bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novel visceral adiposity index predicts bone loss in female early rheumatoid arthritis patients detected by HR-pQCT
Authors: Yue Jiang , Wong Priscilla C. H. , Zhang Ying , Peng Feng , Griffith James F. , Xu Jiankun , Xiao Fan , Li Tena K. , Hung Vivian , Qin Ling , Tam Lai-Shan 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe purpose of this prospective study is to compare the Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) between early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients and healthy controls; and to assess the relationship between CVAI and the bone microstructure using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) in ERA patients. 104 female ERA and 100 age-, gender- and BMI-matched healthy controls were recruited for the comparison of CVAI. All ERA patients were prospectively followed for 1 year. HR-pQCT scan of the distal radius, tibia and second metacarpal head were performed at baseline and after one-year. ERA patients were divided into two sub-groups according to the median CVAI value (65.73) (low CVAI and high CVAI groups). CVAI in the ERA group was significantly higher than the controls group (p = 0.01). At baseline, the high CVAI group had a higher ESR level (p = 0.004) while the cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) was lower (at both the distal radius and tibia, all p < 0.05) compared to the low CVAI group. Linear regression analysis revealed that a higher baseline CVAI was an independent predictor of a lower cortical vBMD at month 12 (distal radius: B = − 0.626, p = 0.022, 95%CI − 1.914  to  − 0.153; tibia: B = − 0.394, p = 0.003, 95%CI − 1.366 to − 0.290); and a greater reduction in trabecular vBMD (tibia: B = 0.444, p = 0.001, 95%CI 0.018–0.063; distal radius: B = 0.356, p = 0.008, 95%CI 0.403–0.063). In summary, CVAI is an independent predictor of trabecular bone loss in female patients with ERA, which may be augmented by a chronic inflammatory state in patients with visceral dysfunction of fat metabolism.Trial registration:http://Clinicaltrial.gov no: NCT01768923, 16/01/2013.
Comparison of the quality of life of patients with liver cirrhosis before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in Slovakia
Authors: Skladaný Ľ. , Líška D. , Liptáková E. , Tapajčiková T. , Vnenčaková J. , Koller T. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLiver cirrhosis is associated with a poor quality of life (QOL). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to several restriction measures and psychosocial consequences whose impact on QOL has combined with that of cirrhosis in an unknown way. Therefore, we have used our cirrhosis registry to assess the quality of life before the pandemic (on the first admission to the tertiary liver unit) and during the most pronounced phase of the first lockdown. In this cross-sectional study conducted during the first lockdown in Slovakia (from April to May 2020), we have repeated the QOL measurement of QOL in cirrhotic patients previously enrolled in the RH7 registry. Patients who were alive (according to the national registry of deaths) were identified and contacted by phone with a structured and standardized interview led by trained professionals. The tool used for both QOL measurements (at enrolment in RH7 and during lockdown) was a standardized and validated EuroQOL-5D (EQ-5D) questionnaire. The study included 97 patients, of which 37 (38.1%) were women and 60 (61.9%) were men. Responses were achieved from 75 patients (68.18%). In general, patients scored their quality of life significantly higher during the pandemic compared to examination at admission to RH7 (that is, at admission to our tertiary liver unit with cirrhosis) (p = 0.005). In particular, of the domains included in EQ-5D: (1) self-care was better during lockdown compared to the first record on admission to RH7 (p < 0.001). (2) the ability to perform daily activities has also improved during lockdown (p = 0.002). On the other hand, (3) pain and discomfort did not change significantly during the lockdown compared to the previous measurement (p = 0.882). (4) anxiety and depression were lower during lockdown compared to admission to RH7 (p = 0.01). The quality of life in patients with liver cirrhosis was better during the lockdown of SARS-CoV-2 compared to the previous measurement at admission to the tertiary liver unit.
Multifrequency controlled synchronization of four inductor motors by the fixed frequency ratio method in a vibration system
Authors: Jia Lei , Wang Chun , Liu Ziliang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn this article, multifrequency controlled synchronization of four inductor motors by the fixed frequency ratio method in a vibration system is investigated. The electromechanical coupling dynamical model of the vibrating system is established. The synchronous condition of the vibrating system is obtained with the small parameter method. Through the theoretical derivation and numerical simulation, multifrequency self-synchronization of four induction motors in the vibration system can’t be realized. To achieve the purpose of multifrequency synchronization motion, the method of multifrequency controlled synchronization is proposed, and a fuzzy PID controlling method is introduced. The stability of the controlling system is certified by the Lyapunov criterion. An arbitrariness of the proposed controlling method which is applied to the vibration system is presented. To certify the accuracy of the theory and simulation, a vibrating test bench is constructed. Some experiments are operated to validate the effectiveness and the proposed controlled synchronization method.
Markers for obese and non-obese Type 2 diabetes identified using whole blood metabolomics
Authors: Teruya Takayuki , Sunagawa Sumito , Mori Ayaka , Masuzaki Hiroaki , Yanagida Mitsuhiro 
Published: February 2023

AbstractDefinitive differences in blood metabolite profiles between obese and non-obese Type 2 diabetes (T2D) have not been established. We performed an LC–MS-based non-targeted metabolomic analysis of whole blood samples collected from subjects classified into 4 types, based on the presence or absence of obesity and T2D. Of the 125 compounds identified, 20, comprising mainly nucleobases and glucose metabolites, showed significant increases or decreases in the T2D group. These included cytidine, UDP-glucuronate, UMP, 6-phosphogluconate, and pentose-phosphate. Among those 20 compounds, 11 enriched in red blood cells (RBCs) have rarely been studied in the context of diabetes, indicating that RBC metabolism is more extensively disrupted than previously known. Correlation analysis revealed that these T2D markers include 15 HbA1c-associated and 5 irrelevant compounds that may reflect diabetic conditions by a different mechanism than that of HbA1c. In the obese group, enhanced protein and fatty acid catabolism causes increases in 13 compounds, including methylated or acetylated amino acids and short-chain carnitines. Our study, which may be considered a pilot investigation, suggests that changes in blood metabolism due to obesity and diabetes are large, but essentially independent.
The effect of exercise on the quality of life in an academic environment
Authors: Alumran Arwa 
Published: February 2023

AbstractRegular physical activity has a direct association with an improvement in perceived health-related quality of life (HRQL). Because many Saudis are reportedly inactive, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University established a walking challenge for all university employees to encourage a better lifestyle and to promote health awareness. This study aims to measure the differences in the participants’ HRQL scores before and after the challenge. A before and after study was conducted using HRQL survey that was sent to all university employees before the implementation of a pedometer-based walking challenge at the study setting, and after the challenge ended. A randomized snowball sample method was used to recruit participants. The differences in the overall HRQL before and after the challenge were calculated. A RAND SF20-items scale was used to measure the participants’ HRQL scores, along with other information such as academic qualifications. Most of the participants were between 31 and 50 years old, and 40% were males. There was a statistically significant difference in the overall HRQL scores before and after the walking challenge intervention. The HRQL score increased from 50.77 before the challenge to 55.53 after the challenge (paired t-test = − 4.322, P < 0.0001). An odds ratio (OR) showed that the odds of having higher HRQL scores increased by 88% after the walking challenge, compared to before the walking challenge (OR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.269–2.809; P = 0.002). Physical activity by itself can improve a community’s overall health and quality of life. Similar interventions are encouraged in all public and private sectors in the country.
Assessing the prognostic value of respiratory oscillometry in patients with difficult-to-treat asthma
Authors: Shen Yi-Luen , Hsieh Yi-An , Huang Yu-Ming , Peng Yi-Hao , Chen Ling-I , Dai Fang-Chuan , Lin Yu-Sheng , Huang Chien-Wen 
Published: February 2023

AbstractRespiratory oscillometry is widely explored in asthma management; however, there is currently no consensus on its routine work-up in patients with difficult-to-treat asthma. We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study involving patients with difficult-to-treat asthma at Asia University Hospital between January 2017 and October 2020. We aimed to correlate clinical significance of respiratory oscillometry and asthma treatment outcomes including symptoms control and exacerbation in patients with difficult-to-treat asthma. Among the 69 patients enrolled in the study, a total of 26.1% of the patients experienced at least one severe or two moderate exacerbations. Patients with ACT < 20 presented a higher prevalence of higher frequency-dependent resistance (FDR; the difference in resistance at 5 Hz and 20 Hz) and frequency of resonance (Fres) than those with ACT ≥ 20. In the multivariable analysis, comorbidities, COPD or allergic rhinitis, and FDR were independent factors in increasing the odds ratio in poorly controlled asthma. (FDR ≥ 0.10 vs. < 0.10, adjusted ORR = 5.05, P = 0.037) There was a higher proportion of frequent exacerbations in patients with higher FDR (FDR ≥ 0.10 vs. < 0.10 = 30.0%:20.7%), but IOS parameters failed to predict frequent exacerbations on further analysis. FDR may be a potential clinical parameter for predicting symptom control in patients with difficult-to-treat asthma.
Construction and validation of a cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature for the prediction of the prognosis of LUAD and LUSC
Authors: Wang Yu , Xiao Xu , Li Yan 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLung cancer is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) accounting for the majority of cases. Cuproptosis, tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) have been demonstrated to be associated with tumorigenesis. The objective of the present study was to develop a novel cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature to assess the association between cuproptosis and TIME in patients with LUAD or LUSC and to predict prognosis. Based on the outputs of the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model, a cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature was developed. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were generated to confirm the predictive ability of the signature. Univariate and multivariate analysis was also performed to determine the association between overall survival and this signature and other clinical characteristics, and a nomogram was created. Additionally, the relationship between the signature, TIME, tumor mutation burden and m6A methylation was established. The results of the present study revealed that 8 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were associated with the prognosis of patients with LUAD and LUSC. This novel cuproptosis-related lncRNA signature is associated with TIME and m6A methylation in LUAD and LUSC and can predict prognosis with accuracy.
Oxidized hemoglobin triggers polyreactivity and autoreactivity of human IgG via transfer of heme
Authors: Planchais Cyril , Noe Remi , Gilbert Marie , Lecerf Maxime , Kaveri Srini V. , Lacroix-Desmazes Sébastien , Roumenina Lubka T. , Dimitrov Jordan D. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIntravascular hemolysis occurs in diverse pathological conditions. Extracellular hemoglobin and heme have strong pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory potentials that can contribute to the pathology of hemolytic diseases. However, many of the effects of extracellular hemoglobin and heme in hemolytic diseases are still not well understood. Here we demonstrate that oxidized hemoglobin (methemoglobin) can modify the antigen-binding characteristics of human immunoglobulins. Thus, incubation of polyclonal or some monoclonal human IgG in the presence of methemoglobin results in an appearance of binding reactivities towards distinct unrelated self-proteins, including the protein constituent of hemoglobin i.e., globin. We demonstrate that a transfer of heme from methemoglobin to IgG is indispensable for this acquisition of antibody polyreactivity. Our data also show that only oxidized form of hemoglobin have the capacity to induce polyreactivity of antibodies. Site-directed mutagenesis of a heme-sensitive human monoclonal IgG1 reveals details about the mechanism of methemoglobin-induced antigen-binding polyreactivity. Further here we assess the kinetics and thermodynamics of interaction of a heme-induced polyreactive human antibody with hemoglobin and myoglobin. Taken together presented data contribute to a better understanding of the functions of extracellular hemoglobin in the context of hemolytic diseases.
Heath management app use in Parkinson’s disease and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Tang Yilin , Liang Xiaoniu , Shen Bo , Wang Jiawei , Bloem Bastiaan R. , Wu Jianjun , Wang Jian 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic affected follow-up visits and medication availability for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). As a promising strategy to deal with these challenges, the implementation of health management smartphone apps was accelerated. However, whether more intense use of such apps could improve the quality of life (QoL) for PD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic was unknown.

Methods
Using a PD management app, this observational study assessed changes in QoL, as determined by PD Questionnaire 8 (PDQ-8), among PD patients before (Jan 20, 2019 to Oct 6, 2019) and after the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown (Jan 20, 2020 to Oct 6, 2020). According to adherence to use of the app, participants were divided into low adherence, moderate adherence, and high adherence groups. A total of 4979 PD patients registered in the app, and 226 PD patients were enrolled, including 57 patients with low adherence, 112 with moderate adherence and 57 with high adherence. A generalized linear model was used to evaluate the change of PDQ-8 scores across these three different adherence groups.

Results
After the COVID-19 lockdown (1-year follow-up), the PDQ-8 scores are reduced by 0.8 (95% CI, 0.3–1.4) in all participants (P = 0.004). After adjustment for age, gender, education, disease duration and levodopa equivalent dose, PDQ-8 scores significantly less reduced in the high adherence group (0.3; 95% CI, 0.6–1.2) compared to the low adherence (1.9; 95% CI, 0.7–3.1) (P = 0.040) and moderate adherence groups (0.6; 95% CI, 0.2–1.3) (P = 0.012).

Conclusions
A health management smartphone-based app might be a way to both measure and improve QoL among PD patients, provided that sufficient adherence is achieved.
Assessment of transmitral and left atrial appendage flow rate from cardiac 4D-CT
Authors: Bäck Sophia , Henriksson Lilian , Bolger Ann F. , Carlhäll Carl-Johan , Persson Anders , Karlsson Matts , Ebbers Tino 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Background
Cardiac time-resolved CT (4D-CT) acquisitions provide high quality anatomical images of the heart. However, some cardiac diseases require assessment of blood flow in the heart. Diastolic dysfunction, for instance, is diagnosed by measuring the flow through the mitral valve (MV), while in atrial fibrillation, the flow through the left atrial appendage (LAA) indicates the risk for thrombus formation. Accurate validated techniques to extract this information from 4D-CT have been lacking, however.

Methods
To measure the flow rate though the MV and the LAA from 4D-CT, we developed a motion tracking algorithm that performs a nonrigid deformation of the surface separating the blood pool from the myocardium. To improve the tracking of the LAA, this region was deformed separately from the left atrium and left ventricle. We compared the CT based flow with 4D flow and short axis MRI data from the same individual in 9 patients.

Results
For the mitral valve flow, good agreement was found for the time span between the early and late diastolic peak flow (bias: <0.1 s). The ventricular stroke volume is similar compared to short-axis MRI (bias 3 ml). There are larger differences in the diastolic peak flow rates, with a larger bias for the early flow rate than the late flow rate. The peak LAA outflow rate measured with both modalities matches well (bias: −6 ml/s).

Conclusions
Overall, the developed algorithm provides accurate tracking of dynamic cardiac geometries resulting in similar flow rates at the MV and LAA compared to 4D flow MRI.
Nonce‐misuse resilience of Romulus‐N and GIFT‐COFB
Authors: Inoue Akiko , Guo Chun , Minematsu Kazuhiko 
Published: February 2023

AbstractNonce‐misuse resilience (NMRL) security of Romulus‐N and GIFT‐COFB is analysed, the two finalists of NIST Lightweight Cryptography project for standardising lightweight authenticated encryption. NMRL, introduced by Ashur et al. at CRYPTO 2017, is a relaxed security notion from a stronger, nonce‐misuse resistance notion. The authors have proved that Romulus‐N and GIFT‐ COFB have nonce‐misuse resilience. For Romulus‐N, the perfect privacy (NMRL‐PRIV) and n/2‐bit authenticity (NMRL‐AUTH) with graceful degradation with respect to nonce repetition are showed. For GIFT‐COFB, n/4‐bit security for both NMRL‐PRIV and NMRL‐AUTH notions is showed.
Selecting reliable blockchain peers via hybrid blockchain reliability prediction
Authors: Zheng Peilin , Zheng Zibin , Chen Liang 
Published: February 2023

AbstractBlockchain and blockchain‐based decentralised applications have been attracting increasing attention recently. In public blockchain systems, users usually connect to third‐party peers or run a peer to join the P2P blockchain network. However, connecting to unreliable blockchain peers will lead to resource waste and even loss of cryptocurrencies by repeated transactions. In order to select reliable blockchain peers, it is urgently needed to evaluate and predict their reliability of them. Faced with this problem, we propose hybrid blockchain reliability prediction (H‐BRP), a Hybrid Blockchain Reliability Prediction model, to extract the blockchain reliability factors and then make the personalised prediction for each user. Comprehensive experiments conducted on 100 blockchain requesters and 200 blockchain peers demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed H‐BRP model. Further, the implementation and dataset of 2,000,000 test cases are released.
Diagnostic Sensitivity of Unenhanced CT for Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: Can Clot Density Measurement Replace CT Venogram?
Authors: Chaudhary Snehansh Roy , Chunara Mohamed , McLeavy Chris , Qayyum Haisum , Cusack James , Paton David , Hare James , Ganguly Akash 
Published: February 2023

Abstract
Objectives Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is an important cause of stroke in young adults. Noncontrast-enhanced CT head (NECT) is almost always the first investigation.Our objectives were as follows:1. How accurately does venous sinus density on NECT predict the presence of clot on CT venogram (CTV)?2. Whether repeated measurements changed the confidence?3. How many venous sinus thrombus would be missed if we do not do a CTV?4. Can clot density measurement replace CTV?
Methods Multicenter case–control study was designed with data from seven hospitals. Inclusion criteria: all CT and magnetic resonance imaging venograms with a prior NECT, performed between 1.1.2018 and 31.12.2018 (12 months), were included. Hounsfield unit (HU) values were calculated at the site of highest density on the NECT. Logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA.
Result Two-hundred seventy-seven cases met the criteria with 33 positive cerebral venous thrombosis (density on NECT 60–92 HU) and 244 negative examinations (density on NECT 31–68 HU). Area under the curve for average clot density on NECT was 0.9984.
Conclusion We found a strong relationship between sinus density on NECT and outcome of CTV. Repeating density measurements did not add any predictive value or changed outcome.
Advances in Knowledge Density 70 HU or higher on NECT always resulted in a positive CTV but would miss a fifth of the positives. Cutoff at 60 HU would not miss any but result in significant false positives. An efficient option could be to limit CTV to sinus densities 60 to 70 HU only. However, a larger study would be required for such change in practice.
The role of interactive style of use in improving risk management effectiveness
Authors: Marc Mojca , Arena Marika , Peljhan Darja 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how to make risk management systems (RMS) more effective. We identify a critical element for effective RMS, which is neglected in the literature, and argue that the potential of advanced RMS designs (e.g., enterprise risk management—ERM) depends on the interactive style of use. However, interactive use is costly in terms of managers’ time and attention, so many organizations do not use RMS in this way. Using survey data and PLS-SEM, we show for our sample companies that the positive effects of advanced RMS design on effectiveness are fully mediated through interactive use of RMS. This brings on an important implication that a RMS leads to better results when it is used interactively. For example, more interactive use of less developed RMS design (such as the traditional silo-based design) would improve its effectiveness by compensating for the lack of an organization-wide RMS.
A multimodal investigation of EFL upper-intermediate learners’ conceptual metaphors of language learning with some psychological implications
Authors: Abdulaal Mohammad Awad Al-Dawoody , Abuslema Naglaa Fathy Mohammad Atia , Hal Amal Zakaria Mahmoud , Amer Asma’ Abdelhaleem , Altohami Waheed M. A. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIncreased attention has been directed toward utilizing visual modes because linguistic modes cannot accurately depict L2 learners’ metaphorical conceptions of their language-acquisition experiences. The goal of this study was to investigate the mental images that Saudi EFL students may have in mind while learning a foreign language. To this end, both verbal and nonverbal metaphorical conceptions were investigated. An experimental group of 12 students was randomly selected. Both the learners’ written responses and drawn descriptions were evaluated to tap into the learners’ mental representations of foreign language learning. The multimodality-based analysis of the upper-intermediate learners’ metaphors demonstrated that the EFL learners’ metaphorical verbal and non-verbal representations had the same perspectives on learning a foreign language. The learners’ positive attitudes were also revealed by the extracted metaphorical concepts. Most of the metaphorical representations showed language learning as an exciting and uniquely personal experience. Few metaphorical representations showed that learning English was an awful experience.