bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Construction and validation of a prognostic signature based on necroptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Peng Yue-ling , Wang Ling-xiao , Li Mu-ye , Liu Li-ping , Li Rong-shan 
Published: February 2023

Background
Necroptosis is a necrotic programmed cell death with potent immunogenicity. Due to the dual effects of necroptosis on tumor growth, metastasis and immunosuppression, we evaluated the prognostic value of necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods
We first analyzed RNA sequencing and clinical HCC patient data obtained to develop an NRG prognostic signature based on the TCGA dataset. Differentially expressed NRGs were further evaluated by GO and KEGG pathway analyses. Next, we conducted univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to build a prognostic model. We also used the dataset obtained from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database to verify the signature. The Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm was used to investigate the immunotherapy response. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between the prediction signature and chemotherapy treatment response in HCC.

Results
We first identified 36 differentially expressed genes out of 159 NRGs in hepatocellular carcinoma. Enrichment analysis showed that they were mainly enriched in the necroptosis pathway. Four NRGs were screened by Cox regression analysis to establish a prognostic model. The survival analysis revealed that the overall survival of patients with high-risk scores was significantly shorter than that of patients with low-risk scores. The nomogram demonstrated satisfactory discrimination and calibration. The calibration curves validated a fine concordance between the nomogram prediction and actual observation. The efficacy of the necroptosis-related signature was also validated by an independent dataset and immunohistochemistry experiments. TIDE analysis revealed that patients in the high-risk group were possibly more susceptible to immunotherapy. Furthermore, high-risk patients were found to be more sensitive to conventional chemotherapeutic medicines such as bleomycin, bortezomib, and imatinib.

Conclusion
We identified 4 necroptosis-related genes and established a prognostic risk model that could potentially predict prognosis and response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy in HCC patients in the future.
Evaluation of the peer leadership for physical literacy intervention: A cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Hulteen Ryan M. , Lubans David R. , Rhodes Ryan E. , Faulkner Guy , Liu Yan , Naylor Patti-Jean , Nathan Nicole , Waldhauser Katrina J. , Wierts Colin M. , Beauchamp Mark R. 
Published: February 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this research was to develop, implement, and test the efficacy of a theory-driven, evidence-informed peer leadership program for elementary school students (Grade 6 and 7; age 11–12 years) and the Grade 3/4 students with whom they were partnered. The primary outcome was teacher ratings of their Grade 6/7 students’ transformational leadership behaviors. Secondary outcomes included: Grade 6/7 students’ leadership self-efficacy, as well as Grade 3/4 motivation, perceived competence, general self-concept, fundamental movement skills, school-day physical activity, and program adherence, and program evaluation.

Methods
We conducted a two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial. In 2019, 6 schools comprising 7 teachers, 132 leaders, and 227 grade 3 and 4 students were randomly allocated to the intervention or waitlist control conditions. Intervention teachers took part in a half-day workshop (January 2019), delivered 7 x 40 minute lessons to Grade 6/7 peer leaders (February and March 2019), and these peer leaders subsequently ran a ten-week physical literacy development program for Grade 3/4 students (2x30 minutes sessions per week). Waitlist-control students followed their usual routines. Assessments were conducted at baseline (January 2019) and immediately post-intervention (June 2019).

Results
The intervention had no significant effect on teacher ratings of their students’ transformational leadership (b = 0.201, p = .272) after controlling for baseline and gender. There was no significant condition effect for Grade 6/7 student rated transformation leadership (b = 0.077, p = .569) or leadership self-efficacy (b = 3.747, p = .186) while controlling for baseline and gender. There were null findings for all outcomes related to Grade 3 and 4 students.

Discussion
Adaptions to the delivery mechanism were not effective in increasing leadership skills of older students or components of physical literacy in younger Grade 3/4 students. However, teacher self-reported adherence to the intervention delivery was high.

Trial registration
This trial was registered on December 19th, 2018 with Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03783767), https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03783767.
Risk of consecutive esotropia after surgery for intermittent exotropia according to passive duction force
Authors: Kang Hyunkyoo , Shin Hyun Jin , Lee Andrew G. 
Published: February 2023

Purpose
To determine the relationship between consecutive esotropia (ET) and passive duction force (PDF) in patients with intermittent exotropia (XT).

Methods
The study enrolled 70 patients in whom PDF was measured under general anesthesia prior to XT surgery. The preferred eye for fixation (PE) and the nonpreferred eye for fixation (NPE) were determined using a cover–uncover test. The patients were subdivided into two groups according to the angle of deviation at 1 month postoperation: (1) consecutive ET (CET group), >10 prism diopters (PD) of ET; and (2) non-CET (NCET group), ≤10 ET or residual exodeviation. The relative PDF of the medial rectus muscle (MRM) was obtained by subtracting the ipsilateral PDF of the lateral rectus muscle (LRM) from the PDF of the MRM.

Results
The PDFs for the LRM in the PE in the CET and NCET groups were 47.28 g and 58.59 g, respectively (p = 0.147), and 56.18 g and 46.59 g for the MRM (p = 0.11), and in the NPE were 59.84 g and 55.25 g, respectively, for the LRM (p = 0.993), and 49.12 g and 50.53 g, respectively, for the MRM (p = 0.81). However, in the PE, the PDF in the MRM was larger in the CET group than in the NCET group (p = 0.045), which was positively associated with the postoperatively overcorrected angle of deviation (p = 0.017).

Conclusions
An increased relative PDF in the MRM in the PE was a risk factor for consecutive ET after XT surgery. Quantitative evaluation of the PDF could be considered when planning strabismus surgery to achieve the desired surgical outcome.
Hyper-palatable foods in elementary school lunches: Availability and contributing factors in a national sample of US public schools
Authors: Dilsaver Danielle , Rohde Kaitlyn , Chollet-Hinton Lynn , Fazzino Tera L. 
Published: February 2023

Background
School cafeterias are a major point of influence for child nutrition. United States federal legislation requires the presence of important nutrients in school meals. However, legislation overlooks the potential presence of hyper-palatable foods in school lunches, a hypothesized factor that may influence children’s eating behavior and obesity risk. The study sought to 1) quantify the prevalence of hyper-palatable foods (HPF) served in US elementary school lunches; and 2) determine whether food hyper-palatability varied based on school geographic region (East/Central/West), urbanicity (urban/micropolitan/rural), or meal item (entrée/side/fruit or vegetable).

Methods
Lunch menu data (N = 18 menus; N = 1160 total foods) were collected from a sample of six states that represented geographic regions of the United States (Eastern/Central/Western; Northern/Southern) and that had variability in urbanicity (urban, micropolitan, and rural) within each state. A standardized definition from Fazzino et al (2019) was used to identify HPF in lunch menus.

Results
HPF comprised almost half of foods in school lunches (M = 47%; SD = 5%). Compared to fruit/vegetable items, entrées were >23 times more likely to be hyper-palatable and side dishes were >13 times more likely to be hyper-palatable (p values < .001). Geographic region and urbanicity were not significantly associated with food item hyper-palatability (p values >.05). The majority of entrée and side items contained meat/meat alternatives and/or grains and likely aligned with the US federal reimbursable meal components of meat/meat alternatives and/or grains.

Conclusions and implications
HPF comprised almost half of foods offered in elementary school lunches. Entrées and side items were most likely to be hyper-palatable. US school lunches may be a key point of regular exposure to HPF among young children, a risk factor that may elevate child obesity risk. Public policy regulating HPF in school meals may be needed to protect children’s health.
Evaluating the screening value of serum light chain ratio, β2 microglobulin, lactic dehydrogenase and immunoglobulin in patients with multiple myeloma using ROC curves
Authors: Ying Limei , Zhang Xiaochang , Lu Nina , Zhao Lei , Nie Yanfang , Wang Guofen , Chen Sai , Xu Linglong 
Published: February 2023

Objective
Several laboratory and imaging assays are required to diagnose multiple myeloma (MM). Serum and urine immunofixation electrophoresis are two key assays to diagnose MM, while they have not been extensively utilized in Chinese hospitals. Serum light chain (sLC), β2 microglobulin (β2-MG), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and immunoglobulin (Ig) are routinely measured in the majority of Chinese hospitals. Imbalance of sLC ratio (involved light chain/uninvolved light chain) is frequently observed in MM patients. This study aimed to evaluate the screening value of sLC ratio, β2-MG, LDH, and Ig in MM patients using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

Methods
Data of 303 suspected MM patients, who were admitted to the Taizhou Central Hospital between March 2015 and July 2021, were retrospectively analyzed. In total, 69 patients (MM arm) met the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) updated criteria for the diagnosis of MM, while 234 patients were non-MM (non-MM arm). All patients’ sLC, β2-MG, LDH, and Ig were measured using commercially available kits according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The ROC curve analysis was employed to assess the screening value of sLC ratio, β2-MG, LDH, creatinine (Cr) and Ig. The statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS 26.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA) and MedCalc 19.0.4 (Ostend, Belgium) software.

Results
There was no significant difference between the MM and non-MM arms in terms of gender, age and Cr. The median sLC ratio in the MM arm was 11.5333, which was significantly higher than that of 1.9293 in the non-MM arm (P<0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) of sLC ratio was 0.875, which indicated a robust screening value. The optimal sensitivity and specificity were 81.16% and 94.87% respectively, when the sLC ratio was set as 3.2121. The serum levels of β2-MG and Ig were higher in the MM arm than those in the non-MM arm (P<0.001). The AUC values of β2-MG, LDH, and Ig were 0.843 (P<0.001), 0.547 (P = 0.2627), and 0.723 (P<0.001), respectively. The optimal cutoff values of β2-MG, LDH, and Ig were 1.95 mg/L, 220 U/L, and 46.4 g/L respectively, in the context of screening value. The triple combination of sLC ratio (3.2121), β2-MG (1.95 mg/L), and Ig (46.4 g/L) yielded a higher screening value compared with that of sLC ratio alone (AUC, 0.952; P<0.0001). The triple combination had a sensitivity of 94.20% and a specificity of 86.75%. The addition of LDH to the triple combination and formation of quadruple combination did not optimize the screening value, with AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.952, 94.20%, and 85.47%, respectively.

Conclusion
The triple combination strategy (sLC ratio, 3.2121; β2-MG, 1.95 mg/L; Ig, 46.4 g/L) is accompanied by remarkable sensitivity and specificity for screening MM in Chinese hospitals.
Perceptions and attitudes of patients and healthcare workers towards the use of telemedicine in Botswana: An exploratory study
Authors: Ncube Benson , Mars Maurice , Scott Richard E. 
Published: February 2023

Introduction
In March 2020, the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness approved a National eHealth Strategy. Although a milestone, the strategy does not mention telemedicine. There is need to address this by developing an evidence-based adjunct strategy for telemedicine to facilitate its introduction and adoption. To do so, several stages of a published eHealth Strategy Development Framework were mimicked. This allowed situational awareness to be created through exploring behavioural factors and perceptions that might influence the adoption of telemedicine in Botswana. The study aim was to explore current issues, concerns, perceptions, attitudes, views, and knowledge of patients and healthcare professionals regarding health-related issues and telemedicine that might influence implementation of telemedicine in Botswana and thereby inform future development of a telemedicine strategy.

Methods
An exploratory survey study was conducted using different survey questionnaires for patients and healthcare professionals, each using a mix of open- and closed-ended questions. These questionnaires were administered to convenience samples of healthcare professionals and patients at 12 public healthcare facilities in Botswana; seven clinics (three rural; four urban), and five hospitals (two primary, two district, and one tertiary), selected to align with the country’s decentralised healthcare structure.

Results
Fifty-three healthcare professionals and 89 patients participated. Few healthcare professionals had actively used telemedicine for clinical consults and self-education using telephone calls, cell phone apps, or video conferencing (doctors 42%, nurses 10%). Only a few health facilities had telemedicine installations. Healthcare professional preference for future telemedicine uses were e-learning (98%), clinical services (92%), and health informatics (electronic records (87%). All healthcare professionals (100%) and most patients (94%) were willing to use and participate in telemedicine programmes. Open-ended responses showed additional perspective. Resource shortages (health human resources and infrastructure) were key to both groups. Convenience, cost effectiveness, and increased remote patient access to specialists were identified as enablers to telemedicine use. However inhibitors were cultural and traditional beliefs, although privacy, security and confidentiality were also identified. Results were consistent with findings from other developing countries.

Conclusion
Although use, knowledge, and awareness of telemedicine are low, general acceptance, willingness to use, and understanding of benefits are high. These findings bode well for development of a telemedicine-specific strategy for Botswana, complementary to the National eHealth Strategy, to guide more systematic adoption and application of telemedicine in the future.
Sex differences in diabetic foot ulcer severity and outcome in Belgium
Authors: Vanherwegen An-Sofie , Lauwers Patrick , Lavens Astrid , Doggen Kris , Dirinck Eveline ,   on behalf of the Initiative for Quality Improvement and Epidemiology in multidisciplinary Diabetic Foot Clinics (IQED-Foot) Study Group
Published: February 2023

BackgroundSex differences are increasingly recognized to play an important role in the epidemiology, treatment and outcomes of many diseases. This study aims to describe differences between sexes in patient characteristics, ulcer severity and outcome after 6 months in individuals with a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU).MethodsA total of 1,771 patients with moderate to severe DFU participated in a national prospective, multicenter cohort study. Data were collected on demographics, medical history, current DFU and outcome. For data analysis, a Generalized Estimating Equation model and an adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression were used.ResultsThe vast majority of patients included were male (72%). Ulcers in men were deeper, more frequently displaying probe to bone, and more frequently deeply infected. Twice as many men presented with systemic infection as women. Men demonstrated a higher prevalence of previous lower limb revascularization, while women presented more frequently with renal insufficiency. Smoking was more common in men than in women. No differences in presentation delay were observed. In the Cox regression analysis, women had a 26% higher chance of healing without major amputation as a first event (hazard ratio 1.258 (95% confidence interval 1.048–1.509)).ConclusionsMen presented with more severe DFU than women, although no increase in presentation delay was observed. Moreover, female sex was significantly associated with a higher probability of ulcer healing as a first event. Among many possible contributing factors, a worse vascular state associated with a higher rate of (previous) smoking in men stands out.
Using a data-driven approach for the development and evaluation of phenotype algorithms for systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Swerdel Joel N. , Ramcharran Darmendra , Hardin Jill 
Published: February 2023

Background
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease of unknown origin. The objective of this research was to develop phenotype algorithms for SLE suitable for use in epidemiological studies using empirical evidence from observational databases.

Methods
We used a process for empirically determining and evaluating phenotype algorithms for health conditions to be analyzed in observational research. The process started with a literature search to discover prior algorithms used for SLE. We then used a set of Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) open-source tools to refine and validate the algorithms. These included tools to discover codes for SLE that may have been missed in prior studies and to determine possible low specificity and index date misclassification in algorithms for correction.

Results
We developed four algorithms using our process: two algorithms for prevalent SLE and two for incident SLE. The algorithms for both incident and prevalent cases are comprised of a more specific version and a more sensitive version. Each of the algorithms corrects for possible index date misclassification. After validation, we found the highest positive predictive value estimate for the prevalent, specific algorithm (89%). The highest sensitivity estimate was found for the sensitive, prevalent algorithm (77%).

Conclusion
We developed phenotype algorithms for SLE using a data-driven approach. The four final algorithms may be used directly in observational studies. The validation of these algorithms provides researchers an added measure of confidence that the algorithms are selecting subjects correctly and allows for the application of quantitative bias analysis.
Separability and the 3d Gelfand Levitan equation
Authors: Kincanon Eric 
Published: February 2023

The 1D Gelfand-Levitan equation has been well studied with respect to the separability of the spectral measure function. The analytic solu-tion has been shown to be associated with reflectionless potentials. This paper considers the 3D version of this equation to see if an analytic solution can be found for a separable spectral measure function and if it also corresponds to known reflectionless potentials. Though the analytic solution is shown, it does not correspond to reflectionless potentials.Â Â
Modeling environmental tree species’ volume using some selected skewed distributions
Authors: A. Hassan F. , O. Ilo H. , O. Afolabi N. , A. Akintola K. 
Published: February 2023

Ecological requirements' knowledge in determining tree species' distributions is a precondition for sustainable forest management. Tree species in all regions are threatened by climate change but some are more vulnerable than others. Rightly skewed distributions were used to take care of the environmental data set obtained from FRIN using five species which are: Beech Wood, White Afara, Opepe, Afon and Teak.Appropriate statistical tools distributions like descriptive analysis, Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Goodness of Fit, Probability Functions, Kolmogorov Smirnovt-test, Gamma, Weibull, Log-normal and Beta-weibull were carried out to determine the best distribution for each selected specie in this research.It was established from the distributional pattern of the tree species' volume used in this research that the Gamma distribution was a better fit for the Beech wood with the AIC of 617.21, Beta-weibull distribution was a better _t for the White Afara, Opepe and Teak Species with the AIC values of 580.772, 630.84 and 733.60 respectively while the Weibull distribution was a better fit for the Afon specie with the AIC value of 752.07.Conclusively, the implication of the analysis is that the Beta-weibull distribution described the tree species' volume best among the four distributions used. In line with the findings, it is recommended that Beta-weibull should be the appropriate distribution to model forest specie when it comes to modelling because of its four (4) parameters and its goodness when fitting.Â Â Â
Investigation of properties of soils stabilised with groundnut waste
Authors: O. Adunoye G. , O. Osineye T. , C. Ezeh H. 
Published: February 2023

Improvement of soil strength has gained a wider and increasing acceptance in civil engineering applications. This study therefore investigat-ed the effects of coarse content of groundnut shell ash on the properties of selected lateritic soils. To achieve the aim of the study, soil sam-ples were collected from two identified active borrow pits. The following geotechnical tests were conducted on the soil samples in their natural state, using standard procedures: natural moisture content, specific gravity, grain size analysis, Atterberg limits, compaction and California bearing ratio. Subsequently, the soils were treated with coarse content (part retained on 425 Âµm BS sieve) of groundnut shell ash at 2 %, 4 % and 6 % proportions by weight of dry soil. Results showed that the degree of laterisation is high in the two soil samples, having specific gravity values of 2.84 and 2.72 respectively. Results of Atterberg limit tests and grain size analysis showed that the soils belong to A-2-7 using AASHTO classification system. 6 % groundnut shell ash gave the lowest plasticity index for first sample, while 2 % ground-nut shell ash gave the lowest plasticity index for second sample. Also, 2 % groundnut shell ash gave the lowest optimum moisture content for first sample, while 6 % groundnut shell ash gave the lowest optimum moisture content for the second sample. Similarly, 2 % groundnut shell ash gave the highest maximum dry density for first sample, while 4 % groundnut shell ash gave the highest maximum dry density for second sample The California bearing ratio reached a maximum value of 4 % at 6 % groundnut shell ash, for first sample; it increased to 14 % at 2 % groundnut shell ash, for second soil sample. The study concluded that lateritic soils can be modified with coarse component of groundnut shell ash.Â Â