bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Optimization of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin therapy for Japanese patients with urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Kawai Taketo , Kurokawa Yoshiaki , Taguchi Satoru , Honda Kazuki , Maki Kazuki , Ambe Yoshiki , Saegusa Naoki , Yamamoto Masahiro , Miyakawa Jimpei , Tokura Yuumi , Inoue Hazuki , Tanaka Takehiro , Nara Katsuhiko , Kaneko Tomoyuki , Fujii Yoichi , Kamei Jun , Kakutani Shigenori , Yamada Yuta , Niimi Aya , Yamada Daisuke , Takada Tappei , Nakagawa Tohru , Kume Haruki 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (dd-MVAC) regimen has been established as a systemic chemotherapy for patients with urothelial carcinoma. However, it is rarely used in Japan owing to the challenges associated with managing the related adverse events. This study aimed to optimize the dd-MVAC protocol for Japanese patients.

Methods
Criteria were developed to adjust the doses of anticancer drugs used in dd-MVAC. In this regimen, the initial cycle of methotrexate and cisplatin was administered at 75% of the full dose. Patients who did not experience significant toxicities during the first cycle subsequently received the full dose starting from the second cycle. Additionally, the doses of methotrexate and cisplatin were adjusted according to the Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance. Based on these criteria, patients with urothelial carcinoma underwent dd-MVAC between August 2018 and May 2023, and all patients were scheduled to undergo six cycles.

Results
A total of 86 patients received dd-MVAC, with 36, 15, and 35 patients receiving it as neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and salvage chemotherapy, respectively. Fifty-nine patients (68.6%) completed the six scheduled cycles. Grade ≥ 3 toxicities of Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events were observed in 76 (88.4%) patients; however, most were manageable. In the neoadjuvant cohort, the pathological complete response rate was 52.2% among patients with clinical N0 lower tract urothelial carcinoma. High levels of alkaline phosphatase at the initiation of treatment were correlated with failure to complete six cycles of dd-MVAC.

Conclusion
Adjusting the dd-MVAC regimen based on renal function and significant adverse events may result in a high completion rate of scheduled treatments in Japanese patients with urothelial carcinoma.
Elevated phosphate levels in CKD - a direct threat for the heart
Authors: Campos Isaac , Faul Christian 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Elevations in systemic phosphate levels, also called hyperphosphatemia, occur in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and during the normal aging process and are associated with various pathologies, such as cardiovascular injury. Experimental studies suggest that at high serum concentrations, phosphate can induce osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells and contribute to vascular calcification. However, the precise underlying mechanism leading to cardiovascular injury is not well understood. Here we discuss how elevations in extracellular phosphate levels could potentially affect cells and intracellular reactions and functions in general. We then zoom in on the heart to discuss whether hyperphosphatemia can have direct pathologic actions beyond inducing vascular calcification. Furthermore, we discuss myocardial calcification as a pathologic event that has not been described and studied in greater detail, but that seems to occur in the context of hyperphosphatemia-induced pathologic cardiac remodeling, as observed in dialysis patients.
Programmatic Diagnostic Accuracy and Clinical Utility of Xpert MTB/XDR in Patients With Rifampicin-Resistant Tuberculosis in Georgia
Authors: Pfurtscheller Theresa , Tsutsunava Ana , Maghradze Nino , Gujabidze Mariam , Bablishvili Nino , Yerlikaya Seda , Denkinger Claudia M , Tukvadze Nestani , Gupta-Wright Ankur 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Xpert MTB/XDR (Cepheid) is recommended by the World Health Organization for drug susceptibility testing in patients with tuberculosis, with potential for rapid detection of isoniazid and fluoroquinolone resistance. However, diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility in a programmatic setting are unknown.

Methods
We evaluated the accuracy and clinical utility of Xpert MTB/XDR in patients with rifampicin-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis during programmatic implementation in Georgia between July 2022 and August 2024, using phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) as a reference standard.

Results
An overall 140 patients were tested with Xpert MTB/XDR and phenotypic DST, and 94.9% and 33.8% had isoniazid and fluoroquinolone resistance by phenotypic DST, respectively. Xpert MTB/XDR showed 99.2% sensitivity (95% CI, 95.5%–100%) and 100% specificity (95% CI, 54.1%–100%) for isoniazid resistance. Sensitivity and specificity for fluoroquinolone resistance were 88.4% (95% CI, 74.9%–96.1%) and 100% (95% CI, 95.6%–100%). When indeterminate/invalid Xpert MTB/XDR results were included, 17.4% (8/46) and 6.2% (8/129) of patients with phenotypic fluoroquinolone and isoniazid resistance were missed. Median turnaround time for Xpert MTB/XDR was 1 day (IQR, 1–3) and median time to treatment was 4 days (IQR, 1–7). Phenotypic DST results took a median 43 days (IQR, 29–63) longer than Xpert MTB/XDR results. Finally, 95% (115/121; 95% CI, 89.5%–98.2%) of patients had fluoroquinolones appropriately prescribed based on Xpert MTB/XDR results.

Conclusions
Programmatic data confirm the high accuracy of Xpert MTB/XDR, despite being below the World Health Organization target product profile targets for fluoroquinolones, with significantly faster time to results than phenotypic DST.
Barriers to Clinician Reporting to the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry From Within and Outside the United States
Authors: Mantas Stavroula , O’Bryan Jessica , Giles Michelle L , Short William R , Logue-Chamberlain Erin , Krishnaswamy Sushena 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Excluding pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from clinical trials results in inadequate pregnancy safety data for new antiretroviral therapies (ART). More rapid accumulation of ART pregnancy safety data is required. The Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry (APR) collects teratogenicity data on ART exposures during conception and pregnancy, yet reporting to the registry is suboptimal, impacting ART choices for women with HIV globally. This research assesses awareness of the APR and barriers to reporting among HIV providers in the United States (US) and Australia.

Methods
Anonymous, online surveys were conceived independently by researchers in the US and Australia. The surveys were distributed through national email distribution lists to healthcare providers for pregnant women with HIV and their newborns or women of reproductive potential with HIV, to assess their awareness of the APR and barriers to reporting.

Results
In total, 146 healthcare providers (66 US, 80 Australia) completed the survey. Respondents from the US had greater awareness of the registry and more reporting experience, describing the process as complex and laborious. Providers from Australia were largely unaware that the APR accepts reports from outside the US. Key barriers to reporting were uncertainty about how to report and incomplete access to all relevant maternal and pediatric data.

Conclusions
Barriers to reporting to the APR are context specific. There is scope to raise the global profile of the APR to expedite data collection, reducing time between antiretroviral licensure and accumulation of sufficient pregnancy safety data.
Keystone engineering enables collective range expansion in microbial communities
Authors: Şimşek Emrah , Villalobos César A. , Sahu Kinshuk , Zhou Zhengqing , Luo Nan , Lee Dongheon , Ma Helena R. , Anderson Deverick J. , Lee Charlotte T. , You Lingchong 
Published: January 2025

AbstractKeystone engineers profoundly influence microbial communities by altering their shared environment, often by modifying key resources. Here, we show that in an antibiotic-treated microbial community, bacterial spread is controlled by keystone engineering affecting dispersal— an effect hidden in well-mixed environments. Focusing on two pathogens, non-motile Klebsiella pneumoniae and motile Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we found that both tolerate a β-lactam antibiotic, with Pseudomonas being more resilient and dominating in well-mixed cultures. During range expansion, however, the antibiotic inhibits Pseudomonas’ ability to spread unless it is near Klebsiella— Klebsiella degrades the antibiotic to create a "clear zone" that allows Pseudomonas to expand, at the expense of Klebsiella’s own growth, thus acting as a keystone engineer. As Pseudomonas spreads, it suppresses Klebsiella through resource competition. Our modeling and experimental analyses reveal that this keystone effect operates at a millimeter scale. We also observed similar keystone engineering by a Bacillus species isolated from a hospital sink, in both pairwise and eight-member bacterial communities with its co-isolates. These findings suggest that spatially explicit experiments are essential to understand certain keystone engineering mechanisms and have implications for surface-associated microbial communities like biofilms, as well as for diagnosing and treating polymicrobial infections involving drug-degrading, non-motile (e.g., Klebsiella), and drug-tolerant, motile (e.g., Pseudomonas) bacteria.
Damage signals preferentially activate killer CD8+/-regulatory T cells to protect injured tissue
Authors: Josyula Aditya , Fertil Daphna , Hartigan Devon R. , Rudy Paige , Sharma Sonakshi , Fashina Toluwaleke , Maclean Efua , Coogan Alessandra B. , Ngo Tran B. , Sundaresan Vanathi , Sadtler Kaitlyn 
Published: January 2025

SUMMARYSelf-antigens that are obscure to immune cells under homeostasis, are exposed following tissue damage and can trigger autoimmunity. Our previous work showed that conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) mediate immunoregulation after traumatic skeletal muscle injury. Here, we found that, immune responses to injury in cDC1-depleted mice (Batf3-/-) mirror those of autoimmune mice (Aire-/-). Mechanistically, we determined that cDC1s prime killer regulatory T cells (CD8+/-Ly49+Tregs) which express Ly49 inhibitory receptors and HELIOS. These killer-like Tregs are clonally diverse and carry T cell receptors associated with self-reactivity and response to hydrophobicity. cDC1 or CD8 deletion promoted CD62L+CCR7+naïve T cell retention and B cell recruitment to injured muscle. These naïve T cells, which are implicated in autoimmunity, strongly correlate with B cell abundance in the muscle and are selectively pruned by CD8+/-Ly49+Tregs. Furthermore, clinically used materials that promote wound healing enrich CD8+/-Ly49+Treg function whereas those that are associated with pathology promote naïve T cell and B cell accumulation. We hypothesize that CD8+/-Ly49+Tregs maintain self-tolerance after tissue damage and avert autoimmunity by eliminating naive T cells and preventing pathogenic B cell activation.
Overcoming the Woody Barrier: Dodder Enables Efficient Transfer of Infectious Clones to Woody Plants
Authors: Sierra-Mejia Andrea , Hajizadeh Mohammad , Atanda Habeeb Yinka , Tzanetakis Ioannis E. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractWoody hosts are notoriously resistant to genetic transformation. Traditional methods, suchas Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, are often inefficient, and this limitation extends to delivering infectious clones to woody plants. Dodder species (Cuscuta spp.)are holoparasitic plants that can establish direct connections with the vascular tissue of the parasitized plants, allowing them to facilitate virus transmission between unrelated botanical species. We demonstrated that a novel dodder-based approach achieved superior transmission inRubusspp. compared to direct agroinoculation. The transmission rates for systemic blackberry chlorotic ringspot virus transmission increased from 9% to 73%, whereas the transmission of the phloem-restricted blackberry yellow vein associated virus rose from 0% to 46%. This novel method expands the toolbox available to plant biologists to study virus-host interactions in woody plants.
Which is the more effective management strategy for irritability and challenging behaviour in autism, medication or psychosocial interventions?
Authors: Hofmann Val 
Published: January 2025

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to critically analyse the current research around the impact of management strategies on challenging behaviour in autism.

Design/methodology/approach
Mixed method analysis.

Findings
Seven studies were included for discussion. The author found significant heterogeneity in the outcome measures of all the studies and was unable to provide a meta-analysis. The results showed that psychosocial interventions offer the most promise in terms of safety and efficacy. The author was unable to explain what part of their intervention had the most significant effect. Antipsychotic interventions demonstrated the most robust methodologies and therefore, the results are more reliable.

Research limitations/implications
These studies provide valuable evidence for UK guidelines and suggest that lower doses of medication do not have a therapeutic effect on patients. Furthermore, these studies do not use psychosocial interventions alongside medication reduction, which may have proven valuable to help the author’s understanding of the different management strategies for treating challenging behaviour in autism. Thus, this literature review recommends further studies in the reduction of medication alongside psychosocial interventions with a larger number of participants recruited from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Practical implications
Gerrard et al. (2019) hope that positive behavioural support will become standard practice for specialist teams following the results of their findings and conclude that in the absence of effective management strategies, there is a greater likelihood of the re-introduction of medication. Admittedly, they do not understand what components of their intervention had the greatest significance on the results and identify this as a limitation of the study. In the single case study by Lee, Rhodes and Gerrard (2019), they claim that medication reduction and discontinuation can be successful if the rate of titration reduction is slowed down. This may offer some insight into the success of the strategy by Gerrard et al. (2019).

Social implications
Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al. (2013) state that the researchers in their systematic reviews used “creative techniques” to address the core deficits of autism (p. 7). It can be argued that psychosocial interventions are highly individualized, making them difficult to implement in practice and are ungeneralizable. For this purpose, the reduction of medication cannot be implemented consistently as it is not clear what strategies are effective.

Originality/value
This is the author’s own work, and to the best of the author’s knowledge, it does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright and that any ideas, techniques or any other material are fully acknowledged in accordance with the Harvard referencing guidelines.
Navigating international waters: the board’s role in enhancing intellectual capital efficiency
Authors: Ain Qurat Ul , Javaid Hafiz Mustansar , Cafaro Emanuela Mattia , D’Alessio Raffaele 
Published: January 2025

PurposeConsidering the growing global significance of intellectual capital, we explore the impact of foreign directors on the effectiveness of intellectual capital.Design/methodology/approachUsing 21,352 firm-year observations of Chinese-listed firms, for 2006–2020, we employ a modified value-added intellectual coefficient model to evaluate intellectual capital efficiency. The author use ordinary least squares regression as the main method, with a variety of methods for endogeneity and ensure robustness, including the fixed-effects method, propensity score matching, Two-step system GMM and Heckman’s two-step model, as well as other techniques.FindingsOur findings indicate that foreign board directors significantly increase aggregate intellectual capital and its components, including capital employed efficiency, human capital efficiency, structural capital efficiency, and relational capital efficiency. Further, foreign directors have more impact on the intellectual capital efficiency of non-state-owned versus state-owned enterprises. We also observe that the impact becomes significantly greater with the presence of three or more foreign directors. Our findings hold up to various measures of board internationalization and a battery of robustness tests.Practical implicationsThe research results show that the foreign directors on boards are related to IC efficiency, and IC efficiency is crucial to enterprises' value creation and competitive advantage in the era of the knowledge economy. Our findings are useful for companies and governments that are interested in improving the performance of IC.Originality/valueThis study provides novel evidence by using the MVAIC model to investigate foreign directors on boards and their relationship with IC efficiency among Chinese companies, while most previous studies have linked IC efficiency to financial performance. The findings also suggest that the influence of nationality diversity differs concerning ownership structure and their threshold.
Knowledge sharing mediates relationship between collaborative culture and innovation performance: the moderating role of absorptive capacity
Authors: Le Phong Ba , Vu Khoa Dinh 
Published: January 2025

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the influence of collaborative culture and knowledge sharing on innovation performance via moderating role absorptive capacity.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper used structural equation modeling to examine the level of how collaborative culture and knowledge sharing impact on innovation performance using data collected from 271 Vietnamese firms.

Findings
The research findings show knowledge sharing mediates the relationship between collaborative culture and innovation performance. It highlights the moderating role of absorptive capacity in fostering the effects of tacit and explicit knowledge sharing on innovation performance.

Research limitations/implications
Further research should examine the potential moderating effects of absorptive capacity in the knowledge management–innovation relationship to bring deeper understanding on the role of knowledge resource and innovation.

Practical implications
This paper offers leaders a deeper understanding of the necessary factors and conditions to promote innovation performance in their firms.

Originality/value
This paper significantly contributes to theoretical and practical initiatives of innovation by highlighting the antecedent roles of collaborative culture, the mediating role of knowledge sharing and moderating role of absorptive capacity.
A decision support system to evaluate product recovery strategies and performance
Authors: Kuik Swee , Diong Li 
Published: January 2025

Purpose
An important consideration in the recovery strategies and performance of any given returned product is to make appropriate decisions for post-use. This paper aims to examine how the small and medium manufacturing enterprises can utilise a model-driven collaborative decision support system to evaluate product recovery strategies and performance.

Design/methodology/approach
An optimisation model using a genetic algorithm (GA) approach is developed to assess product recovery plans for any returned products based on the decisions of component reuse, remanufacture and recycle potentials. The model evaluates the key decisions of cost, time, quality and waste, and proposes an optimal recovery plan for manufacturer. A case study was also conducted using the proposed model to evaluate and examine different air compressor piston-types with recovery strategies.

Findings
Assessing a product recovery plan for any product is a challenge to the manufacturer due to higher operating costs associated with recovery. The nature of this challenge is complex. In this study, the results indicate that a developed optimisation model using a GA can assess the utilisation value of used products by considering suitable recovery strategies for the components and/or parts to be appropriately reused, remanufactured and recycled upon return.

Research limitations/implications
The developed model assesses utilisation values of returns by considering both key decisions associated with returned products, and aspects of complexity of operational processes.

Originality/value
This research contributes to the practical understanding of product recovery strategies and extended producer responsibility using a case study. Also, the significance of this research is to provide a simple method of proposing an optimal recovery plan for any given returned product within a decision support system. Another innovation of the developed model is that an optimal recovery plan considers the trade-off decisions of cost, time, quality and waste aspects.
Out‐Of‐Network Utilization and Plan Selection Among Medicare Advantage Cost Plan Enrollees
Authors: McCormack Grace , Trish Erin 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo understand how Medicare Advantage (MA) networks impact utilization patterns and plan choices, using the 2019 discontinuation of MA 1876 Cost plans as a natural experiment.Study Setting and DesignWe study 1876 Cost plans, MA plans for which out‐of‐network care is covered through traditional Medicare (TM) and many of which CMS discontinued in 2019. We characterize the proportion of Cost plan enrollees who utilized out‐of‐network care in 2018 from different types of medical specialties. We then study how enrollees in discontinued plans selected into new plans in 2019. We use regression analysis to characterize whether higher risk enrollees selected into TM at higher rates.Data Sources and Analytic SampleWe identify discontinued plans using public MA plan data. We employ administrative Medicare enrollment and TM claims data to identify 2018 enrollees of discontinued plans, their 2018 out‐of‐network utilization, and their subsequent 2019 enrollment decisions.Principal FindingsAmong Cost plan enrollees, 69% utilized non‐emergency room related care out of network in 2018. Out‐of‐network utilization was distributed across several types of specialties: 43% of Cost plan enrollees had at least one out‐of‐network claim with a primary care physician and over 20% had a claim with a medical specialist, surgical specialist, or nurse practitioner. We find evidence of adverse selection among enrollees of discontinued Cost plans in 2019. Conditional on one's 2018 Cost plan and county of residence, a standard deviation increase in risk score was on average associated with a 26.35% (95% CI, 25.57%–27.12%) increased likelihood of enrolling in TM.ConclusionThe high rate of out‐of‐network utilization suggests that MA enrollees value access to care outside of standard MA networks. Subsequent selection patterns indicate that preferences for broader networks and subsequent enrollment in TM is highest among higher risk enrollees, suggesting limited networks may induce extensive margin selection.