bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of limited-sampling strategies to calculate AUC(0–24) and the role of CYP3A5 in Chilean pediatric kidney recipients using extended-release tacrolimus
Authors: Galvez Carla , Boza Pía , González Mariluz , Hormazabal Catalina , Encina Marlene , Azócar Manuel , Castañeda Luis E. , Rojo Angélica , Ceballos María Luisa , Krall Paola 
Published: March 2023

Background: Kidney transplantation (KTx) requires immunosuppressive drugs such as Tacrolimus (TAC) which is mainly metabolized by CYP3A5. TAC is routinely monitored by trough levels (C0) although it has not shown to be a reliable marker. The area-under-curve (AUC) is a more realistic measure of drug exposure, but sampling is challenging in pediatric patients. Limited-sampling strategies (LSS) have been developed to estimate AUC. Herein, we aimed to determine AUC(0–24) and CYP3A5 genotype in Chilean pediatric kidney recipients using extended-release TAC, to evaluate different LSS-AUC(0–24) formulas and dose requirements.Patients and methods: We analyzed pediatric kidney recipients using different extended-release TAC brands to determine their trapezoidal AUC(0–24) and CYP3A5 genotypes (SNP rs776746). Daily TAC dose (TAC-D mg/kg) and AUC(0–24) normalized by dose were compared between CYP3A5 expressors (*1/*1 and *1/*3) and non-expressors (*3/*3). We evaluated the single and combined time-points to identify the best LSS-AUC(0–24) model. We compared the performance of this model with two pediatric LSS-AUC(0–24) equations for clinical validation.Results: Fifty-one pharmacokinetic profiles were obtained from kidney recipients (age 13.1 ± 2.9 years). When normalizing AUC(0–24) by TAC-D significant differences were found between CYP3A5 expressors and non-expressors (1701.9 vs. 2718.1 ng*h/mL/mg/kg, p &lt; 0.05). C0 had a poor fit with AUC(0–24) (r2 = 0.5011). The model which included C0, C1 and C4, showed the best performance to predict LSS-AUC(0–24) (r2 = 0.8765) and yielded the lowest precision error (7.1% ± 6.4%) with the lowest fraction (9.8%) of deviated AUC(0–24), in comparison to other LSS equations.Conclusion: Estimation of LSS-AUC(0–24) with 3 time-points is an advisable and clinically useful option for pediatric kidney recipients using extended-release TAC to provide better guidance of decisions if toxicity or drug inefficacy is suspected. The different CYP3A5 genotypes associated with variable dose requirements reinforce considering genotyping before KTx. Further multi-centric studies with admixed cohorts are needed to determine the short- and long-term clinical benefits.
ResAttn-recon: Residual self-attention based cortical surface reconstruction
Authors: An Mujun , Chen Jianzhang , Cao Yankun , Tao Kemeng , Wang Jianlei , Wang Chun , Zhao Kun , Liu Zhi 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: The accurate cerebral cortex surface reconstruction is crucial for the study of neurodegenerative diseases. Existing voxelwise segmentation-based approaches like FreeSurfer and FastSurfer are limited by the partial volume effect, meaning that reconstruction details highly rely on the resolution of the input volume. In the computer version area, the signed distance function has become an efficient method for 3D shape representation, the inherent continuous nature makes it easy to capture the fine details of the target object at an arbitrary resolution. Additionally, as one of the most valuable breakthroughs in deep learning research, attention is a powerful mechanism developed to enhance the performance of the encoder-decoder architecture.Methods: To further improve the reconstruction accuracy of the cortical surface, we proposed ResAttn-Recon, a residual self-attention based encoder-decoder framework. In this framework, we also developed a lightweight decoder network with skip connections. Furthermore, a truncated and weighted L1 loss function are proposed to accelerate network convergence, compared to simply applying the L1 loss function.Results: The intersection over union curve in the training process achieved a steeper slope and a higher peak (0.948 vs. 0.920) with a truncated L1 loss. Thus, the average symmetric surface distance (AD) for the inner and outer surfaces is 0.253 ± 0.051 and the average Hausdorff distance (HD) is 0.629 ± 0.186, which is lower than that of DeepCSR, whose absolute distance equals 0.283 ± 0.059 and Hausdorff distance equals 0.746 ± 0.245.Discussion: In conclusion, the proposed residual self-attention-based framework can be a promising approach for improving the cortical surface reconstruction performance.
The relationship between self-regulated learning, mindful agency, and psychological resilience in Chinese master of nursing specialists: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Yang Rui , Gao YuFang , Ji ZiTong 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundSelf-regulated learning helps to improve academic performance and is an important strategy for the sustainable development of Master of Nursing Specialists. Consequently, it is relevant to identify the factors that affect self-regulated learning and analyze the correlation between them.ObjectiveThis study examined the status quo of self-regulated learning, the relationship between self-regulated learning, mindful agency, and psychological resilience, and explored whether mindful agency and psychological resilience influence self-regulation learning.MethodsChinese Master of Nursing Specialists were recruited to participate in an online survey from March to November 2022. Self-regulated learning, mindful agency, and psychological resilience were measured using three questionnaires, including the Self-Regulated Learning Scale for Clinical Nursing Practice Scale (SRLS-CNP), the Mindful Agency Scale, and the 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). The data were processed and analyzed using SPSS26.0. The statistical methods included descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression.ResultsSelf-regulated learning of Chinese Master of Nursing Specialists was medium level (59.24 ± 9.33 scores). Mindful agency and psychological resilience were positively correlated with self-regulated learning (p &lt; 0.01) and important predictors of self-regulated learning of Master of Nursing Specialists, explaining 44.6% of the variation.ConclusionMindful agency and psychological resilience affected the self-regulated learning level of Master of Nursing Specialists in clinical practice. These results will enable clinical educators to pay more attention to the personal psychological factors of Master of Nursing Specialists to improve their self-regulated learning ability through mindful agency and psychological resilience.
Effect of short-term mindfulness-based stress reduction on sleep quality in male patients with alcohol use disorder
Authors: Wang Yongmei , Chen Cuiping , Gu Lina , Zhai Yi , Sun Yanhong , Gao Guoqing , Xu Yayun , Pang Liangjun , Xu Lianyin 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundSleep disturbance is one of the most prominent complaints of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), with more than 70% of patients with AUD reporting an inability to resolve sleep problems during abstinence. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve sleep quality and as an alternative therapy to hypnotics for sleep disorders.ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of short-term MBSR on sleep quality in male patients with AUD after withdrawal.MethodsA total of 91 male patients with AUD after 2 weeks of routine withdrawal therapy were randomly divided into two groups using a coin toss: the treatment group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 41). The control group was received supportive therapy, and the intervention group added with MBSR for 2 weeks on the basis of supportive therapy. Objective sleep quality was measured at baseline and 2 weeks after treatment using the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC). Indicators related to sleep quality include total sleep time, stable sleep time, unstable sleep time, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time, wake-up time, stable sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and apnea index. These indicators were compared by an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) between the two groups, controlling for individual differences in the respective measures at baseline.ResultsThe results showed that there were no significant differences in the age [t (89) = –0.541, P = 0.590), BMI [t (89) = –0.925, P = 0.357], educational status [t (89) = 1.802, P = 0.076], years of drinking [t (89) = –0.472, P = 0.638), daily intake [t (89) = 0.892, P = 0.376], types of alcohol [χ2 (1) = 0.071, P = 0.789], scores of CIWA-AR [t (89) = 0.595, P = 0.554], scores of SDS [t (89) = –1.151, P = 0.253), or scores of SAS [t (89) = –1.209, P = 0.230] between the two groups. Moreover, compared with the control group, the total sleep time [F (1.88) = 4.788, P = 0.031) and stable sleep time [F (1.88) = 6.975, P = 0.010] were significantly increased in the treatment group. Furthermore, the average apnea index in the patients who received MBSR was significantly decreased than in the control group [F (1.88) = 5.284, P = 0.024].ConclusionThese results suggest that short-term MBSR could improve sleep quality and may serve as an alternative treatment to hypnotics for sleep disturbance in patients with AUD after withdrawal.
Epidemiological investigation of norovirus infections in Punjab, Pakistan, through the One Health approach
Authors: Yasir Ammar , Mahmood Yasir , Yaqoob Muhammad Arsalan , Zia Ubaid-ur-Rehman , Munoz-Zanzi Claudia , Alam Muhammad Masroor , Warraich Muhammad Akib , Hassan Mushtaq Muhammad 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionNorovirus, mainly associated with acute gastroenteritis, is very contagious and can affect a vast range of species ranging from cattle, pigs, dogs, mice, cats, sheep, and lions to humans. It is a foodborne pathogen that mainly transmits through the fecal–oral route.MethodsThis is the first-ever study conducted in Lahore and Sheikhupura districts of Punjab, Pakistan, to investigate noroviruses through the One Health approach. From January 2020 to September 2021, 200 fecal samples were collected from clinical cases of hospitalized patients and 200 fecal samples from sick animals at veterinary hospitals and local farms. In addition, 500 food and beverage samples were collected from street vendors and retail stores. A predesigned questionnaire was used to assess the risk factors and clinical characteristics of sick people and animals.Results and discussionOverall, 14% of the human clinical samples were positive by RT-PCR for genogroup GII. All bovine samples were negative. Food and beverage samples were tested in pools, resulting in sugarcane juice samples positive for genogroup GII. Previous contact with acute gastroenteritis patients, sex, and presence of vomiting were found to be significant risk factors (p ≤ 0.05). The substantial number of diarrhea cases associated with noroviruses calls for additional studies to investigate the epidemiology and transmission and to improve surveillance.
Incidence and risk factors of hearing loss in patients with Turner Syndrome
Authors: Lin Huijia , Wang Xiaoya , Qin Shuang , Luo Fanglan , Cen Yingmei , Lash Gendie E. , Li Li 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundHearing loss (HL) is one of the main medical complications for Turner Syndrome (TS) patients, with an earlier presentation and higher incidence than normal women. However, the etiology of HL in TS is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the hearing status of TS patients in China and the influencing factors, so as to provide a theoretical basis for early intervention treatment for TS patients with HL.MethodsIn total 46 female patients aged 14–32 diagnosed with TS received tympanic membrane and audiological examinations, including pure tone audiometry and tympanometry. In addition, the effects of karyotype, sex hormone levels, thyroid function, insulin, blood lipids, bone mineral density, age and other factors on hearing levels were analyzed, and the possible risk factors associated with HL in TS patients were explored.ResultsIn 9 patients (19.6%) had HL, including 1 (2.2%) with mild conductive hearing loss, 5 (10.9%) with mild sensorineural hearing loss, 3 (6.5%) with moderate sensorineural hearing loss. TS is often associated with age-related mid-frequency and high-frequency HL, and the incidence of HL increases with age. Compared with other karyotypes, patients with 45, X haplotype have an increased risk of mid-frequency HL.ConclusionsTherefore, karyotype may be a predictor of hearing problems in TS.
COVID-19 case prediction using emotion trends via Twitter emoji analysis: A case study in Japan
Authors: Tran Vu , Matsui Tomoko 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionThe worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019 and has lasted for almost 3 years now, has undergone many changes and has changed public perceptions and attitudes. Various systems for predicting the progression of the pandemic have been developed to help assess the risk of COVID-19 spreading. In a case study in Japan, we attempt to determine whether the trend of emotions toward COVID-19 expressed on social media, specifically Twitter, can be used to enhance COVID-19 case prediction system performance.MethodsWe use emoji as a proxy to shallowly capture the trend in emotion expression on Twitter. Two aspects of emoji are studied: the surface trend in emoji usage by using the tweet count and the structural interaction of emoji by using an anomalous score.ResultsOur experimental results show that utilizing emoji improved system performance in the majority of evaluations.
COVID-Twitter-BERT: A natural language processing model to analyse COVID-19 content on Twitter
Authors: Müller Martin , Salathé Marcel , Kummervold Per E. 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionThis study presents COVID-Twitter-BERT (CT-BERT), a transformer-based model that is pre-trained on a large corpus of COVID-19 related Twitter messages. CT-BERT is specifically designed to be used on COVID-19 content, particularly from social media, and can be utilized for various natural language processing tasks such as classification, question-answering, and chatbots. This paper aims to evaluate the performance of CT-BERT on different classification datasets and compare it with BERT-LARGE, its base model.MethodsThe study utilizes CT-BERT, which is pre-trained on a large corpus of COVID-19 related Twitter messages. The authors evaluated the performance of CT-BERT on five different classification datasets, including one in the target domain. The model's performance is compared to its base model, BERT-LARGE, to measure the marginal improvement. The authors also provide detailed information on the training process and the technical specifications of the model.ResultsThe results indicate that CT-BERT outperforms BERT-LARGE with a marginal improvement of 10-30% on all five classification datasets. The largest improvements are observed in the target domain. The authors provide detailed performance metrics and discuss the significance of these results.DiscussionThe study demonstrates the potential of pre-trained transformer models, such as CT-BERT, for COVID-19 related natural language processing tasks. The results indicate that CT-BERT can improve the classification performance on COVID-19 related content, especially on social media. These findings have important implications for various applications, such as monitoring public sentiment and developing chatbots to provide COVID-19 related information. The study also highlights the importance of using domain-specific pre-trained models for specific natural language processing tasks. Overall, this work provides a valuable contribution to the development of COVID-19 related NLP models.
A multi-spark electrohydraulic shock wave generator with adjustable pressure field distribution and beam steering capability
Authors: Sankin Georgy N. , Fang Zheng , Gu Juanjuan , Jing Yun , Zhong Pei 
Published: March 2023

Background and objectiveAll clinical shock wave lithotripters produce an axisymmetric acoustic field without accounting for the anatomic features of the kidney or respiratory motion of the patient. This work presents a steerable and adjustable focusing electrohydraulic (SAFE) shock wave generator design with variable beam size and shape.Materials and methods90 electrohydraulic transducers are mounted concentrically on a spherical basin with adjustable connection to individual transducers. Each transducer consists of 45 3D-printed titanium microelectrodes embedded in epoxy with a tip diameter of 0.3 mm. All the transducers are arranged in 5 concentric rings and sub-divided into 6 sectors.ResultsBy changing the connections of individual transducers, the focused pressure field produced by the transducer array can be either axisymmetric with a -6 dB focal width of 14.8 mm in diameter, or non-axisymmetric with a long axis of 22.7 mm and a short axis of 15.1 mm. The elongated beam produces a peak positive pressure of 33.7 ± 4.1 MPa and comminution efficiency of 42.2 ± 3.5%, compared to 36.2 ± 0.7 MPa and 28.6 ± 6.1% for axisymmetric beam after 150 pulses at 20 kV.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated that the SAFE shock wave generator can produce an elongated non-axisymmetric pressure field with higher stone comminution efficiency. The SAFE shock wave generator may provide a flexible and versatile design to achieve accurate, stable, and safe lithotripsy for kidney stone treatment.
Expression of hypoxia-inducing factor-1α and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in the recipient parasylvian cortical arteries with different hemodynamic sources in adult moyamoya disease
Authors: Luo Mingrui , Yu Jin , Xin Can , Hu Miao , Tao Tianshu , Wan Guiping , Chen Jincao , Zhang Jianjian 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveIn our latest research, we have demonstrated that the recipient parasylvian cortical arteries (PSCAs) with hemodynamic sources from the middle cerebral artery (M-PSCAs) has a higher risk of postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion (CHP) syndrome than those from non-M-PSCAs in adult moyamoya disease (MMD) patient. However, whether there are differences between M-PSCAs and non-M-PSCAs in vascular specimens characteristics has not been studied. In this study, we further investigate the vascular specimen of recipient PSCAs by histological and immunohistochemical methods.Methods50 vascular specimens of recipient PSCAs were obtained from 50 adult MMD patients during the combined bypass surgeries in our departments of Zhongnan hospital. 4 recipient PSCAs samples were also obtained in the same way from the middle cerebral artery occlusion patients. The samples were received the pathological sectioning, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry, then the vascular wall thickness, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and hypoxia-inducing factor-1α (HIF-1α) were analyzed.ResultsM-PSCAs adult MMD patients had a thinner intima than non-M-PSCAs in the recipient PSCAs specimens. In recipient non-M-PSCAs vascular specimens, the immunoreactivity indicating HIF-1α and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was significantly higher than M-PSCAs groups. The logistic regression analyses showed that the M-PSCAs was an independent risk factor of postoperative cerebral hyperperfusion (CHP) syndrome (OR 6.235, 95% CI1.018-38.170, P = 0.048) in MMD.ConclusionOur results indicate that M-PSCAs adult MMD patients had thinner intima than non-MCAs adult MMD patients in the PSCAs. More importantly, HIF-1α and MMP-9 were overexpressed in non-M-PSCAs vascular specimens.
Long-term nutritional management of an obese German Spitz with paroxysmal dyskinesia, calcium oxalate urolithiasis, and suspected pancreatitis—A case report
Authors: Baptista da Silva Camila , Hermans Michelle , Ruiz-Suárez Norberto , Verdoodt Fien , Bhatti Sofie Fatima Mareyam , Hesta Myriam 
Published: March 2023

BackgroundTo our knowledge, this is the first description of long-term nutritional management in a dog with paroxysmal dyskinesia.Case summaryAn obese 9-year-old, male entire, German Spitz was presented for dietary management after being diagnosed with calcium oxalate urolithiasis and suspected pancreatitis. Since he was seven years old, the dog has had a history of neurological signs, which were thought to be epileptic seizures. He was treated with phenobarbital and potassium bromide and was clinically controlled. For his nutritional advice, aiming to minimize one of the most important risk factors for the diseases, a weight loss program was started and successfully executed. However, 10 months later, the dog restarted presenting neurological episodes at a high frequency (3x/week). Based on videos and the characteristics of the neurological signs, the dog was diagnosed with paroxysmal dyskinesia. To investigate the role of gluten intake on this patient's neurological signs, a dietary trial with a commercial hypoallergenic diet (gluten-free; hydrolyzed protein) was followed. During the 3 months of the dietary trial, four neurologic episodes related to food indiscretion occurred. Upon the decrease in neurological episodes, the anti-seizure drugs were slowly discontinued. During this period, the dog presented only two neurologic episodes that were related to the days that the anti-seizure drugs were decreased. For 4 months the dog remained episode-free. However, a change in the dog's diet to another gluten-free diet (higher fat) led the dog to vomit and experience another neurologic episode. Once the dog was back to the previous gluten-free diet, it clinically improved, and no other clinical signs were reported by the client during the next 5 months.ConclusionAlthough a relationship between gluten and paroxysmal dyskinesia cannot be confirmed, the dog's improvement after the nutritional management and the removal of the anti-seizure therapy is supportive of dietary association.
The Role of Tableware Size in Healthy Eating—Effects on Downstream Food Intake
Authors: Abeywickrema Sashie , Peng Mei 
Published: March 2023

Recent studies show that visual exposure to different portion sizes can lead to portion alterations in subsequent meals, suggesting that manipulations of tableware sizes may also modify portion size perception and downstream eating behaviour. The present study aims to address this novel question by testing 61 male participants (20–40 years; 19.7–41.5 kg·m−2) over three breakfast sessions in a controlled laboratory. In each session, the participant was served a pre-determined breakfast portion in either medium (control; CT), small (SC), or large (LC) jars. Participants were asked to rate post-meal satiety, and then recorded food intake for the rest of the day using Food Records. Our results indicated significant changes in post-meal satiety following the SC or LC condition, compared to CT (SC: 55.3 ± 10.8, LC: 31.0 ± 8.4, CT: 42.1 ± 9.6, F(2, 108) = 25.22, p < 0.001). SC led to a reduction in post-breakfast energy intake (F(2, 108) = 61.28, p < 0.001), but was counteracted by a substantial increase in downstream intake at the following meal (F(2, 108) = 47.79, p < 0.001), resulting in an overall increase in total daily energy intake (F(2, 108) = 11.45, p < 0.001). This study provides the first evidence that small tableware may not be a long-term solution for addressing overeating and related health issues (e.g., obesity), reinforcing the importance of considering downstream intake in eating-related intervention.
Ревматологични аспекти на IgG4-свързаната болест
Authors: Dimov Detelin 
Published: March 2023

Резюме. Имуноглобулин G4-свързаната болест (IgG4-СБ) е имуноопосредствано заболяване, характеризиращо се с тъканна инфилтрация от IgG4(+)плазмоцити, водеща до фиброза и деструкция на засегнатия орган. В обсега на IgG4-СБ влизат всички органи и системи, но в обзора са представени актуални диагностични и терапевтични данни само за локализациите й в слъзните и слюнчените жлези, бъбреците, ретроперитонеума, белите дробове, аортата и артериите, които са терен и на ревматологична патология (васкулити, синдром на Sjogren, СЛЕ, системна склероза и др.).