bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
RECURRENT ANTERIOR UVEITIS ASSOCIATED WITH MAJOR FLUCTUATIONS IN CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN A PATIENT WITH PACHYCHOROID DISORDER
Authors: Santina Ahmad , Bousquet Elodie , Somisetty Swathi , Fogel-Levin Miri , Tsui Edmund , Freund K. Bailey , Sarraf David 
Published: May 2023

Purpose:
To describe remarkable choroidal thickness fluctuations corresponding to episodes of recurrent anterior uveitis with subretinal fluid development when exceeding a choroidal thickness threshold.

Methods:
A patient with pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy and unilateral acute anterior uveitis of the left eye was evaluated over a period of 3 years with multimodal retinal imaging including optical coherence tomography. Longitudinal changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) were measured and correlated with episodes of recurrent inflammation.

Results:
Over the course of five recurrent episodes of inflammation in the left eye treated with oral antiviral and topical steroid therapy, subfoveal CT increased as much as 200 μm or more. By contrast, subfoveal CT in the fellow quiescent right eye was within normal limits and minimally changed throughout the follow-up. Increased CT occurred with each episode of anterior uveitis and decreased by 200 µm or more during periods of quiescence in the affected left eye. Subretinal fluid and macular edema developed with a maximum CT of 486 μm and spontaneously resolved when CT decreased after treatment.

Conclusion:
In eyes with pachychoroid disease, anterior segment inflammation may lead to marked increases in subfoveal CT and the development of subretinal fluid at a threshold thickness value.
Patient safety in emergency departments: a problem for health care systems? An international survey
Authors: Petrino Roberta , Tuunainen Eeva , Bruzzone Giulia , Garcia-Castrillo Luis 
Published: May 2023

Background and importance
Patient safety in healthcare is one of the cornerstones of quality of care. The emergency department (ED) is by its very nature a place where errors and safety issues are liable to occur.

Objective
The aim of the study was to assess health professionals’ perception of the level of safety in EDs and to identify in which work domains safety appears most at risk.

Design and participants
Between 30 January and 27 February 2023, a survey addressing the main domains of safety was distributed to ED health care professionals through the European Society of Emergency Medicine contact network. It addressed five main domains: teamwork, safety leadership, physical environment and equipment, staff/external teams, and organisational factors and informatics, with a number of items for each domain. Further questions about infection control and team morale were added. The Cronbach’s alpha measure was calculated to assure internal consistency.

Measures and analysis
A score was developed for each domain by adding the question’s value using the following ranking: never (1), rarely (2), sometimes (3), usually (4), and always (5) and was aggregated in three categories. The calculated sample size needed was 1000 respondents. The Wald method was used for analysis of the questions’ consistency and X
2 for the inferential analysis.

Main results
The survey included 1256 responses from 101 different countries; 70% of respondents were from Europe. The survey was completed by 1045 (84%) doctors and 199 (16%) nurses. It was noted that 568 professionals (45.2%) had less than 10 years’ experience. Among respondents, 80.61% [95% confidence interval (CI) 78.42–82.8] reported that monitoring devices were available, and 74.7% (95% CI 72.28–77.11) reported that protocols for high-risk medication and for triage (66.19%) were available in their ED. The area of greatest concern was the disproportionate imbalance between needs and the availability of staff at times of greatest flow, considered sufficient by only 22.4% (95% CI 20.07–24.69) of doctors and 20.7% (95% CI 18.41–22.9) of nurses. Other critical issues were overcrowding due to boarding and a perceived lack of support from hospital management. Despite these difficult working conditions, 83% of the professionals said they were proud to work in the ED (95% CI 81.81–85.89).

Conclusion
This survey highlighted that most health professionals identify the ED as an environment with specific safety issues. The main factors appeared to be a shortage of personnel during busy periods, overcrowding due to boarding, and a perceived lack of support from hospital management.
Patient Attitudes Regarding Health Care Clinician Communication in Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Woolley Joseph C. , Edmondson Shelby N. , Sathe Meghana N. , Rodriguez Francis Jenny K. 
Published: May 2023

Background:
The quality of health care clinician (HCC) communication varies, yet few studies evaluate ways to improve communication among adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF). We sought to characterize the attitudes of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with CF about HCC communication and describe the components important for high-quality communication.

Methods:
AYA with CF aged 12–20 years from a single large pediatric CF care center participated in a brief survey and semi-structured individual and group virtual interviews that were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed with a combined deductive and inductive approach. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus.

Results:
Among the 39 survey respondents, most were White (77%), male (51%), and averaged 15.51 years (range 12–20 years). Many (40%) perceived their health status as “neutral” and over half (61%) were “very satisfied” with HCC communication. Overall, among the 17 interviews (averaged 53.6 min, range 31.5–74 min), participants reported a desire to be actively engaged in discussions about their health and included in the decision-making process with HCC to support adolescent autonomy and cultivate trust. Some factors detract (loss of control and fear of diagnosis), and others strengthen (transition to adult care and external motivators) adolescent autonomy. Some factors detract (perceived lack of interdisciplinary communication, statements of noncompliance, and being compared to others) and others strengthen (inherent trust and familiarity over time) the cultivation of trust.

Conclusions:
The development of adolescent autonomy and the cultivation and maintenance of trust between the patient and HCC are 2 essential components of quality communication that should inform future communication-focused interventions.
Improving Bowel Management in Children With Spina Bifida
Authors: Cohen Mitchell B. , Hopson Betsy , Swanson-Kimani Erin , Davis Drew , Rocque Brandon G. 
Published: May 2023

Objectives:
In individuals with spina bifida (SB), bowel incontinence is associated with lower quality of life and lower likelihood of employment. In an effort to maximize bowel continence in children and adolescents, we created a bowel management assessment and follow-up protocol in a multidisciplinary clinic. Here we report the results of this protocol using quality-improvement methodology.

Methods:
Continence was defined as no unplanned bowel movements. Our protocol involved: (1) a standardized 4-item questionnaire about bowel continence and consistency; (2) if the patient was not achieving continence, an intervention starting with oral medication (stimulant and/or osmotic laxatives), and/or suppositories (glycerin or bisacodyl) followed by an escalation to trans-anal irrigation, or continence surgery; and (3) follow-up phone calls at regular intervals to monitor progress and make changes as needed. Results are summarized with descriptive statistics.

Results:
We screened 178 eligible patients in the SB clinic. Eighty-eight agreed to participate in the bowel management program. Of those who did not participate, the majority (68/90, 76%) were already achieving continence with their bowel regimen. Of children in the program, most (68/88, 77%) had a diagnosis of meningomyelocoele. At 1 year, the proportion of patients who were bowel accident free improved to 46% (vs 22% initially, P = 0.0007).

Conclusions:
A standardized bowel management protocol, primarily the use of suppositories and trans-anal irrigation to achieve social continence, as well as frequent telephone follow-up, can reduce bowel incontinence in children and adolescents with SB.
Comparing the effects of University of California Biomechanics Laboratory and custom-made semi-rigid insole on pedobarographic parameters in pediatric flexible flat foot
Authors: Suh Jee Hyun , Yoon Seo Yeon 
Published: May 2023

Background:
Pediatric flexible flat foot (PFFF) is often associated with pain along the medial longitudinal arch and potential disability. There are several conservative treatment options for PFFF, ranging from intrinsic muscle exercises to orthosis, including University of California Biomechanics Laboratory (UCBL) and custom-made semi-rigid insoles.

Objective(s):
To investigate and compare the effect of UCBL and custom-made semi-rigid insoles on pedobarographic and radiologic parameters in PFFF.

Study Design:
This study prepared a retrospective chart review of 143 children diagnosed with PFFF between the age of 4 and 12 years.

Methods:
Data of twenty-seven children with PFFF who were prescribed foot orthoses between the age of 4 and 12 years were retrospectively reviewed. Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed, and pedobarographic and radiological parameters assessed before and 1 year after application of orthoses were reviewed.

Results:
The difference in the calcaneal pitch angle and the center of pressure excursion index (CPEI) were significantly improved in the custom-made semi-rigid insole group compared to that in the UCBL group. The contact area ratio of the midfoot and toe and CPEI at 1 year after wearing the insole was significantly improved in the custom-made semi-rigid insole group compared to that in the UCBL group. Moreover, the calcaneal pitch angle and CPEI were significantly improved 1 year after application of the insole in the custom-made semi-rigid insole group.

Conclusions:
This result showed that the custom-made semi-rigid insole is more effective in improving the deviation of the center pressure curve and calcaneal pitch angle than the UCBL. The custom-made semi-rigid insole may help relieve foot instability during gait and improve the medial longitudinal arch in children with PFFF.
Panoramic Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Breast With a Wearable Coil Vest
Authors: Obermann Michael , Nohava Lena , Frass-Kriegl Roberta , Soanca Onisim , Ginefri Jean-Christophe , Felblinger Jacques , Clauser Paola , Baltzer Pascal A.T. , Laistler Elmar 
Published: May 2023

Background
Breast cancer, the most common malignant cancer in women worldwide, is typically diagnosed by x-ray mammography, which is an unpleasant procedure, has low sensitivity in women with dense breasts, and involves ionizing radiation. Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive imaging modality and works without ionizing radiation, but is currently constrained to the prone imaging position due to suboptimal hardware, therefore hampering the clinical workflow.

Objectives
The aim of this work is to improve image quality in breast MRI, to simplify the clinical workflow, shorten measurement time, and achieve consistency in breast shape with other procedures such as ultrasound, surgery, and radiation therapy.

Materials and Methods
To this end, we propose “panoramic breast MRI”—an approach combining a wearable radiofrequency coil for 3 T breast MRI (the “BraCoil”), acquisition in the supine position, and a panoramic visualization of the images. We demonstrate the potential of panoramic breast MRI in a pilot study on 12 healthy volunteers and 1 patient, and compare it to the state of the art.

Results
With the BraCoil, we demonstrate up to 3-fold signal-to-noise ratio compared with clinical standard coils and acceleration factors up to 6 × 4. Panoramic visualization of supine breast images reduces the number of slices to be viewed by a factor of 2–4.

Conclusions
Panoramic breast MRI allows for high-quality diagnostic imaging and facilitated correlation to other diagnostic and interventional procedures. The developed wearable radiofrequency coil in combination with dedicated image processing has the potential to improve patient comfort while enabling more time-efficient breast MRI compared with clinical coils.
Robotic Versus Conventional or Endoscopic Assisted Nipple Sparing Mastectomy and Immediate Prothesis Breast Reconstruction in the Management of Breast Cancer- A Prospectively Designed Multicenter Trial Comparing Clinical Outcomes, Medical Cost, and Patient-reported-outcomes (RCENSM-P)
Authors: Lai Hung-Wen , Chen Dar-Ren , Liu Liang-Chih , Chen Shou-Tung , Kuo Yao-Lung , Lin Shih-Lung , Wu Yao-Chung , Huang Tsung-Chun , Hung Chin-Sheng , Lin Ying-Jen , Tseng Hsin-Shun , Mok Chi Wei , Cheng Fiona Tsui-Fen 
Published: May 2023

Objective:
To compare the clinical and patient-reported outcomes of minimal access and conventional nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM). The secondary outcomes investigated included medical costs and oncological safety.

Summary Background Data:
Minimal-access NSM has been increasingly applied in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. However, prospective multi-center trials comparing Robotic-NSM(R-NSM) versus conventional-NSM(C-NSM) or endoscopic-NSM(E-NSM) are lacking.

Methods:
A prospectively designed three-arm multi-center, non-randomized trial(NCT04037852) was conducted from 1 October, 2019, to 31 Dec 2021, to compare R-NSM with C-NSM or E-NSM.

Results:
A total of 73 R-NSM, 74 C-NSM, and 84 E-NSM procedures were enrolled. The median wound length and operation time of C-NSM was (9 cm, 175 min), (4 cm, and 195 min) in R-NSM, and (4 cm and 222 min) in E-NSM. Complications were comparable between the groups. Better wound healing was observed in the minimal-access NSM group. The R-NSM procedure was 4000 and 2600 USD more expensive than C-NSM and E-NSM, respectively. Wound/scar and post-operative acute pain evaluation favored the use of minimal access NSM over C-NSM. Quality of life in terms of chronic breast/chest pain, mobility, and range of motion of the upper extremity showed no significant differences. The preliminary oncologic results showed no differences between the three groups.

Conclusion:
R-NSM or E-NSM is a safe alternative if compared with C-NSM in terms of peri-operative morbidities, especially with better wound healing. The advantage of minimal access groups was higher wound-related satisfaction. Higher costs remain one of the major limiting factors in the widespread adoption of R-NSM.
xRead: a coverage-guided approach for scalable construction of read overlapping graph
Authors: Kong Tangchao , Liu Bo , Wang Yadong 
Published: May 2023

AbstractThe development of long-read sequencing is promising to high-quality and comprehensive de novo assembly for various species around the world. However, it is still challenging for genome assemblers to well-handle thousands of genomes, tens of gigabase level genome sizes and terabase level datasets simultaneously and efficiently, which is a bottleneck to large de novo sequencing studies. A major cause is the read overlapping graph construction that state-of-the-art tools usually have to cost terabyte-level RAM space and tens of days for that of large genomes. Such lower performance and scalability are not suited to handle the numerous samples to be sequenced. Herein, we propose xRead, an iterative overlapping graph approach that achieves high performance, scalability and yield simultaneously. Under the guidance of its novel read coverage-based model, xRead uses heuristic alignment skeleton approach to implement incremental graph construction with highly controllable RAM space and faster speed. For example, it enables to process the 1.28 TbA. mexicanumdataset with less than 64GB RAM and obviously lower time-cost. Moreover, the benchmarks on the datasets from various-sized genomes suggest that it achieves higher accuracy in overlap detection without loss of sensitivity which also guarantees the quality of the produced graphs. Overall, xRead is suited to handle numbers of datasets from large genomes, especially with limited computational resources, which may play important roles in many de novo sequencing studies.
Heterospecific physical interference modulates the reproductive attributes of a ladybird beetle
Authors: Sariq Mohd , Omkar  , Mishra Geetanjali 
Published: May 2023

AbstractPropylea dissectaandCheilomenes sexmaculata(Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), are similar sized, co-ocurring aphidophagous insects that share common resources. We conducted the current study to observe the phenomenon of reproductive interference and effect of presence of heterospecific adults (C. sexmaculata) on the reproductive output ofP. dissecta. For this, we used two reciprocal mating combinations of heterospecifics. The first heterospecific combination usedP. dissectamales withC. sexmaculatafemales and the second heterospecific mating combination usedP. dissectafemales withC. sexmaculatamales. To further examine the effect ofC. sexmaculatamale onP. dissectafemale, we used mixed mating treatments (C. sexmaculatamale with conspecific pair ofP. dissecta). Our results suggested that (1) in the first heterospecific mating combination, mating did not commence betweenP. dissectamaleC. sexmaculatafemale, while in the second heterospecific mating combination, mating was recorded betweenP. dissectafemale andC. sexmaculatamale, (2)C. sexmaculatamale interferes the conspecific mating inP. dissectathrough multiple mating attempts which resulted in reduced fitness and reproductive success ofP. dissecta. Overall, we illustrated the negative effects of reproductive interference caused byC. sexmaculataon the reproductive output (fecundity and egg viability) ofP. dissecta.
THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EXTENSION OF CATARACT TREATMENT BEYOND EYE SURGERY: A NOVEL NON-INVASIVE PHOTOBLEACHING OF THE HUMAN LENS BY LED
Authors: Smith S Desmond , Dhillon Bal 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAs discussed below cataract is the world-leading cause of blindness and impaired vision with only eye surgery as a treatment. There is major requirement for an alternative which this research has provided via Genetically Modified pigs with natural cataract making live animal experiments of LED photobleaching successful monitored by fluorescence spectra. The latter were shown by EBS as spectrally identical in pigs and humans. EBS developed a miniature fluorescence spectrometer via tunable interference filters with fluorescence excited by an LED. A second LED in the blue/violet region provided a 20mW treatment beam which was shown to reverse the fluorescence signal and dramatically improve the transmission of pigs’ eyes. These results led to permission for early Human Trials. The results were judged by independent optometrists by LOCS and fluorescence in pigs and in Human Trials by LOCS and Visual Acuity. Adequate positive results have led to full length Human Trials being conducted in four European countries. Prospects of worldwide application have been therefore indicated.
Improving few-shot learning-based protein engineering with evolutionary sampling
Authors: Jawaid M. Zaki , Yeo Robin W. , Gautam Aayushma , Gainous T. Blair , Hart Daniel O. , Daley Timothy P. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDesigning novel functional proteins remains a slow and expensive process due to a variety of protein engineering challenges; in particular, the number of protein variants that can be experimentally tested in a given assay pales in comparison to the vastness of the overall sequence space, resulting in low hit rates and expensive wet lab testing cycles. In this paper, we propose a few-shot learning approach to novel protein design that aims to accelerate the expensive wet lab testing cycle and is capable of leveraging a training dataset that is both small and skewed (≈ 105datapoints, < 1% positive hits). Our approach is composed of two parts: a semi-supervised transfer learning approach to generate a discrete fitness landscape for a desired protein function and a novel evolutionary Monte Carlo Markov Chain sampling algorithm to more efficiently explore the fitness landscape. We demonstrate the performance of our approach by experimentally screening predicted high fitness gene activators, resulting in a dramatically improved hit rate compared to existing methods. Our method can be easily adapted to other protein engineering and design problems, particularly where the cost associated with obtaining labeled data is significantly high. We have provided open source code for our method athttps://github.com/SuperSecretBioTech/evolutionary_monte_carlo_search.
High Frequencies of Antiviral Effector Memory TEMCells and Memory B Cells Mobilized into Herpes Infected Vaginal Mucosa Associated With Protection Against Genital Herpes
Authors: Dhanushkodi Nisha Rajeswari , Prakash Swayam , Quadiri Afshana , Zayou Latifa , Singer Mahmoud , Takashi Nakayama , Vahed Hawa , BenMohamed Lbachir 
Published: May 2023

ABSTRACTVaginal mucosa-resident anti-viral effector memory B- and T cells appeared to play a crucial role in protection against genital herpes. However, how to mobilize such protective immune cells into the vaginal tissue close to infected epithelial cells remains to be determined. In the present study, we investigate whether and how, CCL28, a major mucosal-associated chemokine, mobilizes effector memory B- and T cells in leading to protecting mucosal surfaces from herpes infection and disease. The CCL28 is a chemoattractant for the CCR10 receptor-expressing immune cells and is produced homeostatically in the human vaginal mucosa (VM). We found the presence of significant frequencies of HSV-specific memory CCR10+CD44+CD8+T cells, expressing high levels of CCR10 receptor, in herpes-infected asymptomatic (ASYMP) women compared to symptomatic (SYMP) women. A significant amount of the CCL28 chemokine (a ligand of CCR10), was detected in the VM of herpes-infected ASYMP B6 mice, associated with the mobilization of high frequencies of HSV-specific effector memory CCR10+CD44+CD62L-CD8+TEMcells and memory CCR10+B220+CD27+B cells in the VM of HSV-infected asymptomatic mice. In contrast, compared to wild-type (WT) B6 mice, the CCL28 knockout (CCL28(-/-)) mice: (i) Appeared more susceptible to intravaginal infection and re-infection with HSV-2; (ii) Exhibited a significant decrease in the frequencies of HSV-specific effector memory CCR10+CD44+CD62L-CD8+TEMcells and of memory CD27+B220+B cells in the infected VM. The results imply a critical role of the CCL28/CCR10 chemokine axis in the mobilization of anti-viral memory B and T cells within the VM to protect against genital herpes infection and disease.