bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identifying patient subgroups with different trends of patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) after elective knee arthroplasty
Authors: Golinelli Davide , Grassi Alberto , Sanmarchi Francesco , Tedesco Dario , Esposito Francesco , Rosa Simona , Rucci Paola , Amabile Marilina , Cosentino Monica , Bordini Barbara , Fantini Maria Pia , Zaffagnini Stefano 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly being used to assess the effectiveness of elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, little is known about the change over time of PROMs scores in these patients. The aim of this study was to identify the trajectories of quality of life and joint functioning, and their associated demographic and clinical features in patients undergoing elective TKA.
Methods
We conducted a prospective, cohort study in which PROMs questionnaires (Euro Quality 5 Dimensions 3L, EQ-5D-3L, and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score Patient Satisfaction, KOOS-PS) were administered to patients undergoing elective TKA before surgery, and at 6 and 12 months after surgery at a single center. Latent class growth mixture models were used to analyze the patterns of change in PROMs scores over time. Multinomial logistic regression was used to investigate the association between patient characteristics and PROMs trajectories.
Results
A total of 564 patients were included in the study. Our analysis highlighted differential patterns of improvement after TKA. Three distinct PROMs trajectories were identified for each PROMs questionnaire, with one trajectory characterizing the best outcome. Female gender appears to be associated with a presentation to surgery with worse perceived quality of life and joint function than males, but also more rapid improvement after surgery. Having an ASA score greater than 3 is instead associated with a worse functional recovery after TKA.
Conclusion
Our results suggest three main PROMs trajectories in patients undergoing elective TKA. Most patients reported an increase in quality of life and joint functioning at 6 months and a stabilization afterwards, while other subgroups present more heterogeneous trajectories. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to explore the potential clinical implications of these results.
N-doped rutile TiO2 composite g-C3N4 with Z-Scheme boosts photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light
Authors: Li Jianxin , Wang Yuhua , Song Haixiang , Guo Yao , Hu Shuaishuai , Zheng Huibin , Zhang Shiding , Li Xianchang , Gao Qianqian , Li Chengbo , Zhu Zunwei , Wang Yitong 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
The photocatalysis technology is one of the recent research hotspots to solve a series of social problems such as energy crisis and environmental pollution. It is an important way to improve the photocatalytic efficiency by constructing heterojunction and improving the utilization rate of sunlight. In this paper, N-doping rutile TiO2 (N-rTiO2) and graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4), as cheap, stable and non-toxic catalysts, were successfully composited. Although N-rTiO2 could not meet the hydrogen production condition, after formed a Z-scheme heterojunction with g-C3N4, which improved the photocatalytic hydrogen production performance by 2.57 times compared with pristine g-C3N4. Moreover, a DFT calculation has analyzed the band structure, density of state, work function, differential charge density and Bader charge distribution of samples to reveal the photocatalytic mechanism. It is further proved that the formation of Z-scheme effectively promotes the improvement of photocatalytic performance. This study provides a feasible idea for designing and expanding new and cheap photocatalysts in the renewable energy fields.
This study efficient hybrid catalysts for other applications in the renewable energy fields.
Global C4 distribution estimate constrained by observations and optimality theory
Authors: Luo Xiangzhong , Zhou Haoran , Satriawan Tin , Tian Jiaqi , Keenan Trevor , Sitch Stephen , Smith Nicholas 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Photosynthesis of C4 plants responds to climate change differently than the more common C3 plants, due to their unique anatomic and biochemical characteristics. The different response is expected to cause a change in global C4 distribution, however, current C4 distribution models are inadequate to predict that as they are based on a temperature-only hypothesis and lack observational constraints. Here, we used a global database of photosynthetic pathways, satellite observations and a photosynthetic optimality theory to produce a new observation-constrained estimate of C4 distribution. We found that global C4 coverage stabilized at 11.2% of the vegetated land surface during 1992 to 2016, as a net effect of C4 grass decrease due to elevated CO2 and C4 crop increase, mainly from maize expansion. Using an emergent constraint approach, we estimated that C4 contributed 12.5% of global photosynthetic carbon assimilation, a value much lower than previous estimates (~ 20%) but more in line with the mean of an ensemble of dynamic global vegetation models (14 ± 13%). By improving the understanding of recent global C4 dynamics, our study sheds insight on the critical and previously underappreciated role of C4 plants in modulating the global carbon cycle in recent history.
Effect of home and community-based services on older adults’ depressive symptoms in China: a multilevel analysis
Authors: Xu Tingke , Huang Zishuo , Huang Yucheng , Zhu Yue , Cheng Dayi , Fu Yating , Zhang Xiangyang , Chen Chun 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
As the phenomenon of ageing continues to intensify, home and community-based services (HCBSs) have become of increasing importance in China. However, few studies have assessed the impact of HCBSs utilization on depressive symptoms among older adults. This study aimed to examine the association between HCBSs utilization and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults.
Methods
This study included 7,787 older adults (≥ 60years old) who were recruited within the framework of the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10). HCBSs utilization was assessed via the question, “What kind of HCBSs were being utilized in their community?”. Data were analyzed using generalized hierarchical linear models.
Results
Of the 7,787 participants, 20.1% (n = 1,567) reported they utilized HCBSs, and 36.7% (n = 2,859) were currently with depressive symptoms. After adjusting for individual- and province-level covariates, the HCBSs utilization was found to be associated with depressive symptoms (OR = 1.189, 95% CI:1.043–1.356, p < 0.01) among older adults. Additionally, the depressive symptoms were associated with gender, residence, educational level, marital status, number of chronic diseases, self-rated health, smoking, and provincial GDP per captia.
Conclusions
This study found HCBSs utilization might be a protective factor against depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults. It is important that the government provides targeted HCBSs at the community level to address the unmet care needs of older adults to reduce the occurrence of negative emotions and consequently the depressive symptoms.
Liraglutide attenuates palmitate-induced apoptosis via PKA/β-catenin/Bcl-2/Bax pathway in MC3T3-E1 cells
Authors: Cheng Lanlan , Xu Yijing , Long Yueming , Yu Fangmei , Li Gui , Zhang Qiu , Lu Yunxia 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLiraglutide (LRG), one agonist of glucagon-like peptide-1, has multiple lipid-lowering effects in type 2 diabetes mellitus, however, studies on the role of LRG in saturated fatty acid-induced bone loss are limited. Therefore, our aim was to investigate whether LRG reduces palmitate (PA)-induced apoptosis and whether the mechanism involves PKA/β-catenin/Bcl-2/Bax in osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells. MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with different concentrations of PA, LRG, or pretreated with Exendin 9–39 and H89, cell viability, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cAMP levels, apoptosis and the expression of protein kinase A (PKA), β-catenin, cleaved-Capase 3, Bcl2-Associated X Protein (Bax) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) along with expression of Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) were evaluated. PA treatment inhibited cell proliferation and cAMP levels, elevated intracellular ROS levels and promoted apoptosis, increased protein expressions of RANKL, Bax and Cleaved-Caspase3, meanwhile decreased protein expression of OPG and Bcl-2 in a dose-dependent manner. LRG inverted PA-induced apoptosis, increased cAMP levels, promoted expression of p-PKA, p-β-catenin and reversed these gene expression via increasing GLP1R expression. Pretreatment of the cells with Exendin 9–39 and H89 partially eradicated the protective effect of LRG on PA-induced apoptosis. Therefore, these findings indicated that LRG attenuates PA-induced apoptosis possibly by GLP1R-mediated PKA/β-catenin/Bcl-2/Bax pathway in MC3T3-L1 cells. Our results point to LRG as a new strategy to attenuate bone loss associated with high fat diet beyond its lipid-lowering actions.
A Systematic Comparison of Human Mitochondrial Genome Assembly Tools
Authors: Mahar Nirmal Singh , Satyam Rohit , Gupta Ishaan , Sundar Durai 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Mitochondria are the cell organelles that produce the majority of the chemical energy required to power the biochemical reactions of the cell. Despite being a part of a eukaryotic host cell, the mitochondria contain a separate genome whose origin is linked with the endocytosis of a prokaryotic cell by the eukaryotic host cell and encodes separate genomic information throughout their genomes. Mitochondrial genomes accommodate essential genes and are regularly utilized in biotechnology and phylogenetics. Various assemblers capable of generating full mitochondrial genomes are being continuously developed. These tools often use whole-genome sequencing data as an input containing reads from the mitochondrial genome. Till now no published work has explored the systematic comparison of all the available tools for assembling mitochondrial genome using short-read sequencing data. This evaluation is required in order to identify the best tool that can be well optimized for small-scale projects or even national-level research.
Results
Here we present a benchmark study of ten mitochondrial assembly tools capable of producing mitochondrial genomes for whole genome paired-end sequencing data. Simulated and real whole genome sequencing data was used as an input for these assemblers. Each of these publicly accessible tools are containerized as docker images to ensure the reproducibility. Our findings demonstrate that the examined assemblers have various computing requirements and degrees of success with the input datasets.
Conclusions
Based on the overall performance metrics and consistency in assembly quality for all sequencing data, MToolBox performed the best. However, among all the assemblers for simulated datasets, NOVOPlasty consumed the smallest amount of runtime and processing resources. Therefore, NOVOPlasty may be more practical to use when there is a big sample size and a lack of computational resources. Besides, as long read sequencing gains popularity, mitochondrial genome assemblers that can use long read sequencing data must be developed.
Experiences and challenges with the new European Clinical Trials Regulation
Authors: Patrick-Brown Thale D.J.H. , Bourner Josephine , Kali Sabrina , Trøseid Marius , Yazdanpanah Yazdan , Olliaro Piero , Olsen Inge Christoffer 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background

The new European Medicines Agency (EMA) Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS), based on the Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR EU 536/2014), came into full effect on 31 January 2022 and was intended to provide an easier, more streamlined approach to the registration of clinical trials taking place in Europe. Using the experience gained on the new regulatory framework from three multi-national European clinical research studies of outbreak-prone infectious diseases, this article describes the advantages and shortcomings of the new clinical trial submission procedure.

Methods

We report the time to approval, size of the application dossier, and number of Requests for Information (RFIs) for each study. We also explore the experience of each study within the regulatory framework and its use of CTIS to document the real-world, practical consequences of the system on individual studies. The study assesses the experience of three multi-country studies conducted in Europe working within the EU and non-EU regulatory environments.

Results

While the time to regulatory and ethical approval has improved since the implementation of the new regulation, the timelines for approvals are still unacceptably slow, particularly for studies being conducted in the context of an evolving outbreak. Within the new regulatory approval procedure, there is evidence of conflicting application requirements, increased document burden, barriers to submitting important modifications, and debilitating technical hurdles.

Conclusions

CTIS promised to lower the regulatory administrative bar, but unfortunately this has not been achieved. There are challenges that need to be urgently confronted and addressed for international research collaborators to effectively manage health crises in the future. While the impact on multi-national outbreak research is clear, the limitations and delays imposed by the system, which raise challenging ethical questions about the regulation, are prejudicial to all clinical research, especially publicly funded academic studies. The objective of this work is to help improve pan-European clinical trials.

Trial Registration

This paper references experiences gained during management of three pan-European trials: EU-SolidAct’s Bari-SolidAct (CT No. 2022-500395-99-00) and AXL-SolidAct (CT No. 2022-500363-12-00), and MOSAIC (CT No. 2022-501132-42-00).
IOD-NaTx, a scorpion Nav channel toxin induces apoptosis and inhibits growth of highly aggressive breast cancer cells
Authors: Khademi Zahra , Ayat Hoda , Elahian Fatemeh , Ahadi Ali Mohammad 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Metastatic breast cancer is the most lethal cancer in women that involved various molecular mechanisms. Nav1.5, a voltage-gated sodium channels, is overexpressed in high metastatic breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer effect of a new Na+ channel blocker, IOD-NaTx toxin from scorpion. IOD-NaTx toxin contains 66 amino acids that forms three disulfide bonds, converse with other Na+ channels. It was expressed recombinantly in E.coli and purified by nickel affinity chromatography. The cancer cell cytotoxicity was investigated by MTT assay and IC50 of rIOD-NaTx was determined 8µM. Morphological properties of apoptotic cells were observed following toxin treatment. Cell cycle arrest in sub-G1 and increasing amount of p53 mRNA expression also confirmed apoptosis induction in toxin treated cells. IOD-NaTx significantly inhibited mRNA expression of several critical genes involved in breast cancer progression, AKT1, VEGF, LIF, TNF-α. The association of these genes with Nav1.5 channel and PI3K/AKT pathway suggests that IOD-NaTx may affect dufferent pathways through inhibittion of this channel. Fluorescent microscopy analysis showed IOD-NaTx interacte with cancer cells and could penetrate to cells. Therfore, recombinant IOD-NaTx can be considered as an therapeutic cell penetrating peptide for targeting breast cancer cells.
Construction and application of knowledge base for hydropower station operation and maintenance based on ontology
Authors: Zhang Binqiao , Li Shuyu , Zhao Hongwei , Dong Xiaoying 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
In the operations management of hydropower stations, there is a problem that a large amount of multi-source heterogeneous structured and unstructured data are challenging to manage and reuse effectively. To improve knowledge organization and collective knowledge sharing, we introduce ontology-based knowledge modeling into the knowledge management and knowledge services of hydropower stations. Specifically, it defines an ontology-based knowledge representation model and constructs a detailed example of ontology knowledge representation and an ontology knowledge base, focusing on three key aspects of hydropower stations, i.e. operation and maintenance of equipment, fault warning and emergency planning. Furthermore, this paper proposes an ontology comprehensive similarity algorithm (OCSA), based on which an ontology-driven visualization application for hydropower knowledge retrieval, prediction and warning, and emergency drill is implemented. Through real-world case studies, the feasibility and effectiveness of the ontology-based knowledge base construction method and critical technology application for hydropower operation and maintenance are demonstrated, improving hydropower stations' knowledge management and application capability.
Integrated cervical secretion proteome and metabolome reveal key elements and regulatory pathways in patients with cervical insufficiency
Authors: Wang Jie , Xu Jiacheng , Qin Yan , Liu Hongli , Xie Lumei , Chao Bingdi , Chen Miaomiao , He Jie , Tao Yuelan , Luo Xin , Qi Hongbo 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background: Cervical insufficiency (CI) is when the cervix appears progressively and painlessly shortened, dilated and funnel-shaped before a full-term pregnancy. This could be attributed to various reasons that hinder the carrying of pregnancy to term and cause abortion or premature birth in the middle and late trimesters of pregnancy. However, its potential pathogenesis remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to explore the possible pathogenesis of CI through the changes of proteins and metabolites in cervical secretions.
Methods: In this study, cervical secretions from pregnant women with CI (n=6) and normal pregnant women (n=6) in the second trimester were collected. The changes of proteins and metabolites in cervical secretions were identified by LC-MS/MS, and the differential proteins and metabolites were further analyzed.
Results: Compared with the normal pregnant women, 95 differential proteins and 117 differential metabolites were detected in patients with CI.The proteomic results showed that 26S proteasomes family members (e.g. PSMC1, PSMC4, PSMC6, PSMD4, etc.) were down-regulated in the CI group, and were widely involved in inflammatory response and Wnt signaling pathway. Increased expression of fructose-1, 6-biphosphatase 1 (FBP1), a key enzyme of gluconeogenesis, and decreased expression of phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1), an important enzyme of glycolysis, were also observed in the CI group. Additionally, our metabolomic analysis revealed high expression of sugars and gluconeogenic substrates (S-isopentene-L-cysteine and ketones) in the CI group.
Conclusions: The inflammatory response and EMT regulated by 26S proteasome and other differential proteins may involved in the occurrence and development of CI by destroying the barrier of cervical epithelium. At the same time, enhanced gluconeogenesis could provide energy for both processes. These findings could help improve pregnancy outcomes in women with cervical insufficiency.
Consequences of asymmetric mutational pressure for the dynamic of linear B-cell epitopes repertoire of Influenza A virus neuraminidase rearrangement
Authors: Khrustalev Vladislav Victorovich , Stojarov Aleksander Nicolaevich , Shen Chenguang , Khrustaleva Tatyana Aleksandrovna 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
All available full-length nucleotide sequences of avian Influenza A virus neuraminidase coding region were analyzed and compared with those of N1 and N2 isolated from viruses infecting human and swine. Nucleotide usage bias analysis showed that in most of the coding regions of N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, and N9 isolated from viruses infecting birds, as well as in those of N1 isolated from viruses infecting human and swine, asymmetric A-bias in fourfold degenerated sites is stronger than in coding regions of N1 isolated from birds and in those of N2 isolated from birds, human, and swine, where the level of U is close to the level of A. In twofold degenerated sites from third codon positions, there is a strong asymmetric U-bias in coding regions of N4, N5, and N8 isolated from viruses infecting birds, as well as in those of N1 and N2 isolated from viruses infecting human, swine, and birds, while in coding regions of N9 isolated from birds, there is strong C-bias, and in sequences of N3, N6, and N7 the usage of C is quite close to the level of U. Asymmetric mutational pressure was one of the sources of amino acid replacements that resulted in an equal percentage of sites with appeared and disappeared linear B-cell epitopes in N1, N2, N4, and N5 (33.62–35.33% vs. 32.41–36.45%), but in a stronger tendency to disappear for B-cell epitopes of N3, N6, N7, N8, and N9 of avian viruses (8.74–28.77% vs. 28.96–38.89%).
Association of Ocular Surface and Meibomian Gland Alterations with Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens Wear
Authors: Colak Dilan , Kocabeyoglu Sibel , Karakaya Jale , Irkec Murat 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate silicone hydrogel contact lens (SH-CL) effects on the meibomian glands, corneal structure, and ocular surface parameters. Methods: Fifty SH-CL wearers for at least 6 months, and 50 sex and age-matched control subjects were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Visual display terminal (VDT) work and CL wear duration were questioned, ocular surface and tear functions were evaluated using OSDI questionnaire, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, and Schirmer test. Corneal sensitivity was measured with Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometry. Meibography and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) were performed to evaluate meibomian glands and corneal structure. Intergroup comparisons were made using the Chi-square test, Wilcoxon test, or Kruskal–Wallis test. Results: In the CL group, TBUT was shorter (P=0.01), corneal fluorescein staining (P=0.04), OSDI scores (P<0.001), and meiboscores (P<0.001) were higher than the control group. The biomicroscopic evaluation revealed meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in 34% of the CL group and 20% of the control group, which was not statistically significant (P>0.05). IVCM showed that endothelial cell density was lower (P=0.01) and polymegethism was higher (P<0.001) in the CL group. Subbasal nerve density and corneal sensitivity measurements were similar in the two groups (P>0.05). The longer VDT work duration was associated with increased CFS in the CL group (P=0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that SH-CL wear increased DED symptoms, especially in longer VDT work duration. Meibography revealed significantly worse results in SH-CL wearers. SH-CL-related DED seems to be more associated with MGD rather than neurosensorial alterations.