bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of genetics and epigenetics in sex differences in human survival
Authors: Iannuzzi Vincenzo , Bacalini Maria Giulia , Franceschi Claudio , Giuliani Cristina 
Published: January 2023

AbstractSex differences in human survival have been extensively investigated in many studies that have in part uncovered the biological determinants that promote a longer life in females with respect to males. Moreover, researches performed in the past years have prompted increased awareness about the biological effects of environmental factors that can modulate the magnitude of the sex gap in survival. Besides the genetic background, epigenetic modifications like DNA methylation, that can modulate cell function, have been particularly studied in this framework. In this review, we aim to summarize the role of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in promoting female advantage from the early in life (“INNATE” features), and in influencing the magnitude of the gap in sex differences in survival and ageing (“VARIABLE” features). After briefly discussing the biological bases of sex determination in humans, we will provide much evidence showing that (i) “innate” mechanisms common to all males and to all females (both genetic and epigenetic) play a major role in sex differences in lifespan; (ii) “variable” genetic and epigenetic patterns, that vary according to context, populations and exposures to different environments, can affect the magnitude of the gap in sex differences in survival. Then we will describe recent findings in the use of epigenetic clocks to uncover sex differences in biological age and thus potentially in mortality. In conclusion, we will discuss how environmental factors cannot be kept apart from the biological factors providing evidence from the field of human ecology.
Post-mortem freshwater animal predation—a case report
Authors: S. H. Jayanth , K. B. Geetha , Vijay Vidusha , Prakash Manju 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background
Post-mortem animal predation affects human corpses in various ways. Lesions are a characteristic of the type of terrestrial or aquatic predators. These lesions can be misinterpreted and may be challenging for the forensic pathologist. Different species in freshwater cause different types of lesions depending on their feeding habits. There is a paucity in the literature about post-mortem lesions caused by freshwater animals.

Case presentation
A 24-year-old man had accidentally drowned while fishing in the River Cauvery. His body was recovered after 3 days. Though the cause of death was drowning, post-mortem animal activity was observed during autopsy, and a live juvenile crab was also found along with the body. Distinct post-mortem lesions caused by decapods Oziotelphusa wagrakarowensis and small fishes Hypselobarbus dubius and Dawkinsia arulius are described.

Conclusions
Aquatic predators and their activity on the corpse are different from that of terrestrial predators. Knowledge of the local fauna is required to correlate the lesions on the body to the predator.
Quantitative analysis of the innominate bone for sex estimation utilising the Phenice method
Authors: Hamzah Muhammad Naqib Harith , Ali Siti Hanum Mohd , Nor Faridah Mohd , Hadi Helmi 
Published: January 2023

Abstract

Background
The Phenice method is a reliable qualitative analysis of the pubis and ischium region of the innominate bone to assess an individual’s sex. Geometric morphometric provides methods of quantitative analysis of the region for identification purposes, which may be affected by environmental changes. This study analysed the Phenice method by utilising 3D (3 dimensional) CT (computed tomography) scans by geometric morphometrics for sex estimation. The CT scans of 231 adult individuals (148 males and 83 females) of the Malaysian population were landmarked by IDAV Landmark software and analysed by MorphoJ and SPSS.

Results
The first four principal components (PCs) accounted for 41.9% of the total changes when utilising the Phenice method. Widening in pubic symphysis in a U shape with a general widening of the border of the true pelvis, which is typically seen in females, accounted for 21.8% of the eigenvalues.

Conclusions
It was possible to quantify the changes seen in the ventral arc, subpubic concavity and the medial aspect of the ischio-pubic ramus for sex estimation utilising the Phenice method, and most of the changes were seen in PC1 at the pubic region, which accounted for 21.8%.
Nonlinear analysis of beat-to-beat variability of action potential time series data identifies dynamic re-entrant substrates in a hypokalaemic mouse model of acquired long QT syndrome
Authors: Tse Gary , Zhou Jiandong , Dong Xiuming , Hao Guoliang , Lee Sharen , Leung Keith Sai Kit , Leung Fung Ping , Liu Tong , Du Yimei , Cheng Shuk Han , Wong Wing Tak 
Published: January 2023

AbstractBackgroundPrevious studies have quantified repolarization variability using time-domain, frequency-domain and nonlinear analysis in mouse hearts. Here, we investigated the relationship between these parameters and ventricular arrhythmogenicity in a hypokalaemia model of acquired long QT syndrome.MethodsLeft ventricular monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded during right ventricular regular 8 Hz pacing during normokalaemia (5.2 mM [K+]), hypokalaemia modeling LQTS (3 mM [K+]) or hypokalaemia with 0.1 mM heptanol in Langendorff-perfused mouse hearts.ResultsDuring normokalaemia, mean APD was 33.5 ± 3.7 ms. Standard deviation (SD) of APDs was 0.63 ± 0.33 ms, coefficient of variation was 1.9 ± 1.0% and the root mean square (RMS) of successive differences in APDs was 0.3 ± 0.1 ms. Low- and high-frequency peaks were 0.6 ± 0.5 and 2.3 ± 0.7 Hz, respectively, with percentage powers of 38 ± 22 and 61 ± 23%. Poincaré plots of APDn+1against APDnrevealed ellipsoid morphologies with SD along the line-of-identity (SD2) to SD perpendicular to the line-of-identity (SD1) ratio of 4.6 ± 1.1. Approximate and sample entropy were 0.49 ± 0.12 and 0.64 ± 0.29, respectively. Detrended fluctuation analysis revealed short- and long-term fluctuation slopes of 1.62 ± 0.27 and 0.60 ± 0.18, respectively. Hypokalaemia provoked ventricular tachycardia in six of seven hearts, prolonged APDs (51.2 ± 7.9 ms), decreased SD2/SD1 ratio (3.1 ± 1.0), increased approximate and sample entropy (0.68 ± 0.08 and 1.02 ± 0.33) and decreased short-term fluctuation slope (1.23 ± 0.20) (ANOVA,P < 0.05). Heptanol prevented VT in all hearts studied without further altering the above repolarization parameters observed during hypokalaemia.ConclusionReduced SD2/SD1, increased entropy and decreased short-term fluctuation slope may reflect arrhythmic risk in hypokalaemia. Heptanol exerts anti-arrhythmic effects without affecting repolarization variability.
Student interaction discourse moves: characterizing and visualizing student discourse patterns
Authors: Nennig Hannah T. , States Nicole E. , Montgomery Marika T. , Spurgeon Sidney G. , Cole Renée S. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractStudent-centered instruction allows students to take ownership over their learning in the classroom. However, these settings do not always promote productive engagement. Using discourse analysis, student engagement can be analyzed based on how they are interacting with each other while completing in-class group activities. Previous analyses of student engagement in science settings have used methods that do not capture the intricacies of student group interactions such as the flow of conversation and nature of student utterances outside of argumentation or reasoning. However, these features are important to accurately assess student engagement. This study proposes a tiered analytical framework and visualization scheme for analyzing group discussion patterns that allow for a detailed analysis of student discourse moves while discussing scientific topics. This framework allows a researcher to see the flow of an entire conversation within a single schematic. The Student Interaction Discourse Moves framework can be used to extend studies using discourse analysis to determine how student groups work through problems.
Tongue base schwannoma: case presentation and literature review
Authors: Ouattassi Naouar , Labiyed Mehdi , Toubi Zakaria , Zaki Zouheir , El Alami Mohamed Nouredine El Amine 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background
Schwannoma, also known as perineural fibroblastoma, neuroma, or neurilemmoma, is a slow growing benign tumor that exceptionally raises in oral cavity. It mainly affects the second and third decade and can be life-threatening if it becomes large. Developing in youth is unusual.

Case presentation
A 16-year-old teenager presenting with relatively rapidly growing tongue base tumor which radiologic investigations revealed features of benign tumor, surgery was performed through a standard transoral approach and pathology with immunohistochemistry examination confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma with no evidence of malignant transformation.

Conclusion
Oral cavity schwannoma is rare, and the prevailing oral location is the tongue. This particular site holds many risks related to impact symptoms or to anesthesia and securing airways. We performed a trans-oral resection of a tongue base schwannoma using a cold instrument. As the tumor is well encapsulated, this approach seems convenient and less invasive for complete surgical excision.
Digital ECMT Cancer Trial Matching Tool: an Open Source Research Application to Support Oncologists in the Identification of Precision Medicine Clinical Trials
Authors: O'Regan Paul , Hoskins Richard , Grave Christopher , Stevenson Julie-Anne , Frost Hannah , Graham Donna M. , Krebs Matthew G. , Freitas Andre , Landers Dónal 
Published: January 2023

PURPOSEMatching patients with cancer to precision medicine clinical trials on the basis of their tumor genotype has the potential to improve outcomes for patients who have exhausted standard-of-care treatment options. However, the matching process presents a substantial challenge because of the number of clinical trials available. We describe a free, open source research tool designed to extract relevant trial information to support oncologists in the matching process, and we illustrate its utility with recent case studies of patients who were matched to trials using this tool.METHODSTrial records are sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov and indexed using natural language processing techniques, including named entity recognition, term normalization, and relationship extraction. Relationships between trials and genetic alterations are assigned scores on the basis of a rule-based system. All data are updated daily. A user interface is provided via R Shiny app.RESULTSAn instance of the trial match tool, configured for UK clinical trials, is hosted by the digital Experimental Cancer Medicine Team (see link in Data Sharing Statement). Users select the relevant cancer type and genetic alteration(s). Matching studies are ranked according to the score assigned for the selected genetic alterations. Results may be downloaded and attached to the patient's health record if desired. The tool is currently being used to support the ongoing TARGET National study, which aims to match up to 6,000 patients to early phase clinical trials. We present three case studies that exemplify relationships between genetic alterations and studies.CONCLUSIONWith increasing numbers of precision medicine treatments and as comprehensive molecular profiling of tumor samples becomes more common, decision support tools are likely to become increasingly important. This work represents an important step toward the development and wider implementation of such systems.
Understanding the Role of Urology Practice Organization and Racial Composition in Prostate Cancer Treatment Disparities
Authors: Agochukwu-Mmonu Nnenaya , Qin Yongmei , Kaufman Samuel , Oerline Mary , Vince Randy , Makarov Danil , Caram Megan V. , Chapman Christina , Ravenell Joseph , Hollenbeck Brent K. , Skolarus Ted A. 
Published: January 2023

PURPOSE: Black men have a higher risk of prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality but are less likely to receive definitive treatment. The impact of structural aspects on treatment is unknown but may lead to actionable insights to mitigate disparities. We sought to examine the associations between urology practice organization and racial composition and treatment patterns for Medicare beneficiaries with incident prostate cancer. METHODS: Using a 20% sample of national Medicare data, we identified beneficiaries diagnosed with prostate cancer between January 2010 and December 2015 and followed them through 2016. We linked urologists to their practices with tax identification numbers. We then linked patients to practices on the basis of their primary urologist. We grouped practices into quartiles on the basis of their proportion of Black patients. We used multilevel mixed-effects models to identify treatment associations. RESULTS: We identified 54,443 patients with incident prostate cancer associated with 4,194 practices. Most patients were White (87%), and 9% were Black. We found wide variation in racial practice composition and practice segregation. Patients in practices with the highest proportion of Black patients had the lowest socioeconomic status (43.1%), highest comorbidity (9.9% with comorbidity score ≥ 3), and earlier age at prostate cancer diagnosis (33.5% age 66-69 years; P < .01). Black patients had lower odds of definitive therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.93) and underwent less treatment than White patients in every practice context. Black patients in practices with higher proportions of Black patients had higher treatment rates than Black patients in practices with lower proportions. Black patients had lower predicted probability of treatment (66%) than White patients (69%; P < .05). CONCLUSION: Despite Medicare coverage, we found less definitive treatment among Black beneficiaries consistent with ongoing prostate cancer treatment disparities. Our findings are reflective of the adverse effects of practice segregation and structural racism, highlighting the need for multilevel interventions.
Maternal Exercise Protects Male Offspring From Maternal Diet–Programmed Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Progression
Authors: Hinrichs Holly , Faerber Austin , Young Monica , Ballentine Samuel J , Thompson Michael D 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Maternal obesity programs the risk for development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in offspring. Maternal exercise is a potential intervention to prevent developmentally programmed phenotypes. We hypothesized that maternal exercise would protect from progression of NAFLD in offspring previously exposed to a maternal obesogenic diet. Female mice were fed chow (CON) or high fat, fructose, cholesterol (HFFC) and bred with lean males. A subset had an exercise wheel introduced 4 weeks after starting the diet to allow for voluntary exercise. The offspring were weaned to the HFFC diet for 7 weeks to induce NAFLD. Serum, adipose, and liver tissue were collected for metabolic, histologic, and gene expression analyses. Cecal contents were collected for 16S sequencing. Global metabolomics was performed on liver. Female mice fed the HFFC diet had increased body weight prior to adding an exercise wheel. Female mice fed the HFFC diet had an increase in exercise distance relative to CON during the preconception period. Exercise distance was similar between groups during pregnancy and lactation. CON-active and HFFC-active offspring exhibited decreased inflammation compared with offspring from sedentary dams. Fibrosis increased in offspring from HFFC-sedentary dams compared with CON-sedentary. Offspring from exercised HFFC dams exhibited less fibrosis than offspring from sedentary HFFC dams. While maternal diet significantly affected the microbiome of offspring, the effect of maternal exercise was minimal. Metabolomics analysis revealed shifts in multiple metabolites including several involved in bile acid, 1-carbon, histidine, and acylcarnitine metabolism. This study provides preclinical evidence that maternal exercise is a potential approach to prevent developmentally programmed liver disease progression in offspring.
Field model for multistate lateral diffusion of various transmembrane proteins observed in livingDictyosteliumcells
Authors: Takebayashi Kazutoshi , Kamimura Yoichiro , Ueda Masahiro 
Published: January 2023

ABSTRACTThe lateral diffusion of transmembrane proteins on plasma membranes is a fundamental process for various cellular functions. Diffusion properties specific for individual protein species have been extensively studied, but the common features among protein species are poorly understood. Here, we systematically studied the lateral diffusion of various transmembrane proteins in the lower eukaryote Dictyostelium discoideum cells using a hidden Markov model for single-molecule trajectories obtained experimentally. As common features, all membrane proteins that had from one to ten transmembrane regions adopted three free diffusion states with similar diffusion coefficients regardless of their structural variability. All protein species reduced their mobility similarly upon the inhibition of microtubule or actin cytoskeleton dynamics, or myosin II. The relationship between protein size and the diffusion coefficient was consistent with the Saffman–Delbrück model, meaning that membrane viscosity is a major determinant of lateral diffusion, but protein size is not. These protein species-independent properties of multistate free diffusion were explained simply and quantitatively by free diffusion on the three membrane regions with different viscosities, which is in sharp contrast to the complex diffusion behavior of transmembrane proteins in higher eukaryotes.
Anthelmintic activity of Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica against gastrointestinal nematodes of wild sheep
Authors: Rafique Azhar , Mahmood M. Shahid , Abbas Rao Zahid , Ali Sultan , Mian AH , Rizwan A 
Published: January 2023

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are serious issue for health of wild sheep kept in captivity. Chemically synthesized anthelmintics are regularly used to control these parasites. In recent years anthelmintic resistance and remnant of drugs in animal products leads to use of medicinal plants as alternative to anthelmintics. In current study, the efficacy of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic dried leaf extracts of medicinal plants Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica were tested for in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activities against Haemonchus, Trichuris, Coccidia and Trichostrongylus; naturally acquired nematodes isolated from wild sheep (Ovis orientalis orientalis). Six concentrations of these plants extract (1.56, 3.13, 6.25, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg/ml) were evaluated using egg hatching assay (EHA) and larval development assay (LDA) in three replicates. To compare treatment effects, untreated and treated (0.1% ivermectin) controls were used. The aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic leaf extracts showed anthelmintic activities against isolated genera of nematodes but the inhibition was maximum (99%) in ethanol extract of M. oleifera followed by methanol extract (97%) at maximum concentration tested at (50mg/ml). The overall findings of this study shows that Moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica leaf extracts possess significant anthelmintic efficacy against GINs of sheep and these could be a natural alternative to synthetic anthelmintics to treat the worm infections in animals.
Towards a dialogical and progressive educational policy framework: Manoeuvring a middle way among the polarised constructs
Authors: David Solomon Arulraj 
Published: January 2023

Policy science and practice around the world, including educational policies, are dominated by popular, extreme approaches such as market-orientated approaches at one end and critical argumentative approaches at the other end. This study therefore aims to manoeuvre a middle way to propose a dialogical and progressive educational policy framework and explores the research question: ‘how could a middle way (a dialogical and progressive framework) be manoeuvred among the polarised policy constructs?’ The study embraces Lynham’s five phases of theory building as the basis for this research, which includes conceptual development, operationalisation, confirmation/disconfirmation, application, and continuous refinement. The study explores some of the known existing policy frameworks for conceptual mapping, investigates the underlying dynamics and discourses to operationalise, uses diverse arguments in the literature to confirm/disconfirm and proposes to mark the emerging patterns, trends, and gaps in policy research to apply and refine. The study contends that if it is possible to have a polarised market-oriented and critical argumentative policy frameworks, it is then possible to have a dialogical, progressive middle-way policy framework. The study had to limit to the most important and related theories, and models to focus. Future works could explore a wide range of other relevant theories and models to further investigate this framework. Furthermore, application of the proposed dialogical, progressive educational policy framework in specific context/case may help to refine it. The study contends that the proposed middle way is not a perfect space but a potential space in which a dialogical and progressive educational policy may thrive.
A cross-sectional study on exploring the antecedents of patient’s revisit intention: Mediating role of trust in the hospital among patients in India
Authors: Akthar Nahima , Nayak Smitha , Pai P Yogesh 
Published: January 2023

Background: In the healthcare domain, patients’ trust in the hospital plays an instrumental role in determining the behavioral intention of the patient. This article attempts to investigate the impact of service quality perception on behavioral intention with the mediating effect of trust in the hospital and patient satisfaction. Methods: This research was carried out in multispecialty hospitals located in Bangalore Urban and Mysore districts of Karnataka during August 2021. This was a questionnaire-based study and the sample size was 242. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 27.0 and SmartPLS 3.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: The findings revealed that perceived service quality significantly influences trust through patient satisfaction (observed partial mediation) and patient satisfaction significantly impacts behavioral intention through trust (observed partial mediation). Conclusion: This study empowers hospital managers to understand the factors influencing behavioral intention. Healthcare professionals must ensure that good quality service is delivered to enhance patient satisfaction and trust in adverse services, which influence behavioral intention among the patients.