bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A structural equation model analysis of the relationship between expectant fathers' fear of COVID-19 and their fear of childbirth: The mediating role of maternal fear of childbirth
Authors: Mortazavi Forough , Nikbakht Roya , Mehrabadi Maryam , Shahhosseini Zohreh 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Background
Pregnancy and childbirth may provoke various emotional responses in expectant fathers including excessive fear of childbirth. It is not unreasonable to assume that fear of contracting the virus during the COVID-19 pandemic, may have intensified fathers' fear of childbirth. This study aims to determine the mediating role of the expectant mothers’ fear of childbirth in the relationship between expectant fathers’ fear of COVID-19 and their fear of childbirth.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted on 270 pregnant women and their spouses attending health centers from Aug 2021 to April 2022. Fathers’ fear of childbirth scale (FFCS), Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire (W-DEQ-A), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were used to collect data. To examine the relationships between variables and to develop the final model, we used the structural equation model (SEM).
Results
The prevalence of severe fear of childbirth in fathers and their female spouses were 40.9% and 22.4%, respectively. The mean score and standard deviation of fear of childbirth in the fathers and their female spouses were 49.2±17.1 and 62.5±29.4, respectively. Results showed that fathers’ fear of COVID-19 was directly (B=0.44, p=0.004) and indirectly (B=0.13, p=0.015) associated with fathers’ fear of childbirth. Also, women’s fear of childbirth was positively associated with fathers’ fear of childbirth (B=0.45, p=0.030). In the final model, the values of χ2/df, CFI, PCFI, RMSEA, and SRMR were equal to 2.32, 0.94, 0.76, 0.07, and 0.06, respectively.
Conclusions
The findings of the present study indicate that mothers’ fear of childbirth has a mediating role in the relationship between fathers’ fear of COVID and fear of childbirth. Therefore, to alleviate fathers’ fear of childbirth, interventions to reduce fathers’ fear of COVID-19 and women’s fear of childbirth should be developed and implemented. The impact of fathers’ mental health on the fear of childbirth in expectant couples should be further investigated.
Temporally Complex Inflammatory Networks in an Animal Model Reveal Signatures for Interstitial Cystitis and Bladder Pain Syndrome Phenotype
Authors: Shah Ashti M. , Vodovotz Yoram , Yoshimura Naoki , Chermansky Christopher J. , Fitzgerald Jocelyn , Tyagi Pradeep 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Introduction and Objective
Interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) presents with symptoms of debilitating bladder pain and is typically a diagnosis of exclusion. Patients with Hunner’s lesions and tissue inflammation on bladder biopsy have an increased likelihood of therapeutic success with anti-inflammatory drugs. However, identification of this subgroup remains difficult due to the invasive nature of biopsies and the lack of surrogate biomarkers of IC/BPS. We modeled the dynamic evolution of inflammation in an experimental IC/BPS rodent model using computational biological network analysis of inflammatory mediators (cytokines and chemokines) in the urine. The use of biological network analysis allows us to identify urinary proteins that could be causative drivers of inflammation and potential prognostic biomarkers that could serve as therapeutic targets for the treatment of IC/BPS.
Methods
Rats subjected to cyclophosphamide (CYP) injection (150 mg/kg) were used as an experimental model for acute IC/BPS (n=8). Urine from each void was collected from the rats over a 12-hour period and was assayed for 14 inflammatory mediators using Luminex™. Time-interval principal component analysis (TI-PCA) and dynamic network analysis (DyNA), two biological network algorithms, were used to identify biomarkers of inflammation characteristic of IC/BPS over time.
Results
Compared to vehicle-treated rats, nearly all inflammatory mediators were elevated significantly (p<0.05) in the urine of CYP treated rats. TI-PCA highlighted that GRO-KC, IL-5, IL-18, and MCP-1 account for the greatest variance in inflammatory response. At early time points, DyNA indicated a positive correlation between IL-4 and IL-1b and between TNFa and IL-1b. Analysis of TI-PCA and DyNA at later timepoints showed the emergence of IL-5, IL-6, and IFNg as additional key mediators of inflammation. Furthermore, DyNA network complexity rose and fell before peaking at 9.5 hours following CYP treatment. This pattern of inflammation mimics the fluctuating severity of inflammation coinciding with IC/BPS flares.
Conclusions
Computational analysis of inflammation networks in experimental IC/BPS analysis expands on the previously accepted inflammatory signatures of IC by adding IL-5, IL-18, and MCP-1 to the prior studies implicating IL-6 and GRO as IC/BPS biomarkers. This analysis supports a complex evolution of inflammatory networks suggestive of the rise and fall of inflammation characteristic of IC/BPS flares.
Investigating the short- and long-term impacts of pain from surgical castration on affective states in piglets
Authors: Neary Jessica Michelle , Ali Ahmed B.A. , Jacobs Leonie 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Surgical castration of male piglets is a routine procedure performed to improve meat quality. Pain due to castration can last for up to 4 days, negatively impacting animal welfare. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of surgical castration and practical pain alleviation methods during and after castration on piglets’ short and long-term affective states and activity. Piglets were surgically castrated (n = 22), castrated with analgesics (n = 21), or sham-handled (n = 22) at 3 days of age. Data on piglets’ activity, tails, and grimaces were collected for 1, 6, and 24 hours after castration treatments. An attention bias test was performed in week 1 (n = 31) and 12 (n = 33) to assess anxiety (an affective state), with feed (positive stimulus) and loud bangs and flashing lights (negative stimuli) presented simultaneously. Latency to eat, behavioral responses, and activity were recorded during the test. Castration treatment and sampling timepoint impacted activity levels hours after treatments. Piglets’ behavior and activity at week 1 suggest a negative impact of surgical castration on anxiety. Impacts of castration treatments observed in week 1 were no longer detected in week 12. Results confirm that surgical castration negatively impacts affective states of 1-week-old piglets, but results did not support a long-term impact detectable at 12 weeks of age. As this is the first study assessing the relationship between painful procedures and piglet affective state, more research is needed to better understand the impacts on these and other measures of pig affect.
Swiss medical schools’ experiences with online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Swiss perspectives in light of international experiences
Authors: Gogollari Artemisa , Mitchell Sharon , Guttormsen Sissel 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

Background In a short amount of time, because of the pandemic, all universities had to switch to digital learning and teaching (DLT). The advantages and obstacles of DLT are well reported in research. Although, present solutions to the obstacles are not optimal. To ensure a sustainable DLT implementation, the needs of institutions, educators and students should be aligned. Objective This paper aims at identifying and describing the experiences made at the Swiss medical schools after having to suddenly switch from on-site to on-line teaching; in particular, the experienced issues, needs, and solution approaches shall be investigated. Methods Initially, we conducted a literature review from which we seek to derive themes and subthemes regarding the central aspects of the transition from on-site to on-line teaching. Then, we conducted a semi-structured interviews with people responsible for the medical curricula at the Swiss Medical Schools. We used a purposive sampling method and invited key persons at the following Swiss Medical Schools: Basel, Bern, Freiburg, Geneva, Lausanne, Zürich, and also the ETHZ. The interviews were conducted in English, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim. Subsequently the data collected was organized, stored and analysed with the software Nvivo. We used a qualitative, deductive, content analysis to explore faculty experiences. Results Twenty-four articles met the eligibility criteria and were included for full text screening. Of the included articles, 15 reported on DLT in general and nine articles reported on DLT during the Pandemic. The thematic analysis of the interviews resulted in four overall themes, requirements, obstacles, facilitators and advantages. Results are organized by theme linked to specific characteristics of stakeholders. Curriculum managers shared their perspectives during interviews that institutions were relatively unprepared for the quick transition from onsite to online at the onset of the pandemic. Conclusions Our research reports a lack of institutional structures, communication, digital competences and literacy, teaching strategies, as well as a theoretical foundation for DLT implementation. A conceptual DLT framework adapted to the Swiss universities going beyond the current situation is needed.
Identification key genes influence cell cycle process in glioma by bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Zhang Huikai , Zhou Long , Li Zhiyang , Wei Hangyu , Lei Pan , Chen Qianxue , Cai Qiang 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
The aim of the present study was to identify key genes that influence cell cycle in gliomas by bioinformatics analysis, these genes may play an important role in tumorigenesis. We downloaded GSE50161 and GSE4290 from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) dataset and then with the using of GEO Diver web tool, 1882 differential expressed genes (DEGs) included 662 up-regulated genes and 1220 down-regulated genes were identified between 117 glioma samples and 13 normal brain tissue samples. Subsequently, the top 50 genes with the most significant difference were selected to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, and functional enrichment analysis was carried out. Most of these genes such as WEE1, CDK1, PBK, CCNB2, NUSAP1, MELK, KIAA0101, TOP2A and CAMK2A had been shown to be involved in cell cycle process. Then Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia were performed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and pathway analysis were also conducted. Furthermore, CDK1, TPO2A, NUSAP1, PBK and CHEK1 genes were identified with the higher degrees in protein-protein interaction network and enriched in cell cycle. We verified these genes in GSE4290. Further on, overall survival analysis showed the prognostic value of these genes and we confirmed the low expression of CAMK2A and CDK1 in glioma tissues on TCGA and the Human Protein Atlas database. In conclusion, these genes associated with the cell cycle process such as CAMK2A, CDK1, PBK, WEE1 and CHEK1 may play an important role in the occurrence and development of glioma.
“If only I had”, patients’ experiences during early oncology trials
Authors: IJsselt Maaike E. A. van Sasse van , Biessen Diane A.J. van der , Puffelen Andrea J. van , Robbrecht Debbie G.J. , Oldenmenger Wendy H 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Purpose
Until today, it is not clear why patients decide to continue with Early Clinical Trial (ECT) participation. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore to which extent the self-determination theory of Ryan and Deci, according to the ECT enrollment phase, corresponds to the motivations of participants during ECT’s.
Methods
This study has a qualitative design. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and were deductively analyzed in Nvivo12 using the thematic analysis approach of Braun and Clarke.
Results
As a result of the deductive analysis performed, six themes and twenty subthemes emerged which matched the three personal needs: competence, relatedness, and autonomy (n = 12). “Competence” included the following themes: mixed future expectations, treatment expectations, and control of the outcome. “Relatedness” included the theme altruistic motivation. “Autonomy” included the themes; to live and act in harmony as well as mental and physical burden.
Conclusion
Participants felt they tried everything and that they were treated to the limit. This not only gives the motivation to continue participating but also a sense of altruism. Despite different burdens, side-effects, and the feeling of being a test subject, the participants will not easily choose to stop participation in order to prevent saying afterwards: "If only I had".
Perceptions of chief clinical information officers on the state of electronic health records systems interoperability in NHS England: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Li Edmond , Lounsbury Olivia , Clarke Jonathan , Ashrafian Hutan , Darzi Ara , Neves Ana Luisa 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Background
In the era of electronic health records (EHR), the ability to share clinical data is a key facilitator of healthcare delivery. Since the introduction of EHRs, this aspect has been extensively studied from the perspective of healthcare providers. Less often explored are the day-to-day challenges surrounding the procurement, deployment, maintenance, and use of interoperable EHR systems, from the perspective of healthcare administrators, such as chief clinical information officers (CCIOs).
Objective
Our study aims to capture the perceptions of CCIOs on the current state of EHR interoperability in the NHS, its impact on patient safety, the perceived facilitators and barriers to improving EHR interoperability, and what the future of EHR development in the NHS may entail.
Methods
Semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2020 – October 2021. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit NHS England CCIOs. Interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was performed by two independent researchers to identify emerging themes.
Results
15 CCIOs participated in the study. Participants reported that limited EHR interoperability contributed to the inability to easily access and transfer data into a unified source, thus resulting in data fragmentation. The resulting lack of clarity on patients' health status negatively impacts patient safety through suboptimal care coordination, duplication of efforts, and more defensive practice. Facilitators to improving interoperability included the recognition of the need by clinicians, patient expectations, and the inherent centralised nature of the NHS. Barriers included systems usability difficulties, and institutional, data management, and financial-related challenges. Looking ahead, participants acknowledged that realising that vision across the NHS would require a renewed focus on mandating data standards, user-centred design, greater patient involvement, and encouraging inter-organisational collaboration.
Conclusion
Tackling poor interoperability will require solutions both at the technical level and in the wider policy context. This will involve demanding interoperability functionalities from the outset in procurement contracts, fostering greater inter-organisation cooperation on implementation strategies, and encouraging systems vendors to prioritise interoperability in their products. Only by comprehensively addressing these challenges would the full potential promised by the use of fully interoperable EHRs be realised.
False Atrial Fibrillation Alerts from Smartwatches are Associated with Decreased Perceived Physical Well-being and Confidence in Chronic Symptoms Management
Authors: Tran Khanh-Van , Filippaios Andreas , Noorishirazi Kamran , Ding Eric , Han Dong , Mohagheghian Fahimeh , Dai Qiying , Mehawej Jordy , Wang Ziyue , Lessard Darleen , Otabil Edith Mensah , Hamel Alex , Paul Tenes , Gottbrecht Matthew , Fitzgibbons Timothy , Saczynski Jane , Chon Ki , McManus David 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Wrist-based wearables have been FDA approved for AF detection. However, the health behavior impact of false AF alerts from wearables on older patients at high risk for AF are not known. In this work, we analyzed data from the Pulsewatch (NCT03761394) study, which randomized patients (≥ 50 years) with history of stroke or transient ischemic attack to wear a patch monitor and a smartwatch linked to a smartphone running the Pulsewatch application vs to only the cardiac patch monitor over 14 days. At baseline and 14 days, participants completed validated instruments to assess for anxiety, patient activation, perceived mental and physical health, chronic symptom management self-efficacy, and medicine adherence. We employed linear regression to examine associations between false AF alerts with change in patient-reported outcomes. Receipt of false AF alerts was related to a dose-dependent decline in self-perceived physical health and levels of disease self-management. We developed a novel convolutional denoising autoencoder (CDA) to remove motion and noise artifacts in photoplethysmography (PPG) segments to optimize AF detection, which substantially reduced the number of false alerts. A promising approach to avoid negative impact of false alerts is to employ artificial intelligence driven algorithms to improve accuracy.
Configuring Conventional Dual Signal Controllers for Transit Priority Using the Response Surface Methodology in Congested Urban Traffic Networks
Authors: Hawas Yaser E. , Alam Md. Didarul 
Published: December 2022

Abstract

This paper discusses the methodology of reconfiguring ordinary traffic signal controllers such as dual controllers to provide more functionalities beyond the conventional way of operation, in an optimal and a robust manner, aiming at transforming such controllers into smart standalone ATMS components. This paper presents an applied simulation-based response surface methodology (RSM) for the optimization of the reconfigured controllers. This RSM method was applied to a conventional actuated dual-traffic signal controller after modifying it to support additional functionalities of transit preemption. The modified controller was optimized using the RSM to perform best in congested and highly congested traffic networks. Two simultaneous objective functions were considered to maximize the transit throughput and minimize the network overall travel time. The results were analyzed for congested and highly congested traffic conditions, and the notion of robustness of the optimized dual controller was introduced, estimated and discussed. The performance of optimized controller was assessed comparatively against the traditional dual controller (not optimized), in a hypothetical simulation network origin-destination demand pairs and multiple overlapping transit routes, using 75 and 45 congested and highly congested traffic scenarios, respectively. The optimal controller outperformed the one without optimization in 65% and 96% of the congested and highly congested traffic cases, respectively.
Characterization of Mercury Ameliorating Rhizobacteria for Enhancing Growth and Yield of Triticum Aestivum L. in Field. An In Vitro and In Silico Study
Authors: Amin Aatif , Naveed Muhammad , Rasheed Sunbul , Sarwar Arslan , Latif Zakia 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
Mercury resistant (HgR) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) producing rhizobacteria were isolated from mercury-contaminated areas near Itehad Chemicals (PVT) Limited, Kala Shah Kaku, District Sheikhupura and tanneries of district Kasur, Punjab, Pakistan. Out of 60 mercury-resistant bacterial isolates, three were selected based on high mercury resistance (20–40 µg/ml) and IAA production (15–40 µg/ml). Selected isolates were subjected to biochemical and molecular characterization. HPLC and GC-MS analyses were performed for the confirmation of IAA production by selected rhizobacterial in methanol extract. Pot and field experiments were conducted under controlled conditions on Triticum aestivum L. with a bacterial consortium consisting of AZ-3, Z-A15, and Z-A22. Selected bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus cereus AZ-3, Enterobacter cloacae Z-A15, and Pseudomonas putida Z-A22. B. cereus AZ-3 showed 90% resistance against HgCl2 at 40 µg/ml due to the presence merT gene. E. cloacae Z-A15 and P. putida Z-A22 showed high production of IAA at 20 and 36 µg/ml respectively. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) confirmed the production of IAA by selected bacteria. Greenhouse experiment showed plant growth promoting ability of mercury resistant bacterial isolates with T. aestivum in both HgCl2 amended as well as in HgCl2 non-amended soils. Inoculation of bacterial consortium A7 (AZ-3, Z-A15, and Z-A22-Hg) posed a substantial increase such as 90, 3.2, 19.2, 70.4, and 13.2 in shoot length, tillers, spike length, number of spikelets/spike and seed weight/200 g respectively, as compared to (AZ-3, Z-A22, and Z-A15 + Hg). Field experiments showed 17, 40, 67, 13, 27, and 70% increases in shoot length, dry weight, number of tillers, spike length, number of spikelets, and yield per acre respectively in T. aestivum. In silico analysis showed the structural determination of MerT protein encoded by the merT gene of B. cereus AZ-3 (OM039465) using Domain and Motif analysis, physiochemical features, secondary and tertiary structure prediction, and structure validation by Ramachandran plot. These bioinformatics tools predicted the structural-based functional homology of MerT transmembrane protein associated with mer operon harboring bacteria involved in the Hg-detoxification system. It is concluded that the selected bacterial consortium A7 of the present study can be used as an excellent biofertilizer for lessening Hg pollution and promoting plant growth in Hg-contaminated soil to maintain sustainable agricultural land.
RUNX1 mutation has no prognostic significance in paediatric AML: A retrospective study of the AML-BFM study group
Authors: Sendker Stephanie , Awada Amani , Domagalla Sophia , Sendker Michael , Orhan Eser , Hoffmeister Lina , Antoniou Evangelia , Niktoreh Naghmeh , Reinhardt Dirk , von Neuhoff Nils , Schneider Markus 
Published: December 2022

Abstract
In acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) RUNX1 mutation is characterized by certain clinicopathological features with poor prognosis and adverse risk by the European LeukemiaNet recommendation. Though initially considered as provisional category, the recent World Health Organization (WHO) classification of 2022 removed RUNX1-mutated AML from the unique entity. However, the significance of RUNX1 mutation in paediatric AML remains unclear. We retrospectively analysed a German cohort of 488 paediatric patients with de novo AML, enrolled in the AMLR12 or AMLR17 registry of the AML-BFM Study Group (Essen, Germany). A total of 23 paediatric AML patients (4.7%) harboured RUNX1 mutations, 18 of which (3.7%) had RUNX1 mutation at initial diagnosis. RUNX1 mutations were associated with older age, male gender, number of coexisting alterations and presence of FLT3-ITD but mutually exclusive of KRAS, KIT and NPM1 mutation. RUNX1 mutations did not prognostically impact overall- or event-free survival. Response rates did not differ between patients with and without RUNX1 mutations. This comprehensive study, comprising the largest analysis of RUNX1 mutation in a paediatric cohort to date, reveals distinct but not unique clinicopathologic features, with no prognostic significance of RUNX1-mutated paediatric AML. These results broaden the perspective on the relevance of RUNX1 alterations in leukaemogenesis in AML.