bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protective effect of paeoniflorin in diabetic nephropathy: A preclinical systematic review revealing the mechanism of action
Authors: Zhang Xue-Er , Pang Yao-bin , Bo Qu , Hu Shuang-Yuan , Xiang Ju-Yi , Yang Zheng-Ru , Zhang Xiao-Mei , Chen An-Jing , Zeng Jin-Hao , Ma Xiao , Guo Jing 
Published: September 2023

Background
Paeoniflorin (PF), the main active glucoside of Paeonia Lactiflora, has many pharmacological activities, such as inhibition of vasodilation, hypoglycemia, and immunomodulation. Although the current evidence has suggested the therapeutic effects of PF on diabetic nephropathy (DN), its potential mechanism of action is still unclear.

Purpose
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature on paeoniflorin treatment in DN animal models was performed to evaluate the efficacy and mechanism of PF in DN animal models.

Methods
The risk of bias in each study was judged using the CAMARADES 10-item quality checklist with the number of criteria met varying from 4 / 10 to 7 / 10, with an average of 5.44. From inception to July 2022, We searched eight databases. We used the Cochrane Collaboration’s 10-item checklist and RevMan 5.3 software to assess the risk of bias and analyze the data. Three-dimensional dose/time-effect analyses were conducted to examine the dosage/time-response relations between PF and DN.

Results
Nine animal studies were systematically reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of PF in improving animal models of DN. Meta-analysis data and intergroup comparisons indicated that PF slowed the index of mesangial expansion and tubulointerstitial injury, 24-h urinary protein excretion rate, expression of anti-inflammatory mediators (mRNA of MCP-1, TNF-α, iNOS, and IL-1 β), and expression of immune downstream factors (P-IRAK1, TIRF, P-IRF3, MyD88, and NF-κBp-p65). Furthermore, modeling methods, animal species, treatment duration, thickness of tissue sections during the experiment, and experimental procedures were subjected to subgroup analyses.

Conclusion
The present study demonstrated that the reno-protective effects of PF were associated with its inhibition on macrophage infiltration, reduction of inflammatory mediators, and immunomodulatory effects. In conclusion, PF can effectively slow down the progression of DN and hold promise as a protective drug for the treatment of DN. Due to the low bioavailability of PF, further studies on renal histology in animals are urgently needed. We therefore recommend an active exploration of the dose and therapeutic time frame of PF in the clinic and in animals. Moreover, it is suggested to actively explore methods to improve the bioavailability of PF to expand the application of PF in the clinic.
Alcohol and khat dual use among male adults in Ethiopia: A multilevel multinomial analysis
Authors: Tegegne Kirubel Dagnaw , Boke Moges Muluneh , Lakew Asres Zegeye , Gebeyehu Natnael Atnafu , Kassaw Mesfin Wudu 
Published: September 2023

Introduction
Substance use has been a long-standing global public health problem with detrimental physical, psychological, social, and economic consequences at individual and societal levels. Large-scale and gender-specific studies on the dual use of alcohol and khat are limited. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dual alcohol and khat use and identify associated factors among male adults in Ethiopia.

Methods
The present study used data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Prior to data analysis, the data were weighted to ensure a representative sample and obtain a reliable estimate. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with alcohol and khat use. Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence interval and P value ≤ 0.05 in the multivariable model were used to identify significant factors associated with alcohol and khat use.

Results
This study included 12,688 participants, of which (80.29%) were from rural areas. The mean age of participants was 30.92 years old. The prevalence of neither Alcohol nor Khat users were (33.2%); 95% Confidence Interval (CI) (32.4–34.1) only Khat users (22.0%); 95% CI (21.2–22.7), only Alcohol users (35.6%); 95% CI (34.7–36.4), and dual Alcohol and Khat users were (9.0%); 95% CI (8.5–9.5). At the individual level: being in the age group of 15–29 years and 30-49years increases the odds of Khat chewing by AOR (95%CI) 2.27 (1.75, 2.89) and 1.55 (1.16, 2.07) times, respectively. At the community level: males from Amhara 3.49(1.91, 6.42), and Tigray 2.7(1.49, 5.05) regions were more likely to drink alcohol.

Conclusion
The high prevalence of dual alcohol and khat use implies for greater access to evidence-based treatment. Multiple factors are associated with alcohol and khat use at individual and community levels. All male adults would benefit from targeted preventive strategies.
The relationship between sleep duration and thyroid function in the adult US population: NHANES 2007–2012
Authors: Wang Mingzheng , Lu Xiaofeng , Zheng Xiaogang , Xu Chaoyang , Liu Junru 
Published: September 2023

Objective
Sleep disturbance is a common problem in the general population. Sleep deprivation or dysfunction can have profound health consequences. However, how sleep duration is associated with thyroid function remains unclear. This study was thus developed to examine the association between sleep duration and thyroid function in the US adult population.

Methods
A total of 8102 participants from the NHANES 2007–2012 dataset were included in this study. Weighted data analyses were conducted, and the link between sleep duration and thyroid function was probed using linear regression models with smoothed curve fitting. Stratified analyses were also performed.

Results
Weighted mean (standard deviation) values for study variables were as follows: sleep duration 6.85 (0.02) hours, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) 1.86 (0.03) mIU/ml, serum free T3 3.20 (0. 01) pg/mL, serum free T4 0.80 (0.01) ng/dL, serum total T3 115.12 (0.64) ng/dL, serum total T4 7.81 (0.04) ug/dL, TPOAb 16.20 (1.53) IU/mL, TgAb 5.75 (0.73) IU/mL, and Tg 15.11 (0.46) ng/mL. In unadjusted analyses, increased sleep duration was associated with higher serum TSH levels and decreased FT3 levels. After adjustment for potential confounders, a significant negative relationship was detected between sleep duration and FT3 levels in participants with ≤7 hours of sleep. When sleep duration exceeded 7 hours, no significant changes in FT3 levels were observed after further increases in sleep duration.

Conclusion
Increased sleep duration was related to decreased FT3 levels, primarily at short sleep durations, and this correlation was no longer evident when participants reached the recommended healthy sleep duration.
Development of multi-drug resistance to anticancer drugs in HepG2 cells due to MRP2 upregulation on exposure to menthol
Authors: Nagai Katsuhito , Tamura Mayuko , Murayama Ryuga , Fukuno Shuhei , Ito Takuya , Konishi Hiroki 
Published: September 2023

Background
Menthol exerts relaxing, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities, and is marketed as a functional food and therapeutic drug.

Aim
In the present study, the effects of menthol on the expression of multidrug resistance associated protein 2 (MRP2) and its association with the cytotoxicity of epirubicin (EPI) and cisplatin (CIS) were examined using HepG2 cells.

Methods
The expression levels of target genes were examined by real-time PCR. The intracellular concentration of incorporated EPI was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT analysis.

Results
The expression of MRP2 mRNA was increased by exposing HepG2 cells to menthol for 24 hr. Consistent with a previous report suggesting an inverse correlation between MRP2 and Akt behavior, increased expression of MRP2 was also observed on suppression of the Akt function. Intracellular accumulation of EPI was significantly decreased by exposure of HepG2 cells to menthol, and a significant decrease in the intracellular concentration of EPI remaining was observed in HepG2 cells exposed to menthol. The decreased intracellular accumulation of EPI was significantly suppressed by treatment with MK-571, but not verapamil. Both EPI and CIS exerted cytocidal effects on HepG2 cells, but the decrease in cell viability was significantly attenuated by 24-hr menthol pre-exposure.

Conclusion
These results demonstrate that menthol causes hepatocellular carcinoma to acquire resistance to anticancer drugs such as EPI and CIS by MRP2 induction.
Supported employment interventions for workplace mental health of persons with mental disabilities in low-to-middle income countries: A scoping review
Authors: Mavindidze Edwin , Nhunzvi Clement , Van Niekerk Lana 
Published: September 2023

Objective
To review the evidence of supported employment interventions in low-to-middle income countries, documents their impact for persons with mental disorders in the open labour market and well as support decision making for its wider implementation in the workplace.

Design
The scoping review is conducted following guidelines in the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) Framework.

Data sources and eligibility
Eleven databases which are PubMed, Scopus, Academic Search Premier, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Africa-Wide Information, Humanities International Complete, Web of Science, PsychInfo, SocINDEX, Open Grey and Sabinet were searched for articles published between January 2006 and January 2022. Both peer-reviewed articles and grey literature were eligible if they were on supported employment interventions in low-to-middle income countries. Only articles published in English were included.

Study appraisal and synthesis
Articles were screened at title, abstract and full article levels by two independent teams with the use of Rayyan software. Deductive thematic analysis was used to synthesize evidence on the supported employment interventions implemented in LMICs, capturing evidence of their outcomes for persons with mental disabilities securing competitive work.

Results
The search yielded 7347 records and after screening by title and abstract, 188 studies were eligible for full article screening. Eight studies were included in this scoping review. Thematic descriptions of the findings were based on the availability of supported employment interventions within the context, the type of supported employment interventions as well as mental health and vocational outcomes in the workplace.

Conclusions
There is limited evidence of supported employment interventions in low-to-middle income countries despite the promising potential it has as an intervention to address mental health problems in the workplace and facilitate work participation by persons with mental disabilities.
Distinct healthcare utilization profiles of high healthcare use tuberculosis survivors: A latent class analysis
Authors: Romanowski Kamila , Karim Mohammad Ehsanul , Gilbert Mark , Cook Victoria J. , Johnston James C. 
Published: September 2023

Background
Recent data have demonstrated that healthcare use after treatment for respiratory tuberculosis (TB) remains elevated in the years following treatment completion. However, it remains unclear which TB survivors are high healthcare users and whether any variation exists within this population. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to identify distinct profiles of high healthcare-use TB survivors to help inform post-treatment support and care.

Methods
Using linked health administrative data from British Columbia, Canada, we identified foreign-born individuals who completed treatment for incident respiratory TB between 1990 and 2019. We defined high healthcare-use TB survivors as those in the top 10% of annual emergency department visits, hospital admissions, or general practitioner visits among the study population during the five-year period immediately following TB treatment completion. We then used latent class analysis to categorize the identified high healthcare-use TB survivors into subgroups.

Results
Of the 1,240 people who completed treatment for respiratory TB, 258 (20.8%) people were identified as high post- TB healthcare users. Latent class analysis results in a 2-class solution. Class 1 (n = 196; 76.0%) included older individuals (median age 71.0; IQR 59.8, 79.0) with a higher probability of pre-existing hypertension and diabetes (41.3% and 33.2%, respectively). Class 2 (n = 62; 24.0%) comprised of younger individuals (median age 31.0; IQR 27.0, 41.0) with a high probability (61.3%) of immigrating to Canada within five years of their TB diagnosis and a low probability (11.3%) of moderate to high continuity of primary care.

Discussion
Our findings suggest that foreign-born high healthcare-use TB survivors in a high-resource setting may be categorized into distinct profiles to help guide the development of person-centred care strategies targeting the long-term health impacts TB survivors face.
Man-Made Answers to Man-Felt Needs
Authors: Mollerup Per 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Artifacts are man-made answers to man-felt needs. Researchers and authors have described the answers, needs, values, processes, and economies involved. This article synthesizes and expands on some of their findings.
Do artifacts answer needs? Not always. Sometimes, the process leading to an artifact rather than the resulting artifact is the answer to a felt need. This is the case when artists create because they must create. The product becomes a by-product. Sometimes, industrial products are questions rather than answers. They ask, “Won’t you buy me?” rather than announcing, “This is what you asked for!”
This article does not distinguish between artifacts resulting from supply push and those resulting from demand pull. Rather, it acknowledges that there are good answers and not-so-good answers to the needs of intended users.
Agronomic, Physiological, and Post-Harvest Aspects of Different Blueberry Cultivars Treated with Silicon
Authors: Silva Thays , Umburanas Renan Caldas , Garcia Carla , Bennemann Gabriela Datsch , Giloni-Lima Patricia Carla , Rusin Carine , Sousa Allison John de , Botelho Renato Vasconcelos 
Published: September 2023

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of foliar application of silicon in different blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) cultivars. The treatments were installed in a factorial design with six replications, and consisted of three different cultivars (Brightwell, Beckblue and Climax) with or without regular application of silicon via foliar, using silicon oxide at 1.5 g L-1. It was evaluated the following plant attributes: leaf area, chlorophyll fluorescence, and phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, meanwhile the following postharvest attributes were evaluated: fruit number, diameter and weight, yield, pH, content of soluble solids, titratable acidity, contents of phenolic compounds and anthocyanins, and activity of peroxidase. Vegetative development of blueberry plants in response to Si presented higher yield, leaf area, phenylalanine ammonia lyase activity, and higher chlorophyll fluorescence relationships such as maximum photochemical efficiency and PSII potential activity, as well as less stressed plants, especially in cultivars Climax and Brightwell. For post-harvest physicochemical characteristics, silicon foliar application improved fruit weight and diameter for cvs. Beckblue and Climax, and fruit number for cv. Brightwell. All cultivars, in response to silicon application increased the titratable acidity, the levels of phenolic compounds, the level of anthocyanins, whereas peroxidase activity decreased. The performance of the evaluated blueberry cultivars was better through silicon application, with greater performance of vegetative growth, fruit yield, and fruit quality, especially in cultivar Climax, which was the most suitable in terms in of fruit yield in this study.
Wohnen in Krisenzeiten – Wirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie und der Energiekrise auf Wohnpräferenzen und Wohnstandortentscheidungen
Authors: Münter Angelika , Garde Lisa , In der Beck Lea , Osterhage Frank 
Published: September 2023

Since the beginning of this decade, society has been confronted with multiple crises that also act as new drivers of spatial development. Based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with housing market actors, this paper presents an interim balance of the lasting influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on housing preferences and location decisions as well as initial empirical knowledge and theses on the effects of the 2022 energy crisis on these decisions. It emerges that the energy crisis already has a greater impact on spatial development today and will probably have a greater impact in the medium and long term than the pandemic. Housing preferences that arose during the pandemic have already shifted again or can no longer be implemented at present. At the same time, the influences of the pandemic can no longer be considered in isolation from the energy crisis. While the pandemic will further intensify spatial deconcentration processes, the effects of the energy crisis are spatially more differentiated. Moreover, in a time of multiple crises, future spatial development will not be shaped by individual crises, but by their interaction – also with long-standing trends such as the ageing of society.
El diálogo oculto entre el hueso y los tejidos a través del remodelado óseo
Authors: González-Casaus María Luisa 
Published: September 2023

Resumen
El hueso es mucho más que un reservorio de calcio y fósforo. Su disposición lacuno-canalicular ofrece una importante vía de intercambio con la circulación y actualmente, el esqueleto se considera un gran órgano endocrino, con acciones que van más allá del control del balance fosfocálcico mediado por el factor fibroblástico 23 (FGF23). Paralelamente al efecto modulador de las adipoquinas sobre el remodelado óseo, diversas proteínas óseas, como la osteocalcina y la esclerostina, ejercen cierta acción contra-reguladora sobre el metabolismo energético, posiblemente en un intento de asegurar los enormes requerimientos energéticos del remodelado. En esta interacción del hueso con otros tejidos, especialmente el adiposo, participa la señalización canónica Wnt/β-catenina y por ello la esclerostina, una proteína osteocítica que inhibe esta señalización, emerge como un potencial biomarcador. Es más, su participación en diversas patologías le posiciona como diana terapéutica, existiendo un anticuerpo anti-esclerostina, recientemente aprobado en nuestro país para el tratamiento de la osteoporosis. Esta revisión aborda el carácter endocrino del hueso, el papel de la osteocalcina y, especialmente, el papel regulador y modulador de la esclerostina sobre remodelado óseo y la homeóstasis energética a través de su interacción con la señalización canónica Wnt/β-catenina, así como su potencial utilidad como biomarcador.
Micro-computed tomography shows silent bubbles in squeaky mozzarella
Authors: Nurkkala Elina , Hannula Markus , Carlson Craig S. , Hopia Anu , Hyttinen Jari , Postema Michiel 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
The sound of food is of influence on how its flavour is perceived. Although rarely studied in psychoacoustics, cheese may have a resonating internal structure in the audible spectrum. It has been speculated that this structure or small bubbles that are formed as a result of fermentation are responsible for creating audible acoustic responses. The purpose of this study was to design a mechanical methodology to create audible acoustics from cheese samples and to quantify bubble presence in a sample. One hundred and two samples of mozzarella cheese with 1.5±0.4-cm3 volumes were subjected to shear from a wetted steel blade, whilst orthogonal force, blade acceleration, and acoustic response were continuously monitored. In addition, micro-computed tomography was performed. It was found that under our measurement conditions, mozzarella was forced to squeak in 10% of the experiments, at fundamental squeak frequencies up to 2 kHz, which indicates that the acoustics come from a resonating porous structure, rather than from resonating bubbles. The micro-computed tomography showed a bubble density of 51 cm−3. This low bubble density may account for the absence of a high-frequency component in the spectra analysed. Our results confirm the presence of small bubbles in squeaky mozzarella, but these generate frequencies much higher than those recorded.
Influence of Video-Preprocessing on Deep Learning-based Surgical Skill Assessment
Authors: Wolf Georg , Geck Paulina Amelie , Hagenah Jannis , Maennel Georg , Keck Tobias , Rostalski Philipp , Ipsen Svenja 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Automatic surgical skill assessment in robotic surgery based on video data is essential in facilitating faster learning curves for trainees while relieving expert surgeons from the time- and cost-intensive feedback process. Recent years have shown several advancements in this area by utilizing deep learning. While current research focuses on novel architectures, the influence of video-preprocessing on their performance remains unknown. In this work, we present the first investigation on the influence of video-preprocessing on deep learning-based surgical skill assessment. Thus, we integrated four preprocessing modules, i.e. Deblurring, Segmentbased Sampling, Optical Flow and the Combination of all of them, into skill assessment on the JIGSAWS dataset using a well-established network architecture. Despite all single preprocessing steps showing no clear improvement, the Combination of all steps showed higher median performance and lower variance. Furthermore, we performed frame-wise investigations on the influence of optical flow artifacts and their reduction in the combined setting. Our results highlight the potential of well-calibrated video-preprocessing for automatic surgical skill assessment.
Digital personalized medical insole process
Authors: Völz Diana , Schneider Julia , Wuttke Ulrich 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Medical insoles are used to correct patient’s foot malpositions or to relieve certain foot areas from pressure. The required insole type depends largely on the presenting clinical picture and the individual’s needs. Accurate fit of medical insoles is critical to wearer acceptance, which is a necessary precondition where further serious injury is to be prevented. An end-to-end digital process offers the potential to better adapt insoles to the personalized patients’ foot geometry and pressure load. Furthermore, the whole gait-cycle could be included in the digitalization process and the adaption could consider special needs of different gait phases. This hasn’t been done, yet. For this purpose, a digital process chain was developed and prototypically tested in collaboration with an orthopaedist. 3D scans of the foot geometry in various loaded conditions were compiled and the corresponding gait analysis images were mapped. Both results were overlaid in a CAD program to create a model and identify the clinical picture. Adapted to the geometry of the foot, a volumetric model of the medical insole was built, individual stress zones were separated and filled with lattice structures of different parameters. The insole was 3D printed. The results of the present examination show benefits in using the loaded foot scan to model insoles, as malpositions can be checked automatically via standard (digital) tests. While it is possible to model and print medical insoles in one piece with differing strengths, there is limited information about the influence of the designed lattice structure on a specific printing result (i. e. the material behaviour).