bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect and safety of traditional Chinese exercises (Qigong therapy) for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Qiumei , Pang Rongzhen , Cai Zhanhao 
Published: January 2023

Background:
Traditional Chinese Exercises (Qigong therapy) are more and more popular for chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) patients for the treatment and rehabilitation, however, the comparative effectiveness and safety remains unclear. Our study aims to compare the pros and cons of these exercise interventions for COPD by implementing a network meta-analysis.

Methods:
Publicly available scientific databases including ClinicalTrials.gov database, PubMed, Embase database, database in Web of Science, database in Cochrane Library, China Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed), Chinese Periodical Service Platform (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform (Wanfang) will be searched for the relevant clinical studies from 2000 to 2022. Randomized controlled trials related to Qigong therapy in COPD treatment will be included. Systematic review and meta-analysis in the current study will be investigated according to the guidelines of the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension statement for reporting of systematic reviews incorporating meta-analyses of health care interventions. The grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation system will be used to evaluate the rank of evidence.

Results:
This systematic review will summarize the evidence for different kinds of Qigong therapies.

Conclusion:
The network meta-analysis was designed to update and expand on previous research results of clinical trials to better evaluate the effectiveness and safety of different interventions of traditional Chinese exercises for COPD.
Continuity of Care in Rehabilitation
Authors: Rosenthal Elisabeth L. 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
A patient-physician discovers the benefits of long and intensive rehabilitation after a head injury. Progress, slow but verifiable, has continued for more than 2 yrs. Many insurers and providers might have given up and said I could not benefit from further treatment after I could manage the activities of daily living. I was lucky in that my providers stayed with me, allowing a more complete and gratifying recovery.
Use of Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte and Platelet-To-Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict Early Postoperative Periorbital Edema and Ecchymosis After Primary Septorhinoplasty
Authors: Ozdemir Ozan , Kirgezen Tolga , Yigit Enes , Ulaş Beyza Nur , Yigit Ozgur 
Published: January 2023

Purpose:
To investigate the benefit of preoperative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting early postoperative periorbital edema and ecchymosis in patients undergoing primary septorhinoplasty.

Methods:
Sixty patients in ASA-I (American Society of Anesthesiologists) who were scheduled for elective primary septorhinoplasty were prospectively included in the study. Periorbital edema and ecchymosis levels of the patients were scored on the postoperative second day. The relationship between early postoperative periorbital edema and ecchymosis levels and preoperative neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelet, NLR, and PLR values were investigated.

Results:
The mean age of the 60 patients was 24.05 ± 6.83 years. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the total periorbital edema scores in both eyes on the second day after surgery. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of neutrophil, platelet, and NLR (P > 0.05). In addition, the lymphocyte count was found to be statistically significantly lower and PLR significantly higher in the group with high edema scores (P < 0.05). When the patients were divided into groups according to their periorbital ecchymosis scores, no significant correlation was found between any blood values and periorbital ecchymosis (P > 0.05).

Conclusion:
Preoperative PLR may be used to predict early postoperative periorbital edema in patients undergoing primary rhinoplasty. However, a blood value that can predict periorbital ecchymosis has not been determined yet.
Investigation of the Internal Conditions of 213 Reprocessed Endoscopic Channels
Authors: Zhou Meng-Jiao , Huang Xi , Liu Lin-Lin , He Rong-Pan , Hu Lu , Xun-Zhang  , Zhang Yan-Xia , Ma Jiu-Hong 
Published: January 2023

Background and Aims:
Studies have indicated that endoscope reprocessing failure might be attributed to internal damage or residual liquid in endoscopes. However, large-sample survey data on the internal conditions of endoscopic channels after reprocessing are lacking. This study used a borescope to investigate the internal cleanliness and damage of 213 endoscopic biopsy channels after reprocessing at the endoscopy center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, provided in theoretical basis for the efficacy of endoscope reprocessing and maintenance.

Methods:
A borescope was used to observe and analyze the inside of the endoscopic biopsy channel of 213 reprocessed endoscopes (in accordance with the Chinese health industry standard “Regulation for cleaning and disinfection technique of flexible endoscope (WS 507-2016). Each endoscope was observed for at least 10 minutes, and the results were recorded and evaluated by 5 researchers independently.

Results:
In all, 2504 images and 109 videos were recorded, and abnormal findings were classified into 10 categories: scratches (91.5%, 195/213), scratches with adherent peel (46.0%, 98/213), discolored areas (49.3%, 105/213), transparent drops (28.2%, 60/213), milky drops (23.9%, 51/213), white particles (46.9%, 100/213), attached materials (37.6%, 80/213), wear on metal parts (41.3%, 88/213), rust (23.9%, 51/213), and black spots (35.7%, 76/213). Among scratches, those in Teflon from 0-10 cm at the apex of the biopsy channel outlet and in metal from 0-5 cm at the biopsy channel inlet accounted for 58.4% (114/195) and 96.4% (188/195), respectively.

Conclusions:
Scratches were the most common form of damage in the endoscopic biopsy channels investigated and were related to the use of endoscopic accessories and cleaning brush materials. The incidence of other abnormalities gradually increased with the duration of use and began to increase significantly after 18 months. All abnormalities have a certain impact on the quality of endoscope reprocessing. We recommend that a borescope be used to check the inside of endoscopic biopsy channels regularly to determine the damage and cleaning conditions and that these channels be reprocessed, repaired, or replaced in a timely manner.
Capturing the free energy of transition state stabilization: insights from the inhibition of mandelate racemase
Authors: Bearne Stephen L. 
Published: January 2023

Mandelate racemase (MR) catalyses the Mg2+-dependent interconversion of (R)- and (S)-mandelate. To effect catalysis, MR stabilizes the altered substrate in the transition state (TS) by approximately 26 kcal mol–1(–ΔGtx), such that the upper limit of the virtual dissociation constant of the enzyme-TS complex is 2 × 10–19M. Designing TS analogue inhibitors that capture a significant amount of ΔGtxfor binding presents a challenge since there are a limited number of protein binding determinants that interact with the substrate and the structural simplicity of mandelate constrains the number of possible isostructural variations. Indeed, current intermediate/TS analogue inhibitors of MR capture less than or equal to 30% of ΔGtxbecause they fail to fully capitalize on electrostatic interactions with the metal ion, and the strength and number of all available electrostatic and H-bond interactions with binding determinants present at the TS. Surprisingly, phenylboronic acid (PBA), 2-formyl-PBA, andpara-chloro-PBA capture 31–38% of ΔGtx. The boronic acid group interacts with the Mg2+ion and multiple binding determinants that effect TS stabilization. Inhibitors capable of forming multiple interactions can exploit the cooperative interactions that contribute to optimum binding of the TS. Hence, maximizing interactions with multiple binding determinants is integral to effective TS analogue inhibitor design.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reactivity and mechanism in chemical and synthetic biology’.
Blood-based epigenome-wide analyses on the prevalence and incidence of nineteen common disease states
Authors: Hillary Robert F. , McCartney Daniel L. , Bernabeu Elena , Gadd Danni A. , Cheng Yipeng , Chybowska Aleksandra D. , Smith Hannah M. , Murphy Lee , Wrobel Nicola , Campbell Archie , Walker Rosie M. , Hayward Caroline , Evans Kathryn L. , McIntosh Andrew M. , Marioni Riccardo E. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBackgroundBlood DNA methylation can inform us about the biological mechanisms that underlie common disease states. Previous epigenome-wide analyses of common diseases often focus solely on the prevalence or incidence of individual conditions and rely on small sample sizes, which may limit power to discover disease-associated loci.ResultsWe conduct blood-based epigenome-wide association studies on the prevalence of 14 common disease states in Generation Scotland (nindividuals≤18,413, nCpGs=752,722). We also utilise health record linkage to perform epigenome-wide analyses on the incidence of 19 disease states. We present a structured literature review on existing epigenome-wide analyses for all 19 disease states to assess the degree of replication within the existing literature and the novelty of the present findings.We identify 69 associations between CpGs and the prevalence of four disease states at baseline, of which 58 are novel. We also uncover 64 CpGs that associate with the incidence of two disease states (COPD and type 2 diabetes), of which 56 are novel. These associations were independent from common lifestyle risk factors. We highlight poor replication across the existing literature. Here, replication was defined by the reporting of at least one common gene in >2 studies examining the same disease state. Existing blood-based epigenome-wide analyses showed evidence of replication for only 4/19 disease states (with up-to-15% of unique genes replicated for lung cancer).ConclusionsOur summary data and structured review of the literature provide an important platform to guide future studies that examine the role of blood DNA methylation in complex disease states.
DISPOSITION OF ADOLESCENTS TOWARD RECEIVING COVID-19 VACCINATIONS IN VILLAVICENCIO: MYTHS AND BELIEFS
Authors: Balaguera César García , Alfonso Osorio María Fernanda , Pardo Garzón María Camila , Echavarría María Paula 
Published: January 2023

SUMMARYGlobal efforts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic have been focused on preventive activities, such as vaccination, since the disease is expected to become endemic. Adolescents were among the last population groups to be included in the vaccination program in Colombia, and adequate coverage has not yet been achieved in this group and in infants. It is important to understand their motivations to improve the willingness of this population to be vaccinated. A cross-sectional study was designed via an online survey in adolescents aged 14–19 years in Villavicencio Meta after validation of the survey and informed consent. The following options were provided for the question on vaccine disposition: willing, undecided, and unwilling. We described the disposition toward receiving COVID-19 vaccine using graphs and absolute and relative frequencies based on age group. A multinomial regression model was used to assess the relationship between our predictor variables and vaccine disposition in adolescents. In this study, 288 adolescents were surveyed. The risk variables for unwillingness to be vaccinated were being male (odds ratio [OR] 2.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.8–5.7, p = 0.62), belonging to low social stratum (OR 2.29, 95% CI 0.9–5.88, p = 0.19), having a monthly family income of less than 1 million Colombian pesos (250 USD) (OR 2.01, 95% CI 0.8–5.16, p = 0.19), and having basic education (OR 2.59, 95% CI 0.33– 20.14, p = 0.18). Unproven myths and beliefs exert a profound influence on adolescents, which results in an unwillingness to be vaccinated. Hence, innovative public health strategies should be designed to improve the disposition to be vaccinated in this population group.
Effect of human mobility in Dengue spreading: Study cases for Caldas (CO)
Authors: Ospina-Aguirre Carolina , Soriano David , Olivar-Tost Gerard , Galindo-González Cristian. C. , Gómez-Gardeñes Jesús , Osorio Gustavo 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue is the most common acute arthropod-borne viral infection in the world. The spread of dengue and other infectious diseases is closely related to human activity and mobility. In this paper we analyze the effect on the total number of dengue cases within a population after introducing mobility restrictions as a public health policy. To perform the analysis, we use a complex metapopulation in which we implement a compartmental propagation model coupled with the mobility of individuals between the patches. This model is used to investigate the spread of dengue in the municipalities of Caldas (CO). Two scenarios corresponding to different types of mobility restrictions are applied. In the first scenario, the effect of restricting mobility is analyzed in three different ways: a) limiting the access to the endemic node but allowing the movement of its inhabitants, b) restricting the diaspora of the inhabitants of the endemic node but allowing the access of outsiders, and c) a total isolation of the inhabitants of the endemic node. In this scenario, the best simulation results are obtained when endemic nodes are isolated during a dengue outbreak, obtaining a reduction of up to 22.51% of dengue cases. Finally, the second scenario simulates a total isolation of the network,i.e., mobility between nodes is completely limited. We have found that this control measure reduces the number of total dengue cases in the network by up to 42.67%.Author summaryFor the World Health Organization, dengue is a disease of public health concern. In recent years there is an increasing trend in the number of dengue cases despite existing prevention and control campaigns. The mobility of the population is considered an important factor in dengue dispersion. In this paper, we are interested in addressing how restrictions to human mobility might affect the incidence of dengue in a region. Our research is relevant because the model can be adapted to other regions or scales, and the mobility control measures can be taken into account for the development of public health policies in endemic regions.
Branched multimeric peptides as affinity reagents for detection of α-Klotho protein
Authors: Ye Xiyun , Zhang Peiyuan , Wang John C. K. , Smith Corey L. , Sousa Silvino , Loas Andrei , Eaton Dan L. , López Magdalena Preciado , Pentelute Bradley L. 
Published: January 2023

Abstractα-Klotho is a protein associated with aging that is expressed in the kidney, parathyroid gland, and choroid plexus. As a transmembrane protein, it acts as an essential co-receptor with the fibroblast growth factor 23 receptor complex to regulate serum phosphate and vitamin D levels. α-Klotho has an extracellular domain that can be cleaved, released and circulated in the blood stream as a soluble form. Decreased levels of α-Klotho are an indication of chronic kidney disease and other age-associated diseases. Detecting or labeling transmembrane and soluble α-Klotho is a longstanding challenge that has impeded the in-depth understanding of its role. Here we describe branched multimeric peptides that recognize α-Klotho with high affinity and selectivity in the biological milieu. The branched peptides are prepared in a single-shot synthesis by parallel automated fast-flow synthesis in under one hour. The branched α-Klotho-binding peptides show improvement in affinity relative to the monomeric versions and can be used to label Klotho for live imaging in kidney cells. Our results demonstrate the potential of automated flow technology to deliver peptide-based reagents with complex architecture and improved affinity for the selective binding of target proteins in physiological settings.
The impacts of COVID-19 and its policy response on access and utilization of maternal and child health services in Tanzania: a mixed methods study
Authors: Shayo Elizabeth H. , Nassor Nahya Kh. , Mboera Leonard E.G. , Ngadaya Esther , Mangesho Peter , Bakari Mtumwa , Urassa Mark , Seif Mohamed , Tarimo Clotilda , Masemo Ame , Mmbaga Blandina T. , O’Sullivan Natasha , McCoy David , Russo Giuliano 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe SARS-Cov-2 virus (COVID-19) has had a global social and economic impact. Despite the growing evidence, its effects on access and delivery of maternal and child health services in low-income countries are still unclear. This cross-sectional case study was conducted in Mjini Magharibi, Chake Chake, and Ilala districts in Tanzania to help fill this gap.The study combined qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, providing an account of the evolution of the pandemic and the associated control measures in Tanzania. We drew from 34 in-depth interviews, 60 semi-structured interviews, and 14 focus group discussions with key informants, patients, and health providers, and complemented the findings with a review of pandemic reports and health facility records. We followed the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research to provide an account of the findings.Our account of the pandemic shows that there was a non-linear policy response in Tanzania, with diverse control measures adopted at various stages of the epidemic. There was a perception that COVID-19 services were prioritized during the epidemic at the expense of regular ones. There were reports of reorganisation of health facilities, reallocation of staff, rescheduled antenatal and postnatal clinics, and reduced time for health education and child monitoring. Scarcity of essential commodities was reported, such as vaccines, equipment, and medical supplies. Such perceptions were in part supported by the routine utilization evidence in the three districts, showing a lower uptake of antenatal, postnatal, family planning, and immunization services, as well as fewer institutional deliveries.Our findings suggest that, despite the erratic policy response in Tanzania, fear caused by the pandemic and the diversion of resources to control COVID-19 may have contributed most to lower the utilization of mother and child services. For future emergencies, it will be crucial to ensure the policy response does not weaken the population’s demand for services.
Subset-based method for cross-tissue transcriptome-wide association studies improves power and interpretability
Authors: Guo Xinyu , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Dutta Diptavo 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIntegrating results from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and studies of molecular phenotypes like gene expressions, can improve our understanding of the biological functions of trait-associated variants, and can help prioritize candidate genes for downstream analysis. Using reference expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies, several methods have been proposed to identify significant gene-trait associations, primarily based on gene expression imputation. Further, to increase the statistical power by leveraging substantial eQTL sharing across tissues, meta-analysis methods aggregating such gene-based test results across multiple tissues or contexts have been developed as well. However, most existing meta-analysis methods have limited power to identify associations when the gene has weaker associations in only a few tissues and cannot identify the subset of tissues in which the gene is “activated” in. For this, we developed a novel cross-tissue subset-based meta-analysis (CSTWAS) method which improves power under such scenarios and can extract the set of potentially “active” tissues. To improve applicability, CSTWAS uses only GWAS summary statistics and pre-computed correlation matrices to identify a subset of tissues that have the maximal evidence of gene-trait association. We further developed an adaptive monte-carlo procedure with the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) to accurately estimate highly significant p-values for the test statistics. Through numerical simulations, we found that CSTWAS can maintain a well-calibrated type-I error rate, improves power especially when there is a small number of “active” tissues for a gene-trait association and identifies an accurate “active” tissue-set. By analyzing several GWAS summary statistics of three complex traits and diseases, we demonstrated that CSTWAS could identify novel biological meaningful signals while providing an interpretation of disease etiology by extracting a set of potentially “active” tissues.
Structural insight into the hydrolase and synthase activities of an alkaline α-galactosidase fromArabidopsisfrom complexes with substrate/product
Authors: Chuankhayan Phimonphan , Lee Ruey-Hua , Guan Hong-Hsiang , Lin Chein-Chih , Chen Nai-Chi , Huang Yen-Chieh , Yoshimura Masato , Nakagawa Atsushi , Chen Chun-Jung 
Published: January 2023

The alkaline α-galactosidase AtAkαGal3 fromArabidopsis thalianacatalyzes the hydrolysis of α-D-galactose from galacto-oligosaccharides under alkaline conditions. A phylogenetic analysis based on sequence alignment classifies AtAkαGal3 as more closely related to the raffinose family of oligosaccharide (RFO) synthases than to the acidic α-galactosidases. Here, thin-layer chromatography is used to demonstrate that AtAkαGal3 exhibits a dual function and is capable of synthesizing stachyose using raffinose, instead of galactinol, as the galactose donor. Crystal structures of complexes of AtAkαGal3 and its D383A mutant with various substrates and products, including galactose, galactinol, raffinose, stachyose and sucrose, are reported as the first representative structures of an alkaline α-galactosidase. The structure of AtAkαGal3 comprises three domains: an N-terminal domain with 13 antiparallel β-strands, a catalytic domain with an (α/β)8-barrel fold and a C-terminal domain composed of β-sheets that form two Greek-key motifs. The WW box of the N-terminal domain, which comprises the conserved residues FRSK75XW77W78in the RFO synthases, contributes Trp77 and Trp78 to the +1 subsite to contribute to the substrate-binding ability together with the (α/β)8barrel of the catalytic domain. The C-terminal domain is presumably involved in structural stability. Structures of the D383A mutant in complex with various substrates and products, especially the natural substrate/product stachyose, reveal four complete subsites (–1 to +3) at the catalytic site. A functional loop (residues 329–352) that exists in the alkaline α-galactosidase AtAkαGal3 and possibly in RFO synthases, but not in acidic α-galactosidases, stabilizes the stachyose at the +2 and +3 subsites and extends the catalytic pocket for the transferase mechanism. Considering the similarities in amino-acid sequence, catalytic domain and activity between alkaline α-galactosidases and RFO synthases, the structure of AtAkαGal3 might also serve a model for the study of RFO synthases, structures of which are lacking.