bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema: a case report
Authors: Tanaka Yasushi , Kohchi Kohki , Kitamoto Kazuhiro 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Edema occurs in various disorders. One of those is remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema, a rare syndrome whose pathophysiology is not clearly understood. We report herein a case of refractory edema diagnosed as remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema.

Case presentation
A 82-year-old Asian male was admitted to the Department of General Internal Medicine with a 2-month history of symmetrical swelling of both hands. Despite treatment with loop diuretic furosemide 40 mg daily, his condition did not respond to the medication and his quality of life deteriorated. An examination of the joints showed tenderness suggestive of synovitis with restricted movements in bilateral proximal interphalangeal joint. Laboratory findings revealed hyperglycemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate 118 mm/hour, and elevated C-reactive protein 6.58 mg/dL. Plain radiographs of both hands showed soft tissue swelling, changes consistent with osteoarthritis, and no erosions. The diagnosis of bilateral remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema was made. Treatment with prednisolone 15 mg daily was instituted.

Conclusions
Although remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema is rare, it should be remembered as a disease that causes edema in the elderly.
Considerations and challenges for sex-aware drug repurposing
Authors: Fisher Jennifer L. , Jones Emma F. , Flanary Victoria L. , Williams Avery S. , Ramsey Elizabeth J. , Lasseigne Brittany N. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractSex differences are essential factors in disease etiology and manifestation in many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration [33]. The biological influence of sex differences (including genomic, epigenetic, hormonal, immunological, and metabolic differences between males and females) and the lack of biomedical studies considering sex differences in their study design has led to several policies. For example, the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) sex as a biological variable (SABV) and Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) policies to motivate researchers to consider sex differences [204]. However, drug repurposing, a promising alternative to traditional drug discovery by identifying novel uses for FDA-approved drugs, lacks sex-aware methods that can improve the identification of drugs that have sex-specific responses [7, 11, 14, 33]. Sex-aware drug repurposing methods either select drug candidates that are more efficacious in one sex or deprioritize drug candidates based on if they are predicted to cause a sex-bias adverse event (SBAE), unintended therapeutic effects that are more likely to occur in one sex. Computational drug repurposing methods are encouraging approaches to develop for sex-aware drug repurposing because they can prioritize sex-specific drug candidates or SBAEs at lower cost and time than traditional drug discovery. Sex-aware methods currently exist for clinical, genomic, and transcriptomic information [1, 7, 155]. They have not expanded to other data types, such as DNA variation, which has been beneficial in other drug repurposing methods that do not consider sex [114]. Additionally, some sex-aware methods suffer from poorer performance because a disproportionate number of male and female samples are available to train computational methods [7]. However, there is development potential for several different categories (i.e., data mining, ligand binding predictions, molecular associations, and networks). Low-dimensional representations of molecular association and network approaches are also especially promising candidates for future sex-aware drug repurposing methodologies because they reduce the multiple hypothesis testing burden and capture sex-specific variation better than the other methods [151, 159]. Here we review how sex influences drug response, the current state of drug repurposing including with respect to sex-bias drug response, and how model organism study design choices influence drug repurposing validation.
The importance of having good quality indicators for care of patients with COPD: a look at hospital readmission rates
Authors: Shani Michal , Comaneshter Doron , Segel Michael J. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Readmission after hospitalization for acute COPD exacerbation (AE-COPD) has been proposed as a healthcare quality indicator (QI) in Israel. We studied patients hospitalized for AE-COPD, towards determining whether AE-COPD readmission is an appropriate national QI in order to improve COPD patient care.

Methods
Data were retrieved for all Clalit Health Service (CHS) members age 40–90 years hospitalized in CHS hospitals during 2016 with a diagnosis of acute COPD exacerbation. Information retrieved included demographics, medical history, Charleson comorbidity score, readmissions within 90 days, chronic medication use and family physician and pulmonologist visits. Patients readmitted within 90 days were compared to those who were not readmitted. Patients were also analyzed according to whether they were hospitalized during the year before the index hospitalization.

Results
In 2016 there were 70,601 members with a recorded diagnosis of COPD in CHS. Of these, 1,203 patients (1.7%) were hospitalized in a CHS hospital with a diagnosis of acute COPD exacerbation during 2016. Average age was 70.6 years, 63% were men. 78% were active smokers. 61% of the patients were readmitted to internal medicine wards within 90 days of the index hospitalization. Patients who were readmitted were more likely to have been hospitalized during the year before the index hospitalization (Odds ratio (OR) 2.5, Confidence Interval ((CI)(1.85, 3.38)) and had a higher Charlson comorbidity score (OR 1.07 (CI 1.01, 1.11)). Healthcare utilization by patients who were readmitted, both before and after admission, was generally greater. One yr mortality was 15.1% and 9.2% in those readmitted and not readmitted, respectively (p = 0.003).

Conclusions
Readmitted COPD patients appear to be the sickest group of COPD patients with advanced disease and poor prognosis, and it may not be possible to prevent readmissions. This questions the utility of COPD readmissions as a healthcare quality indicator.
On the methodology of fingerprint template protection schemes conception : meditations on the reliability
Authors: Lahmidi Ayoub , Moujahdi Chouaib , Minaoui Khalid , Rziza Mohammed 
Published: March 2022

AbstractAmong the most major potential attacks against fingerprint authentication systems are those that target the stored reference templates. These threats are extremely damaging as they can lead to the invasion of user privacy. The countermeasures to secure fingerprint templates are therefore an indisputable necessity. In literature, although there are so many approaches that address this kind of vulnerability, it turns out to be very difficult to generalize their uses. Given that each system has its own particularities, going from the fingerprint trait acquisition to the matching process, the majority of protection schemes, that are proposed as generic solutions, are not sufficiently mature for large-scale deployment. Consequently, we believe that the methodology of fingerprint template protection schemes conception should be oriented to build specific protection schemes for every unprotected system, which will provide the best compromise between performance and security compared to any generic protection solution. By adopting this methodology, we propose in this paper a new protection scheme for fingerprint templates that is well adapted to a well-known existing unprotected fingerprint minutia system. Our experimental results, obtained using standard benchmarks such as FVC 2002 DB1 and DB2, have proven that the proposed technique meets the requirements of revocability, unlinkability, non-invertibility, and high recognition accuracy.
Trajectories in nitrogen availability during forest secondary succession: illustrated by foliar δ15N
Authors: Tu Ying , Wang Ang , Zhu Feifei , Gurmesa Geshere Abdisa , Hobbie Erik A. , Zhu Weixing , Fang Yunting 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Forest succession is an important ecological process and has been studied for more than a century. However, changes in nitrogen (N) availability during succession remain unclear as they may lead to either N saturation or N limitation. Here, we propose a conceptual model to illustrate changes in N availability during four stages of secondary succession using the natural abundance of 15N in plant leaves (foliar δ15N). We predicted that N availability would decline in the early stages of succession and then increase in late stages, coinciding with the changes in foliar δ15N, with the inflection point varying in different climate zones. Data on foliar δ15N from 16 succession sequences were synthesized to explore changes in N availability during forest succession.

Results
The compiled data were consistent with the proposed conceptual model. Foliar δ15N in boreal and temperate forests decreased significantly in the first two stages of succession (estimated to last at least 66 years in temperate forests), at a rate of 0.18‰ and 0.38‰ per decade, respectively, and decreased slightly in tropical forests in the first 23 years. Foliar δ15N is projected to increase in later stages in all forests, which is supported by observations in both temperate and tropical forests. The inflection points of N availability when N limitation peaked during succession were different in different climate zones, implying different ecosystem N turnovers.

Conclusions
Our study reconciles the controversies regarding changes in N availability during forest secondary succession. Our findings are also useful for predicting the recovery of N and carbon accumulation during succession. Nonetheless, studies on forest secondary succession using foliar δ15N have thus far been limited, and more research should be conducted to further verify the conceptual model proposed here.
Metagenomic strain detection with SameStr: identification of a persisting core gut microbiota transferable by fecal transplantation
Authors: Podlesny Daniel , Arze Cesar , Dörner Elisabeth , Verma Sandeep , Dutta Sudhir , Walter Jens , Fricke W. Florian 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
The understanding of how microbiomes assemble, function, and evolve requires metagenomic tools that can resolve microbiota compositions at the strain level. However, the identification and tracking of microbial strains in fecal metagenomes is challenging and available tools variably classify subspecies lineages, which affects their applicability to infer microbial persistence and transfer.

Results
We introduce SameStr, a bioinformatic tool that identifies shared strains in metagenomes by determining single-nucleotide variants (SNV) in species-specific marker genes, which are compared based on a maximum variant profile similarity. We validated SameStr on mock strain populations, available human fecal metagenomes from healthy individuals and newly generated data from recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI) patients treated with fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). SameStr demonstrated enhanced sensitivity to detect shared dominant and subdominant strains in related samples (where strain persistence or transfer would be expected) when compared to other tools, while being robust against false-positive shared strain calls between unrelated samples (where neither strain persistence nor transfer would be expected). We applied SameStr to identify strains that are stably maintained in fecal microbiomes of healthy adults over time (strain persistence) and that successfully engraft in rCDI patients after FMT (strain engraftment). Taxonomy-dependent strain persistence and engraftment frequencies were positively correlated, indicating that a specific core microbiota of intestinal species is adapted to be competitive both in healthy microbiomes and during post-FMT microbiome assembly. We explored other use cases for strain-level microbiota profiling, as a metagenomics quality control measure and to identify individuals based on the persisting core gut microbiota.

Conclusion
SameStr provides for a robust identification of shared strains in metagenomic sequence data with sufficient specificity and sensitivity to examine strain persistence, transfer, and engraftment in human fecal microbiomes. Our findings identify a persisting healthy adult core gut microbiota, which should be further studied to shed light on microbiota contributions to chronic diseases.
Conversion surgery following gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy for initially unresectable gallbladder cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis: a case report
Authors: Wakasa Yusuke , Toyoki Yoshikazu , Kusumi Tomomi , Kameyama Yuma , Odagiri Tadashi , Jin Hiroyuki , Nakai Makoto , Aoki Kazunori , Kawashima Hiroaki , Endo Masaaki 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Conversion surgery, which is defined as chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery, may improve survival of patients with initially unresectable advanced biliary tract cancer, including gallbladder cancer. However, there are few reports on conversion surgery for advanced gallbladder cancer.

Case presentation
A 69-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with initially unresectable gallbladder cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis. She underwent gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy for 9 months. Extended cholecystectomy, resection of the extrahepatic bile duct with regional lymph node dissection, and total omentectomy were then performed as conversion surgery. The patient has survived without recurrence for 19 months postoperatively (31 months after the initial diagnosis) while continuing chemotherapy.

Conclusions
This case suggests that conversion surgery for advanced gallbladder cancer is effective and may be curative for locally advanced disease and distant metastasis such as peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Policy analysis of socio-cultural determinants of salt, sugar and fat consumption in Iran
Authors: Amerzadeh Mohammad , Takian Amirhossein , Pouraram Hamed , Sari Ali Akbari , Ostovar Afshin 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the first reason for death worldwide, in which poor diet is the leading risk factor. It is estimated that 20% of all death is related to food. The Unhealthy diet includes many foods with excessive salt, sugar and fat. This paper reports a national study on the socio-cultural determinants affecting salt, sugar and fat consumption in Iran.

Methods
This is a qualitative study. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 various purposefully identified key stakeholders to collect data from December 2018 until August 2019 in Iran.

Results
We identified socio-cultural determents of salt, fat and sugar consumption as follows: Inadequate structure of traditional medicine and people’s desire for traditional foods, low health literacy, the global trend of nutritional transition and its impact on Iranian society, The progressive decline of people’s trust in NGOs, and Inappropriate media management. Worse still, the global trend of nutritional transition and people’s tendency towards fast foods, unhealthy diet and junk foods, partially due to establishing children’s taste mainly with salty, high-fat and sweet foods, has jeopardized their desire to eat healthily during adulthood.

Conclusion
Reducing salt, fat and sugar consumption is problematic in Iran, mainly due to multi-dimensional socio-cultural determinants. In line with sustainable development goal (SDG) 3.4 to reduce 30% of premature death due to NCDs and related risk factors by 2030 in Iran, various stakeholders from multiple sectors need to initiate coherent series of interventions to alter people’s approach to select food so that they may reduce the consumption of foods with excessive salt, fat and sugar.
Multimodal conservative management of arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty compared to manipulation under anesthesia: a feasibility study with retrospective cohort comparison
Authors: Rauzi Michelle R. , Foran Jared R. H. , Bade Michael J. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
The ideal treatment of early-stage arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the treatment effect, including variability, and feasibility of a multimodal physical therapy program as compared to manipulation under anesthesia.

Methods
This was a prospective feasibility study with a retrospective cohort comparison. Ten consecutive patients (aged 64 ± 9 years, 7 females) with early-stage arthrofibrosis were enrolled 6 weeks after primary total knee arthroplasty and participated in the multimodal physical therapy program. The multimodal physical therapy program consisted of manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and static progressive splinting delivered over 4 weeks. The outcomes included knee range of motion (ROM), adherence, patient satisfaction, and safety. Data were compared to a retrospective cohort of 31 patients with arthrofibrosis (aged 65 ± 9 years, 20 females) who underwent manipulation under anesthesia followed by physical therapy.

Results
Overall, knee ROM outcomes were similar between multimodal physical therapy (110° ± 14) and manipulation under anesthesia (109° ± 11). Seven out of ten patients achieved functional ROM (≥ 110°) and avoided manipulation under anesthesia with the multimodal physical therapy program. Three out of 10 multimodal physical therapy patients required manipulation under anesthesia secondary to failure to demonstrate progress within 4 weeks of the multimodal physical therapy program. Adherence to the multimodal physical therapy program was 87 ± 9%. The median patient satisfaction with the multimodal physical therapy program was “very satisfied.” Safety concerns were minimal.

Conclusion
The use of the multimodal physical therapy program is feasible for treating early-stage arthrofibrosis after total knee arthroplasty, with 70% of patients avoiding manipulation under anesthesia. Randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the efficacy of the multimodal physical therapy program and to determine the optimal patient selection for the multimodal physical therapy program versus manipulation under anesthesia.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04837872.
Brief behaviour change counselling in non-communicable diseases in Mangochi, Southern Malawi: a hypothetical acceptability study
Authors: Lutala Prosper , Muula Adamson 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Introduction
Brief behaviour change counselling (BBCC) approaches have shown some potential in reversing and/or decreasing the effects of behavioural risk factors (harmful alcohol, smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets). However, BBCC is new in Malawi. Thus, we explored the acceptability of brief behaviour change counselling using 5 As and a guiding style from motivational interviewing (BBCC + 5 As + GS) among health providers, policy-makers and patients living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the Mangochi district located in Malawi.

Methods
An exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study used purposive sampling to select 44 respondents. We conducted group discussions with five focus groups that included patients. We also carried out nine key-informant interviews with healthcare providers and policy-makers. Data were managed and organized with Atlas.ti. cloud and analysed using the thematic framework approach.

Findings
Several themes, categories, and their subcategories emerged from the interviews. Participants perceived the introduction and delivery of BBCC + 5As + GS in Mangochi as smooth. However, they predicted a few challenges such as time and space to conduct the intervention, cultural bottlenecks caused by low education level, age differences between healthcare providers and patients, low provider- to- patient ratio and high provider turnover. For this method to be adopted, a simplified format is deemed necessary to improve effectiveness with patients. This technique can only be sustained if training opportunities are provided and if positive testimonies are given by beneficiaries. Incorporation of a continuous quality improvement cycle targeting challenges must be part of the intervention. Participants perceived that BBCC will contribute to developing the listening ability of healthcare providers. This would help in providing personalized and cost-effective care relevant to Mangochi. The participants also perceived that BBCC + 5As + GS will be affordable, credible and useful.

Conclusion
We found a high acceptability rate of BBCC among stakeholders in NCDs clinics in Mangochi. There are a number of areas where BBCC + 5As + GS could be improved to increase the acceptability. Accordingly, a study of feasibility and preliminary efficacy is warranted to determine other prerequisites for the implementation of a large-scale trial using this BBCC+ 5 As + GS, and to fully understand the implementation requirements of a full trial in Mangochi.
Mutual cultural consciousness between “Ge” and “Ju”: Fei Hsiao-tung’s cultural perspective on the pattern of unity in diversity and the community of a shared future for mankind
Authors: Zhao Xudong , Zhu Honghui 
Published: March 2022

AbstractFacing the new era, we should re-examine and understand the theory of “the pattern of unity in diversity of the Chinese nation” put forward by Fei Hsiao-tung from the historical and cultural perspectives, which will bring us many new insights. The Chinese national consciousness of unity can be understood as “Ge” (格), while “Ju (局) as “layout” and “distribution”, which means in the same spatial scope and form of “Ge”, how the units within the Chinese nation are laid out and distributed. Under such “Ge” and “Ju” viewpoints, people and goods, nature and society, culture and technology, China and the world, can be connected and integrated so that a reciprocal community with “being together” could possibly come true at last, and cultural self-consciousness, consciousness of the others’ cultures and mutual cultural consciousness are inevitable. On this basis, it is meaningful to discuss the ultimate goal and state of construction of a community with a shared future for mankind and the world of “Great Harmony”.