bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spironolactone for Female Acne: A Meta-analysis of Safety and Efficacy
Authors: Aleid Ali Mohammad , Alrezqi Wafa Ali , Al Mushayt Dana Omar , Altamimi Amal Meshari , Almahfouz Rnda Fahad , Algaidi Yaser , Alonazi Bassam Saleh 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background:
Acne vulgaris includes inflammation of the hair follicle and its related structures commonly localized on the face, upper chest and back that affects a significant group of female patients in the world, particularly, the consumption continues during adulthood. Antifungal drugs, in particular, spironolactone, an antagonist of the aldosterone hormone, has been used for testing the effectiveness in treating acne vulgaris.

Objective:
The present SRMA was conducted in an attempt to assess the efficacy and safety of spironolactone when used for the management of acne vulgaris.

Methods:
Data Sources: Electronic search was done in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library in order to retrieve all related articles. Study Selection: The trials involving the use of spironolactone in treatment of acne were considered for use in the review. Data Extraction: Potential confounders, dependent variables, and complications were also collected. Quality Assessment: Averagely, the quality of the included sections was evaluated using the risk-of-bias 2 tool. Data Analysis: In this study RevMan software was utilized in making comparisons on side effects, improvement rates and acne severity before and after treatment.

Results:
Study Inclusion: Overall, 12 publications were identified (2 RCTs and 10 cohort studies), encompassing 1,548 total participants in the thirteen distinct studies represented by these publications. Improvement Rates: Mild improvement in acne was observed in 47.22% while moderate improvement in acne was 31.11%, severe improvement in acne was 9.28% and super acute improvement in acne was 4.44% Patient satisfaction in terms of improvement in their acne was 73.3%. Adverse events were noticed in 26.7%. Effectiveness: Acne severity showed statistically significant improvement after spironolactone treatment, with a standardized mean difference of −29.27 (95% CI: −43.7 to −14.8; P < 0.05). Compared to placebo, spironolactone demonstrated a significant association with symptom improvement (odds ratio: 3.79; 95% CI 1.35 to 10.6, P<0.05).

Conclusion:
This review demonstrates that spironolactone, if used as a treatment for acne vulgaris, leads to a substantial improvement in the level of acne compared to baseline and placebo control. The rate of the related adverse event was small, which correlated to its safety factor.
Comparison between Left Atrial Appendage Closure and Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-analysis of 569780 Patients
Authors: Alaraj Wasayef Jameel , Aldhafyan Shahad Omar , Al-Ghamdi Lujain Abdullah , Alotaibi Abdulmajeed Ayidh , Alessa Fatimah Abdullah , Almohammadi Turki Ammash , Alfaqih Mohammed Abdulhamid , Alhodibi Mostafa Habeeb 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background:
Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC), which lowers bleeding risk and mortality, has been shown in multiple studies to be a safe substitute for oral anticoagulation (OAC) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. It has been demonstrated that in patients at high risk of bleeding, LAAC reduces bleeding more than OAC. The purpose of the current systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the two therapy methods regarding bleeding risk as well as other safety and efficacious outcomes, as there is insufficient evidence to support the use of LAAC rather than direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in AF patients.

Methods:
Using the following search strategy: ‘Left atrial’ AND ‘appendage’ AND ‘Atrial fibrillation’ AND ‘Anticoagulant’ OR ‘Anti-coagulant’ OR ‘Anticoagulation’, we searched PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus for eligible articles that should undergo the screening process to determine its ability to be included in our study.

Results:
The use of LAAC in AF patients was associated with lower risk of bleeding compared to patients taking DOAC with OR of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.87, P = 0.02), and decreased risk of cardiac mortality compared to DOAC with OR of 0.53 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.73, P < 0.0001). No significant differences were observed between LAAC and DOAC regarding all-cause mortality, stroke incidence and thrombosis or embolism with OR of 2.62 (95% CI: 0.14, 48.18, P = 0.52), 1.2 (95% CI: 0.18, 7.96, P = 0.85) and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.46, P = 0.86), respectively.

Conclusion:
The current meta-analysis contrasted various AF patient outcomes following the use of DOAC or LAAC. When compared to DOAC, the usage of LAAC was found to reduce the risk of bleeding and cardiac death. Regarding the incidence of all cause death, stroke risk and thrombosis or embolism risk, however, their findings were similar.
Predictive Factors of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Almutairy Manal Naser , Alqahtani Mohammed Khalid S. , Bajandoh Atheer Khalid , Alhazzaa Alwaleed Abdullah , Alsharif Ali Abdullah N. , Arshad Layan Fahad , Rayes Rida Nabeel A. , Alnazawi Roba Zaid , Alhodibi Mostafa Habeeb 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background:
DRE affects one-third of epileptic patients and has adverse effects on their prognosis. The identification of such characteristics can be helpful for management and therapy. The outcome being investigated is what forecasts DRE’s development in children.

Methods:
The trials review was done using a meta-analysis and a systematic evaluation and involved nine trials with 2,566 children. These include the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed and Scopus were used to search the databases. This paper contained data analysis of seizure, brain imaging, etiology, and family history.

Findings:
DRE is strongly associated with brain abnormalities (OR: 6.5, P < 0.01).

Types of Seizures:
Even though FS were not significant independent risk factors, FS, focal, numerous, neonatal, and SE seizures were. Major predictor of symptomatic etiology (OR: 8.07, P < 0.01).

Family History:
This is not highly correlated with DRE however.

Conclusions:
Though, first-degree relatives and febrile seizures are not associated with DRE, some seizure characteristics, cerebral structural alterations and pathological conditions for seizures have. The following conclusions could act as early indications to reduce the risk of DRE.
Pantoprazole in Patients at Risk for Gastrointestinal Bleeding in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
Authors: Al Rathwan Muzun Saeed Ojran , Khadra Sara Ben , Alyaseen Sarah Yousef Mubark , Aljuayl Hajar Adel , Ali Husain Mohamed Maki Hasan , Alruwaili Ghaida Abdullah M. , Mubarak Taif Hussain , Alsamiri Halimah Yaseen , Alhodibi Mostafa Habeeb 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background:
Many patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) suffer from gastrointestinal (GIT) bleeding as a result of stress ulcers. This type of injury is common in severely ill patients, especially with factors such as mechanical ventilation and coagulopathy. As a proton pump inhibitor, pantoprazole is frequently employed to avert the possibility of stress ulcers which may cause GIT bleeding. The objective of this study is to systematically review existing literature on the use of pantoprazole in preventing GIT bleeding and stress ulcers among critically ill patients locked in an ICU setting.

Methods:
We conducted a thorough investigation by methodically examining many databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, up to September 2024. The aim of our study was to discover literature assessing the efficacy of pantoprazole in preventing gastrointestinal bleeding and its impact on mortality rates among critically ill patients. We employed the risk-of-bias 2 methodology to assess the quality of the evidence, so ensuring the dependability of the results derived from these studies. The data were systematically organised in a uniform online format and analysed with RevMan 5.4.

Results:
Systematic analysis of five clinical trials comparing pantoprazole to placebo in critically ill patients revealed a significantly lower risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding with pantoprazole (risk ratio = 0.47, P = 0.003). However, no significant differences were observed in hospital mortality or ICU mortality compared to placebo or ranitidine. Pantoprazole also showed no impact on hospital or ICU length of stay, mechanical ventilation duration, or rates of Clostridium difficile infection. Sensitivity analysis for ICU length of stay resolved heterogeneity but did not alter the overall conclusion.

Conclusion:
This meta-analysis demonstrates that the use of pantoprazole is associated with a decrease in the incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill patients. However, it does not influence mortality or periods of hospitalisation or ICU stay including duration of mechanical ventilation or rates of Clostridium difficile infection. Similarly, when sedentary patients receive pantoprazole for stress ulcer prophylaxis, these benefits are restricted only to preventing GIT bleeding and not improving any of the critical care indices.
Linear stability of the regular N-gon periodic solutions for the planar N-body problem with quasi-homogeneous potential
Authors: Castillo Alex , Martínez Paulina , Vidal Claudio 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
This paper considers the planar N-body problem with a quasi-homogeneous potential given by

$$ \begin{align*}W = \sum_{1\leq k<j\leq N} \left[ \frac{ m_k m_j}{\|\boldsymbol{r}_k-\boldsymbol{r}_j\|} +\frac{m_k m_j C_{jk}}{\|\boldsymbol{r}_k-\boldsymbol{r}_j\|^p} \right], \end{align*} $$

where

$ m_k>0 $

are the masses and

$C_{jk}= C_{kj}$

are nonzero real constants, and the exponent g being

$ p> $

1. Generalizing techniques of the classical N-body problem, we first characterize the periodic solutions that form a regular polygon (relative equilibria) with equal masses (

$m_k= m$

,

$k=1, \ldots , N$

) and equal constants

$C_{jk}= C$

, for all

$j, k=1, \ldots , N$

(for short, N-gon solutions). Indeed, for

$C>0$

we prove that there exists a unique regular N-gon solution for each fixed positive mass m. In contrast, for the case

$C <0$

, we demonstrate that there can be a maximum of two distinct regular N-gon solutions for a fixed positive mass m. More precisely, there is a range of values for the mass parameter m for which no solutions of the form of an N-gon exist. Furthermore, we examine the linear stability of these solutions, with a particular focus on the special case

$ N=3 $

, which is fully characterized.
Prevalence of asymptomatic significant bacteriuria and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates in HIV-infected patients in Ilorin, Nigeria
Authors: Bale M.I. , Sinumvayo J.P. , Badmus R.A. , Babatunde S.K. , Aroyehun A.B. , Adeyemo R.O. 
Published: January 2025

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common type of infections worldwide, and this is usually preceded by asymptomatic significant bacteriuria (ASB). The emergence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria responsible for UTI makes this entity of public challenge, which has been fueled by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. This study determined the prevalence of ASB and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria isolated from urine samples of selected HIV-infected patients in Ilorin, Nigeria.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study of 300 randomly selected HIV-positive patients from Sobi Specialist and Civil Service hospitals in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, was conducted from January to March 2019. Clean-catch midstream urine samples were aseptically collected from each selected participant, cultured on CLED and Blood agar plates, and incubated aerobically at 37oC for 24 hours. The bacterial growth on the culture plates were identified using standard microbiological techniques. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic sensitivity of the bacterial isolates against a panel of antibiotics.
Results: The overall prevalence of ASB among the participants was 22.3%. Staphylococcus aureus (41.8%, 28/67), Escherichia coli (25.4%, 17/67), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.9%, 12/67) were the predominant bacterial isolates. Staphylococcus aureus was resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanate (64.3%), ceftriaxone (53.6%), ciprofloxacin (64.3%), and nalidixic acid (71.4%); E. coli was also resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanate (70.6%), ceftriaxone (53.6%), ciprofloxacin (52.9%) and nalidixic acid (64.7%); and K. pneumoniae was moderately resistant to amoxicillinclavulanate (50.0%) and resistant to ciprofloxacin (58.3%) and nalidixic acid (75.0%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 40.8% of the isolates.
Conclusion: The isolation rate of high MDR bacteria highlights the growing challenge of ASB and UTIs that are becoming increasingly difficult to treat with available antibiotics. Health professionals should be aware of regional resistance pattern to consider in the current empirical antimicrobial therapy for ASB and UTIs among HIV-infected patients. Strategies to mitigate spread of resistance are urgently needed in the study area.
Effect of medical treatment on outcome of benign prostatic hyperplasia in patients followed in the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali
Authors: Bonane A. , Nyirimodoka A. , Hategekimana T. , Bizumuremyi Y. C. , Niyonkuru I. M. V. , Rickard J. 
Published: January 2025

INTRODUCTION: Management of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) includes watchful waiting, pharmacotherapy, and surgical intervention. This study aimed to determine the effect of medical therapy on LUTS in patients with BPH in Rwanda.
METHODS: This was a one-year prospective observational study in men over 40 years with LUTS due to BPH. Patients were followed at 1, 3, and 6 months. We recorded post-void residual urine (PVR), prostate size, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and BPH medications. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between medical treatment and outcomes of interest.
RESULTS: A total of 163 patients were enrolled. Adherence to treatment was 151/154 (98%) at one month and 133/151 (88%) at 6 months. The reason of no adherence was ignorance in 11/17 (65%), drug was not available 3/17 (18%), and 2/17 (12%) were lacking money.
Medical therapy was associated with a decrease in IPSS score of more than 4 points after 3 months and the relationship was statistically significant after adjusting to the initial prostate size as a confounder (p =0.01 and p=0.02, respectively). Medical treatment was also associated with mean decrease in PVR at 3 and 6 months, respectively (p: 0.03 at 3 month and p 0.04 at 6 months).
CONCLUSION: Medical treatment for BPH was associated with decreased IPSS and PVR in Rwanda. Medical therapy offers an alternative to surgical treatment in low-resource areas with limited surgical services. Advocacy efforts should focus on ensuring affordable access to these medications.
‘The Diary of an Independent Zulu Queer Queen’: An Analysis of Toya Delazy’s Curated Persona on Instagram
Authors: Friday Lindsay 
Published: January 2025

The curation of an online persona has recently become critical for the popular musician. The persona, or public identity, is a tool for self- advertisement and audience growth. The phenomenon of online persona curation by musicians is now commonplace, but there remains potential for more research on how they uniquely combine their social media presence with their music. While some work exists concerning social media utilisation within the classical music sphere, South African manifestations in popular music have gone unstudied. This article outlines how UK-based South African popular musician Toya Delazy articulates an intersectional identity within a curated persona. The research conducted focused on her Instagram profile in combination with her musical output. Furthermore, the article discusses how Delazy’s persona appeals to several micro-publics in a manner conducive to growing her audience. The research expanded Richard Rogers’ list of digital objects to include emojis and captions, thereby claiming the relevance of several digital objects (emojis, hashtags and captions) to the articulation of identity within the persona. The article also demonstrates how the concept of an ‘era’ may be utilised to understand how a musician’s curated persona shifts with time.
Reframing the Hybridity Discourse in TwentyFirst Century African Art Music: A Composer’s Perspective
Authors: Obijiaku Chidi 
Published: January 2025

Hybridity is fundamental to African art music because the genre emerged through a synthesis of African traditional music and Western classical music. Such fusion enabled the composers to produce music that reflected the socio-political developments in Africa during Western colonialism. Although Western colonialism has ended, composers of African art music continue to employ hybridity as a reflection of the existential realities in twenty-first century Africa. One of such existential realities is urbanisation. Since the end of Western colonialism in Africa, many new cities have emerged while existing urban centres have continued to expand. These urban spaces facilitate the convergence of people from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and have catalysed the development of new urban cultures across the continent. In the last two decades, many composers have synthesised African urban cultures with Western classical music and African traditional music in new compositions that reflect the realities in present day Africa and extend the binary hybridity that spawned African art music. However, scholarly writings have continued to describe African art music as a genre that synthesises African traditional music with Western classical music alone, thus excluding compositions that explore urban cultures. This paper analyses two African art music compositions that draw from urban cultures in Nigeria and South Africa. Through the analysis, the author reflects on his experiences as a twenty-first century African composer and argues for an extension of the binary focus on hybridity which currently dominates the discourse on African art music.
Musical Forces as a Tool for Music Analysis: Understanding Syrinx by Claude Debussy Differently
Authors: Meyer Jaco 
Published: January 2025

Claude Debussy’s solo flute composition, Syrinx, originally titled La Flûte de Pan, by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) is regarded as one of the most important solo compositions in flute literature. Numerous analyses and interpretations of this composition exist, utilising various analytical methods, including unconventional ones like Gestalt perception and spectral analysis of flute tone quality. Many analyses delve into complex explanations, often discussing hierarchies and interactions of musical tones in Syrinx. This article aims to demonstrate how existing analyses of Syrinx can be reinterpreted using Steve Larson's theory of musical forces. The purpose is not to criticise the existing analyses but to offer a different understanding by applying Larson’s theory. This approach simplifies the intricate explanations found in previous analyses. Larson’s theory posits the existence of stable and unstable tones in tonal music, with unstable tones being drawn towards more stable ones due to musical forces: musical gravity (the tendency of an unstable tone to descend to a more stable tone), musical magnetism (the tendency of an unstable tone to ascend or descend to the closest stable tone), and musical inertia (the tendency of a musical pattern to continue in the same fashion it started). My analysis of Debussy's Syrinx reveals that Larson’s theory serves as a valuable analytical tool, simplifying the complexities often present in written music analyses due to its standardised terms. This analytical method can be applied not only to Syrinx but also to various compositions, simplifying existing analyses and opening up new avenues for interpretation and discussion.
IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PEMBINAAN PEDAGANG KAKI LIMA DI KECAMATAN WAJO KOTA MAKASSAR
Authors: Bachtiar Bachtiar 
Published: January 2025

Adapun yang menjadi tujuan penelitian ini adalah :Untuk menjelaskan bagaimana implementasi kebijakan pembinaan pedagang kaki lima yang diterapkan oleh pemerintah kota Makassar di kawasan Makassar Mall kecamatan Wajo kota Makassar dan Untuk menjelaskan faktor-faktor determinan yakni faktor komunikasi, sumber daya, sikap para pelaksana kebijakan baik aparat pemerintah kota / instansi terkait maupun pedagang kaki lima sendiri serta struktur birokrasi yang mempengaruhi implementasi kebijakan pembinaan pedagang kaki lima di kecamatan Wajo kota Makassar.
Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif dengan kombinasi pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif,. Adapun Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah survey. Populasi dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari seluruh pedagang kaki lima yang beroperasi di Makassar Mall kecamatan Wajo khususnya yang resmi tercatat pada Dinas Pasar kota Makassar. Sampel yang ditetapkan dari populasi menggunakan teknik Cluster Sampling (sampel gugus bertahap), Teknik pengumpulan data yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini adalah dengan cara :Observasi, ,Kuesioner terstruktur Wawancara, Dokumentasi, Data yang terkumpul dari hasil penelitian, akan diseleksi dan selanjutnya dianalisis secara deskriptif kualitatif-kuantitatif.
Dalam penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif dengan kombinasi pendekatan kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Adapun Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah survey. Populasi dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari seluruh pedagang kaki lima yang beroperasi di Makassar Mall kecamatan Wajo khususnya yang resmi tercatat pada Dinas Pasar kota Makassar. Sampel yang ditetapkan dari populasi menggunakan teknik Cluster Sampling (sampel gugus bertahap), Teknik pengumpulan data yang dilakukan dalam penelitian ini adalah dengan cara :Observasi, ,Kuesioner terstruktur Wawancara, Dokumentasi, Data yang terkumpul dari hasil penelitian, akan diseleksi dan selanjutnya dianalisis secara deskriptif kualitatif-kuantitatif.
Implementasi kebijakan pembinaan pedagang kaki lima sudah tergolong cukup berhasil dilaksanakan oleh pemerintah kota untuk memberikan pembinaan kepada pedagang kaki lima yang melakukan aktifitas usahanya. Secara umum faktor komunikasi, sumber daya, struktur birokrasi dan sikap pemerintah kota serta sikap pedagang kaki lima mempunyai pengaruh secara determinan tergolong sudah cukup mendukung terhadap berhasilnya implementasi kebijakan pembinaan pedagang kaki lima yang dilaksanakan pemerintah kota dalam wilayah kecamatan Wajo kota Makassar. Meskipun masih relatif terbatas sumber dana operasional dan fasilitas pelayanan publik yang dimiliki pemerintah kota untuk melaksanakan kebijakan pembinaan pedagang kaki lima di lapangan.