bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Thyroglossal duct diseases: presentation and outcomes
Authors: Muhialdeen Aso S. , Salih Abdulwahid M. , Ahmed Mohsin M. , Saeed Yadgar A. , Qaradakhy Aras J. , Baba Hiwa O. , Abdullah Ari M. , Kakamad Fahmi H. , Mohammed Shvan H. , Hiwa Dilan Sarmad , Mohammed Mohammed Subhan , Najmadden Zana Baqi 
Published: February 2023

Objective The incidence of thyroglossal duct diseases in the general population is about 7%. We aimed to demonstrate the clinical presentations and management of thyroglossal duct diseases. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of all patients who underwent surgery for histopathologically confirmed thyroglossal duct cyst, sinus, or fistula at a single center. Results A total of 151 cases were included in this study. There were more female patients (87, 58%) than male patients (64, 42%). The patients’ ages ranged from 1 to 63 years old. The most prevalent complaint was painless upper midline neck swelling (93.3%). Most cases were diagnosed as thyroglossal duct cysts (137, 90.7%). Six cases (4%) were associated with carcinoma. All the cases were managed using the modified Sistrunk procedure. There were no procedure-related complications, and five cases of recurrence. Conclusions Although thyroglossal duct cyst is the most common neck anomaly in children, it may also present with various characteristics later in life. This condition can be managed successfully without complications and with a low recurrence rate.
Long term outcome of complex surgical resection and reconstruction for rare thoracic cancers
Authors: Pastorino Ugo , Leuzzi Giovanni , Sabia Federica , Girotti Paolo , Duranti Leonardo , Radaelli Stefano , Fiore Marco , Stacchiotti Silvia , Patrizia Giannatempo , Salvioni Roberto , Gronchi Alessandro 
Published: February 2023

Background Complex surgical resection and reconstruction for rare thoracic cancers (RTCs) represent a major challenge, given their very low frequency, extreme variability of presentation, multi-modality treatment options and inadequate outcome prediction. We analysed the experience of a tertiary referral centre on a consecutive series of patients with thoracic germ cell tumours, thymomas and sarcomas, with the aim of reporting the long-term outcome by cancer type and complexity of surgical procedures. Methods From Jan 2003 to Dec 2018, 768 surgical procedures were performed with curative intent on 644 RTC patients. Study endpoints were: post-operative hospital stay (Pod), 30-day and 90-day mortality, 5-year and 10-year overall survival (OS). Median follow-up of alive patients was 7.2 years. Results Median Pod was 7 days, with a 1.2% 30-day and 2.9% 90-day mortality. OS was 90.8% at one year, 74.2% at five years and 62.8% at 10 years. Ten-year OS was 73.0% in low, 65.3% in intermediate, and 55.6% in high complexity score (Log-rank tests p<0.0001); 66.6% in patients with one or two reconstructions and 46.4% in patients with three or more reconstructions (p<0.0001); 46.0% with vascular and 50.0% with chest wall reconstruction; 71.8% in germ cell tumours, 64.6% in thymoma and 51.3% in sarcoma (p<0.0001). Conclusion Complex surgical resection and reconstruction was associated with acceptable 90-day mortality and good 10-year survival in all RTC types. A predictive score based on surgical complexity and cancer type can help the clinical decision making.
Psychosocial factors involved in the very infrequent use of HIV testing among French MSM: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mabire-Yon Renaud , Di Ciaccio Marion , Picard Hervé , Palich Romain , Supervie Virginie , Préau Marie 
Published: February 2023

Background Among men who have sex with men (MSM) in France, the average time between infection and testing is too long, leading to late diagnosis. A better understanding of very infrequent HIV testing (VIT; i.e. have not tested for at least 6 years) could help reach unknowingly long-infected MSM. Thus, we aim to identify psychosocial factors associated with VIT among MSM in France. Methods We conducted a multivariate regression on the data collected via a cross-sectional survey among 315 MSM. Results 11.1% ( n = 35) had VIT. Being over 50, not knowing about the existence of HIV self-testing, having predominantly heterosexual friends, and the level of belief in the effectiveness of treatment as prevention were significantly associated with VIT. Conclusion We call for the development, at the same time, of programs that operate at the individual, institutional and societal levels. In particular, we recommend diversifying the modes of promotion and access to prevention tools, especially for MSM over 50 years old or with little or no connection to the gay community.
Mechanics and Experience in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Opportunities for Civic Empathy
Authors: Kessner Taylor Milan , Cortes Luis Perez 
Published: February 2023

Background Videogames are widely considered effective learning environments, with powerful lessons relevant to those who design teaching and learning experiences. Violent videogames, however, are often left out of such conversations. Intervention In this context, we examine Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (MW) as a violent videogame that might suggest design principles useful for effecting emotional experiences, a key element to the formation of memories and therefore learning. Methods Through narrative description of two missions from MW and interleaved discussion of its mechanics, we contend even violent videogames might inform the design of interactive learning experiences. Results We highlight how MW’s mechanics (a) are designed to constrain player’s actions to facilitate visceral experiences, while being (b) thoughtfully juxtaposed with typical first-person shooter mechanics, to (c) create opportunities to develop what we call civic empathy, the ability to understand—even share to some extent—the feelings of another person with whom one shares a common affiliation with and responsibility to one or more social groups. We also highlight the concept of global civic empathy, in which one includes the world’s citizens as co-members of a global community. Discussion Learning from simulations and games is often discussed through the lens of actions made available to players. Our contribution is the flip side of that coin—what a game or simulation prevents players from doing—is equally important. Limitations We played these missions ourselves. We therefore limit our conclusions to our own experiences, though we contend our findings may inform the design of learning games and simulations. Conclusion In simplest terms, our theory of action is this: (1) Constraining mechanics (2) create juxtaposition and cognitive dissonance, which in turn (3) create emotional experiences that serve as rich sites for complex learning (empathy development) to take place.
Evaluation of dietary histories in cats presenting with chronic gastrointestinal clinical signs to a veterinary teaching hospital
Authors: Schramm Andreina , Kook Peter Hendrik 
Published: February 2023

Objectives Although less frequently described than in dogs, it is also well recognised in cats that chronic gastrointestinal (GI) disease can fully respond to dietary changes only. So far, no study has assessed how much dietary information can be obtained during veterinary consultations. Methods We retrospectively evaluated how much dietary information was available when owners presenting their cats to our gastroenterology (GE) and internal medicine (IM) service between October 2017 and January 2020 were questioned during consultations. Because of the larger IM caseload, for each week the first two cats presenting with chronic GI signs were selected for the IM group. Data from 80 cats presenting for first GE consultations were compared with data from 84 cats presenting with chronic GI signs for first IM consultations. Results Referrals comprised 42/80 (53%) GE cats and 53/84 (63%) IM cats. Referral documents mentioned the previously fed diet in 12/42 (29%) GE and 4/53 (8%) IM cats, and response to that previous diet trial was recorded in the referral documents of 4/12 (33%) GE and 3/4 (75%) IM cats. No cat had received more than one previous diet trial. During consultations, owners of 61/80 (76%) GE and 53/84 (63%) IM cats were asked about diet. Irrespective of referral status, previous dietary trials had been performed in 27/61 (44%) GE and 19/53 (36%) IM cats. The specific diet fed at the time of consultation could be named by 37/61 (61%) GE and 11/53 (21%) IM cat owners. Conclusions and relevance Overall dietary information gained from referring veterinarians and owners was often incomplete. Although more information could be gained from owners during GE consultations vs IM consultations, awareness of the importance of diet in cats with GI disease still appears to be low among veterinarians and cat owners. Future studies need to assess if more complete dietary information can be obtained at the time of consultations with a prospective study design.
Pre- and postsurgical measurements in patients with strabismus sursoadductorius a retrospective study
Authors: Voith-Sturm Victoria , Rezar-Dreindl Sandra , Neumayer Thomas , Schmidt-Erfurth Ursula , Stifter Eva 
Published: February 2023

Purpose Strabismus sursoadductorius is the most common strabismus of the oblique eye muscles. The changes in squint angle, elevation in adduction, abnormal head posture and binocular vision were collected to get an overview of the results at the largest clinic in Austria. Methods This study is a retrospective study. The orthoptic and ophthalmologic parameters of 102 patients who were treated in the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry between January 2017 und September 2020 were collected and statistically analysed. Results The mean age was 12.2 ± 14.8 years. The squint angle changed from 18.3 ± 6.3 presurgical to 13.4 ± 9.7 (p = 0.09) with Hirschberg measurement. The squint angle changed from 12.5 ± 7.7 to 6.7 ± 4.9 (p < 0.01) at distance and from 12.5 ± 7.6 to 6.1 ± 4.5 (p < 0.01) at near with the prism covertest. Elevation in adduction showed a highly significant change (p < 0.01) from 15 ± 5.6 to 1.4 ± 2.8 degrees on average postsurgical. In binocular vision at distance there was also a highly significant (p < 0.01) change with 21.6% to postsurgical 37.3% positive tests. At near, the positives also increased significantly (p = 0.01) from 32.4% to 39.2%. There was no significant change in stereo vision (p = 1.0). Presurgical 52.9% of the sample had an abnormal head posture, postsurgical it was 38.2%, this change is also highly significant (p < 0.01). Conclusion The change was significant to highly significant for most parameters (i.e., squint angle, elevation in adduction, and abnormal head posture).
Prevalence of high-risk conditions for severe COVID-19 among Medicaid-enrolled children with autism and mental health diagnoses in the United States
Authors: Schott Whitney , Tao Sha , Shea Lindsay 
Published: February 2023

Children are at risk of short- and long-term morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. We examine whether autistic children and children with mental health conditions have higher odds of underlying health conditions at high risk of severe disease from COVID-19. We use claims data from a national sample of Medicaid-enrolled children for the years 2008–2016. We examine (1) children with claims for autism and (2) a random sample of children covered by Medicaid, without autism claims but with mental health condition. The comparison group is a random sample of children without autism or any mental health condition. There were 888,487 autistic children, 423,397 with mental health conditions (but not autism or intellectual disability), and 932,625 children without autism or mental health condition. We found 29.5% of autistic children and 25.2% of children with mental health conditions had an underlying condition with high risk for severe illness from COVID, compared to 14.1% of children without these diagnoses. Autistic children had higher odds of having any underlying condition (odds ratio = 2.17; 99% confidence interval = 2.14–2.20), as did children with mental health conditions (odds ratio = 1.71; 99% confidence interval = 1.68–1.73), adjusting for basic demographic characteristics. Children with diagnoses of autism and mental health conditions may be at higher risk for severe COVID due to high-risk condition prevalence. Lay abstract Children are at risk of varying severity of illness and even death from COVID-19. We aim to determine whether autistic children or children with mental health conditions have more underlying health conditions that put people at risk of severe illness from COVID-19. We use data from a national sample of Medicaid-enrolled children for the years 2008–2016. These data include children across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. We compare the prevalence of underlying conditions among autistic children and children with mental health condition to that of other children in Medicaid. This study included 888,487 autistic children, 423,397 with any mental health condition (but not autism), and 932,625 children without any of these diagnoses. We found 29.5% of autistic children and 25.2% of children with mental health conditions had an underlying condition with high risk for severe illness from COVID, compared to 14.1% of children without these diagnoses. Autistic children had over twice the odds of having any underlying conditions, when accounting for age, race, sex, and other characteristics. Children with mental health conditions had 70% higher odds of having these underlying conditions. Mitigation measures in schools and other areas could minimize risk of short- and long-term impacts from COVID for autistic and all children.
The effect of successful lower extremity revascularization on aortic stiffness in patients with peripheral arterial disease
Authors: Toprak Kenan , Balaban İsmail , Pala Selçuk 
Published: February 2023

Objective Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a global health problem and associated with poor outcomes. It causes increased arterial stiffness. The association of PAD with aortic arterial stiffness was investigated in previous studies. However, there is limited data regarding the effect of peripheral revascularization on arterial stiffness. The aim of our study is to investigate the effect of peripheral revascularization on aortic stiffness parameters in patients with symptomatic PAD. Methods A total of 48 patients with PAD who underwent peripheral revascularization were included in the study. Echocardiography was performed before and after the procedure, and aortic stiffness parameters were obtained by using aortic diameters and arterial blood pressure measurements. Results Post-procedural aortic strain (5.1 [1.3–14] vs. 6.3 [2.8–6.3], p = 0.009) and aortic distensibility (0.2 [0.0–0.9] vs. 0.3 [0.1–1.1], p = 0.001) measurements were significantly increased compared to pre-procedural values. Patients were also compared according to the lesion laterality, site and treatment methods. It was found that the change in aortic strain ( p = 0.031) and distensibility ( p = 0.043) were significantly higher in unilateral lesion compared to bilateral lesion. Also, the change in aortic strain ( p = 0.042) and distensibility ( p = 0.033) were significantly higher in iliac site lesion compared to superficial femoral artery (SFA) site lesion. Moreover, the change in aortic strain was significantly higher ( p = 0.013) in patients treated with stent compared to only balloon angioplasty. Conclusion Our study showed that successful percutaneous revascularization significantly reduced aortic stiffness in PAD. The change in aortic stiffness was significantly higher in unilateral lesions, iliac site lesions and stent-treated lesions.
Integrated Analysis of Transcriptome Changes in Osteoarthritis: Gene Expression, Pathways and Alternative Splicing
Authors: Li Congming , Wei Pengli , Wang Lei , Wang Qiang , Wang Hong , Zhang Yangjun 
Published: February 2023

Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease characterized by the degeneration of articular cartilage and the remodeling of its underlying bones, resulting in pain and loss of function in the knees and hips. As far as we know, no curative treatments are available except for the joint replacement. The precise molecular mechanisms which are involved in the degradation of cartilage matrix and development of osteoarthritis are still unclear. Design By analyzing RNA-seq data, we found the molecular changes at the transcriptome level such as alternative splicing, gene expression, and molecular pathways in OA knees cartilage. Results Expression analysis have identified 457 differential expressed genes including 266 up-regulated genes such as TNFSF15, ST6GALNAC5, TGFBI, ASPM, and TYM, and 191 down-regulated genes such as ADM, JUN, IRE2, PIGA, and MAFF. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis identified down-regulated pathways related to translation, transcription, immunity, PI3K/AKT, and circadian as well as disturbed pathways related to extracellular matrix and collagen. Splicing analysis identified 442 differential alternative splicing events within 284 genes in osteoarthritis, including genes involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) and alternative splicing, and TIA1 was identified as a key regulator of these splicing events. Conclusions These findings provide insights into disease etiology, and offer favorable information to support the development of more effective interventions in response to the global clinical challenge of osteoarthritis.
Is the Synovium the First Responder to Posttraumatic Knee Joint Stress? The Molecular Pathogenesis of Traumatic Cartilage Degeneration
Authors: Kwapisz Adam , Herman Katarzyna , Momaya Amit , Piwnik Marcin , Szemraj Janusz , Elphingstone Joseph , Synder Marek , Grzegorzewski Andrzej 
Published: February 2023

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate if a similar catabolic and inflammatory gene pattern exists between the synovium, hyaline cartilage, and blood of patients with the knee joint tissues and if one precedes the other. Design A total of fifty-eight patients (34 females and 24 males) with a mean age of 44.7 years (range, 18-75) underwent elective knee arthroscopy due to previously diagnosed pathology. Full blood samples were collected preoperatively from synovium and cartilage samples intraoperatively. Real time PCR with spectrophotometric analysis was performed. Following genes taking part in ECM (extracellular matrix) remodeling were selected for analysis: MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, MMP-13, MMP-14, ADAMTS-4 (Agg1) and ADAMTS-5 (Agg2) proteases, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 – their inhibitors - and IL-1 and TNF-α cytokines. Results Analysis revealed a strong and significant correlation between gene expression in synovial and systemic blood cells (p <0.05 for all studied genes) with ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, IL-1, TNF-α and TIMP-2 expression most positively correlated with an R>0.8 for each. An analysis between chondrocytes and systemic blood gene expression shown no significant correlation for all genes. Bivariate correlation of International Cartilage Repair Society grading and genes expression revealed significant associations with synovial MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-8, MMP-9, IL-1, TNF-α and TIMP-2. Conclusion We suggest that the synovial tissue is the first responder for knee joint stress factors in correlation with the response of blood cells. The chondrocyte’s genetic response must be further investigated to elucidate the genetic program of synovial joints, as an organ, during OA development and progression.
How Does Cross-Sectional Imaging Impact the Management of Patients With Single Ventricle After Bidirectional Cavopulmonary Connection?
Authors: Sagray Ezequiel , Cetta Frank , O’Leary Patrick W. , Qureshi M. Yasir 
Published: February 2023

Background There is currently no consensus regarding the use of surveillance cross-sectional imaging in pediatric patients after bidirectional cavopulmonary connection (BDCPC). We sought to determine how computed tomography with angiography (CTA) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging impacted the clinical management of pediatric patients after BDCPC. Methods A single-center retrospective study including patients with single ventricle who had BDCPC between 2010 and 2019, and CTA/CMR studies obtained in these patients, at ≤5 years of age, and with Glenn physiology. Repeat studies on the same patient were included if the clinical situation had changed. The impact of CTA/CMR studies was categorized as major, minor, or none. Results Twenty-four patients (63% male) and 30 imaging studies (22 CTAs) were included. 60% were obtained in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS); most common indication was Follow-up after an intervention (23%). 6 CMRs were performed on stable HLHS patients as part of a research protocol, with no clinical concerns. The overall impact of CTA/CMR studies was major in 13 cases (43.3%). CTA/CMR studies performed ≥1 year of age (62.5% vs 21.4%, P = .02) and in non-HLHS patients (66.7% vs 27.8%, P = .035) were associated with major impact. Also, 2/6 Research studies were associated with a major impact. Conclusions CTA/CMR imaging in pediatric patients with SV after BDCPC was associated with significant clinical impact in over 40% of cases, with a higher impact if obtained in patients ≥1 year of age and in non-HLHS patients. We cannot disregard the possibility of CMR as a surveillance imaging modality in this population.