bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Study on self-management of real-time and individualized support in stroke patients based on resilience: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Jiang N. , Xv Y. , Sun X. , Feng L. , Wang Y. B. , Jiang X. L. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
The transitional period from hospital to home is vital for stroke patients, but it poses serious challenges. Good self-management ability can optimize disease outcomes. However, stroke patients in China have a low level of self-management ability during the transitional period, and a lack of effective support may be the reason. With the rapid development of technology, using wearable monitors to achieve real-time and individualized support may be the key to solving this problem. This study uses a randomized controlled trial design to assess the efficacy of using wearable technology to realize real-time and individualized self-management support in stroke patients’ self-management behavior during the transitional period following discharge from hospital.

Methods
This parallel-group randomized controlled trial will be conducted in two hospitals and patients’ homes. A total of 183 adult stroke patients will be enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to three groups in a 1:1:1 ratio. The smartwatch intervention group (n = 61) will receive Real-time and Individualized Self-management Support (RISS) program + routine care, the wristband group (n = 61) will wear a fitness tracker (self-monitoring) + routine care, and the control group (n = 61) will receive routine stroke care. The intervention will last for 6 months. The primary outcomes are neurological function status, self-management behavior, quality of life, biochemical indicators, recurrence rate, and unplanned readmission rate. Secondary outcomes are resilience, patient activation, psychological status, and caregiver assessments. The analysis is intention-to-treat. The intervention effect will be evaluated at baseline (T0), 2 months after discharge (T1), 3 months after discharge (T2), and 6 months after discharge (T3).

Discussion
The cloud platform designed in this study not only has the function of real-time recording but also can push timely solutions when patients have abnormal conditions, as well as early warnings or alarms. This study could also potentially help patients develop good self-management habits through resilience theory, wearable devices, and individualized problem–solution library of self-management which can lay the foundation for long-term maintenance and continuous improvement of good self-management behavior in the future.

Trial registration
The ethics approval has been granted by the Ethics Committee of West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2022–941). All patients will be informed of the study details and sign a written informed consent form before enrollment. The research results will be reported in conferences and peer-reviewed publications. The trial registration number is ChiCTR2300070384. Registered on 11 April 2023.
An observer-blinded, cluster randomised trial of a typhoid conjugate vaccine in an urban South Indian cohort
Authors: Sahai Nikhil , Arunachalam Dilesh Kumar , Morris Tim , Copas Andrew , Samuel Prasanna , Mohan Venkata Raghava , Abraham Vinod , Selwyn Joshua Anish , Kumar Praveen , Rose Winsley , Balaji Veeraraghavan , Kang Gagandeep , John Jacob 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Typhoid fever causes nearly 110,000 deaths among 9.24 million cases globally and disproportionately affects developing countries. As a control measure in such regions, typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). We present here the protocol of a cluster randomised vaccine trial to assess the impact of introducing TyphiBEV® vaccine to those between 1 and 30 years of age in a high-burden setting.

Methods
The primary objective is to determine the relative and absolute rate reduction of symptomatic, blood-culture-confirmed S. Typhi infection among participants vaccinated with TyphiBEV® in vaccine clusters compared with the unvaccinated participants in non-vaccine clusters. The study population is residents of 30 wards of Vellore (a South Indian city) with participants between the ages of 1 and 30 years who provide informed consent. The wards will be divided into 60 contiguous clusters and 30 will be randomly selected for its participants to receive TyphiBEV® at the start of the study. No placebo/control is planned for the non-intervention clusters, which will receive the vaccine at the end of the trial. Participants will not be blinded to their intervention. Episodes of typhoid fever among participants will be captured via stimulated, passive fever surveillance in the area for 2 years after vaccination, which will include the most utilised healthcare facilities. Observers blinded to the participants’ intervention statuses will record illness details. Relative and absolute rate reductions will be calculated at the end of this surveillance and used to estimate vaccine effectiveness.

Discussion
The results from our trial will allow countries to make better-informed decisions regarding the TCV that they will roll-out and may improve the global supplies and affordability of the vaccines.

Trial registration
Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI) CTRI/2022/03/041314. Prospectively registered on 23 March 2022 (https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?trialid=62548&EncHid=&userName=vellore%20typhoid). CTRI collects the full WHO Trial Registration Data Set.
Role of inflammatory burden and treatment on joint space width in psoriatic arthritis—a high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography study
Authors: Jin Yingzhao , Cheng Isaac T , So Ho , Wu Dongze , Griffith James F , Hung Vivian W , Qin Ling , Szeto Cheuk-Chun , Chan Agnes WS , Tam Lai-Shan 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
To investigate the relationship between disease-related parameters and joint space width (JSW) on high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients.

Methods
PsA patients who underwent HR-pQCT examination of the second to fourth metacarpophalangeal joint (MCPJ 2–4) were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The joint space metrics included joint space volume (JSV), mean, minimum, and maximum JSW, JSW asymmetry, and distribution. Correlation analysis and multivariable linear regression models were used to determine the association between disease-related variables and JSW.

Results
Sixty-seven patients [37 (55.2%) males; median (IQR) age: 57.0 (53.0, 63.0); median disease duration: 21 (16, 28) years] were included in this analysis. Multivariable linear regression analysis demonstrated that males had larger JSV (MCPJ 2–4), mean (MCPJ 4), and maximum JSW (MCPJ 3). Longer disease duration (MCPJ 2–3) and higher ESR values (MCPJ 3) were negatively associated with mean and maximum JSW, while higher damage joint count was negatively associated with mean and minimum JSW (MCPJ 2). Use of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) was negatively associated with minimum JSW (MCPJ 3) while use of biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) was positively associated with minimum JSW (MCPJ 2).

Conclusion
Higher inflammatory burden as reflected by longer disease duration, higher ESR levels, and damage joint count was negatively associated with mean, maximum, and minimum JSW, while suppression of inflammation using bDMARDs seems to limit the decline in JSW.
Lymphoscintigraphy findings in patients with chylothorax: influence of biochemical parameters
Authors: Zhang Li , Zhang Xiaoyue , Wen Zhe , Tong Guansheng , Hao Kun , Qiu Yongkang , Kang Lei 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Chylothorax is a condition that can be challenging to diagnose due to its nonspecific clinical presentation. Several biochemical parameters of chylous pleural effusion have been identified as important indicators for the diagnosis of chylothorax. Lymphoscintigraphy is utilized to assess chylothorax and determine the location of chyle leakage. The present study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the biochemical parameters of chylous pleural effusion and 99mTc-dextran (99mTc-DX) lymphoscintigraphy in diagnosing chylothorax.

Material and methods
A total of 120 patients were enrolled in the study, 83 of the patients with unilateral chylothorax, and 37 with bilateral chylothorax. All patients underwent both 99mTc-DX lymphoscintigraphy and pleural effusion laboratory analysis. The 99mTc-DX lymphoscintigraphy images were categorized as positive or negative groups based on the presence or absence of abnormal radioactive tracer accumulation in the thorax, respectively. The biochemical parameters of the two groups were subsequently compared.

Results
Among these patients, 101 (84.17%) had exudative effusions, while 19 (15.83%) had transudative effusions, as determined by the levels of pleural effusion protein, lactate dehydrogenase and cholesterol. Abnormal tracer accumulation in thorax was observed in 82 patients (68.33%). Our findings indicated that lymphoscintigraphy results were not associated with exudative and transudative chylothorax (P = 0.597). The lymphoscintigraphy positive group displayed significantly higher levels of pleural effusion triglyceride and pleural effusion triglyceride/serum triglyceride ratio in all biochemical parameters, compared to the negative group (P = 0.000 and P = 0.005). We identified cutoff values of 2.870 mmol/L for pleural effusion triglycerides and 4.625 for pleural effusion triglyceride/serum triglyceride ratio, respectively, which can facilitate differentiating the positive and negative cases on lymphoscintigraphy.

Conclusion
Lymphoscintigraphy technique is a dependable diagnostic tool for the qualitative assessment of chylous pleural effusion. Higher pleural effusion triglyceride level and pleural effusion triglyceride/serum triglyceride ratio indicate a positive result in patients with chylothorax on lymphoscintigraphy, with the cutoff values of 2.870 mmol/L and 4.625 aiding in the diagnosis.
Microphone utility estimation in acoustic sensor networks using single-channel signal features
Authors: Günther Michael , Brendel Andreas , Kellermann Walter 
Published: August 2023

AbstractIn multichannel signal processing with distributed sensors, choosing the optimal subset of observed sensor signals to be exploited is crucial in order to maximize algorithmic performance and reduce computational load, ideally both at the same time. In the acoustic domain, signal cross-correlation is a natural choice to quantify the usefulness of microphone signals, i.e., microphone utility, for coherent array processing, but its estimation requires that the uncoded signals are synchronized and transmitted between nodes. In resource-constrained environments like acoustic sensor networks, low data transmission rates often make transmission of all observed signals to the centralized location infeasible, thus discouraging direct estimation of signal cross-correlation. Instead, we employ characteristic features of the recorded signals to estimate the usefulness of individual microphone signals using the Magnitude-Squared Coherence (MSC) between the source and respective microphone signal as ground-truth metric. In this contribution, we provide a comprehensive analysis of model-based microphone utility estimation approaches that use signal features and, as an alternative, also propose machine learning-based estimation methods that identify optimal sensor signal utility features. The performance of both approaches is validated experimentally using both simulated and recorded acoustic data, comprising a variety of realistic and practically relevant acoustic scenarios including moving and static sources.
Association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Jung Hungu , Tanaka Shigeharu , Kataoka Shusei , Tanaka Ryo 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Sarcopenia commonly occurs in older adults with motor disorders requiring long-term care, and the clinical features of sarcopenia are associated with locomotive syndrome. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength. However, the association of sarcopenia and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in older adults remains unknown. The current study aimed to determine the association of sarcopenia, pre-sarcopenia, and dynapenia with the onset and progression of locomotive syndrome in Japanese older adults.

Methods
This study included older females (n = 264, 73.9 ± 5.8 years) and males (n = 92, 76.3 ± 6.1 years). Sarcopenia was defined as low muscle function and mass; pre-sarcopenia was defined as low muscle mass with normal muscle function; and dynapenia was defined as low muscle function without low muscle mass. Locomotive syndrome (stage 0–2) severity was determined using the stand-up test, the two-step test, and the 25-question geriatric locomotive function scale. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between sarcopenia category and locomotive syndrome stages.

Results
Age (1.208, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.124–1.298), sex (2.455, 95% CI 1.241–4.856), and BMI (1.211, 95% CI 1.077–1.361) were significant variables for determining locomotive syndrome stage ≥ 1, whereas pre-sarcopenia (0.543, 95% CI 0.331–0.891) and sarcopenia (1.664, 95% CI 1.005–2.755) were significant variables for determining locomotive syndrome stage 2.

Conclusions
Only sarcopenia was associated with locomotive syndrome progression, while low muscle mass or low muscle function was not associated with locomotive syndrome. Gaining muscle mass accompanied by an increased muscle function for older adults is warranted to prevent locomotive syndrome progression in the super-aged society.
Ginkgo biloba extract alleviates fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome in laying hens via reshaping gut microbiota
Authors: Yang Xinyue , Li Depeng , Zhang Meihong , Feng Yuqing , Jin Xiaolu , Liu Dan , Guo Yuming , Hu Yongfei 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) is evidenced to be effective in the prevention and alleviation of metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease. However, the role of GBE in alleviating fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) in laying hens and the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Here, we investigated the effects of GBE on relieving FLHS with an emphasis on the modulatory role of GBE in chicken gut microbiota.

Results
The results showed that GBE treatment ameliorated biochemical blood indicators in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced FLHS laying hen model by decreasing the levels of TG, TC, ALT and ALP. The lipid accumulation and pathological score of liver were also relieved after GBE treatment. Moreover, GBE treatment enhanced the antioxidant activity of liver and serum by increasing GSH, SOD, T-AOC, GSH-PX and reducing MDA, and downregulated the expression of genes related to lipid synthesis (FAS, LXRα, GPAT1, PPARγ and ChREBP1) and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, TLR4 and NF-κB) in the liver. Microbial profiling analysis revealed that GBE treatment reshaped the HFD-perturbed gut microbiota, particularly elevated the abundance of Megasphaera in the cecum. Meanwhile, targeted metabolomic analysis of SCFAs revealed that GBE treatment significantly promoted the production of total SCFAs, acetate and propionate, which were positively correlated with the GBE-enriched gut microbiota. Finally, we confirmed that the GBE-altered gut microbiota was sufficient to alleviate FLHS by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

Conclusions
We provided evidence that GBE alleviated FLHS in HFD-induced laying hens through reshaping the composition of gut microbiota. Our findings shed light on mechanism underlying the anti-FLHS efficacy of GBE and lay foundations for future use of GBE as additive to prevent and control FLHS in laying hen industry.
Examining the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Social Aptitudes Scale in two clinical samples
Authors: Kaiser Sabine , Mathiassen Børge , Handegård Bjørn Helge , Arnesen Yngvild , Halvorsen Marianne Berg 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Few studies have examined the psychometric properties of the Social Aptitudes Scale (SAS). The study aims of the current paper were to examine the internal consistency and the validity of the Norwegian SAS.

Methods
Parents of children from a clinical neuropediatric sample (N = 257) and from a clinical sample from child and adolescent’s mental health services (N = 804) filled in the SAS.

Results
Internal consistency for the SAS were good in both samples and correlations between the SAS and different scales were in the expected directions. The results from the Confirmatory Factor Analyses indicated poor model fit.

Conclusions
Future validity studies should investigate whether SAS is suitable as a screening instrument for detecting autism spectrum disorder.
“I miss the normalness”: Mother and child perspectives of well-being and effective remote support from primary schools during Covid-19 school closures
Authors: Lacey Alison J. , Banerjee Robin , Dockalova Lucie , Lester Kathryn J. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractBackgroundCovid-19 related school closures radically disrupted children’s access to social and educational opportunities and changed daily life for millions of families across the world. Emerging evidence indicates that, overall, closures were associated with a decline in children’s mental health and well-being, although individual experiences varied widely. The extent to which primary schools adapted remote well-being support is likely to have contributed to child and family adjustment, although this has not yet been fully explored in Covid related research.MethodsThis longitudinal qualitative study examines variability in remote well-being provision in primary schools during the pandemic, and following school reopening, from the perspective of mothers and children using a whole school approaches framework. Twenty-one primary school aged children and their mothers took part in a semi-structured interview at two time points: time one during the first UK national lockdown and time two approximately seven months later after most children had returned to school. A hybrid inductive-deductive thematic analysis approach identified key themes relating to trajectories of well-being and remote school approaches over this period.ResultsSchool closures were associated with a decline in well-being for most children. Disrupted contact with friends and teachers, and limited opportunities for enriched, meaningful activity were identified as key risk factors. Protective factors included family and child characteristics that mitigated against the loss of wider systems of support, including family socioeconomic status, parental availability, child temperament, and structured daily routines. Four key dimensions of effective remote well-being provision were identified (the 4Cs). The 4Cs - contact, content, creativity and community – provide an accessible framework for schools to foster children’s social relationships and sense of belonging during periods of closure. Analysis of pupil reintegration outcomes suggest that post-Covid support priorities should include extending social and play-based universal interventions in schools.ConclusionRemote well-being support for children during Covid-related school closures varied in quality with implications for children’s mental health and well-being. Findings from this study highlight the importance of ongoing social contact and enriched daily activities to protect children’s well-being and development and present a framework of effective remote wellbeing support for primary schools in the event of future closures or prolonged pupil absence.
Investigation and analysis of porcine epidemic diarrhea cases and evaluation of different immunization strategies in the large-scale swine farming system
Authors: Zhang Bingzhou , Qing Jie , Yan Zhong , Shi Yuntong , Wang Zewei , Chen Jing , Li Junxian , Li Shuangxi , Wu Weisheng , Hu Xiaofang , Li Yang , Zhang Xiaoyang , Wu Lili , Zhu Shouyue , Yan Zheng , Wang Yongquan , Guo Xiaoli , Yu Ligen , Li Xiaowen 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a contagious intestinal disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and dehydration, which has caused huge economic losses around the world. However, it is very hard to find completely valid approaches to control the transmission of PEDV. At present, vaccine immunity remains the most effective method. To better control the spread of PED and evaluate the validity of different immunization strategies, 240 PED outbreak cases from 577 swine breeding farms were collected and analyzed. The objective of the present study was to analyze the epidemic regularity of PEDV and evaluate two kinds of different immunization strategies for controlling PED.

Results
The results showed that the main reasons which led to the outbreak of PED were the movement of pig herds between different pig farms (41.7%) and delaying piglets from the normal production flow (15.8%). The prevalence of PEDV in the hot season (May to October) was obviously higher than that in the cold season (January to April, November to December). Results of different vaccine immunity cases showed that immunization with the highly virulent live vaccine (NH-TA2020 strain) and the commercial inactivated vaccine could significantly decrease the frequency of swine breeding farms (5.9%), the duration of PED epidemic (1.70 weeks), and the week batches of dead piglets (0.48 weeks weaned piglets), compared with immunization with commercial attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccine of PED. Meanwhile, immunization with the highly virulent live vaccine and the commercial inactivated vaccine could bring us more cash flows of Y̶275,274 per year than immunization with commercial live attenuated vaccine and inactivated vaccine in one 3000 sow pig farm within one year.

Conclusion
Therefore, immunization with highly virulent live vaccine and inactivated vaccine of PED is more effective and economical in the prevention and control of PED in the large-scale swine farming system.
Integration policies and migrants' labour market outcomes: a local perspective based on different regional configurations in the EU
Authors: De Coninck David , Solano Giacomo 
Published: August 2023

AbstractMigrants’ integration process and their labour market inclusion occur within distinct local contexts. However, the existing literature has paid little attention to the role of the local context and its relationship with national-level policy outcomes on migrant integration. This study addresses this gap by using new regional (NUTS-2) data from Eurostat and integration policy data from MIPEX, coupled with multivariate analyses. We investigate how national-level integration policies are related to the employment rate gap between migrants and country nationals, and how this relationship varies depending on the local context. Results show that migrant integration policies exhibit no association with this gap in low-competitive, culturally homogeneous and rural regions. Conversely, integration policies are associated with a larger gap in high-competitive and diverse urban regions. Notably, consistent with previous national-level literature, inclusive integration policies are associated with negative outcomes for migrants compared to country nationals. However, a shift toward more inclusive policies is found to reduce this gap, suggesting that inclusive policies may be a response to a widening divide between country nationals and migrants. This study offers valuable insights into the role of regional configurations and the impact of national-level integration policies on migrants' labor market outcomes, providing a local perspective that enhances our understanding of migrant integration processes.