bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endothelial APC/PAR1 distinctly regulates cytokine-induced pro-inflammatory VCAM-1 expression
Authors: Birch Cierra A. , Wedegaertner Helen , Orduña-Castillo Lennis B. , Gonzalez Ramirez Monica L. , Qin Huaping , Trejo JoAnn 
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Dysfunction of the endothelium impairs its’ protective role and promotes inflammation and progression of vascular diseases. Activated Protein C (APC) elicits endothelial cytoprotective responses including barrier stabilization, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic responses through the activation of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1) and is a promising therapeutic. Despite recent advancements in developing new Activated protein C variants with clinical potential, the mechanism by which APC/PAR1 promotes different cytoprotective responses remains unclear and is important to understand to advance Activated protein C and new targets as future therapeutics. Here we examined the mechanisms by which APC/PAR1 attenuates cytokine-induced pro-inflammatory vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM-1) expression, a key mediator of endothelial inflammatory responses.Methods: Quantitative multiplexed mass spectrometry analysis of Activated protein C treated endothelial cells, endothelial cell transcriptomics database (EndoDB) online repository queries, biochemical measurements of protein expression, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) measurement of mRNA transcript abundance, pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA transfections of human cultured endothelial cells.Results: Here we report that Activated Protein C modulates phosphorylation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α signaling pathway components and attenuates of TNF-α induced VCAM-1 expression independent of mRNA stability. Unexpectedly, we found a critical role for the G protein-coupled receptor co-receptor sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor-1 (S1PR1) and the G protein receptor kinase-2 (GRK2) in mediating APC/PAR1 anti-inflammatory responses in endothelial cells.Discussion: This study provides new knowledge of the mechanisms by which different APC/PAR1 cytoprotective responses are mediated through discrete β-arrestin-2-driven signaling pathways modulated by specific G protein-coupled receptor co-receptors and GRKs.
Kinematic analysis of movement patterns during a reach-and-grasp task in stroke patients
Authors: Choi Hyoseon , Park Dongho , Rha Dong-Wook , Nam Hyo Suk , Jo Yea Jin , Kim Deog Young 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the kinematic movement patterns during a reach-and-grasp task in post-stroke patients according to the upper extremity impairment severity.MethodsSubacute stroke patients (n = 46) and healthy controls (n = 20) were enrolled in this study. Spatiotemporal and kinematic data were obtained through 3D motion analysis during the reach-and-grasp task. Stroke patients were grouped using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale, and a comparison of the groups was performed.ResultsThe severe group showed a significantly longer movement time, lower peak velocity, and higher number of movement units than the mild group during the reach-and-grasp task (p &lt; 0.05). Characteristic compensatory movement patterns, such as shoulder abduction, thoracic posterior tilting, and upward and external rotation were significantly greater during the forward transporting phase in the severe group than in the mild group (p &lt; 0.05). The FMA score was significantly associated with the movement time during the forward transporting phase, number of movement units during the reaching phase, range of shoulder abduction-adduction and wrist flexion-extension movements during the reaching phase, and range of thoracic internal-external rotation during the backward transporting phase (p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionPost-stroke patients have unique spatiotemporal and kinematic movement patterns during a reach-and grasp-task according to the impairment severity.
Firearm injury prevention counseling for patients with traumatic brain injury: a survey of brain injury physicians
Authors: Ramsay Ian , Miranda-Cantellops Natalia Del Mar , Acosta Oliver , Shapiro Lauren T. 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundSurvivors of traumatic brain injury are at increased risk for firearm-related injuries, including suicide.AimsTo determine current practices of Brain Injury Medicine (BIM) physicians and their rehabilitation teams in assessing patients’ access to firearms and in providing firearm safety education, and the impact of having received training on this topic on physicians’ likelihood of inquiring about patients’ access to firearms.Methods14-item web-based cross-sectional survey of 86 U.S. physiatrists board-certified in BIM.Results81% of respondents indicated they believe BIM physicians should counsel their patients on firearm safety but only 12.9% reported always doing so. Fifteen percent reported always inquiring about their patients’ access to firearms. 88.2% indicated having never received formal training on firearm injury prevention counseling. Physicians who received such training had 7.5 times higher odds of reporting at least sometimes inquiring about patients’ access to firearms than those who were not trained [95% confidence interval (1.94, 28.64)]. They also had 5.7 times higher odds for reporting being at least moderately comfortable providing patients firearm safety counseling [95% CI: (1.39, 23.22)].ConclusionWhile most BIM specialists who responded to this survey believe they should counsel patients on firearm safety, few always or usually do so. Moreover, most do not routinely inquire about their patients’ access to firearms. The provision of firearm injury prevention training to BIM physicians was strongly associated with an increased likelihood they will inquire about their patients’ access to guns and with an improved comfort level in providing counseling on this subject matter.
Effect of subthalamic coordinated reset deep brain stimulation on Parkinsonian gait
Authors: Bosley Kai M. , Luo Ziling , Amoozegar Sana , Acedillo Kit , Nakajima Kanon , Johnson Luke A. , Vitek Jerrold L. , Wang Jing 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionCoordinated Reset Deep Brain Stimulation (CR DBS) is a novel DBS approach for treating Parkinson's disease (PD) that uses lower levels of burst stimulation through multiple contacts of the DBS lead. Though CR DBS has been demonstrated to have sustained therapeutic effects on rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia, and akinesia following cessation of stimulation, i.e., carryover effect, its effect on Parkinsonian gait has not been well studied. Impaired gait is a disabling symptom of PD, often associated with a higher risk of falling and a reduced quality of life. The goal of this study was to explore the carryover effect of subthalamic CR DBS on Parkinsonian gait.MethodsThree non-human primates (NHPs) were rendered Parkinsonian and implanted with a DBS lead in the subthalamic nucleus (STN). For each animal, STN CR DBS was delivered for several hours per day across five consecutive days. A clinical rating scale modified for NHP use (mUPDRS) was administered every morning to monitor the carryover effect of CR DBS on rigidity, tremor, akinesia, and bradykinesia. Gait was assessed quantitatively before and after STN CR DBS. The stride length and swing speed were calculated and compared to the baseline, pre-stimulation condition.ResultsIn all three animals, carryover improvements in rigidity, bradykinesia, and akinesia were observed after CR DBS. Increased swing speed was observed in all the animals; however, improvement in stride length was only observed in NHP B2. In addition, STN CR DBS using two different burst frequencies was evaluated in NHP B2, and differential effects on the mUPDRS score and gait were observed.DiscussionAlthough preliminary, our results indicate that STN CR DBS can improve Parkinsonian gait together with other motor signs when stimulation parameters are properly selected. This study further supports the continued development of CR DBS as a novel therapy for PD and highlights the importance of parameter selection in its clinical application.
Deep extreme learning machine with knowledge augmentation for EEG seizure signal recognition
Authors: Zhang Xiongtao , Dong Shuai , Shen Qing , Zhou Jie , Min Jingjing 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionIntelligent recognition of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals can remarkably improve the accuracy of epileptic seizure prediction, which is essential for epileptic diagnosis. Extreme learning machine (ELM) has been applied to EEG signals recognition, however, the artifacts and noises in EEG signals have a serious effect on recognition efficiency. Deep learning is capable of noise resistance, contributing to removing the noise in raw EEG signals. But traditional deep networks suffer from time-consuming training and slow convergence.MethodsTherefore, a novel deep learning based ELM (denoted as DELM) motivated by stacking generalization principle is proposed in this paper. Deep extreme learning machine (DELM) is a hierarchical network composed of several independent ELM modules. Augmented EEG knowledge is taken as complementary component, which will then be mapped into next module. This learning process is so simple and fast, meanwhile, it can excavate the implicit knowledge in raw data to a greater extent. Additionally, the proposed method is operated in a single-direction manner, so there is no need to perform parameters fine-tuning, which saves the expense of time.ResultsExtensive experiments are conducted on the public Bonn EEG dataset. The experimental results demonstrate that compared with the commonly-used seizure prediction methods, the proposed DELM wins the best average accuracies in 13 out of the 22 data and the best average F-measure scores in 10 out of the 22 data. And the running time of DELM is more than two times quickly than deep learning methods.DiscussionTherefore, DELM is superior to traditional and some state-of-the-art machine learning methods. The proposed architecture demonstrates its feasibility and superiority in epileptic EEG signal recognition. The proposed less computationally intensive deep classifier enables faster seizure onset detection, which is showing great potential on the application of real-time EEG signal classification.
Reliability and validity of the Shona version of the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale in Zimbabwean adult people living with HIV/AIDS
Authors: Dambi Jermaine M. , Domingue Ben , Abas Melanie , Chibanda Dixon , Esterhuizen Tonya M. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionDespite the widely known benefits of physical activity (PA), only 25% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) meet the WHO-recommended minimum PA levels. Consequently, it is essential to understand PA barriers and facilitators using objective measures. Although the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (EBBS) is extensively used, its psychometric evidence is fragmented and has not been previously validated in PLHIV. This study aimed to translate and validate the EBBS Shona version in Zimbabwean PLHIV.MethodsA cross-sectional study was used to recruit 567 PLHIV from four (4/9) randomly selected polyclinics (primary healthcare facilities) in urban Harare, Zimbabwe. We recruited adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with a confirmed diagnosis of HIV. Participants had to be willing to provide informed consent, not acutely unwell, and proficient in the Shona language. We used a forward-backwards translation method to translate the EBBS from English to Shona, a native Zimbabwean language. After cross-cultural adaptation, we pretested the draft version in 10 PLHIV to assess the face validity, understandability and cultural appropriateness using semi-structured interviews. Thereafter, the EBBS was administered to 567 consecutively-selected PLHIV. Factor analyses were performed for construct validity evaluation.ResultsMost participants were female (72.5%) and reached secondary/high school (78.8%), with a mean age of 39.9 (SD 12.1) years. The EBBS-Shona version yielded a four-factor solution consisting of three benefits factors and one barrier factor against the originally postulated six-factor structure. The EBBS-Shona yielded α = 0.85 and intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.86, demonstrating excellent reliability. Increased perception of exercise benefits was positively correlated with increased reports of physical activity, higher health-related quality of life and lower psychiatric morbidity; evidence for construct validity.DiscussionThis study demonstrates the validity and reliability of the EBBS-Shona version in Zimbabwean PLHIV. The EBBS-Shona version can be used for research and clinical purposes to glean data to inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of bespoke PA interventions for PLHIV.
The pharmacy as a primary care provider
Authors: Mor Nachiket , Sen Dyuti , Zaheen Sarah , Khan Rubayat , Naik Priya , Basu Nayonika 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionPrimary care is an essential component of any health system, but building high-quality primary care has proven to be a challenge for most developing countries. Among the multiplicity of providers in South Asia, one of the most ubiquitous channels through which not only medicines are obtained but also primary care advice is sought is the neighborhood pharmacy. There are widespread availability of pharmacies in South Asia. There is also good evidence that working with pharmacies in this way is a globally accepted idea, and there are several examples of countries, such as France and Nigeria, that have integrated pharmacies into their primary care systems and entrusted them with significant responsibilities.MethodsIn this paper, we explore the potential of this channel as a formal primary care provider, with a particular focus on the South Asian context, by examining how pharmacies perform against the seven Starfield attributes of (i) first contact care, (ii) continuity of care, (iii) comprehensiveness, (iv) coordination, (v) family centredness, (vi) cultural competency, and (vii) community orientation. In the paper, we use data on pharmacies from four pharmacy-related interventions, one from Bangladesh and three from India, to carry out our analysis using the Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) framework.ResultsWe find that even in the South Asian context, pharmacies provide several components of good primary care. As expected, they demonstrate a strong orientation toward the community in which they are located and are able to provide first-contact care. However, we find no direct evidence that they are able to offer continuity of care or bring to bear family-centredness and cultural competency when dealing with their patients. It is encouraging, however, that while there is no formal evidence of this in any of the interventions, multiple anecdotal examples suggest that pharmacists do indeed do much of this, but perhaps in an informal and inconsistent manner.DiscussionThe evidence from these studies provides support for the view that pharmacies have many of the inherent characteristics needed to become an effective primary care channel and already play an important role in providing access to health information and care. However, it is also clear from the research that without additional training and access to tools, pharmacies will not have the competency or knowledge necessary to provide these services or even act as an effective gateway to other healthcare providers. To fully unlock this opportunity, therefore, any organization that wishes to engage with them will need to have the vision and patience to work with this network for an extended period of time and not merely aspire for incremental improvements but have a strategy in place that fundamentally changes the capabilities and the roles that pharmacies can play.
Delayed surgical management of rectovaginal fistula: a case report highlighting challenges and lessons learned
Authors: Drusany Starič Kristina , Distefano Rosario Emanuele Carlo , Campo Giorgia , Norčič Gregor 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundRectovaginal fistulas following an obstetric anal sphincter injury's repair are rare in developed country and their management could be challenging, particularly in cases of delayed repair. This study emphasizes the importance of accurately diagnosing and promptly repairing such fistulas for optimal patient well-being.CaseA 30-year-old patient presented with gas incontinence and a greenish discharge from the vagina, 6 months after delivering her baby. Examination revealed a small pinhole lesion on the posterior vaginal wall, and an endoanal ultrasound confirmed the presence of a rectovaginal fistula. Surgical repair was delayed for 9 months due to the patient's breastfeeding. The fistula was eventually repaired through a transrectal approach, with excision of the fistulous tract and closure of both the rectum and vagina. A laparoscopic protective ileostomy was also performed due to the delayed repair. However, a recurrence of the fistula was detected 8 months later, requiring a second repair. The patient underwent physiotherapy for the anal sphincter and achieved optimal sphincter function. After 6 months, the ileostomy was successfully closed, and the patient remained continent.ConclusionsThis case highlights the importance of early recognition and prompt repair of rectovaginal fistulas following obstetric anal sphincter injury. Delayed repairs pose greater challenges and increase the risk of recurrence. Individualized surgical approaches, skilled pelvic floor repair, and a multidisciplinary approach are crucial for successful outcomes. This case underscores the need for careful planning and consideration of patient characteristics in the management of rectovaginal fistulas, aiming to achieve optimal outcomes and patient well-being.
Chronic Pancreas Allograft Rejection Followed by Successful HLA-Incompatible Islet Alloautotransplantation: A Novel Strategy?
Authors: Veltkamp Denise M. J. , Nijhoff Michiel F. , van den Broek Dennis A. J. , Buntinx Maren , Kers Jesper , Engelse Marten A. , Huurman Volkert A. L. , Roelen Dave L. , Heidt Sebastiaan , Alwayn Ian P. J. , de Koning Eelco J. P. , de Vries Aiko P. J. 
Published: August 2023

The purpose of pancreas or islet transplantation is to restore glycemic control in order to mitigate diabetes-related complications and prevent severe hypoglycemia. Complications from chronic pancreas allograft rejection may lead to transplantectomy, even when the endocrine function remains preserved. We present first evidence of a successful HLA incompatible islet re-transplantation with islets isolated from a rejecting pancreas allograft after simultaneous kidney pancreas transplantation. The pancreas allograft was removed because of progressively painful pancreatic panniculitis from clinically uncontrolled chronic rejection. The endocrine function was preserved. Induction treatment for this “islet alloautotransplantation” consisted of plasmapheresis, IVIg and alemtuzumab. At 1 year, the patient retained islet graft function with good glycemic control and absence of severe hypoglycemia, despite persistent low-grade HLA donor-specific antibodies. His panniculitis had resolved completely. In our point of view, islet alloautotransplantation derived from a chronically rejecting pancreas allograft is a potential option to salvage (partial) islet function, despite preformed donor-specific antibodies, in order to maintain stable glycemic control. Thereby it protects against severe hypoglycemia, and it potentially mitigates kidney graft dysfunction and other diabetes-related complications in patients with continued need for immunosuppression and who are otherwise difficult to retransplant.
Proteome-Level Investigation of Vitis amurensis Calli Transformed with a Constitutively Active, Ca2+-Independent Form of the Arabidopsis AtCPK1 Gene
Authors: Veremeichik Galina N. , Bulgakov Dmitry V. , Konnova Yuliya A. , Brodovskaya Evgenia V. , Grigorchuk Valeria P. , Bulgakov Victor P. 
Published: August 2023

Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are one of the main Ca2+ decoders in plants. Among them, Arabidopsis thaliana AtCPK1 is one of the most studied CDPK genes as a positive regulator of plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress. The mutated form of AtCPK1, in which the autoinhibitory domain is inactivated (AtCPK1-Ca), provides constitutive kinase activity by mimicking a stress-induced increase in the Ca2+ flux. In the present study, we performed a proteomic analysis of Vitis amurensis calli overexpressing the AtCPK1-Ca form using untransformed calli as a control. In our previous studies, we have shown that the overexpression of this mutant form leads to the activation of secondary metabolism in plant cell cultures, including an increase in resveratrol biosynthesis in V. amurensis cell cultures. We analyzed upregulated and downregulated proteins in control and transgenic callus cultures using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and Matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). In calli transformed with AtCPK1-Ca, an increased amounts of pathogenesis-related proteins were found. A quantitative real-time PCR analysis confirmed this result.
Autour de la notion de cause
Authors: Deléchelle Gérard 
Published: August 2023

L’analyse des constructions causatives (et en particulier l’hypothèse d’un prédicat sémantique ou atomique CAUSE) pose un grand nombre de problèmes théoriques. Le but de cet article est de montrer à partir de l’étude de quelques emplois de cause et because qu’en dépit de sa généralisation la notion de cause est loin d’être stable et qu’elle est construite dans et par le discours. Cause et because sont des métaopérateurs dont la signification dépend des configurations linguistiques dans lesquelles ils apparaissent. Aussi, au lieu de définir la cause par référence à une «situation causative» extralinguistique, qui de toute façon ne correspond qu'à certains des emplois de cause, il est préférable de poser le problème en termes de métaopérations. C'est seulement ainsi qu'on peut comprendre
l’extension de cette notion et ses rapports avec de nombreux problèmes linguistiques.
De la «littéralité» du discours rapporté
Authors: Strauch Gérard 
Published: August 2023

«Literality», or textuality, is neither a necessary nor an exclusive feature of direct discourse. It is a variable which may affect any mode of reported discourse (direct, indirect, free direct, free indirect).
In order to suggest that discourse is being reported literally, the reporter may resort to phonetic, syntactic, lexical, and / or stylistic features characteristic of the (real or imaginary) reportee. Such means are devised, and perceived, as «reality effects» tending to authenticate discourse thus reported.
Literality pertains to pragmatics. It may however have linguistic relevance in the case of the non-subordinated (free direct and free indirect) varieties of reported discourse. When discourse is not lexically marked as «mediate» in the context, the normally redundant «literal» feature becomes pertinent, i.e. points to a different speaker.
Archétypes cognitifs et représentations linguistiques
Authors: Desclès Jean-Pierre 
Published: August 2023

Computer science offers an analogy which throws some light on the description of the processing of language in understanding. On the one hand, a compiler is a programme which «translates» a developed language into machine language, and, on the other hand, understanding a sentence implies the use of a compiler to carry out the linguistic operations triggered by the sentence programme, i.e., by the structure of operators and operands manifested by the sentence. Where as the compiler translates the external programme into an internal, machine-specific representation, understanding a sentence consists in translating it into a cognitive representation or into a mental representation.
Cognitive representations are generated from semantic primes and grouped into diverse cognitive archetypes, some Stative some dynamic.