bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Socio-demographic, smoking and drinking characteristics in GB: A comparison of independent telephone and face-to-face Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit surveys conducted in March 2022
Authors: Kock Loren , Tattan-Birch Harry , Jackson Sarah , Shahab Lion , Brown Jamie 
Published: August 2022

BACKGROUND: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, from April 2020 data collection for the Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study (STS/ATS) shifted from a face-to-face to a telephone survey. In March 2022 a parallel face-to-face survey was conducted alongside the telephone survey to explore whether the change in data collection to telephone affected key sociodemographic, smoking alcohol use indicators.

METHODS: Cross-sectional representative surveys (one telephone and one face-to-face) of adults aged 16+ in Great Britain. We estimated unweighted statistics and 95% confidence intervals for sociodemographic date. We estimated weighted prevalence statistics and 95% confidence intervals for selected smoking and alcohol use measures for Great Britain, England, Scotland and Wales separately, except nicotine product use, which was assessed for the overall Great Britain sample only.

RESULTS: In March 2022, 2,607 and 2,064 adults aged 16+ participated in respective telephone and face-to-face surveys for the STS/ATS. The unweighted age profile of the face-to-face wave was younger than the telephone wave but similar according to other sociodemographic variables. Weighted estimates in the telephone and face-to-face surveys differed by around one percentage point or less for response categories of daily smoker, non-daily smoker, pipe/cigar smoker, and stopped last year. There were differences in the estimates for never smoking and stopped more than a year ago between the surveys but the combined estimate for never or long-term ex-smoking was similar. Data on use of nicotine products by past-year smokers were similar between survey modalities. The estimates for people reporting an AUDIT score of 8 or higher, or an AUDIT-C score of 5 or higher, and attempting to cut down on drinking were similar between modalities. A higher proportion of respondents reported never drinking during the past year in the face-to-face survey compared with the telephone survey.

CONCLUSION: A parallel telephone and face-to-face survey wave of the STS/ATS yielded similar estimates for key sociodemographic, smoking and alcohol use measures. Differences between estimates are generally within expected limits given the uncertainty of month-to-month surveys.
Riego automatizado por Arduino aplicado en la germinación de semillas de pepino (Cucumis sativus)
Authors: Sánchez Eval , Ruiloba Paola , Morales Luis , Sánchez Erick 
Published: August 2022

Se desarrolló una prueba de germinación de semillas de pepino (Cucumis sativus) en sustrato compostado bajo condiciones de riego no automatizado (T1) vs riego automatizado (T2) con el objetivo de evaluar la eficacia del riego sobre el porcentaje de germinación. El T1 se regó con 1lt de agua en la bandeja diariamente , en el T2 se realizó el riego haciendo uso de un sensor de humedad del suelo para captar la información y mediante programación en Arduino controlar una válvula solenoide que habilita el paso del agua a un sistema de riego por inmersión en las bandejas. Se sembraron cuatrocientas semillas para ambos tratamientos, se observan diferencias de germinación a favor del riego automatizado(T2), se discuten los factores relevantes que condicionan esta primera etapa del establecimiento del cultivo.
Tratamiento digital de un pulso ultrasónico para la navegación de un robot autónomo móvil mediante análisis geométrico
Authors: Romero-Perigault Javier , Rodríguez Nielsen , Rodríguez Dania , Custodio Luis , Cáceres Hernández Danilo , Merchán Fernando 
Published: August 2022

En este artículo se explican los fundamentos y consideraciones necesarias para la implementación de dos o más sensores ultrasónicos HC-SR04, con disposición distinta a configuraciones de posiciones convencionales para sensores de detección y distancia, en vehículos autónomos y robots. Se propone un método de distinción de pulsos ultrasónicos emitidos y reflejados, realizando una comparación de patrones de señales digitales recibidas por los sensores en base a dichos pulsos, con diferentes ángulos de incidencia y reflexión; para, luego, procesar dichas señales mediante un método de tratamiento de señal digital elemental implementada en una plataforma computacional incorporada a un robot autónomo. Con este trabajo se busca contribuir a la elaboración de un posible prototipo de mapa de escenarios de laberinto recorrido por el vehículo. Se concluye que el robot está en plena capacidad de distinguir distintos escenarios de un laberinto, sin importar el parecido de los patrones de señal digital de distancia o la posición de los sensores presentada en este artículo.
A Mark-Release-Recapture Study to Estimate Field Performance of Imported Radio-Sterilized Male Aedes albopictus in Albania
Authors: Velo Enkelejda , Balestrino Fabrizio , Kadriaj Përparim , Carvalho Danilo Oliveira , Dicko Ahmadou , Bellini Romeo , Puggioli Arianna , Petrić Dusan , Michaelakis Antonios , Schaffner Francis , Almenar David , Pajovic Igor , Beqirllari Alfred , Ali Migel , Sino Gjergji , Rogozi Elton , Jani Vjola , Nikolla Adelina , Porja Tanja , Goga Thanas , Fălcuă Elena , Kavran Mihaela , Pudar Dubravka , Mikov Ognyan , Ivanova-Aleksandrova Nadya , Cvetkovikj Aleksandar , Akıner Muhammet Mustafa , Mikovic Rados , Tafaj Lindita , Bino Silva , Bouyer Jeremy , Mamai Wadaka 
Published: August 2022

The pathogen transmittingAedes albopictusmosquito is spreading rapidly in Europe, putting millions of humans and animals at risk. This species is well-established in Albania since its first detection in 1979. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is increasingly gaining momentum worldwide as a component of area-wide-integrated pest management. However, estimating how the sterile males will perform in the field and the size of target populations is crucial for better decision-making, designing and elaborating appropriate SIT pilot trials, and subsequent large-scale release strategies. A mark-release-recapture (MRR) experiment was carried out in Albania within a highly urbanized area in the city of Tirana. The radio-sterilized adults ofAe. albopictusAlbania strain males were transported by plane from Centro Agricoltura Ambiente (CAA) mass-production facility (Bologna, Italy), where they were reared. In Albania, sterile males were sugar-fed, marked with fluorescent powder, and released. The aim of this study was to estimate, under field conditions, their dispersal capacity, probability of daily survival and competitiveness, and the size of the target population. In addition, two adult mosquito collection methods were also evaluated: BG-Sentinel traps baited with BG-Lure and CO2,(BGS) versus human landing catch (HLC). The overall recapture rates did not differ significantly between the two methods (2.36% and 1.57% of the total male released were recaptured respectively by BGS and HLC), suggesting a similar trapping efficiency under these conditions.Sterile males traveled a mean distance of 93.85 ± 42.58 m and dispersed up to 258 m. Moreover, they were observed living in the field up to 15 days after release with an average life expectancy of 4.26 ± 0.80 days. Whether mosquitoes were marked with green, blue, yellow, or pink, released at 3.00 p.m. or 6.00 p.m., there was no significant difference in the recapture, dispersal, and survival rates in the field. The Fried competitiveness index was estimated at 0.28. This mark-release-recapture study provided important data for better decision-making and planning before moving to pilot SIT trials in Albania. Moreover, it also showed that both BG-traps and HLC were successful in monitoring adult mosquitoes and provided similar estimations of the main entomological parameters needed.
Advanced ultrawide-field optical coherence tomography angiography identifies previously undetectable changes in biomechanics-related parameters in nonpathological myopic fundus
Authors: Zhang Weiran , Li Chang , Gong Yibo , Liu Nianen , Cao Yunshan , Li Zhiqing , Zhang Yan 
Published: August 2022

Purpose: To detect previously undetectable changes in vessel density and structural thickness, the two biomechanics-related parameters reflecting hemodynamics and tensile strength, respectively, in the peripheral and central fundi of nonpathological myopic eyes with an advanced ultrawide-field optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) system.Methods: A cross-sectional observational clinical study was carried out by recruiting 155 eyes from 79 college students aged 18–28 years. The eyes were stratified into normal, low-myopia, medium-myopia, and high-myopia groups according to diopter. A newly developed OCTA system with scanning dimensions of 24 mm × 20 mm, acquisition speed of 400 kHz, and imaging range of 6 mm was used to examine the vessel densities of superficial vascular complex (SVC), deep vascular complex (DVC), choriocapillary (ChC), and choroidal vessel (ChV) layers, as well as the thicknesses of the inner retina, outer retina, and choroid in the nonpathological myopic eyes.Results: The vessel densities in ChV at the temporal, inferotemporal, inferior, and inferonasal regions in the fundus periphery were significantly reduced in myopic subjects as compared to normal controls (all p &lt; 0.05). The thicknesses of the inner retinal segments in most peripheral regions of the fundus became attenuated along with myopia severity (all p &lt; 0.05). The thicknesses of the outer retinal segments were diminished at the superior and supranasal regions of the peripheral fundi of myopic subjects as compared to normal controls (all p &lt; 0.05). At the central macular region, the decreased vessel densities of SVC and DVC were correlated with the attenuated thicknesses of inner retinal segments, respectively (all p &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: As revealed for the first time by the advanced ultrawide-field OCTA system, the two biomechanics-related parameters that include the densities of the choroidal vessels and thicknesses of the inner retina segments were significantly reduced in the periphery of nonpathological myopic fundi and the reductions were associated with myopia severity. At the central macular region, the newly developed device provides consistent results with the previous findings. Therefore, it is important to use the noninvasive, ultrawide-field OCTA with high resolution for early detection of fundus changes in subjects with nonpathological high myopia.Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier ChiCTR2100054093.
A nomogram to predict lateral lymph node metastases in lateral neck in patients with medullary thyroid cancer
Authors: Jin Lichao , Zhang Xiwei , Ni Song , Yan Dangui , Wang Minjie , Li Zhengjiang , Liu Shaoyan , An Changming 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundMedullary thyroid cancer (MTC) can only be cured by surgery, but the management of lateral lymph nodes is controversial, especially for patients with cN0+cN1a. To address this challenge, we developed a multivariate logistic regression model to predict lateral lymph node metastases (LNM).MethodsWe retrospectively collected clinical data from 124 consecutive MTC patients who underwent initial surgery at our institution. The data of 82 patients (from 2010 to 2018) and 42 patients (from January 2019 to November 2019) were used as the training set for building the model and as the test set for validating the model, respectively.ResultsIn the training group, the multivariate analyses indicated that male and MTC patients with higher preoperative basal calcitonin levels were more likely to have lateral LNM (P = 0.007 and 0.005, respectively). Multifocal lesions and suspected lateral LNM in preoperative ultrasound (US) were independent risk factors (P = 0.032 and 0.002, respectively). The identified risk factors were incorporated into a multivariate logistic regression model to generate the nomogram, which showed good discrimination (C-index = 0.963, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9286–0.9972). Our model was validated with an excellent result in the test set and even superior to the training set (C-index = 0.964, 95% CI: 0.9121–1.000).ConclusionHigher preoperative basal calcitonin level, male sex, multifocal lesions, and lateral lymph node involvement suspicion on US are risk factors for lateral LNM. Our model and nomogram will objectively and accurately predict lateral LNM in patients with MTC.
Scores of peripheral neuropathic pain predicting long-term mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Liau Yi-Ju , Lin Shu-Fan , Lee I-Te 
Published: August 2022

ObjectivesDiabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP) is a prevalent chronic complication in patients with diabetes. Using a questionnaire is helpful for DPNP screening in outpatients. In this retrospective cohort, we aimed to examine whether DPNP diagnosed based on scoring questionnaires could predict long-term mortality in outpatients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe enrolled 2318 patients who had joined the diabetes pay-for-performance program and completed the annual assessments, including both the identification pain questionnaire (ID pain) and Douleur Neuropathique en 4 questionnaire (DN4), between January 2013 and October 2013. Information on registered deaths was collected up to August 2019.ResultsThere was high consistency in the scores between the ID pain and DN4 (r = 0.935, P &lt; 0.001). During the median follow-up of 6.2 years (interquartile range: 5.9−6.4 years), 312 patients deceased. Patients with an ID pain score of ≥ 2 had a higher mortality risk than those with a score of &lt; 2 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.394, 95%CI: 1.090−1.782), and patients with a DN4 score of ≥ 4 had a higher mortality risk than those with a score of &lt; 4 (HR = 1.668, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.211−2.297). Patients consistently diagnosed with DPNP by the ID pain and DN4 had a significantly higher mortality risk (HR = 1.713, 95% CI: 1.223−2.398, P = 0.002), but not those discrepantly diagnosed with DPNP (P = 0.107), as compared with those without DPNP.ConclusionsBoth the ID pain and DN4 for DPNP screening were predictive of long-term mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, a discrepancy in the diagnosis of DPNP weakened the power of mortality prediction.
A meta-analysis of genome-wide gene expression differences identifies promising targets for type 2 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Huang Tao , Nazir Bisma , Altaf Reem , Zang Bolun , Zafar Hajra , Paiva-Santos Ana Cláudia , Niaz Nabeela , Imran Muhammad , Duan Yongtao , Abbas Muhammad , Ilyas Umair 
Published: August 2022

Aims/introductionDue to the heterogeneous nature of type 2 diabetes mellitus and its complex effects on hemodynamics, there is a need to identify new candidate markers which are involved in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and can serve as potential targets. As the global diabetes prevalence in 2019 was estimated as 9.3% (463 million people), rising to 10.2% (578 million) by 2030 and 10.9% (700 million) by 2045, the need to limit this rapid prevalence is of concern. The study aims to identify the possible biomarkers of type 2 diabetes mellitus with the help of the system biology approach using R programming.Materials and methodsSeveral target proteins that were found to be associated with the source genes were further curated for their role in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The differential expression analysis provided 50 differentially expressed genes by pairwise comparison between the biologically comparable groups out of which eight differentially expressed genes were short-listed. These DEGs were as follows: MCL1, PTX3, CYP3A4, PTGS1, SSTR2, SERPINA3, TDO2, and GALNT7.ResultsThe cluster analysis showed clear differences between the control and treated groups. The functional relationship of the signature genes showed a protein–protein interaction network with the target protein. Moreover, several transcriptional factors such as DBX2, HOXB7, POU3F4, MSX2, EBF1, and E4F1 showed association with these identified differentially expressed genes.ConclusionsThe study highlighted the important markers for diabetes mellitus that have shown interaction with other proteins having a role in the progression of diabetes mellitus that can serve as new targets in the management of DM.
A homozygous variant in the GPIHBP1 gene in a child with severe hypertriglyceridemia and a systematic literature review
Authors: Sustar Ursa , Groselj Urh , Khan Sabeen Abid , Shafi Saeed , Khan Iqbal , Kovac Jernej , Bizjan Barbara Jenko , Battelino Tadej , Sadiq Fouzia 
Published: August 2022

Background: Due to nonspecific symptoms, rare dyslipidaemias are frequently misdiagnosed, overlooked, and undertreated, leading to increased risk for severe cardiovascular disease, pancreatitis and/or multiple organ failures before diagnosis. Better guidelines for the recognition and early diagnosis of rare dyslipidaemias are urgently required.Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples of a Pakistani paediatric patient with hypertriglyceridemia, and from his parents and siblings. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed, and an expanded dyslipidaemia panel was employed for genetic analysis.Results: The NGS revealed the presence of a homozygous missense pathogenic variant c.230G&gt;A (NM_178172.6) in exon 3 of the GPIHBP1 (glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high-density lipoprotein-binding protein 1) gene resulting in amino acid change p.Cys77Tyr (NP_835466.2). The patient was 5.5 years old at the time of genetic diagnosis. The maximal total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured at the age of 10 months (850.7 mg/dl, 22.0 mmol/L and 5,137 mg/dl, 58.0 mmol/L, respectively). The patient had cholesterol deposits at the hard palate, eruptive xanthomas, lethargy, poor appetite, and mild splenomegaly. Both parents and sister were heterozygous for the familial variant in the GPIHBP1 gene. Moreover, in the systematic review, we present 62 patients with pathogenic variants in the GPIHBP1 gene and clinical findings, associated with hyperlipoproteinemia.Conclusion: In a child with severe hypertriglyceridemia, we identified a pathogenic variant in the GPIHBP1 gene causing hyperlipoproteinemia (type 1D). In cases of severe elevations of plasma cholesterol and/or triglycerides genetic testing for rare dyslipidaemias should be performed as soon as possible for optimal therapy and patient management.
Deconvolution of B cell receptor repertoire in multiple sclerosis patients revealed a delay in tBreg maturation
Authors: Lomakin Yakov A. , Zvyagin Ivan V. , Ovchinnikova Leyla A. , Kabilov Marsel R. , Staroverov Dmitriy B. , Mikelov Artem , Tupikin Alexey E. , Zakharova Maria Y. , Bykova Nadezda A. , Mukhina Vera S. , Favorov Alexander V. , Ivanova Maria , Simaniv Taras , Rubtsov Yury P. , Chudakov Dmitriy M. , Zakharova Maria N. , Illarioshkin Sergey N. , Belogurov Alexey A. , Gabibov Alexander G. 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundB lymphocytes play a pivotal regulatory role in the development of the immune response. It was previously shown that deficiency in B regulatory cells (Bregs) or a decrease in their anti-inflammatory activity can lead to immunological dysfunctions. However, the exact mechanisms of Bregs development and functioning are only partially resolved. For instance, only a little is known about the structure of their B cell receptor (BCR) repertoires in autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), a severe neuroinflammatory disease with a yet unknown etiology. Here, we elucidate specific properties of B regulatory cells in MS.MethodsWe performed a prospective study of the transitional Breg (tBreg) subpopulations with the CD19+CD24highCD38high phenotype from MS patients and healthy donors by (i) measuring their content during two diverging courses of relapsing-remitting MS: benign multiple sclerosis (BMS) and highly active multiple sclerosis (HAMS); (ii) analyzing BCR repertoires of circulating B cells by high-throughput sequencing; and (iii) measuring the percentage of CD27+ cells in tBregs.ResultsThe tBregs from HAMS patients carry the heavy chain with a lower amount of hypermutations than tBregs from healthy donors. The percentage of transitional CD24highCD38high B cells is elevated, whereas the frequency of differentiated CD27+ cells in this transitional B cell subset was decreased in the MS patients as compared with healthy donors.ConclusionsImpaired maturation of regulatory B cells is associated with MS progression.
Identification of OTUD6B as a new biomarker for prognosis and immunotherapy by pan-cancer analysis
Authors: Zhao Guang , Song Dingli , Wu Jie , Yang Sanhu , Shi Sien , Cui Xiaohai , Ren Hong , Zhang Boxiang 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundOvarian-tumor (OTU) domain-containing protein 6B (OTUD6B), one of newly identified OTU deubiquitylating enzyme families, is proved to be associated with tumor progression. However, whether it plays a key role in pan-cancer still remains unknown.MethodsThe profiles of OTUD6B expression in multiple cancers were analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Information of protein expression was performed based on the HPA, GeneCards, and String databases. K-M plotter and survival data analysis were used to analyze the prognostic value of OTUD6B expression, including overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), disease-free interval (DFI), and progression-free interval (PFI). R package “clusterProfiler” was used for enrichment analysis of OTUD6B. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlation between the expression of OTUD6B, immune infiltration, and immune-related genes. Additionally, we preliminarily validated its tumorigenic effect in lung cancer cell lines.FindingsOTUD6B expression was upregulated in most cancers, such as COAD, CHOL, and LUAD, and predicted poor prognosis in most cancers in TCGA. Results showed that OTUD6B expression was positively correlated with memory CD4+ T cells, Th1 CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells. In terms of the immune-related genes, OTUD6B was found to be associated with most types of genes, such as immunostimulatory genes KDR, TGFBR1, and IL-10. Moreover, for most types of tumors, the immune score was found to be negatively correlated with OTUD6B expression. In addition, lung cancer cell lines with OTUD6B knockdown significantly inhibited proliferation and invasion ability of lung cancer cells.ConclusionsThe study indicated that OTUD6B is an oncogene and may serve as a new potential biomarker in various tumors. OTUD6B may play a part in TIME, which could be applied as a new target for cancer therapy.