bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ghrelin and impulsivity relationship in alcohol-dependent patients and healthy individuals
Authors: Agtas-Ertan Ece , Dogan Ozlem , Ilhan Inci 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Aims: Abundant research indicates that ghrelin hormone levels are associated with alcohol use and addiction. One of the mediators of this association may be impulsivity, which is one of the common traits observed in alcohol addiction and some eating disorders. This study evaluated participants with alcohol dependency and healthy volunteers to determine whether trait impulsivity and ghrelin levels are associated. Methods: This study analyzed trait impulsivity scores and fasting serum ghrelin levels of 44 males with alcohol dependency and 48 healthy male participants. The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and the UPPS Impulsive Behaviour Scale (UPPS) were used to measure trait impulsivity levels. Penn Alcohol Craving Scale and Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale for heavy drinking were used to assess craving at the baseline and after the detoxification period. Results: Alcohol-dependent patients’ fasting ghrelin levels were significantly higher than that of healthy participants. Ghrelin plasma levels were positively correlated with UPPS total impulsivity scores and sensation-seeking among healthy individuals. In alcohol-dependent participants, there was a positive correlation between UPPS urgency scores obtained at the baseline and fasting ghrelin levels before and after the detoxification period. Conclusions: Ghrelin–impulsivity relationship could be observed in certain dimensions of impulsivity in both alcohol-dependent and healthy individuals and even independent of the effect of alcohol. Although the associated impulsivity dimensions differ in different groups, the results are parallel to other studies in terms of demonstrating the relationship between ghrelin and impulsivity.
An Exploration of the Anatomy of the Forehead of Asians and Its Relationship With Forehead Lines Based on Ultrasound Imaging
Authors: Yuan Li , Zhuang Jun , Chai Hongli , Wu Yumeng , Su Xueshang , Jiang Liya , Jia Ying , Hu Jintian , Wang Yongqian 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Background
A profound understanding of the various frontal tissues' morphology and their relationship with forehead lines can efficiently guide clinical treatment.

Objectives
The authors explored the relationship between frontal anatomy and frontal lines.

Methods
We measured the thickness and shape of tissues in different regions of the forehead of 241 Asians. Then, we analyzed the relationship between the types of frontalis muscle and frontal lines, as well as the relationship between the frontal anatomical structures and the production of frontal lines.

Results
We classified the types of frontalis muscle into 3 categories comprising 10 subtypes. The skin (0.78 mm vs 0.90 mm, P &lt; .05), superficial subcutaneous tissue (0.66 mm vs 0.75 mm, P &lt; .05), and frontalis muscle thickness (0.29 mm vs 0.37 mm, P &lt; .05) of people with obvious dynamic forehead lines were significantly thicker than those of people without significant dynamic forehead lines. However, no significant difference in the deep subcutaneous tissue thickness was found between people with and without static forehead lines (1.36 mm vs 1.34 mm, P &lt; .05).

Conclusions
This study shows the relationship between the frontal structure and frontal lines. Therefore, these results can provide references for treating frontal lines, to a certain extent.

Level of Evidence: 3
Quantitative annotations of T-Cell repertoire specificity
Authors: Luo Jiaqi , Wang Xueying , Zou Yiping , Chen Lingxi , Liu Wei , Zhang Wei , Li Shuai Cheng 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
The specificity of a T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire determines personalized immune capacity. Existing methods have modeled the qualitative aspects of TCR specificity, while the quantitative aspects remained unaddressed. We developed a package, TCRanno, to quantify the specificity of TCR repertoires. We created deep-learning-based, epitope-aware vector embeddings to infer individual TCR specificity. Then we aggregated clonotype frequencies of TCRs to obtain a quantitative profile of repertoire specificity at epitope, antigen and organism levels. Applying TCRanno to 4195 TCR repertoires revealed quantitative changes in repertoire specificity upon infections, autoimmunity and cancers. Specifically, TCRanno found cytomegalovirus-specific TCRs in seronegative healthy individuals, supporting the possibility of abortive infections. TCRanno discovered age-accumulated fraction of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 specific TCRs in pre-pandemic samples, which may explain the aggressive symptoms and age-related severity of coronavirus disease 2019. TCRanno also identified the encounter of Hepatitis B antigens as a potential trigger of systemic lupus erythematosus. TCRanno annotations showed capability in distinguishing TCR repertoires of healthy and cancers including melanoma, lung and breast cancers. TCRanno also demonstrated usefulness to single-cell TCRseq+gene expression data analyses by isolating T-cells with the specificity of interest.
Treatment effect quantiles in stratified randomized experiments and matched observational studies
Authors: Su Yongchang , Li Xinran 
Published: May 2023

SummaryEvaluating the treatment effect has become an important topic for many applications. However, most existing literature focuses mainly on average treatment effects. When the individual effects are heavy tailed or have outlier values, not only may the average effect not be appropriate for summarizing treatment effects, but also the conventional inference for it can be sensitive and possibly invalid due to poor large-sample approximations. In this paper we focus on quantiles of individual treatment effects, which can be more robust in the presence of extreme individual effects. Moreover, our inference for them is purely randomization based, avoiding any distributional assumptions on the units. We first consider inference in stratified randomized experiments, extending the recent work by Caughey et al. (2021). We show that the computation of valid p-values for testing null hypotheses on quantiles of individual effects can be transformed into instances of the multiple-choice knapsack problem, which can be efficiently solved exactly or slightly conservatively. We then extend our approach to matched observational studies and propose a sensitivity analysis to investigate to what extent our inference on quantiles of individual effects is robust to unmeasured confounding. The proposed randomization inference and sensitivity analysis are simul- taneously valid for all quantiles of individual effects, noting that the analysis for the maximum or minimum individual effect coincides with the conventional analysis assuming constant treatment effects.
BJS-01 NATIONWIDE ANALYSIS OF SHORT-TERM OUTCOMES AFTER OPEN VS. ROBOT-ASSISTED REPAIR OF VENTRAL HERNIA
Authors: Henriksen N , Helgstrand F , Jensen K 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Background
The aim was to evaluate short-term outcomes after robot-assisted and open repair of primary ventral and incisional hernia.

Methods
Nationwide register-based cohort study with data from the Danish Ventral Hernia Database and the National Danish Patients Registry from January 1, 2017 to August 22, 2022. Robot-assisted ventral hernia repairs were propensity score matched 1:3 with open repairs according to the confounding variables defect size, type of hernia, Charlson comorbidity index score, and age. Logistic regression analyses were performed for factors associated with length of stay &gt; 2 days, readmission, and reoperation within 90 days.

Results
A total of 550 and 1,655 patients underwent robot-assisted and open repair, respectively. The mean length of hospital stay in days was 0.5 vs. 1.9 for robot-assisted and open approach, respectively, (P &lt; 0.001) and open approach was correlated with risk of length of stay &gt; 2 days (OR 4.69, CI 6.56–7.85, P &lt; 0.001). The incidence of readmission and reoperation within 90 days of discharge was significantly lower after robot-assisted repair compared to open approach (7.0% vs. 15.6%, P &lt; 0.001) and (2.0% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.013), respectively. Open approach was independently associated with increased risk of readmission and reoperation (OR 2.46, CI 1.73–3.51, P = 0.005) and (OR 2.30, CI 1.21–4.38, P = 0.011), respectively.

Conclusion
Robot-assisted ventral hernia repair is safe and feasible and associated with shorter length of stay and decreased risk of readmission and surgical reintervention compared with open ventral hernia repair.
BJS-05 DIS CLASS A MESHES PERMIT BIOMECHANICALLY STRONG RECONSTRUCTIONS WHICH ARE DURABLE AFTER A 3 YEAR FOLLOW UP
Authors: Kallinowski F , Löffler T , Rinn J , Nessel R , Görich J , Wielpütz M 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Aim
Hernia meshes slip easily upon cyclic load (dynamic intermittend strain, DIS). Meshes were classified and those with the best adhesiveness were named DIS class A. How durable are reconstructions with these meshes after 3 years?

Material and methods
The adhesiveness of the meshes was analyzed with cyclic load on a bench test. The best-gripping meshes were clinically applied. All patients were followed in yearly intervals up to three years.

Results
A total of 166 patients (85 males, 85 ASA III/IV, 179 risk factors, 46 recurrent) were included. Progrip® was used in 60 cases (P), Dahlhausen® Cicat in 106 cases (C). Smaller hernias were augmented with P needing less overlap due to the higher tackiness (median minimal overlap P = 4.5, C = 6 cm). Hernia sizes treated with C were significantly larger (median P = 20, median C = 143 cm2; u-test: p &lt; 0.001). The mesh-defect area ratio was higher with P compared with C (13.2 vs 6.3). Fixation requirements were lower with 8 points for P and 81 points for C. GRIP was twice that minimally required. Larger hernia took longer OR times (median P: 103 vs. median C: 203 min; p &lt; 0.001). Larger hernias coincided more postoperative minor complications (5–14%, 1 re-operation for seroma). In-hospital stay was comparable with 5–6 days. Pain levels were low in both groups after 3 years (median NAS = 0). No recurrences were detected.

Conclusion
Incisional hernia can be repaired durably based on biomechanical principles.
P-052 RISK FACTORS FOR PERITONEAL TEARS DURING LAPAROSCOPIC EXTRAPERITONEAL HERNIA REPAIR
Authors: Donmez T , Karabulut M , Cayirci C E , Surek A , Calis G , Gemici E , Guzey D 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Background
Peritoneal tears (PTs) are not uncommon during the course of laparoscopic total extraperitoneal (TEP) repair of groin hernias. There are several mechanisms involved in the occurence of PTs during the course of the operation. There are many studies about the causes of peritoneal tears. Detection of independent risk factors in peritoneal tear formation may identify patients who will benefit from elective inguinal hernia repair in laparoscopic extraperitoneal hernia surgery.

Methods
Between April 2018 and december 2022, 518 consecutive patients undergoing 575 TEP repair surgery were recruited by the retrospective study. They were divided into two groups as with and without peritoneal tear. Patient characteristics, operative data, and postoperative outcomes were compared between patients with and without peritoneal tear. Risk factors for peritoneal tear were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results
The overall incidence of peritoenal tear was 19.7% (n=97). The median age was 45 years (18 to 83) and body mass index was 25.7 kg/m2 (15.67 to 35.20). Significant clinical factors associated with peritoneal tear included such as hernia type, previous hernia surgery, large hernial defects, presence of scrotal hernia, and the defect size of inguinal hernia. Multivariate analysis identified independent risk factors for peritoneal tear as indirect hernia type and previous hernia surgery.

Conclusion
Peritoneal tears is a major complication seen during TEP repair surgery and its incidence varies depending on many factors. Previous hernia surgery and indirect inguinal hernia the risk for peritoneal tears from during TEP repair.
Design of a new static solar concentrator with a high concentration ratio and a large acceptance angle based on bifacial solar cells
Authors: Shariah Adnan , Hasan Emad 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Solar concentrators are used in solar photovoltaic systems to lower the cost of producing electricity. In this situation, fewer solar cells can be used, lowering the overall cost of the system. The purpose of this article is to design, construct, install and test a stationary (non-tracking) concentrating system in Irbid, Jordan. Bifacial solar cells are used in the design. Two concentrator designs (with the same concentration ratio) are experimentally tested. Conc-A has a parabolic shape in the lower part but flat reflecting walls, whereas Conc-B has a standard compound parabolic shape in all parts. The receiving solar cells are arranged in three distinct positions in each concentrator. The results reveal that the output power from both concentrators is affected by the placement of the receiving solar cells within the concentrator. It has also been found that concentrators with flat reflecting walls perform better than those with parabolic reflecting walls. Conc-A’s power collection is ~198% greater than that of a non-concentrating device. When Conc-B is used, the increase in power is ~181%.
Increased cardiovascular events in young patients with mental disorders: a nationwide cohort study
Authors: Park Chan Soon , Choi Eue-Keun , Han Kyung-Do , Ahn Hyo-Jeong , Kwon Soonil , Lee So-Ryoung , Oh Seil , Lip Gregory Y H 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Aims
It remains unclear whether young patients with mental disorders have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than does the general population. Using a nationwide database, we investigated the prognostic association between the risks of myocardial infarction (MI), ischaemic stroke (IS), and mental disorders in young patients.

Methods and results
Young patients aged between 20 and 39 years old who underwent nationwide health examinations between 2009 and 2012 were screened. A total of 6 557 727 individuals were identified and subsequently classified according to mental disorders including depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, insomnia, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, somatoform disorder, eating disorder, and substance use disorder. Patients were then followed up for MI and IS until December 2018. Patients with mental disorders did not show unfavourable lifestyle behaviours or worse metabolic profiles than their counterparts. During the follow-up period (median, 7.6 years; interquartile range, 6.5–8.3), 16 133 cases of MI and 10 509 cases of IS occurred. Patients with mental disorders had higher risks of MI (log-rank P = 0.033 in eating disorder and log-rank P &lt; 0.001 in all other mental disorders). Patients with mental disorders had higher risks of IS except post-traumatic stress disorder (log-rank P = 0.119) and eating disorder (log-rank P = 0.828). After adjusting for covariates, the overall diagnosis and each mental disorder were independently associated with increased cardiovascular endpoints.

Conclusion
Mental disorders in young patients may have deleterious effects which increase the incidence of MI and IS. Prevention efforts are needed to prevent MI and IS in young patients with mental disorders.
Veterinary drug albendazole inhibits root colonization and symbiotic function of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis
Authors: Gkimprixi Eleni , Lagos Stathis , Nikolaou Christina N , Karpouzas Dimitrios G , Tsikou Daniela 
Published: May 2023

Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are plant symbionts that have a pivotal role in maintaining soil fertility and nutrient cycling. However, these microsymbionts may be exposed to organic pollutants like pesticides or veterinary drugs known to occur in agricultural soils. Anthelminthics are veterinary drugs that reach soils through the application of contaminated manures in agricultural settings. Their presence might threaten the function of AMF, considered as sensitive indicators of the toxicity of agrochemicals to the soil microbiota. We determined the impact of the anthelminthic compounds albendazole and ivermectin on the establishment and functionality of the symbiosis between the model-legume Lotus japonicus and the AMF Rhizophagus irregularis. Our analyses revealed negative effects of albendazole on the development and functionality of arbuscules, the symbiotic organelle of AMF, at a concentration of 0.75 μg g−1. The impairment of the symbiotic function was verified by the reduced expression of genes SbtM1, PT4 and AMT2;2 involved in arbuscules formation, P and N uptake, and the lower phosphorus shoot content detected in the albendazole-treated plants. Our results provide first evidence for the toxicity of albendazole on the colonization capacity and function of R. irregularis at concentrations that may occur in agricultural soils systematically amended with drug-containing manures.
Soil change and broadleaf tree growth 10 years after wood ash and brash co-application to a clearfelled lowland conifer site in Britain
Authors: Pitman Rona M , Vanguelova Elena I , Benham Suzanne 
Published: May 2023

Abstract

Wood ash use, to raise pH and replace nutrients lost through forest harvesting, is well regulated in Scandinavia and Canada, but not yet in the UK. This experiment applied granulated wood ash from mixed tree thinnings to a lowland clay mineral soil at ~2.3 t ha−1 dose rate, after clearfell of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.). With brash (~56 t ha−1 dry weight) as N resource, a 4 × 4 matrix of ash only, ash + brash, brash only and control treatments were planted with oak seedlings (Quercus robur L.). Soil survey was undertaken before ash application and followed over 10 years. By year 2, self-sown grass was dominant in the control and ash plots, and birch (Betula pendula, Roth.) was present across all treatments by year 4. In year 10, oak height was 25–29 per cent greater in brash and ash + brash plots, with DBH increased &gt;20 per cent over the controls. Birch DBH was greater by 30 per cent in brash plots but was over 50 per cent in the ash + brash plots. Foliar concentrations of Ca, K and P significantly increased with ash addition in both oak and birch, as Al, Mn, Fe and Cr decreased. Soil pH (CaCl2) was reduced in all treatments in year 2 likely due to nitrification, during organic matter and needle breakdown, but recovered 8 years later to be significantly highest in ash and ash + brash plots. Mg, K, Ca, Na, Ba and S concentrations were higher in ash plot soils, but soil organic matter, total carbon and total nitrogen declined due to mineralization and uptake by grass and trees. Wood ash addition did not significantly increase heavy metal concentrations in either soil or foliage. In the long term, wood ash aided soil recovery and promoted tree growth in combination with the brash – it could be beneficial for tree growth after thinning/coppicing on heavy mineral soils, with the prerequisite of an existing ground cover.

Aim
To quantify the effects of wood ash and brash addition over time to soils and tree growth after conifer clearfelling on a lowland clay soil site.
Life-history traits and environment shape small pelagic fish demography and responses to fishing and climate across European Atlantic seas
Authors: Otero J , Hidalgo M 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSmall pelagic fish (SPF) are fundamental components of marine food webs and are subject to boom and bust periods ascribed to the interactive effects of fishing and climate, which vary depending on species’ demography and life-history traits and determine the signal that we observe in fisheries time series. However, it is poorly understood how the biology of SPFs and habitat structure shape their population demography and responses to fishing and climate. This study evaluates the influence of life-history traits and the environment on the demography and the response to exploitation and climate for 14 populations of SPFs occurring in the European Atlantic Seas. Using age-structured population matrix models we calculated elasticities to characterize the contribution of recruitment to population growth rate. We then evaluated the association between biological traits and environmental conditions (mean, seasonality, and predictability) with average recruitment elasticity and demography. Finally, we quantified the effects of biological traits and geography in shaping the temporal responses of each population’s recruitment elasticities to demography, exploitation, and climate. For all species, population growth rate correlated positively with the elasticity to the recruitment, implying that long-term persistence is driven by the contribution of recruitment. Greater elasticity was found for populations with younger spawners, earlier maturation, and higher somatic growth rate inhabiting less predictable thermal ecosystems but with more temporally similar wind conditions. Among populations, fast growers had a stronger negative relationship between demographic structure and the importance of recruitment. At high fishing pressure, populations became increasingly dependent on recruitment though this relationship was less important for fast growers which, on average, sustained higher levels of exploitation. In turn, fast-maturing populations responded more strongly to the mean, seasonality, and predictability of the environmental conditions, especially towards eastern and southern geographically extremes. The results highlight the importance of recruitment for the population growth of SPFs and illustrate how the contribution of recruitment varies among and within populations as a function of environmental conditions and life-history traits defining an ordination of SPFs along a slow-fast continuum with implications for population dynamics and the responses to endogenous and exogenous factors.
Protein–lipid Association in Lizard Chemical Signals
Authors: Mangiacotti M , Baeckens S , Fumagalli M , Martín J , Scali S , Sacchi R 
Published: May 2023

SynopsisChemical communication in terrestrial vertebrates is often built on complex blends, where semiochemical and structural compounds may form an integrated functional unit. In lizards, many species have specialized epidermal glands whose secretions are waxy, homogeneous blends of lipids and proteins, both active in communication. The intimate co-occurrence of such compounds allows us to hypothesize that they should undergo a certain degree of covariation, considering both their semiochemical role and the support-to-lipid function hypothesized for the protein fraction. In order to assess the occurrence and level of protein–lipid covariation, we compared the composition and complexity of the two fractions in the femoral gland secretions of 36 lizard species, combining phylogenetically-informed analysis with tandem mass spectrometry. We found the composition and complexity of the two fractions to be strongly correlated. The composition of the protein fraction was mostly influenced by the relative proportion of cholestanol, provitamin D3, stigmasterol, and tocopherol, while the complexity of the protein pattern increased with that of lipids. Additionally, two identified proteins (carbonic anhydrase and protein disulfide isomerase) increased their concentration as provitamin D3 became more abundant. Although our approach does not allow us to decrypt the functional relations between the proteinaceous and lipid components, nor under the semiochemical or structural hypothesis, the finding that the proteins involved in this association were enzymes opens up to new perspectives about protein role: They may confer dynamic properties to the blend, making it able to compensate predictable variation of the environmental conditions. This may expand the view about proteins in the support-to-lipid hypothesis, from being a passive and inert component of the secretions to become an active and dynamic one, thus providing cues for future research.