operative US.Results Among 274,808 patients who underwent BPH surgery, 10,918 developed post-operative US (3.97%). Higher incidence of US was observed following TURP (4.48%), Transurethral Incision of the Prostate (TUIP) (3.67%), Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate (PVP) (3.92%), HoLEP/ThuLEP (3.85%), and open Simple Prostatectomy (SP) (3.21%). Lower incidence rates were observed after Robot-assisted SP (1.76%), Aquablation (1.59%), Prostatic Urethral Lift (PUL) (1.07%), Rezum (1.05%), and Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE) (0.65%). Multivariable analysis showed that patients undergoing PUL, Rezum, Aquablation, PAE and PVP were associated with a reduced likelihood of developing US compared to TURP. US required surgical treatment in 18.95% of patients, with direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU) and urethroplasty performed in 14.55% and 4.50% of cases, respectively. Urethral dilatation (UD) was the primary management in most cases (76.7%).Conclusions The present analysis from a contemporary large dataset suggests that the incidence of US after BPH surgery is relatively low (< 5%) and varies among procedures. Around 94% of US cases following BPH surgery are managed using minimally invasive treatment approaches such as UD and DVIU.
Early Prediction of the Failure Probability Distribution for Energy Storage Technologies Driven by Domain-Knowledge-Informed Machine Learning
Authors: Alghalayini Maher , Harris Stephen J. , Noack Marcus 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
There is a growing focus on sustainable energy sources and storage systems. The challenge with such emerging systems is their need to be warrantied for around 15 years with just a year of early testing. This requires accurate data extrapolation and estimation of the failure distribution. Physics-based approaches can be overwhelmed by the complexity of degradation, and pure data-driven approaches are inherently unable to extrapolate beyond the testing data. Here, we propose a framework for a hybrid approach for technology-agnostic customization of a Gaussian process for stochastic and domain-knowledge-informed failure distribution prediction. We equip the Gaussian process with customized non-stationary kernels, heteroscedastic noise models, and prior-mean functions to enable it to accurately extrapolate with high accuracy. Furthermore, we minimize testing time with a novel experiment-stopping criterion, which can significantly reduce the required data. Our framework could revolutionize energy-storage testing, enabling the rapid development of new technologies.
Antibody Response against an Inactive SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine among Healthcare Workers Occupied In Different Divisions
Authors: Gürlek Feridun , Taşdemir Eyyüp , Coşkun Fatih , Karaca Ayşe Ulusoy , Erkinüresin Taşkın , Özdemir Öner 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background / Objective
In this study, we aim to investigate the link between the antibody responses to the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the divisions that they work.
Materials and Methods
90.8% (n = 177) of HCWs having 2 doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, but who had not had COVID-19 disease before and whose Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test positivity were not detected, were included in our study. 9.2% of HCWs (n = 18) who had never had an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, who had no infection, and who had negative PCR tests were evaluated as the control group.
Results
The study included 177 people who received 2 doses of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and unvaccinated 18 people, a total of 195 HCWs. When the SARS-CoV-2 antibody test results of the participants were examined; it is found that antibody level is negative in 6.2%, is positive in 24.1% with a low antibody response, and 69.7% is positive with a high antibody response. The antibody levels of HCWs who were vaccinated did not give a statistically significant difference.
Conclusion
The seroconversion rate was 99% in the vaccinated HCWs. There is no statistically difference in the antibody results according to the occupations of the HCWs.
QSU-Net: QCNN with Self-attention based U-Net for Single Image Dehazing
Authors: BANALA REVANTH , Kumar Manoj , Dwivedi Sanjay kumar 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Single-image dehazing refers to the procedure of eliminating haze elements from a provided image that contains haze. Dehazing is a complex and ill-posed problem in the field of computer vision. This article introduces a new QSU-Net, which is a hybrid layered U-Net with attention-based skip connections. The purpose of this network is to remove haze from single images. The QSU-Net's hybrid layer, also known as the network layer, comprises a sequence of Quaternion Convolutional Neural Networks (QCNNs) and attention blocks. A QCNN block of three layers. The first layer is the QCNN layer, followed by the Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) layer, and lastly another QCNN layer. The attention block consists of a self-attention block, which includes convolutional neural network (CNN) layers at the lower part and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) layers at the upper part to handle attention. The U-Net model is trained using three widely recognized datasets: I-HAZE, O-HAZE, and Dense-HAZE. The training process involves utilizing a L1 loss function for a total of 500 epochs. The efficacy of the proposed U-Net is subsequently assessed by contrasting its outcomes with alternative techniques for image dehazing. The evaluation metrics used include peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index measure (SSIM), natural image quality evaluator (NIQE), realness index (RI), and visibility index (VI). Our solution consistently surpassed other dehazing methods in terms of performance.
Assessment of a Randomized Controlled Trial on the Safety of Pre-placing Bronchial Balloons in Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy for Diagnosing Interstitial Lung Disease
Authors: Bian Yiding , Zhou Guowu , Deng Mingming , Tong Run , Xia Yang , Lin Jieru , Hou Gang , Dai Huaping 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Rationale and objectives: Bleeding is a major complication of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC), and pre-placing a bronchial balloon is one of the clinical practices used to prevent it, but with very weak evidence, which should be confirmed. This study aimed to conduct whether pre-placing a bronchial balloon in TBLC for diagnosing interstitial lung disease (ILD) is more safety.
Materials and methods: In this prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial, patients with suspected ILD were enrolled and randomly assigned to pre-placed-balloon and none-pre-placed-balloon groups. The primary outcome was incidence of moderate bleeding in each group. The secondary endpoints were the incidence of severe bleeding, pneumothorax and other procedural complications.
Results: Exactly 250 patients were enrolled between August 2019 and March 2022, with 125 in each group. There were no significant differences in severe bleeding between the none-pre-placed-balloon group and pre-placed-balloon group (1.6% vs. 0.8%; adjusted p=0.520), while more moderate bleeding occurred in the none-pre-placed-balloon group (26.4% vs. 6.4%, adjusted p=0.001), as well as more use of hemostatic drug (28.0% vs. 6.4%, adjusted p=0.001). Three patients in the none-pre-placed-balloon group used the bronchial balloon. More samples could be acquired in the pre-placed-balloon group than in the none-pre-placed balloon group (3.8±0.9 vs 3.1±0.9, p＜0.001). There were no significant differences in multidisciplinary discussion (MDD)between the two groups (89.6% vs 91.2%, adjusted p=0.182).
Conclusion: A pre-placed bronchial balloon can reduce the incidence of moderate bleeding and increase the confidence of the bronchoscopists. However, it had no effect on increasing the diagnostic rate of MDD and reducing severe bleeding.
Registration number:NCT04047667 (www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier)