bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Large-bore aspiration thrombectomy for the treatment of pulmonary embolism in octogenarians
Authors: Masterson Reid , Pebror Travis , Gauger Andrew , Schmitz Adam William , Butty Sabah David 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Purpose
To evaluate outcomes in patients aged ≥ 80 years following large-bore aspiration thrombectomy (LBAT) for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE).

Materials and methods
All patients ≥ 80 years of age with PE treated via LBAT at a single center were analyzed from September 2019 – August 2024. This included the octogenarian subgroup from a recently published retrospective analysis assessing all PE patients treated with LBAT at our center between September 2019 and January 2023. The following outcomes were evaluated: technical success, change in several hemodynamic measures including pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and right ventricle to left ventricle ratio (RV to LV ratio), length of hospital and intensive-care-unit (ICU) stay, procedure-related complications, and 7- and 30-day mortality.

Results
Forty-eight patients aged ≥ 80 years underwent LBAT procedures for PE. Technical success was achieved in 46 cases (95.8%). The mean reduction in mean PAP was 3.6 mmHg. The mean reduction in RV to LV ratio was -0.42. The mean length of postprocedural hospital and ICU stays were 5.7 ± 3.6 days and 1.0 ± 1.6 days, respectively. There were 2 procedural complications, 1 pulmonary vascular injury involving a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm and 1 decompensation involving hypotension requiring vasopressor support. There were no major bleeding complications or cardiac injuries. All-cause mortality was 2.1% (n = 1) at 7 days and 6.3% (n = 3) at 30 days post procedure. PE-related mortality was 2.1% (n = 1) at 30 days.

Conclusion
LBAT is a technically feasible procedure for the treatment of PE in octogenarian patients and has a favorable preliminary safety and mortality profile.
Chemical composition by PTP 1B inhibitory activity guided analysis of a plant- based antidiabetic polyherbal drug used in ethnomedical systems
Authors: Mugari Pardon , Dzomba Pamhidzai , Nyoni Stephen 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Due to growing resistance and continued depletion of drugs that can be used as replacements, people turn to herbal antidiabetic medicines. A polyherbal drug consisting of a mixture of two herbal plants, Zanthoxylum chalybeum and Xeroderris stuhlmannii root powder mixed in equal amounts using a tea cup, was studied to investigate its chemical composition and possible mode of action.

Methods
Phytochemicals were isolated using Column and Thin Layer Chromatography, and antidiabetic activity was ascertained using an enzyme inhibition model. Active compounds identity was established using 1HNMR, 13CNMR, HSQC-NMR, UV, FT-IR and MS spectroscopy.

Results
Results showed that the polyherbal drug consisted of two alkaloids and three anthocyanins as the major active components. PTP 1B inhibition of alkaloids was not significantly different from that of metformin with percentage inhibition of 78.6 ± 3.2 and 79.6 ± 2.3%. The anthocyanins inhibited PTP 1B enzyme significantly better than metformin with percentage inhibition of 88.2 ± 3.2, 90.3 ± 2.3 and 93.6 ± 2.9%. One new compound, an alkaloid, 1, 2-dimethoxy-12-methyl-7-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-12, 13-dihydro [1,3] benzodioxolo [5,6-c] phenanthridin-13-ol, one previously reported alkaloid berberine, IUPAC name, 9,10-dimethoxy-5,6-dihydro[1,3] dioxolo [4',5':6,7] isoquinolino [2,1-b][2] benzazin-7-ium and three anthocyanins,, malvidin 3-o-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-O-gucoside and malvidin 3, 5-O-diglucoside were identified as the active compounds in the polyherbal drug extract.

Conclusion
Presence of alkaloids and anthocyanins that have PTP 1B inhibitory activity showed that the polyherbal drug is a potential medicine for managing diabetes.
Antithrombotic therapy in adults with ectatic coronary artery disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Azarboo Alireza , Daneshvar Mohammad Shahabaddin , Abroy Alireza Sattari , Assempoor Ramin , Taghvaei Aryan , Nasrollahizadeh Ali , Hajiqasemi Mohsen , Ghaseminejad-Raeini Amirhossein , Hosseini Kaveh 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Many studies have validated the use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy in coronary artery ectasia (CAE) to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE); however, it is not completely known which group of these antithrombotic medications is more effective. The purpose of this systematic review and network meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of different anti-thrombotic treatments in adult patients with CAE.

Methods
This systematic review and meta-analysis followed preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines as well as PRISMA extension statement for reporting of systematic reviews incorporating network meta-analyses and adhered to a registered predetermined methodology noted in the prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) protocol. Comprehensive searches were conducted until October 2024. Study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessments were independently performed by two reviewers. The pairwise meta-analysis compared the odds of MACE among patients receiving different antithrombotic therapies versus no treatment. The network meta-analysis (NMA) combined direct and indirect evidence to compare the efficacy of antithrombotic therapies for MACE.

Results
Our systematic review included 5,039 adult patients suffering from CAE. The odds of MACE were higher in patients with no treatment when compared with those on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and aspirin monotherapy; although patients on anticoagulation demonstrated a lower incidence of MACE, the difference with the no treatment group did not reach statistical significance. Among various types of interventions in NMA, DAPT was the best in the treatment of CAE.

Conclusions
Based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) value, DAPT is the most effective treatment in the prevention of MACE for CAE patients, followed by aspirin monotherapy and anticoagulant treatment.
Tuberculosis vaccines and therapeutic drug: challenges and future directions
Authors: An Yajing , Ni Ruizi , Zhuang Li , Yang Ling , Ye Zhaoyang , Li Linsheng , Parkkila Seppo , Aspatwar Ashok , Gong Wenping 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a prominent global health challenge, with the World Health Organization documenting over 1 million annual fatalities. Despite the deployment of the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and available therapeutic agents, the escalation of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains underscores the pressing need for more efficacious vaccines and treatments. This review meticulously maps out the contemporary landscape of TB vaccine development, with a focus on antigen identification, clinical trial progress, and the obstacles and future trajectories in vaccine research. We spotlight innovative approaches, such as multi-antigen vaccines and mRNA technology platforms. Furthermore, the review delves into current TB therapeutics, particularly for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), exploring promising agents like bedaquiline (BDQ) and delamanid (DLM), as well as the potential of host-directed therapies. The hurdles in TB vaccine and therapeutic development encompass overcoming antigen diversity, enhancing vaccine effectiveness across diverse populations, and advancing novel vaccine platforms. Future initiatives emphasize combinatorial strategies, the development of anti-TB compounds targeting novel pathways, and personalized medicine for TB treatment and prevention. Despite notable advances, persistent challenges such as diagnostic failures and protracted treatment regimens continue to impede progress. This work aims to steer future research endeavors toward groundbreaking TB vaccines and therapeutic agents, providing crucial insights for enhancing TB prevention and treatment strategies.
Reckoning with God
Authors: Alkorani Joud , Mittermaier Amira 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This special section reflects upon how divine-human relations are shaped by the socioeconomic and political circumstances in which they are cultivated. The four articles treat God not as a rigidly defined, unchanging being borne of ageless scripture and theology, but a figure who emerges during people's self-reflection and through their interactions with others in specific settings. The articles explore how human engagements with the divine manifest across a myriad of post–Arab Spring communities, from Syrian Sunni refugees in Jordan to Shi'i Iranians who feel forsaken by their government and God, and from Beiruti Orthodox Christians running a charity clinic to Sunni Muslim women taking Islamic lessons in Dubai. A framework of divine-human relations structures these distinct contributions, and this introduction lays out how the articles intervene in debates around politics, agency, and temporality. Together, the articles offer insight not only into what religiosity and selfhood look like among (dis)believers in the Middle East today, but also what notions of God drive different kinds of (ir)reverence. They also accord ethnographic attention to God, an otherwise marginal figure in much scholarship on religion.
When God Provides
Authors: Arăş Roxana Maria 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Drawing from ethnographic research conducted at an Orthodox sociomedical center in Beirut, this article investigates welfare practices situated at the intersection of lived theology and sect-based clientelism. Amid the crises engulfing Lebanon since 2019, the center's activity was shaped by Orthodox models of social activism where “heaven starts from earth.” Theological concepts of service were activated in relation to a divine management that addressed concrete needs and in response to economic uncertainty. Together, they authenticated a pragmatic God working through the center's social and material infrastructures. The human-divine relationality shaped by these models is analyzed in relation to sect-based networks entangled in the everyday lives of Lebanese people. This approach argues for a reconsideration of charity alongside and beyond sectarian models of differentiation and secular ideals of national unity. Focusing on an Eastern Orthodox community in the Middle East, the article is a critical intervention in the anthropology of Christianity. It underscores localized expressions of Christianity by highlighting the social life of theological concepts amid the realities of a country in crisis. Additionally, the focus on religion at the intersection of lived theology and precarious lives reveals the entanglements of Orthodoxy as sect and community of practice in Lebanon.
Clinical efficacy of donepezil combined with nerve growth factor in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and its impact on adiponectin and soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor-1
Authors: Hu Meiling , Ye Jiamei 
Published: January 2025

Objective: To explore clinical efficacy of donepezil combined with nerve growth factor (NGF) in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) and its potential impact on serum levels of adiponectin (APN) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (sTNFR-1).
Methods: Clinical data of 140 patients with PDD treated in Taizhou First People’s Hospital from March 2021 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were grouped based on the treatment received. Patients who received donepezil alone (n=68) comprised the Donepezil group, and patients who were treated with a combination of donepezil and NGF (n=72) were assigned into the Donepezil & NGF group. Treatment effects, symptom improvement before and after the treatment, APN and sTNFR-1 levels, and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between two groups.
Results: The overall efficacy of the combination therapy was higher than that of donepezil regimen alone (P<0.05). After treatment, symptom improvement in the Donepezil & NGF group was significantly better than that in the Donepezil group (P<0.05). Post-treatment serum levels of APN in the Donepezil & NGF group were significantly higher than that of Donepezil group, while the level of sTNFR-1 was significantly lower (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Combined regimen of donepezil and NGF is more effective than donepezil monotherapy in improving cognitive function, neurological function, and severity of the condition of patients with PDD, and is associated with the suppression of the inflammatory response without a significant increase in the incidence of adverse reactions. The study provides a basis for the clinical application of the combined regimen, but it still needs to be confirmed by more basic and clinical research.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.2.11191
How to cite this: Hu M, Ye J. Clinical efficacy of donepezil combined with nerve growth factor in the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease dementia and its impact on adiponectin and soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor-1. Pak J Med Sci. 2025;41(2):372-377. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.2.11191
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Solutions in Governance
Authors: Boeger Nina 
Published: January 2025

Chapter 3 surveys a range of governance interventions that are available for states to resolve outsourcing problems. Contractual governance centres on improving contract design and management, seeking to strike a balance between detail and formalized contracting and relational or framework contracts. Beyond contracting, the state may seek leverage in public markets (public procurement) to impose accountability on providers keen to enter or continue their partnership with the public sector, or it may, by selecting different types of provider, diversify its provider pool to temper incumbency powers. It may use regulatory governance to impose additional constraints on providers, supplementing contractual and market mechanisms, and it may potentially create an institutional body – for example, a public or regulatory agency – to oversee implementation.
Sustainable Ownership
Authors: Boeger Nina 
Published: January 2025

Chapter 5 explores the design elements in sustainable ownership: corporate purpose, power and profit. It introduces elements operating in social economy organizations but also those that operate in the wider economy. In the social economy, these encompass community interest companies, cooperative or community benefit societies and companies limited by guarantee operating under a non-distribution constraint. Those in the wider economy include purpose-driven firms that distribute profits, including certified B Corps or firms incorporated (outside the UK) as a benefit corporation. The chapter considers stakeholder co-determination and mutual and employee-owned firms as well as companies in foundation ownership. It provides no comprehensive survey but addresses what these forms of sustainable corporate ownership might be able to offer to improve public service outsourcing and reduce existing problems and failures.
Entonación asertiva e interrogativa del español de Uruguay en Rocha y Montevideo
Authors: Almeida Cuello Rodrigo 
Published: January 2025

El tema abordado en este artículo es la entonación de los enunciados asertivos e interrogativos de la variedad del español del Uruguay de la ciudad de Rocha en contraste con la entonación del español de Montevideo. De esta manera, se estudia un aspecto prosódico escasamente investigado en el español empleado en Uruguay utilizando el método Análisis Melódico del Habla.
Los resultados han permitido establecer tendencias en los rasgos fonéticos de la entonación de los enunciados de cada región que son atribuibles a esta variable y que muestran semejanzas en los enunciados asertivos y diferencias, especialmente, en los rasgos de la inflexión final predominantes en los enunciados interrogativos totales (inflexión final circunfleja ascendente-descendente en los enunciados de las informantes montevideanas y ascendente en los enunciados de Rocha) y parciales (el rasgo melódico ascendente predomina en los enunciados de las montevideanas frente al rasgo melódico plano en las rochenses).
Palabras clave: Entonación; Análisis Melódico del Habla; Español del Uruguay
Self-acupressure for patients with breast cancer experiencing aromatase inhibitor-associated musculoskeletal symptoms: Protocol for the AcuAIM randomized pilot trial
Authors: Henry N. Lynn , Kidwell Kelley M. , Kozar Stephanie , Snyder Sara , Zick Suzanna M. 
Published: January 2025

Background
Aromatase inhibitors (AI) reduce hormone receptor-positive breast cancer recurrence risk by about 50%. However, half of AI-treated postmenopausal women report new or worsened musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS), and 20% discontinue therapy prematurely. Acupuncture is effective for reducing symptoms, but many women are not able to access acupuncture therapy. We hypothesize that self-administered acupressure will reduce AIMSS.

Materials and methods
Postmenopausal women who have been receiving treatment with an AI for more than 3 weeks but less than 2 years, and who report new or worsened joint pain or myalgias since starting AI therapy with worst pain of at least 4 out of 10 on a numerical rating scale, are eligible. Fifty participants will be enrolled and randomized 1:1 to treatment with true or sham acupressure for 12 weeks. Participants will self-apply pressure for 3 minutes to each of the 9 acupoints daily. All participants will complete a pain assessment weekly, and a battery of symptom questionnaires every 6 weeks. Optional stool samples will be collected after 0 and 12 weeks of acupressure to examine changes in the gut microbiome. The primary endpoint is change in worst pain on the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form with 12 weeks of the acupressure intervention, evaluated with generalized estimating equations.

Conclusion
Determination that self-administered acupressure reduces AIMSS in this randomized phase 2 pilot trial will lead to a larger randomized phase 3 clinical trial to confirm the efficacy of self-acupressure. Reduction of AI-related arthralgias may improve persistence with breast cancer therapy, breast cancer outcomes, and quality of life for AI-treated patients.

Trial registration
Clinicaltrials.gov NCT06228768.
Family support and prayer are invaluable coping strategies for our recovery: Experiences of persons living with cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Tsedze Ivy Selorm , Edwin Frank , Owusu Bennett , Dumahasi Victor Kwasi , Botha Nkosi Nkosi , Ebu Enyan Nancy Innocentia 
Published: January 2025

Background
It is estimated that 61% of deaths caused by Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) globally are attributed to lifestyle-related risk factors including tobacco use, alcohol abuse, poor diet, and inadequate physical activity. Meanwhile, inadequate knowledge and misperceptions about CVDs are disproportionately increasing the prevalence of CVDs in Africa. Moreover, pre-diagnosis awareness/knowledge about CVDs among patients is essential in shaping the extent and scope of education to be provided by healthcare workers.

Objective
Explore the experiences of patients living with CVDs (PLwCVDs) and accessing care at the Cardiothoracic Centre, Ho Teaching Hospital, regarding their knowledge of CVD-risk factors and coping strategies that work for them.

Method
We leveraged descriptive phenomenological design to explore the experiences of patients accessing care at the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Using the purposive sampling technique, 17 PLwCVDs for 3yrs and above were recruited and included in the study. Thematic analysis was conducted using the qualitative computerised data software, NVivo version 14. Recruitment of participants and general conduct of the study commenced on November 1, 2023 and ended on April 30, 2024.

Findings
We found that PLwCVDs and accessing care at the Cardiothoracic Centre at Ho Teaching Hospital have adequate pre-diagnosis awareness about CVD-risk factors and their knowledge of same was optimal. Moreover, past unhealthy lifestyles (such as poor dieting, abuse of alcohol, smoking, and inadequate physical activity) may have contributed to participants developing the CVDs. Furthermore, prayers and participation in church activities were the main coping strategies employed by the participants in dealing with CVDs.

Conclusion
The PLwCVDs and receiving treatment at the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Ho Teaching Hospital are knowledgeable in the CVD-risk factors and adopting positive coping strategies. The Cardiothoracic Centre and government must explore social media facilities to intensify public education and also correct misconceptions about CVDs.
Interleukin-1β rs16944 and rs1143627 polymorphisms and risk of developing major depressive disorder: A case-control study among Bangladeshi population
Authors: Toma Faria Mehreen , Kalam Khondoker Tashya , Haque Md. Aminul , Reza Sejuti , Akter Raushanara , Islam Mohammad Safiqul , Islam Md. Rabiul , Nahar Zabun 
Published: January 2025

Background
Epidemiological research suggests that altered levels of cytokine are associated with pathophysiology and the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). Based on earlier study, IL-1β rs16944 and rs1143627 polymorphisms may increase the risk of depression. Here, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between these polymorphisms and MDD susceptibility among the population in Bangladesh.

Methods
Blood samples were collected from 100 MDD patients and 70 matched controls. Study participants were evaluated by DSM-5 criteria and PCR-RFLP method were applied for genotyping.

Results
The IL1β rs1143627 and rs16944 polymorphisms were found to have a significant association with the risk of MDD. In case of rs1143627 CT heterozygous genotype (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.08–4.55, p-value = 0.029) and combined CT+TT (OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.15–4.79, p-value = 0.019) genotype was strongly associated with the increased risk of MDD in comparison to CC common genotype. Moreover, the over-dominant model indicated a 2.15-fold higher risk for MDD development (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.05–4.40, p-value = 0.036). On the other hand, the IL1β rs16944 polymorphisms revealed that the TC+CC combined genotype in the dominant model showed a 2.06-fold increased risk for MDD development compared to the TT common homozygote (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.06–3.99, p-value = 0.032).

Conclusion
Studies suggests that IL1β rs16944 and rs1143627 polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of MDD. These findings will provide us with valuable insights into the pathophysiology of MDD.
“Burning in His Own Heart”
Authors: Joy Bernard T. 
Published: January 2025

Faulkner’s creation of Joe Christmas in Light in August (1932) inaugurates his mature approach to race just as Native Son (1940) forms part of the inauguration of Wright’s. This chapter explores tropes of blindness and invisibility as they are presented in these novels through Joe’s invisibility and Bigger’s visibility as non-white men. The chapter further argues that the visual aspects of Joe's and Bigger’s racial recognition within their majority white communities results in Joe’s desire for social death (a state in which a fantasy of deracinated individuality is imaginable) while Bigger equates social death with physical death and his own individual aliveness with social, political aliveness. It is for this reason that, while Joe seeks to transcend social arrangements, Bigger contends with them both in an attempt to appropriate a social self and to avert the existential threat its loss implies to him.