bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Life cycle assessment of stainless-steel reusable speculums versus disposable acrylic speculums in a university clinic setting: a case study
Authors: Rodriguez Morris Monica I , Hicks Andrea 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
The reusable versus disposable debate is frequently discussed with regards to health care sustainability. Vaginal speculums used in pelvic exams are available in both disposable and reusable material designs. A comparative cradle to grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to determine and analyze the environmental impacts of using disposable acrylic speculums versus using reusable stainless-steel speculums in a women’s university health clinic where around 5,000 pelvic exams are conducted on a yearly basis. Environmental impacts for the Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and other environmental Impacts (TRACI) 2.1 categories were determined using process based LCA. The scope considered for the analysis includes the stages of raw materials, manufacturing, use, and end of life. The functional unit for all analyses is selected as 5,000 pelvic exams, which is equivalent to one year of clinic operation. The reusable stainless steel speculum system outperformed the acrylic speculum system in five impact categories: global warming, acidification, respiratory effects, smog, and fossil fuel depletion. There is one category, ozone depletion, where the acrylic speculum system performs better. When accounting for uncertainty, in the carcinogenics, non-carcinogenics, ecotoxicity, and eutrophication impact categories, there is no speculum system that outperforms the other. Overall, there is no speculum system that outperforms the other consistently across all TRACI impact categories, however, depending on the overall environmental objectives one may be preferable to the other.
CICLOP: a robust and accurate computational framework for protein inner cavity detection
Authors: Garg Parth , Sacher Sukriti ,   Mrinal ,   Atul , Gautam Prutyay , Ray Arjun 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Motivation
Internal cavities in proteins are of critical functional importance. They can serve as substrate/ligand-binding sites, pave path for movement of biomolecules and even mediate structural conformations occurring between domain interfaces during structural transitions. Yet, there is a paucity of computational tools that can accurately and reliably characterize the inner cavities of the proteins, a prerequisite for elucidating their functions.

Results
We have developed a novel method, CICLOP, that can accurately identify these regions at an atomistic resolution. The method is able to accurately detect residues lining the inner cavity, the diameter and volume occupied by the cavity, as well as physico-chemical properties of residues lining the cavity, such as their hydrophobicity and secondary structure distribution in detail. Additionally, our method also provides an option for computing conservation scores for the residues detected on the inside, allowing for a thorough functional characterization of the cavity.

Availability and implementation
CICLOP is available at http://ciclop.raylab.iiitd.edu.in/. A compiled Linux executable can be downloaded from https://ciclop.raylab.iiitd.edu.in/standalone/.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Federated Random Forests can improve local performance of predictive models for various healthcare applications
Authors: Hauschild Anne-Christin , Lemanczyk Marta , Matschinske Julian , Frisch Tobias , Zolotareva Olga , Holzinger Andreas , Baumbach Jan , Heider Dominik 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Motivation
Limited data access has hindered the field of precision medicine from exploring its full potential, e.g. concerning machine learning and privacy and data protection rules.
Our study evaluates the efficacy of federated Random Forests (FRF) models, focusing particularly on the heterogeneity within and between datasets. We addressed three common challenges: (i) number of parties, (ii) sizes of datasets and (iii) imbalanced phenotypes, evaluated on five biomedical datasets.

Results
The FRF outperformed the average local models and performed comparably to the data-centralized models trained on the entire data. With an increasing number of models and decreasing dataset size, the performance of local models decreases drastically. The FRF, however, do not decrease significantly. When combining datasets of different sizes, the FRF vastly improve compared to the average local models. We demonstrate that the FRF remain more robust and outperform the local models by analyzing different class-imbalances.
Our results support that FRF overcome boundaries of clinical research and enables collaborations across institutes without violating privacy or legal regulations. Clinicians benefit from a vast collection of unbiased data aggregated from different geographic locations, demographics and other varying factors. They can build more generalizable models to make better clinical decisions, which will have relevance, especially for patients in rural areas and rare or geographically uncommon diseases, enabling personalized treatment. In combination with secure multi-party computation, federated learning has the power to revolutionize clinical practice by increasing the accuracy and robustness of healthcare AI and thus paving the way for precision medicine.

Availability and implementation
The implementation of the federated random forests can be found at https://featurecloud.ai/.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
AMPK-mediated potentiation of GABAergic signalling drives hypoglycaemia-provoked spike-wave seizures
Authors: Salvati Kathryn A , Ritger Matthew L , Davoudian Pasha A , O’Dell Finnegan , Wyskiel Daniel R , Souza George M P R , Lu Adam C , Perez-Reyes Edward , Drake Joshua C , Yan Zhen , Beenhakker Mark P 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Metabolism regulates neuronal activity and modulates the occurrence of epileptic seizures. Here, using two rodent models of absence epilepsy, we show that hypoglycaemia increases the occurrence of spike-wave seizures. We then show that selectively disrupting glycolysis in the thalamus, a structure implicated in absence epilepsy, is sufficient to increase spike-wave seizures. We propose that activation of thalamic AMP-activated protein kinase, a sensor of cellular energetic stress and potentiator of metabotropic GABAB-receptor function, is a significant driver of hypoglycaemia-induced spike-wave seizures. We show that AMP-activated protein kinase augments postsynaptic GABAB-receptor-mediated currents in thalamocortical neurons and strengthens epileptiform network activity evoked in thalamic brain slices. Selective thalamic AMP-activated protein kinase activation also increases spike-wave seizures. Finally, systemic administration of metformin, an AMP-activated protein kinase agonist and common diabetes treatment, profoundly increased spike-wave seizures. These results advance the decades-old observation that glucose metabolism regulates thalamocortical circuit excitability by demonstrating that AMP-activated protein kinase and GABAB-receptor cooperativity is sufficient to provoke spike-wave seizures.
SARS-CoV-2 S Protein Subunit 1 Elicits Ca2+ Influx – Dependent Ca2+ Signals in Pancreatic Stellate Cells and Macrophages In Situ
Authors: Gerasimenko Julia V , Petersen Ole H , Gerasimenko Oleg V 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
The S protein subunit 1 (S1) of SARS-CoV-2 is known to be responsible for the binding of the virus to host cell receptors, but the initial intracellular signalling steps following receptor activation of cells in the exocrine pancreas are unknown. Using an intact live mouse pancreatic lobule preparation, we observed that S1 elicited Ca2+ signals in stellate cells and macrophages, but not in the dominant acinar cells. The Ca2+ signals occurred mostly in the form of repetitive Ca2+ spikes. The probability of observing Ca2+ signals depended on the S1 concentration. The threshold was close to 70 nM, whereas at 600 nM, all cells responded. The SARS-Cov-2 nucleocapsid protein did not elicit any Ca2+ signals in any of the three cell types tested. The S1-induced Ca2+ signals in stellate cells started much faster (122 ± 37s) than those in macrophages (468 ± 68s). Furthermore, the interleukin-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) abolished the responses in macrophages without affecting the Ca2+ signals in stellate cells. The S1-elicited Ca2+ signals were completely dependent on the presence of external Ca2+ and were abolished by a selective inhibitor (CM4620) of Orai1 Ca2+ Release Activated Ca2+ channels. SARS-CoV-2 may contribute to acute pancreatitis, an often fatal inflammatory human disease. The S1-elicited Ca2+ signals we have observed in the pancreatic stellate cells and endogenous macrophages may play an important part in the development of the inflammatory process.
Genome Sequencing of a Gray Wolf from Peninsular India Provides New Insights into the Evolution and Hybridization of Gray Wolves
Authors: Wang Ming-Shan , Thakur Mukesh , Jhala Yadvendradev , Wang Sheng , Srinivas Yellapu , Dai Shan-Shan , Liu Zheng-Xi , Chen Hong-Man , Green Richard E , Koepfli Klaus-Peter , Shapiro Beth 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe gray wolf (Canis lupus) is among the few large carnivores that survived the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. Thanks to their complex history of admixture and extensive geographic range, the number of gray wolf subspecies and their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we perform whole-genome sequencing of a gray wolf collected from peninsular India that was phenotypically distinct from gray wolves outside India. Genomic analyses reveal that the Indian gray wolf is an evolutionarily distinct lineage that diverged from other extant gray wolf lineages ∼110 thousand years ago. Demographic analyses suggest that the Indian wolf population declined continuously decline since separating from other gray wolves and, today, has exceptionally low genetic diversity. We also find evidence for pervasive and mosaic gene flow between the Indian wolf and African canids including African wolf, Ethiopian wolf, and African wild dog despite their current geographical separation. Our results support the hypothesis that the Indian subcontinent was a Pleistocene refugium and center of diversification and further highlight the complex history of gene flow that characterized the evolution of gray wolves.
Platform Regulation in Europe—Per Se Rules to the Rescue?
Authors: Witt Anne C 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT
Mainstream competition law has failed to protect competition in core digital platform markets. This is partially due to enforcement agencies’ current commitment to proving the investigated conduct’s actual effects on competition and consumer welfare on the basis of in-depth assessments of each case’s individual circumstances before intervening in the market. While reducing the likelihood of erroneously prohibiting conduct that is not actually harmful, this approach is too time- and resource-consuming to protect competition in digital markets prone to tipping. This contribution argues that well-designed per se rules offer a promising alternative. Against this background, it critically assesses how three emerging European models of platform regulation (the draft EU Digital Markets Act, the draft UK Pro-Competition Regime, and the German Digitalisation Act) balance the objectives of ensuring time- and cost-effective enforcement, avoiding enforcement errors, and maximizing legal certainty for platforms. It concludes that the UK model currently promises to strike the best balance between these competing aims.
Building the Ancestral Public: Cemeteries and the Necropolitics of Property in Colonial Ghana
Authors: Balakrishnan Sarah 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
This essay studies changes to mortuary practices in colonial Gold Coast (southern Ghana) beginning with the British state’s creation of town cemeteries in the late nineteenth century. It argues that the colonial state enforced cemetery burial because they realized Gold Coast people would never sell their land if it contained the remains of their elders; cemeteries were therefore a crucial tool in the transformation of land into private property for state dispossession. However, the invention of cemeteries had a significant impact on how communities worshipped, and conceived of, ancestral spirits. By gathering ancestors from the various households into a single site, the graveyard created an “ancestral public,” a community of ancestors who protected the community collectively. Their invention changed Gold Coast communities’ relationship to spirits, the afterlife, and property. What ensued were political contestations over rightful burial places, mortuary authority, and what will be called “the necropolitics of property”—the decision of who could, or who could not, enter the afterlife, and what consequences this had for estates.
Effectiveness of multiple combined lifestyle interventions in reducing blood pressure among patients with prehypertension and hypertension: a network meta-analysis
Authors: Krishnamoorthy Yuvaraj , Nagarajan Ramya , Murali Sharan 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Background
Different combinations of lifestyle interventions have been studied with varying results on hypertension control. Hence, this review was done to compare multiple combined lifestyle intervention in reducing blood pressure (BP) among patients with prehypertension or hypertension.

Methods
We conducted systematic search in the following databases: MEDLINE, PubMed Central, CENTRAL, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar from 1964 until November 2020. Estimates of comparative intervention effect from network meta-analyses (random-effects model) were represented as mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval.

Results
In total, 14 studies with 2451 participants were included. Almost all the studies had high risk of bias. Healthy diet (HD) and physical activity (PA) combination showed highest mean reduction in systolic BP (−9.88 mmHg) and diastolic BP (−6.28 mmHg) followed by HD + PA + smoking cessation + alcohol restriction combination (systolic BP = −6.58 mmHg, diastolic BP = −4.09 mmHg) compared with usual care. HD and PA combination had the highest probability of being the best intervention (82.8% for SBP and 81.7% for DBP).

Conclusion
We found that HD and PA are the most important combination of lifestyle modifications for prehypertensive and hypertensive patients. Hence, a coordinated approach is required from the clinicians by integrating beneficial effect of these modifications through education, counselling and support.

Summary Box

What is already known on this topic?
Various combinations of these multiple lifestyle interventions have been studied with varying results. Hence, it would be beneficial to find out the intervention combination with maximum effectiveness in controlling the blood pressure among prehypertensive or hypertensive patients.

What is added by this report?
We found that healthy diet and physical activity are the most important combination of lifestyle modifications required to achieve maximum reduction in SBP and DBP amongst HTN patients.

What are the implications for public health practice?
Our study has several implications for the clinicians and public health professionals. A coordinated approach is required from the clinicians by integrating the beneficial effect of these modifications through education, counselling and support. Public health professionals and policy makers should make use of these findings to design the policy, programme or scheme to tackle the burden of HTN or improve the control status amongst the established patients.
On the Effects of the Availability of Means of Payments: The Case of Uber
Authors: Alvarez Fernando , Argente David 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
We use three quasi-natural experiments in Mexico and one in Panama to estimate the effects of having the option to pay with cash on Uber rides. The ability to pay in cash affects the demand for rides, which is reflected in large changes in the total number of trips, fares, miles, and number of users after Uber introduced cash payments, particularly in lower-income city blocks. On the other hand, the effects on prices, estimated times of arrival, and competitor pricing are negligible, consistent with the supply of trips being very elastic. Although cash payments naturally increase the fraction of users that pay exclusively with cash, more than half of the users have access to both cards and cash, and alternate between payment methods. We find evidence consistent with cash and card payments being imperfectly substitutable at both the intensive and extensive margins, which magnifies the effect of policies that restrict the availability of payment methods.
Key Components for the Delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for Psychosis in Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Settings: A Delphi Study of Therapists’ Views
Authors: Wood Lisa , Jacobsen Pamela , Ovin Felicia , Morrison Anthony P 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is a psychological therapy recommended for people with psychosis which can start in the acute phase. However, there is not consensus on how CBTp should be delivered in an acute mental health inpatient setting. This study aimed to gain consensus from therapists on how CBTp should be delivered in this context. A 2-stage Delphi study was conducted to establish consensus on what the core components are of inpatient CBTp from the perspective of therapists who are experts in the field. Forty-five therapists took part in 2 rounds of rating statements on the areas of engagement and feedback, assessment and model, formulation, change strategies, homework, and principles and values. A final list of 114 statements were included, which were rated as essential or important by ≥80% of respondents. The delivery of inpatient CBTp is dependent on several adaptations to traditional CBTp including indirect work, being more flexible with session content and delivery, and making adaptations to the restrictive environment. These recommendations could inform training, competency frameworks, and delivery of CBTp in inpatient settings.
Challenges and outcomes in airway management outside the operating room
Authors: Jarzebowski Mary , Estime Stephen , Russotto Vincenzo , Karamchandani Kunal 
Published: February 2022

Purpose of review
Airway management outside the operating room poses unique challenges that every clinician should recognize. These include anatomic, physiologic, and logistic challenges, each of which can contribute to complications and lead to poor outcomes. Recognizing these challenges and highlighting known outcome data may better prepare the team, making this otherwise daunting procedure safer and potentially improving patient outcomes.

Recent findings
Newer intubating techniques and devices have made navigating anatomic airway challenges easier. However, physiological challenges during emergency airway management remain a cause of poor patient outcomes. Hemodynamic collapse has been identified as the most common peri-intubation adverse event and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality associated with the procedure.

Summary
Emergency airway management outside the operating room remains a high-risk procedure, associated with poor outcomes. Pre-intubation hemodynamic optimization may mitigate some of the risks, and future research should focus on identification of best strategies for hemodynamic optimization prior to and during this procedure.
The Effects of Dexmedetomidine on Perioperative Neurocognitive Outcomes After Noncardiac Surgery
Authors: Singh Amara , Broad Jeremy , Brenna Connor T. A. , Kaustov Lilia , Choi Stephen 
Published: February 2022

Objective:
The purpose of this review is to examine the effect of dexmedetomidine on delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR; cognitive dysfunction ≥1 week postoperative) after major noncardiac surgery.

Background:
Dexmedetomidine (DEX) effectively reduces delirium in the intensive care unit and reportedly attenuates cognitive decline following major noncardiac surgery. Ascertaining the true effect on postoperative cognition is difficult because studies are limited by suboptimal selection of cognitive assessment tools, timing of testing, and criteria for defining significant cognitive decline

Methods:
Prospective randomized trials comparing perioperative DEX to placebo for major noncardiac surgery assessing cognitive function ≥1 week postoperative were included. Pediatric, nonhuman, and non-English trials, and those where executive function was not assessed were excluded. Data were abstracted by 3 reviewers independently and in parallel according to PRISMA guidelines. The a priori binary primary outcome is dNCR defined as cognitive function declining by the minimal clinically important difference or accepted alternate measure (eg, Reliable Change Index ≥1.96). Bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Data were pooled using a random effects model.

Results:
Among 287 citations identified, 26 (9%) met criteria for full-text retrieval. Eleven randomized trials (1233 participants) were included for qualitative analysis, and 7 trials (616 participants) were included for meta-analysis of dNCR. Dexmedetomidine did not reduce the incidence of dNCR significantly (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.30–1.10, P = 0.09) compared with placebo. There was no difference in the incidence of delirium (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.55–1.63, P = 0.83) and a higher incidence of hemodynamic instability (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.22–3.65, P = 0.008).

Conclusions:
Dexmedetomidine does not reduce dNCR 1 week after major noncardiac surgery. This meta-analysis does not yet support the use of perioperative DEX to improve short term cognitive outcomes at this time; trials underway may yet change this conclusion while larger trials are needed to refine the point estimate of effect and examine long-term cognitive outcomes.