bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dry eye disease severity and impact on quality of life in type II diabetes mellitus
Authors: Zhmud Tetiana , Malachkova Natalia , Rejdak Robert , Costagliola Ciro , Concilio Marina , Drozhzhyna Galyna , Toro Mario Damiano , Veretelnyk Svitlana 
Published: February 2023

AimTo assess the severity of dry eye disease (DED) in humans, its impact on quality of life (QoL) and to grade the damage incurred by the anterior ocular surface in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Patients and methodsForty-six patients (mean age ± SD = 63.8 ± 6.7 years) diagnosed with T2DM were enrolled in the experimental group and 26 healthy individuals constituted the control group (67.9 ± 8.9 years). The diagnosis and gradation of DED were conducted in accordance with the International Task Force severity grading scheme. Disease-specific questionnaires were used to obtain the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and assess the negative effects of the disease on the patient’s QoL. The severity of conjunctival redness and corneal/conjunctival staining was assessed by Efron and Oxford scales, respectively.ResultsAccording to OSDI scores, the entire experimental group presented symptoms of DED: 54.4% were diagnosed with mild DED and 46.6% with moderately severe DED. No cases of severe DED were diagnosed in either the experimental or control group. In the control group, 57.7% of individuals did not have the disease. A significant difference between the experimental and control groups was recorded for both OSDI scores (p  &lt; 0.01) and health-related QoL (p &lt; 0.01). It was observed that keratopathy influenced the mean OSDI values of patients. The mean OSDI value was 25.14 ± 3 in the experimental group diagnosed with keratopathy, 19.3 ± 3.5 in the subgroup with no indications of corneal injury (p = 0.000002), and 13.0 ± 3.0 in the control group (p  &lt;  0.000002). Based on the DEWS scheme, a grade I severity level was observed in 46% of control subjects and 33% of patients diagnosed with T2DM (p = 0.4915); grades II and III were detected in the bulk of the experimental group (p = 0.0051; p = 0.1707). None of the subjects in the control or experimental groups manifested grade IV severity of DED.ConclusionIn comparison to healthy adults, DED adversely impacts the QoL of type 2 DM patients, regardless of the disease’s association with keratopathy.
Prognostication of progressive pulmonary fibrosis in connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung diseases: A cohort study
Authors: Chiu Yu-Hsiang , Koops Maaike F. M. , Voortman Mareye , van Es H. Wouter , Langezaal Lucianne C. M. , Welsing Paco M. J. , Jamnitski Anna , Wind Anne E. , van Laar Jacob M. , Grutters Jan C. , Spierings Julia 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundConnective tissue diseases-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) is a heterogeneous condition that impairs quality of life and is associated with premature death. Progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) has been identified as an important risk factor for poor prognosis. However, different criteria for PPF are used in clinical studies, which may complicate comparison between trials and translation of study findings into clinical practice.MethodsThis is a retrospective single center study in patients with CTD-ILD. The prognostic relevance of PPF definitions, including INBUILD, ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT 2022, and simplified progressive fibrosing (simplified PF) criteria, were examined in this cohort and validated in the other reported Dutch CTD-ILD cohort.ResultsA total of 230 patients with CTD-ILD were included and the median follow-up period was six (3—9) years. Mortality risk was independently associated with age (adjusted HR 1.07, p &lt; 0.001), smoking history (adjusted HR 1.90, p = 0.045), extent of fibrosis on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) at baseline (adjusted HR 1.05, p = 0.018) and baseline DLCO (adjusted HR 0.97, p = 0.013). Patients with regular pulmonary function tests in the first 2 years (adjusted HR 0.42, p = 0.002) had a better survival. The prognostic relevance for survival was similar between the three PPF criteria in the two cohorts.ConclusionHigher age, smoking, increased extent of fibrosis and low baseline DLCO were associated with poor prognosis, while regular pulmonary function evaluation was associated with better survival. The INBUILD, ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT 2022, and simplified PF criteria revealed similar prognostication.
Roles of gut microbiome in epilepsy risk: A Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zeng Youjie , Cao Si , Yang Heng 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundRecent studies have suggested an association between gut microbiomes (GMs) and epilepsy. However, the GM taxa identified in different studies are variable. In addition, observational studies cannot indicate causality. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the causal association of GMs with epilepsy and identify the most influential GM taxa.MethodsWe conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 211 GM taxa and epilepsy. The GWAS summary statistics for 211 GM taxa (from phylum to genus level) were generated by the MiBioGen consortium, while the FinnGen consortium provided the GWAS summary statistics for epilepsy. The primary analytical method to assess causality was the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) approach. To complement the IVW method, we also applied four additional MR methods: MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted. In addition, we conducted sensitivity analyses using Cochrane’s Q-test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO global test, and leave-one-out analysis.ResultsWe evaluated the causal effect of 211 GM taxa (from phylum to genus level) on epilepsy, generalized epilepsy, and focal epilepsy. After using the Bonferroni method for multiple testing correction, Class Betaproteobacteria [odds ratio (OR) = 1.357, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.126–1.635, p = 0.001] and Order Burkholderiales (OR = 1.336, 95% CI: 1.112–1.606, p = 0.002). In addition, 21 nominally significant causal relationships were also identified. Further, the MR-Egger intercept test and MR-PRESSO global test suggested that our MR analysis was unaffected by horizontal pleiotropy (p &gt; 0.05). Finally, the leave-one-out analysis suggested the robustness of the results.ConclusionThrough the MR study, we analyzed the causal relationship of 211 GM taxa with epilepsy and determined the specific intestinal flora associated with increased epilepsy risk. Our findings may provide helpful biomarkers for disease progression and potential candidate therapeutic targets for epilepsy. In addition, in-depth analysis of large-scale microbiome GWAS datasets based on metagenomics sequencing is necessary for future studies.
Effects of individualized dietary counseling on nutritional status and quality of life in post-discharge patients after surgery for gastric cancer: A randomized clinical trial
Authors: Yan Hongxia , He Fang , Wei Jianjian , Zhang Qiuxiang , Guo Chunguang , Ni Jinnv , Yang Fangyu , Chen Yingtai 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundCurrently, the supporting evidence for dietary counseling is insufficient. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of individualized dietary counseling on nutritional outcomes and quality of life (QOL) in patients undergoing surgery for gastric cancer.MethodsThis study was a prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial. The patients after surgery for gastric cancer were randomly assigned (1:1) to the intervention group and the control group. In the intervention group, patients receive individualized dietary counseling based on individual calorie needs and symptom assessment at 24 h before discharge, 14, 21, 30, and 60 days postoperatively. Patients in the control group received routine dietary counseling. The primary endpoint was body mass index (BMI) loss at 30, 60, and 90 days after surgery; the secondary endpoints were calorie and protein intake at 30 and 60 days after surgery, blood parameters, the 90-day readmission rate, and QOL at 90 days after surgery.ResultsOne hundred thirty patients were enrolled; 67 patients were assigned to the intervention group and 63 patients to the control group. Compared with the control group, patients in the intervention group were significantly less BMI loss at 30 days (−0.84 ± 0.65 vs. −1.29 ± 0.83), 60 days (−1.29 ± 0.92 vs. −1.77 ± 1.13), and 90 days (−1.37 ± 1.05 vs. −1.92 ± 1.66) after surgery (all P&lt; 0.05). Subgroups analysis by surgery type showed that the intervention could significantly reduce BMI loss in patients undergoing total and proximal gastrectomy at 30 days (−0.75 ± 0.47 vs. −1.55 ± 1.10), 60 days (−1.59 ± 1.02 vs. −2.55 ± 1.16), and 90 days (−1.44 ± 1.19 vs. −3.26 ± 1.46) after surgery (all P&lt; 0.05). At 60 days after surgery, calorie goals were reached in 35 patients (77.8%) in the intervention group and 14 patients (40.0%) in the control group (P = 0.001), and protein goals were reached in 40 patients (88.9%) in the intervention group and 17 patients (48.6%) in the control group (P&lt; 0.001). Regarding the QOL at 90 days after surgery, the patients in the intervention group had a significantly lower level of fatigue, shortness of breath and stomach pain, better physical function, and cognitive function (P&lt; 0.05).ConclusionsPost-discharge individualized dietary counseling is an effective intervention to reduce post-gastrectomy patient weight loss and to elevate calorie intake, protein intake, and QOL.
Clinical, radiological, and genetic characterization of SLC13A5 variants in Saudi families: Genotype phenotype correlation and brief review of the literature
Authors: AlQudairy Hanan , AlDhalaan Hesham , AlRuways Sarah , AlMutairi Nouf , AlNakiyah Maha , AlGhofaili Reema , AlBakheet Albandary , Alomrani Adeeb , Alharbi Omar A. , Tous Ehab , AlSayed Moeen , AlZaidan Hamad , AlRasheed Maha M. , AlOdaib Ali , Kaya Namik 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundSLC13A5 (solute carrier family 13, member 5) encodes sodium/citrate cotransporter, which mainly localizes in cellular plasma membranes in the frontal cortex, retina, and liver. Pathogenic variants of the gene cause an autosomal recessive syndrome known as “developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 25 with amelogenesis imperfecta.”ResultsHere, we have investigated six patients from three different consanguineous Saudi families. The affected individuals presented with neonatal seizures, developmental delay, and significant defects in tooth development. Some patients showed other clinical features such as muscle weakness, motor difficulties, intellectual disability, microcephaly, and speech problems in addition to additional abnormalities revealed by electroencephalography (EEGs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One of the MRI findings was related to cortical thickening in the frontal lobe. To diagnose and study the genetic defects of the patients, whole exome sequencing (WES) coupled with confirmatory Sanger sequencing was utilized. Iterative filtering identified two variants of SLC13A5, one of which is novel, in the families. Families 1 and 2 had the same insertion (a previously reported mutation), leading to a frameshift and premature stop codon. The third family had a novel splice site variant. Confirmatory Sanger sequencing corroborated WES results and indicated full segregation of the variants in the corresponding families. The patients’ conditions were poorly controlled by multiple antiepileptics as they needed constant care.ConclusionConsidering that recessive mutations are common in the Arab population, SLC13A5 screening should be prioritized in future patients harboring similar symptoms including defects in molar development.
Niaoduqing alleviates podocyte injury in high glucose model via regulating multiple targets and AGE/RAGE pathway: Network pharmacology and experimental validation
Authors: Fang Yipeng , Zhang Yunfei , Jia Chenxi , Ren Chunhong , Zhao Xutao , Zhang Xin 
Published: February 2023

Purpose: The aim of present study was to explore the pharmacological mechanisms of Niaoduqing granules on the treatment of podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN) via network pharmacology and experimental validation.Methods: Active ingredients and related targets of Niaoduqing, as well as related genes of podocyte injury, proteinuria and DN, were obtained from public databases. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis were performed to investigate the potential mechanisms. High glucose (HG) -induced MPC5 cell injury model was treated with the major core active ingredients of Niaoduqing and used to validate the predicted targets and signaling pathways.Results: Totally, 16 potential therapeutic targets were identified by intersecting the targets of Niaoduqing and disease, in which 7 of them were considered as the core targets via PPI network analysis. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that AGE-RAGE signaling pathway was identified as the most crucial signaling pathway. The results of in vitro experiments revealed that the treatment of Niaoduqing active ingredients significantly protected MPC5 cells from HG-induced apoptosis. Moreover, Niaoduqing could significantly attenuate the HG-induced activation of AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, whereas inhibited the over-expression of VEGF-A, ICAM-1, PTGS-2 and ACE in HG-induced MPC5 cells.Conclusion: Niaoduqing might protect against podocyte injury in DN through regulating the activity of AGE/RAGE pathway and expression of multiple genes. Further clinical and animal experimental studies are necessary to confirm present findings.
The mechanisms of potassium loss in acute myocardial ischemia: New insights from computational simulations
Authors: Ferrero Jose M. , Gonzalez-Ascaso Ana , Matas Jose F. Rodriguez 
Published: February 2023

Acute myocardial ischemia induces hyperkalemia (accumulation of extracellular potassium), a major perpetrator of lethal reentrant ventricular arrhythmias. Despite considerable experimental efforts to explain this pathology in the last decades, the intimate mechanisms behind hyperkalemia remain partially unknown. In order to investigate these mechanisms, we developed a novel computational model of acute myocardial ischemia which couples a) an electrophysiologically detailed human cardiomyocyte model that incorporates modifications to account for ischemia-induced changes in transmembrane currents, with b) a model of cardiac tissue and extracellular K+ transport. The resulting model is able to reproduce and explain the triphasic time course of extracellular K+ concentration within the ischemic zone, with values of [K+]o close to 14 mmol/L in the central ischemic zone after 30 min. In addition, the formation of a [K+]o border zone of approximately 1.2 cm 15 min after the onset of ischemia is predicted by the model. Our results indicate that the primary rising phase of [K+]o is mainly due to the imbalance between K+ efflux, that increases slightly, and K+ influx, that follows a reduction of the NaK pump activity by more than 50%. The onset of the plateau phase is caused by the appearance of electrical alternans (a novel mechanism identified by the model), which cause an abrupt reduction in the K+ efflux. After the plateau, the secondary rising phase of [K+]o is caused by a subsequent imbalance between the K+ influx, which continues to decrease slowly, and the K+ efflux, which remains almost constant. Further, the study shows that the modulation of these mechanisms by the electrotonic coupling is the main responsible for the formation of the ischemic border zone in tissue, with K+ transport playing only a minor role. Finally, the results of the model indicate that the injury current established between the healthy and the altered tissue is not sufficient to depolarize non-ischemic cells within the healthy tissue.
What motivates academics toward entrepreneurship? Examining the formation of academic entrepreneurial intention from the push-pull perspective
Authors: Yu Zhaoyuan , Lu Kangyin 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionAlthough academic entrepreneurship has received considerable attention over the last decades, little attention has been devoted to discussing the formation process of academic entrepreneurial intention underlying the push-pull perspective. This study attempts to explore the mechanism of how academic entrepreneurial intention is shaped, with job-related negative elements as push factors, and entrepreneurship-related positive attractors as pull factors.MethodsIn this paper, regression analysis and Bootstrap were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and MPLUS 7.0, whose applicability has been widely demonstrated in research.ResultsFindings were derived from 1042 academics from Chinese universities. Results showed that both push and pull factors do contribute to boosting academic entrepreneurial intention. Particularly, the entrepreneurship-related pull factors including entrepreneurial opportunity identification and expected entrepreneurial benefits play a dominant role in trigging academic intention to engaging entrepreneurship. Moreover, our findings further confirmed the moderating role of social network in the process of academics pushed by negative job-related factors to emerge entrepreneurial intention.DiscussionThis study extends the research perspective on the factors influencing academic entrepreneurial intention by examines the impact of push and pull factors on academic entrepreneurial intention simultaneously. This deepens the formation mechanism of academic entrepreneurial intention. Besides, the current study identifies a new look at the role that social network plays in academic entrepreneurship.
The Conners Continuous Performance Test CPT3™: Is it a reliable marker to predict neurocognitive dysfunction in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome?
Authors: Fernández-Quirós Judith , Lacasa-Cazcarra Marcos , Alegre-Martín Jose , Sanmartín-Sentañes Ramón , Almirall Miriam , Launois-Obregón Patricia , Castro-Marrero Jesús , Rodríguez-Urrutia Amanda , Navarro-Sanchis Jose A. , Ramos-Quiroga J. Antoni 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionThe main objective is to delimit the cognitive dysfunction associated with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in adult patients by applying the Continuous Performance Test (CPT3™). Additionally, provide empirical evidence on the usefulness of this computerized neuropsychological test to assess ME/CFS.MethodThe final sample (n= 225; 158 Patients/67 Healthy controls) were recruited in a Central Sensitization Syndromes (CSS) specialized unit in a tertiary hospital. All participants were administered this neuropsychological test.ResultsThere were significant differences between ME/CFS and healthy controls in all the main measures of CPT3™. Mainly, patients had a worse indicator of inattentiveness, sustained attention, vigilance, impulsivity, slow reaction time, and more atypical T-scores, which is associated with a likelihood of having a disorder characterized by attention deficits, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, relevant correlations were obtained between the CPT3™variables in the patient’s group. The most discriminative indicators of ME/CFS patients were Variability and Hit Reaction Time, both measures of response speed.ConclusionThe CPT3™is a helpful tool to discriminate neurocognitive impairments from attention and response speed in ME/CFS patients, and it could be used as a marker of ME/CFS severity for diagnosing or monitoring this disease.
Examining the influence of shyness on children’s helping and comforting behaviour
Authors: Karasewich Tara A. , Hines Cameron , Pinheiro Sylvia G. V. , Buchenrieder Nina , Dunfield Kristen A. , Kuhlmeier Valerie A. 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionShy children, who tend to feel anxious around others and withdraw from social interactions, are found to be less prosocial than their not-shy peers in some studies, though not in others. To examine the contexts in which shy children may be more or less likely to engage in prosocial behaviour, we compared children’s willingness and ability to intervene during in-person tasks that differed insocialengagement demandsandcomplexity, factors that have been conflated in past research.MethodsWe presented 42, 3.5- to 4.5-year-old children with prosocial problems that varied, in a 2 x 2 within-subjects design, by the type of intervention required (i.e., simple helping or complex comforting) and the source of the problem (i.e., social: within the experimenter’s personal space; or object: a target object distanced from her).ResultsMost of the children acted prosocially, with little prompting, in the two helping tasks and in the object-centered comforting task. In contrast, fewer than half of the children acted prosocially in the social-centered comforting task. Shyer children were not less likely to intervene in any of the four tasks, but they were slower to intervene in the object-centred comforting task, in which the experimenter was upset about a broken toy.DiscussionThus, providing social-centered comfort to a recently-introduced adult is challenging for young children, regardless of shyness, though shy children do show hesitancy with object-centered comforting. Further, these findings provide insights into the methodological challenges of disentangling children’s prosocial motivation and understanding, and we propose solutions to these challenges for future research.
The relationship between moral judgment ability, parenting style, and perfectionism in obsessive–compulsive disorder patients: A mediating analysis
Authors: Cui Jiacheng , Zhu Kongmei , Wen Jianglin , Nie Wanjie , Wang Dong 
Published: February 2023

IntroductionGuilt is an important part of obsessive–compulsive disorder. The abnormal moral cognition of obsessive–compulsive disorder patients may be closely related to their high level of guilt. The purpose of this study was to explore the development level of moral judgment in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and the role of parenting style and perfectionism in moral judgment development.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted in the clinical psychology department of a Class III hospital in Beijing. The patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder were recruited, and the healthy control subjects were recruited at the same time. Questionnaires were used to collect data, including the Yale-Brown Compulsion Scale, the Moral Judgment Test, the Parenting Style Evaluation Scale, and the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale.ResultA total of 231 patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder and 246 healthy controls were included. The results showed that, first, the obsessive–compulsive group scored significantly lower on moral judgment than the healthy control group. Second, the tendency of non-adaptive perfectionism was significantly higher in the obsessive–compulsive group than in the healthy control group. Third, parents’ excessive control, denial, punishment, and other parenting styles and non-adaptive perfectionism are higher than those of healthy people. Fourthly, the mother of obsessive–compulsive disorder patients is overly interference and protective. Rejection, denial, punishment, harshness, and father’s rejection and denial play a partial mediating role in moral judgment ability through the degree of non-adaptive perfectionism.ConclusionThe development level of moral judgment ability of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder was significantly lower than that of the normal group, and the level of non-adaptive perfectionism was significantly higher than that of the normal group. Parents of obsessive–compulsive patients use more high-pressure control education. Parenting style partially affects the moral judgment of obsessive–compulsive patients through the degree of non-adaptive perfectionism.