bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Gene expression and immunohistochemistry analysis of xenograft and allograft in maxillary sinus floor augmentation
Authors:   , Kungvarnchaikul Isaya 
Published: April 2023

Quality of bone is an important factor contributing to the success of dental implants. The bone height in maxillary posterior area sometimes is not enough and might pose risks for placing dental implants. Maxillary sinus augmentation with bone substitutes is used for filling and correcting bony defects. This study aims to determine the differences in gene expressions of TNF-alpha, RUNX2, COL1A1, ALP between xenograft (Bio-Oss®) and allograft (SureOss®). Patients who needed two-stage maxillary sinus floor augmentation were included (n=13). Patient who had dental implant at posterior maxilla without bone substitutes was also used in immunohistochemistry analysis (IHC) (n=1). Bone samples were collected using trephine bur 2 mm internal diameter. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method was used for studying gene expression (n=10). Immunohistochemical staining of ALP was used to visualize the area of osteogenic activity (n= 4). The results of qPCR showed higher RUNX2 expression of allograft when compared to xenograft (p<0.05). Although, TNF-alpha, COL1A1 expression was not statistically different between groups. Immunohistochemistry staining of both samples also showed similar intensity and expression of ALP. The data suggested that gene expression levels of TNF-alpha and COL1A1 were not significantly different between bone grafted with Bio-Oss® and SureOss®. However, the expression of RUNX2 was significantly higher in SureOss®. Nevertheless, result from IHC study showed similar characteristics between both groups.
Improving Routine Immunization coverage through strengthening Interpersonal Comminication skills of primary health care workers in rural Local government areas in kebbi state Nigeria
Authors:   , Basheer Saudat 
Published: April 2023

Background: In 2015, Kebbi state was among the four (4) states in northwestern Nigeria that have low routine immunization performance in the country. National Nutrition and Health Survey 2015 report indicated that only 7.8% of the eligible children have received three doses of DPT/Penta and measles coverage was 14.7%. There was no documented research to investigate the effect of interpersonal communication skills on routine immunization services in Kebbi state Nigeria. The objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the effect of vaccination education on improving mothers’ knowledge and uptake of routine immunization services among children in the rural LGAs of Kebbi State. Methods: The study was a quasi-experimental one was conducted in two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kebbi State, between October 2016 to March 2017. Health Education Officers and Primary Health Care workers trained from the intervention centers were trained on interpersonal communication skills. Data were collected using a questionnaire on the vaccination status of the children after intervention from children’s vaccination cards and mother’s verbal reports. The knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers were also analyzed. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and student t-test were used to test the effect of the intervention on knowledge, attitude and practice, and immunization coverage between the control group and intervention group. Results: There was a significant difference in the mean scores for knowledge at baseline in the intervention group (M =2.01, SD = 2.99) compared with mean knowledge at the end line (M = 5.42, SD = 3.35). The mean difference of 3.40 between baseline and end-line indicated that knowledge of mothers/caregivers on routine immunization has increased after the intervention. 53.8% of children in the intervention group were fully immunized while in the control it was 9.5% increasing only by about 2%. The percentage of unimmunized children was high in both groups at pre-intervention (66%) but this decreased to 29.5% in the intervention group and 57.6% in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference of change of attitude between intervention and control group after intervention with p=<0.001. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the use of IPC skills intervention could improve Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice consequently improving routine immunization. Such improvement could translate into better immunization performance.
A Social Ecology of Sexual Health and Well-being among Older Gay Men and Transgender Women in Chiang Mai, Thailand: A Qualitative Study
Authors:   , Tepjan Suchon 
Published: April 2023

With increasing ageing populations in Thailand, including sexually diverse communities, there has been little attention to older gay men and transgender women regarding their sexual health and well-being. Several international studies indicated that these communities have been underserved, especially in countries that lack human rights to protect against social and cultural stigma. The well-being of this population, that had experienced discrimination, victimization, and identity concealment in their early years, could have been better understood through open-ended exploration. This study explores the social-ecological factors contributing to the sexual health of older gay men and transgender women in Chiang Mai. This qualitative study was guided by a grounded theory approach. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted in Thai with 9 older gay men and 9 older transgender women aged 60 years and older and were locals. The semi-structured interview guide was informed by the social-ecological model. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. The researcher conducted thematic analysis using line-by-line and thematic coding from the transcripts. Several themes emerged from the interviews across the social-ecological model–individual level: embarrassment of ageing, feeling of loneliness; interpersonal level: isolation, friends and family support; sociocultural level: culture and beliefs, stigma and discrimination; structural level: social exclusion, discrimination and stigmatization from service providers, and lack of law supporting ageing sexual minority populations. The intersectional impact of multi-level factors on sexual health and well-being of older gay men and transgender women demonstrated that individual- and interpersonal-level experiences could contribute to their well-being, both physically and mentally. Interventions on acknowledging awareness and the health needs of such marginalized communities may support understanding and improvement of their health quality. Sociocultural- and structural-level factors suggest that further social policy and intervention research should promote inclusion and equality for older gay men and transgender women in Thailand.
Association between factors related and stress, depression and suicidal risk among health care personnel during covid-19 second outbreak in Thailand
Authors:   , Polrak Aphichaya 
Published: April 2023

Health care personnel are one of most affected by COVID-19 situation. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of stress, depression and suicidal risk and associated factors among health care personnel during COVID-19 second outbreak in Thailand. This study was cross-sectional study, which used secondary data collected during December 17, 2020 to February 23, 2021. Total of 4,970 health care personnel participated in this research. The instruments of this research were ST-5, 9Q and 8Q. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with stress, depression and suicidal risk outcomes. The prevalence of stress, depression and suicidal risk in this study was 6.2%, 9.1% and 2.5% respectively. In multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that stress were significantly associated with participants who live in zone 5 (Bangkok Province) [AdjOR=2.00, 95%CI(1.30-3.07)], who was risk group of burnout [AdjOR=22.34, 95%CI(16.52-30.22)] and who had low-moderate resilient quotient [AdjOR=14.28, 95%CI(8.56-23.81) and AdjOR=3.96, 95%CI(2.76-5.68)]. Depression was significantly associated with participants who live in zone 5 (Bangkok Province) [AdjOR=1.80, 95%CI(1.25-2.59)], who were risk group of burnout [AdjOR=10.86, 95%CI(8.53-13.83)] and who had low-moderate resilient quotient [AdjOR=22.41, 95%CI(14.54-34.53) and AdjOR=4.95, 95%CI(3.74-6.54)]. Suiciadal risk was significantly associated with participants who live in zone 5 (Bangkok Province) [AdjOR=2.80, 95%CI(1.43-5.50)], who were risk group of burnout [AdjOR=7.14, 95%CI(4.66-10.92)] and who had low-moderate resilient quotient[AdjOR=34.07, 95%CI(16.66-69.68) and AdjOR=5.74, 95%CI(3.01-10.95)]. That showed implication of this study reveals that in addition to internal factors and external factors as well.
Factors associated with knowledge and awareness of syphilis among the youths visiting family planning clinics, Bangkok, Thailand
Authors:   , Tattanon Nutcha 
Published: April 2023

Syphilis has been controlled since 1960. However, syphilis is now reappearing in some areas in Africa and South-east Asia including Thailand. In Thailand, syphilis is reappearing in all regions. The most high-risk population is the youth aged 15-24 year. Objective of this study aimed to determine factors associated with knowledge and awareness of syphilis prevention among youths visiting at family planning clinic, Bangkok, Thailand. Method of this study was a cross-sectional study conducted by purposive sampling among the youth aged 15-24 years old who visit at PPAT family planning clinic, Bangkok, Thailand during April-June 2021. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between factors and the knowledge/awareness level of syphilis prevention. Total 207 participants were recruited in this study. The result from multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that unemployment associated with lower knowledge level compared with fulltime job [OR 0.29, 95% CI (0.11-0.75)], living with family or relative associated with lower knowledge level compared with living alone [OR 0.187, 95% CI (0.07—0.51)], always use of condom associate with higher knowledge level compared with never use condom [OR 7.95, 95% CI (1.64-38.61)], participant who never had a reproductive health education associated with lower knowledge level compared with participant who had a reproductive health education [OR 0.29, 95% CI (0.11-0.77)], and participant who had ever used a reproductive health service at private clinic/hospital associated with lower knowledge level compared with who use this service for the first time [OR 0.27, 95% CI (0.07-0.99)]. According to the awareness, participant who had a good knowledge level associated with higher awareness level of syphilis prevention compared with those who had fair or poor knowledge level [OR 1.19, 95% CI (1.06-1.33)]. We concluded that the youths were recognized as vulnerable group for syphilis. To prevent them, it was important for public health to emphasize on knowledge and awareness regarding syphilis prevention among the youths. Additionally, novel strategy to increased knowledge and awareness level of syphilis prevention need to be considered.
Efficacy of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid on Perioperative Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirement in Spine Fusion Surgery
Authors: Niroula Ankit , Paudel Sushil , Kafle Dinesh 
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Blood loss associated with spine fusion surgery is a common potential cause of morbidity and often requires a blood transfusion, which subjects patients to risks of blood transfusion. Tranexamic acid is used intra-operatively to reduce bleeding in major surgeries. This study aims to evaluate its efficacy on perioperative blood loss and transfusion requirement in patients undergoing spine fusion surgery
Methods: This prospective randomised controlled study was conducted at Department of Orthopedics of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital between August 2015 and July 2016. Patients undergoing spine fusion surgery were randomly assigned to group A (TXA) and group B (control) equally, thirty patients in each group. TXA was given to group A in a loading dose of 10 mg/kg, followed by continuous infusion of 1 mg/kg/hr during surgery. Outcome measures included perioperative blood loss, amount of blood transfusion, and safety and adverse effects. The data were analyzed by means of SPSS version 21.0. The results were presented as mean ± SD. Differences were considered significant if the P-value was <0.05.
Results: Sixty patients (31 males, 29 females) with mean age of 39.95 years were enrolled in study, thirty patients in each group. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the 2 study groups with regard to age, sex, weight, preoperative hemoglobin, level of fusion as well as operative time. The amount of perioperative blood loss was significantly less in the group A versus group B, 241.274±162.819 ml vs 661.053±189.469 ml, p=0.000. There was no difference in the incidence of allogenic blood transfusion. There were no complications related to use of TXA in this study.
Conclusion: TXA provided an effective and safe method for reduction of blood loss during and after spine fusion surgery. However, there was no difference in the incidence of perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion.
Graph data science and machine learning for the detection of COVID-19 infection from symptoms
Authors: Alqaissi Eman , Alotaibi Fahd , Ramzan Muhammad Sher 
Published: April 2023

Background
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. The symptoms of COVID-19 vary from mild-to-moderate respiratory illnesses, and it sometimes requires urgent medication. Therefore, it is crucial to detect COVID-19 at an early stage through specific clinical tests, testing kits, and medical devices. However, these tests are not always available during the time of the pandemic. Therefore, this study developed an automatic, intelligent, rapid, and real-time diagnostic model for the early detection of COVID-19 based on its symptoms.

Methods
The COVID-19 knowledge graph (KG) constructed based on literature from heterogeneous data is imported to understand the COVID-19 different relations. We added human disease ontology to the COVID-19 KG and applied a node-embedding graph algorithm called fast random projection to extract an extra feature from the COVID-19 dataset. Subsequently, experiments were conducted using two machine learning (ML) pipelines to predict COVID-19 infection from its symptoms. Additionally, automatic tuning of the model hyperparameters was adopted.

Results
We compared two graph-based ML models, logistic regression (LR) and random forest (RF) models. The proposed graph-based RF model achieved a small error rate = 0.0064 and the best scores on all performance metrics, including specificity = 98.71%, accuracy = 99.36%, precision = 99.65%, recall = 99.53%, and F1-score = 99.59%. Furthermore, the Matthews correlation coefficient achieved by the RF model was higher than that of the LR model. Comparative analysis with other ML algorithms and with studies from the literature showed that the proposed RF model exhibited the best detection accuracy.

Conclusion
The graph-based RF model registered high performance in classifying the symptoms of COVID-19 infection, thereby indicating that the graph data science, in conjunction with ML techniques, helps improve performance and accelerate innovations.
The relative effectiveness of different grassland restoration methods: A systematic literature search and meta‐analysis
Authors: Slodowicz Daniel , Durbecq Aure , Ladouceur Emma , Eschen René , Humbert Jean‐Yves , Arlettaz Raphaël 
Published: April 2023

Abstract

Active grassland restoration has gained importance in mitigating the dramatic decline of farmnland biodiversity. While there is evidence that such operations are generally effective in promoting plant diversity, little is known about the effectiveness of the different methods applied. Restoration methods can differ in intensity of seed bed preparation, seed source and method of seed application.

In this systematic literature search and meta‐analysis, we screened the literature for studies of the restoration of mesic grasslands in temperate Europe. We focused on active restoration experiments that included a treatment and lasted for more than 3 years. We evaluated the influence of restoration factors on plant species richness relative to non‐restored controls.

We found 187 articles that investigated the outcome of operations aimed at actively restoring mesic temperate grasslands. Most articles focused on plants, with only 9.6% dealing with other organisms (e.g. beetles, pollinating insects). Many papers had to be excluded due to incomplete data, too short study duration and/or lack of an adequate control. This resulted in 13 articles fulfilling our criteria for inclusion, yielding a total of 56 data points for the meta‐analysis.

Restoration actions increased plant species richness by, on average, 17.4%, compared to controls. The seed source explained a significant amount of variation in plant species richness: seeds originating from a speciose donor grassland had a positive effect. This effect was even enhanced when combined with a commercial seed mix, whereas commercial seed mixes alone had no significant effect. We did not observe any effect of other factors, such as the type of seed bed preparation or the seed application method.

A seed‐source obtained from species‐rich grasslands seems to be key to efficient grassland restoration in mesic grasslands of temperate Europe. Even though seeds from a speciose donor grassland should be preferred over commercial seeds, associating natural and commercial seed mixes increases plant species richness. This systematic literature search further revealed two major research gaps in grassland restoration ecology: a deficit in long‐term investigations as well as a deficit in studies focusing on non‐plant organisms.
Impact of Television Depictions of Gout on Perceptions of Illness: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Murdoch Rachel , Mihov Borislav , Horne Anne M. , Petrie Keith J. , Gamble Gregory D. , Dalbeth Nicola 
Published: April 2023

ObjectiveGout is a chronic disease that can be effectively managed with long‐term urate‐lowering therapy. However, it is frequently portrayed on screen as an acute disease caused by a poor diet that should be managed with lifestyle changes. This study was undertaken to investigate the impact of a fictional television depiction of gout on perceptions of the disease and its management.MethodsIn a randomized controlled single‐blind study, 200 members of the public watched either a 19‐minute commercial television comedy episode that depicted gout as an acute disease caused by poor diet and managed with lifestyle changes, or a control episode from the same television series that did not mention gout or other diseases. Participants completed a survey regarding their perceptions of gout, its likely causes, and management strategies.ResultsParticipants randomized to watch the gout‐related episode believed gout had greater consequences (mean score of 7.1 versus 6.2 on an 11‐point Likert scale; P < 0.001) and were more likely to rank the most important cause as poor eating habits compared to the control group (70% versus 38%; P < 0.001). They were also less likely to believe it is caused by genetic factors or chance. Participants watching the gout‐related episode believed a change in diet would be a more effective management strategy (9.0 versus 8.4; P = 0.004) and long‐term medication use would be less effective (6.9 versus 7.6; P = 0.007) compared to participants in the control group.ConclusionTelevision depictions of gout can perpetuate inaccurate beliefs regarding causes of the disease and underemphasize effective medical strategies required in chronic disease management.
Modulating Oxygen Vacancies in Lead Chromate for Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting
Authors: Zhou Hongpeng , Zhang Deyun , Xie Huichen , Liu Yang , Meng Caixia , Zhang Pengfei , Fan Fengtao , Li Rengui , Li Can 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAlthough modulating oxygen vacancies in semiconductors has attracted broad interest in photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, identifying the intrinsic roles of oxygen vacancies on photoelectrocatalytic properties is often elusive. In this work, the oxygen vacancies in a typical semiconductor lead chromate (PbCrO4) are regulated via controlling the oxygen chemical potentials of O‐poor and O‐rich post‐annealing atmospheres. Oxygen vacancies identified in PbCrO4 can introduce electronically shallow energy levels and deep energy levels owing to the symmetry difference of oxygen atoms in the structure. A higher population of deep energy levels created under O‐poor atmosphere induces the formation of more surface trapped states, resulting in a higher photovoltage for charge separation. Meanwhile, the existence of surface trapped states can significantly improve the charge injection efficiency of the PbCrO4 photoanode and enhance the water oxidation activity. By modulating oxygen vacancies in the PbCrO4 photoanode, a photocurrent density of 3.43 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under simulated AM1.5G is acheived. Further passivation of surface trapped states and introducing the water oxidation cocatalyst CoPi lead to a record applied bias photon‐to‐current efficiency (ABPE) of 1.12%. This work provides a guide to understand the mechanism of oxygen vacancies in oxide‐based semiconductor photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis.
Trajectories and impact of White mentors’ beliefs about racial and ethnic discrimination in a formal youth mentoring program
Authors: Simpson Savannah B. , Hsu Ti , Raposa Elizabeth B. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractTo examine associations between White mentors’ beliefs regarding the presence of discrimination towards Black, Indigenous, and people of Color (BIPOC) individuals and mentoring relationship outcomes, mentors’ beliefs about racial/ethnic discrimination were assessed before random mentee assignment and at the end of 9 months of mentoring. White mentors matched with BIPOC youth showed greater increases in beliefs that discrimination limits opportunities for Black Americans. Stronger endorsement of the impacts of discrimination for Hispanic Americans resulted in less youth relationship anxiety when White mentors were matched with White mentees, but not when they were matched with BIPOC mentees. Last, greater increases in beliefs that discrimination limits opportunities for Black Americans resulted in less relationship anxiety for White mentors matched with White mentees, but more relationship anxiety for those matched with BIPOC mentees. Programs should assess and address mentors’ racial biases to minimize harm and augment the impact of mentoring programs for all youth.