bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of junior doctors’ experience in smoking cessation training in a rural mental health setting
Authors: Faint Nicholas , Cuesta-Briand Beatriz , Coleman Mathew 
Published: August 2022

IntroductionSmoking prevalence remains high amongst people with mental illness, however, they are less likely to be screened for tobacco dependence and offered treatment to quit. Smoking cessation and education training are insufficient in medical schools, despite a positive relationship between training and practice once qualified. However, the question as to whether there is adequate skill and expertise to address smoking in people with mental illness within Australian mental health settings is unclear. Furthermore, people living in rural and remote areas smoke at higher rates, quit at lower rates than those in urban areas, and experience limitations in their ability to access smoking cessation supports. The Smokers’ Clinic is an initiative established in a rural Australian mental health service offering a smoking cessation service to patients and staff employed by the service.AimThis study aims to assess the change in the knowledge and confidence of resident medical officers in their understanding of nicotine dependence, smoking cessation strategies and prescribing nicotine replacement therapy in a community mental health setting. It was hypothesized that providing education and supervised clinical experience would improve knowledge, increasing confidence and motivation in managing smoking cessation in mental health patients. The research was undertaken using data collected through a questionnaire obtained from surveying resident medical officers administering the Smokers’ Clinic following a 10-week rural community mental health rotation.Materials and methodsTwenty resident medical officers completed the 10-week rotation, with 14 completing the questionnaire. Knowledge of tobacco smoking, nicotine dependence and smoking cessation interventions improved with the experience of the Smokers’ Clinic during the clinical rotation. Resident medical officers were motivated to spend additional time engaged in self-directed learning and all reported continued use of acquired experience and information in their clinical work after the rotation.ConclusionThis study indicates the utility of a novel approach in delivering education, training, building clinical expertise, and facilitating sustained clinical capacity amongst junior medical staff for smoking cessation in a rural community mental health setting. It offers an efficient approach for mental health services to deliver smoking cessation services to reduce the morbidity and mortality burden associated with tobacco smoking.
Decreased resting-state neural signal in the left angular gyrus as a potential neuroimaging biomarker of schizophrenia: An amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and support vector machine analysis
Authors: Gao Yujun , Tong Xin , Hu Jianxiu , Huang Hanjun , Guo Tian , Wang Gang , Li Yi , Wang Gaohua 
Published: August 2022

ObjectiveSchizophrenia (SCH) is primarily diagnosed based on specific clinical symptoms, with the lack of any objective SCH-related biomarkers often resulting in patient misdiagnosis and the underdiagnosis of this condition. This study was developed to assess the utility of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) values analyzed via support vector machine (SVM) methods as a means of diagnosing SCH.MethodsIn total, 131 SCH patients and 128 age- and gender-matched healthy control (HC) individuals underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), with the resultant data then being analyzed using ALFF values and SVM methods.ResultsRelative to HC individuals, patients with SCH exhibited ALFF reductions in the left angular gyrus (AG), fusiform gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), right cerebellum, bilateral middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and precuneus (PCu) regions. No SCH patient brain regions exhibited significant increases in ALFF relative to HC individuals. SVM results indicated that reductions in ALFF values in the bilateral PCu can be used to effectively differentiate between SCH patients and HCs with respective accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values of 73.36, 91.60, and 54.69%.ConclusionThese data indicate that SCH patients may exhibit characteristic reductions in regional brain activity, with decreased ALFF values of the bilateral PCu potentially offering value as a candidate biomarker capable of distinguishing between SCH patients and HCs.
Emotional exhaustion and unhealthy eating among COVID-19 front-line healthcare workers during recuperation: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Yan Wei , Zhou Xinyao , Song Caiping , Luo Xu , Wang Huan , Yin Pengpeng , Wu Hao , Ye Junying 
Published: August 2022

ObjectiveThousands of healthcare workers on the frontlines who have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic could face emotional and mental health risks even after their critical pandemic work. This study examined the impact of affective rumination on emotional exhaustion and the spillover effect of affective rumination on unhealthy food consumption among healthcare workers during recuperation.MethodsA total of 418 frontline healthcare workers from 10 Chinese medical institutions were recruited through random cluster sampling. A linear mixed model in SPSS25.0 was performed for hierarchical regression to analyze the effect of affective rumination on unhealthy food consumption via emotional exhaustion. A conditional process analysis was employed to investigate the moderating role of family support in the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion.ResultsFront-line healthcare workers scored at a medium level on an emotional exhaustion scale (2.45 ± 0.88). Affective rumination mediated by emotional exhaustion had a significant positive predictive effect on unhealthy food consumption. The indirect effect accounted for ~43.9% of the total effect. Family support amplified the effect of emotional exhaustion on unhealthy food consumption (β = 0.092, p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionAffective rumination could be a cause of emotional exhaustion and unhealthy food consumption. First-line healthcare workers could be screened for possible emotional exhaustion through the evaluation of affective rumination in order to provide them with targeted interventions. Family support did not prove to be beneficial in all cases as it enhanced the positive effect of emotional exhaustion on unhealthy eating in the current study. Therefore, family support should be carefully integrated in future interventions.
Low educational status correlates with a high incidence of mortality among hypertensive subjects from Northeast Rural China
Authors: Yu Shasha , Guo Xiaofan , Li GuangXiao , Yang Hongmei , Zheng Liqiang , Sun Yingxian 
Published: August 2022

ObjectiveCumulative evidence indicates that education plays a major role in predicting cardiovascular risk factors. In this study, we intend to examine the possible relationship between education status and mortality in a large general subject from rural China.MethodsAdult hypertensive subjects (n = 5,227, age = 57.22 ± 10.18 years; 49.1% men) were recruited from general population surveys (Northeast China Rural Cardiovascular Health Study). Their educational status was categorized into two groups as follows: (1) Low education (illiterate or lower than primary school) and (2) medium-high education (higher than primary school). Cardiometabolic comorbidities, related cardiovascular risk factors, and echocardiographic measurements were analyzed in both groups.ResultsLess educated hypertensive subjects had significantly higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and left ventricular hypertrophy than medium-high educated hypertensive subjects. In the medium-high educated subjects, a significant increase in left ventricular ejection fraction and lower rate of antihypertensive medication was found. Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that medium-high education was independently associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.58, 0.99; P = 0.043) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio = 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.44, 0.96; P = 0.028).ConclusionEducation may act as the best predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in rural hypertensive subjects. This finding suggests that in rural areas, education is likely to represent a cardiovascular specific risk factor and should be evaluated in the strategies of hypertension.
Metabolomic profiling identifies biomarkers and metabolic impacts of surgery for colorectal cancer
Authors: Zhuang Feng , Bai Xuesong , Shi Yang , Chang Le , Ai Wanchao , Du Juan , Liu Wei , Liu Humin , Zhou Xukun , Wang Zhong , Hong Tao 
Published: August 2022

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with recurrence and metastasis after surgical resection. This study aimed to identify the physiological changes after surgery and explore metabolites and metabolic pathways with potential prognostic value for CRC.MethodsAn ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography Q-exactive mass spectrometry was used to profile serum metabolites from 67 CRC patients and 50 healthy volunteers. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis were used to distinguish the internal characteristics of data in different groups. Multivariate statistics were compiled to screen the significant metabolites and metabolic pathways.ResultA total of 180 metabolites were detected. Under the conditions of variable importance in projection &gt;1 and p-value &lt;0.05, 46 differentially expressed metabolites were screened for further pathway enrichment analysis. Based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database and Small Molecule Pathway Database, three metabolic pathways—arginine and proline metabolism, ascorbate and aldarate metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism—were significantly altered after surgical resection and identified as associated with the removal of CRC. Notably, gamma-linolenic acid was upregulated in the CRC preoperative patients compared with those in healthy volunteers but returned to healthy levels after surgery.ConclusionThrough serum-based metabolomics, our study demonstrated the differential metabolic characteristics in CRC patients after surgery compared with those before surgery. Our results suggested that metabonomic analysis may be a powerful method for exploring physiological alterations in CRC patients after surgery as well as a useful tool for identifying candidate biomarkers and monitoring disease recurrence.
Construction of a new clinical staging system for colorectal cancer based on the lymph node ratio: A validation study
Authors: Yang Yan , Wang Yawei , Wang Zhengbin 
Published: August 2022

AimThis study aims to construct a new staging system for colorectal cancer (CRC) based on the lymph node ratio (LNR) as a supplement to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging system for predicting the prognosis of CRC patients with &lt;12 lymph nodes.MethodsThe data of 26,695 CRC patients with &lt;12 lymph nodes were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database as a training set. A total of 635 CRC patients were also enrolled from Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital affiliated with Yangzhou University as an independent validation set. Classification and regression tree analysis was used to obtain the LNR cutoff value. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the log-rank test was used for comparisons of differences among the survival curves. The monotonic decreasing trend of the overall survival curve in the staging system was expressed by the linear correlation degree R.ResultsThe 5-year survival rates of patients in the training set based on the AJCC staging system from stage I to stage IV were 75.6% (95%CI: 74.4–76.8), 59.8% (95%CI: 58.6–61.0), 42.1% (95%CI: 34.5–49.7), 33.2% (95%CI: 24.6–41.8), 72.0% (95%CI: 69.1–74.9), 48.8% (95%CI: 47.4–50.2), 26.5% (95%CI: 23.0–30.0), and 11.3% (95%CI: 10.3–12.3). The 5-year survival rates of patients in the training set from stage I to stage IIIC were 80.4%, 72.9%, 59.8%, 48.4%, 32.5%, and 15.0%, according to the TNM + LNR (TNRM) staging system. According to the AJCC staging system, the 5-year survival rates of patients in the validation set from stage I to stage IIIC were 91.3%, 90.8%, 72.6%, 61.3%, 72.4%, 58.1%, and 32.8%. Based on the TNRM staging system, the 5-year survival rates of patients in the validation set from stage I to stage IIIC were 99.2%, 90.5%, 81.4%, 78.6%, 60.2%, and 35.8%.ConclusionThe TNRM staging system successfully eliminated “survival paradox” in the AJCC staging system, which might be superior to the AJCC staging system.
Temporal changes of the respiratory microbiota as cats transition from health to experimental acute and chronic allergic asthma
Authors: Vientós-Plotts Aida I. , Ericsson Aaron C. , McAdams Zachary L. , Rindt Hansjorg , Reinero Carol R. 
Published: August 2022

In humans, deviation from a core airway microbiota may predispose to development, exacerbation, or progression of asthma. We proposed to describe microbiota changes using 16 rRNA sequencing in samples from the upper and lower airways, and rectal swabs of 8 cats after experimental induction of asthma using Bermuda grass allergen, in acute (6 weeks) and chronic (36 weeks) stages. We hypothesized that asthma induction would decrease richness and diversity and alter microbiota composition and structure in the lower airways, without significantly impacting other sites. After asthma induction, richness decreased in rectal (p = 0.014) and lower airway (p = 0.016) samples. B diversity was significantly different between health and chronic asthma in all sites, and between all time points for lower airways. In healthy lower airways Pseudomonadaceae comprised 80.4 ± 1.3% whereas Sphingobacteriaceae and Xanthobacteraceae predominated (52.4 ± 2.2% and 33.5 ± 2.1%, respectively), and Pseudomonadaceae was absent, in 6/8 cats with chronic asthma. This study provides evidence that experimental induction of asthma leads to dysbiosis in the airways and distant sites in both the acute and chronic stages of disease.
This article has been published alongside “Respiratory dysbiosis in cats with spontaneous allergic asthma” (1).
Does Elderly Chronic Disease Hinder the Sustainability of Borderline Poor Families’ Wellbeing: An Investigation From Catastrophic Health Expenditure in China
Authors: Xu Xiaocang , Yang Haoran 
Published: August 2022

Objectives: Health and health expenditure caused by elderly chronic diseases are a global problem. As China has just lifted itself out of poverty in 2020, the sustainable development of Borderline Poor Families’ Wellbeing faces severe challenges. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to explore the impact of elderly chronic diseases on the catastrophic health expenditure of Borderline Poor Families.Methods: Based on screening 8086 effective samples from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database and calculating catastrophic health expenditure, this paper uses two-part model and logit regression to discuss the impact of elderly chronic diseases on the sustainable development of Borderline Poor Families’ Wellbeing.Results: The results showed that stroke, cancer, and liver disease caused the most catastrophic health expenditures and had the greatest impact on the Borderline Poor Families’ Wellbeing.Conclusion: Therefore, in order to ensure the sustainable development of Borderline Poor Families’ Wellbeing, the government should strengthen the publicity of pre-prevention and post-healthcare of chronic diseases such as stroke, and combine pre-prevention policy with post-guarantee policy.
Predictors of Satisfaction With Life and Health Status of Older People in Brunei: A Gender Comparative Study
Authors: Abdul Rahman Hanif , Tengah Armah , Mohd Yusof Yusnani , Slesman Ly , Hoon Chang-Yau , Abdul-Mumin Khadizah H. 
Published: August 2022

Objective: To investigate predictors of life satisfaction and healthy aging with focus on gender differences among older people in Brunei Darussalam.Methods: A cross-sectional study on older people recruited by proportionate sampling. Multiple linear regression stratified by gender was applied.Results: 45.6% of life satisfaction of older women were strongly associated with self-perceived health, social relationship, and education level. For older men, 26.3% of the variance of life satisfaction was predicted by physical functioning or disability, and social relationship. For older women, 38.9% of the variance of health status can be explained with satisfaction with life, and difficulty to do daily tasks. For older men, 33.1% of the variance of health status can be accounted by income, number of children, presence of chronic illness, and diabetes.Conclusion: This paper discusses the unique gender differences of older people from a global perspective. Policymakers and stakeholders need to account for local and contextual differences before adopting international guideline. Particularly, on the maintenance or further promotion social interactions, active engaging elderly in health maintenance, and physical and mental functioning of the older population.
Immunotherapy for Aggressive and Metastatic Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors (PitNETs): State-of-the Art
Authors: Feola Tiziana , Carbonara Francesca , Verrico Monica , Di Crescenzo Rosa Maria , Gianno Francesca , Colonnese Claudio , Arcella Antonietta , de Alcubierre Dario , Tomao Silverio , Esposito Vincenzo , Giangaspero Felice , Minniti Giuseppe , Jaffrain-Rea Marie-Lise 
Published: August 2022

Background: Aggressive and metastatic PitNETs are challenging conditions. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are currently considered in cases resistant to temozolomide (TMZ). However, clinical experience is essentially limited to case reports, with variable outcomes. Material and Methods: The effects of ICIs on 12 aggressive/metastatic PitNETs from the literature were reviewed and analyzed according to tumor characteristics, with the additional description of a silent-Pit1 metastatic tumor responding to pembrolizumab. Results: Most cases were metastatic (10/13: 6 corticotroph, 3 lactotroph, 1 silent Pit1); 3 were aggressive (2 corticotroph, 1 lactotroph). ICIS was used either as monotherapy or in combination. At last follow-up on ICI, a complete response (CR) was present in 3 cases and a partial response (PR) in 2 cases (4/5 metastatic). One sustained stable disease (SD) was reported. Progressive disease (PD) was observed in 7 cases, 3 of them after initial SD (n = 1) or PR (n = 3), with 2 reported deaths. PDL1 expression was studied in 10 cases and was high (>95%) in 2 Pit1-derived metastatic PitNETs (1 CR and 1 remarkable PR) but absent/low (<1%) in the remaining cases (including 1 CP and 2 PR). Elevated tumor mutation burden could be informative in corticotroph PitNETs, especially in mismatch repair-deficient tumors. Conclusion: Significant benefits from ICIs were documented in about half of TMZ-resistant PitNETS. High PDL1 expression was associated with remarkable responses but may be dispensable. Based on their acceptable tolerance and awaiting recognized predictors of response, ICIs may be considered a valuable option for such patients.
Mandibular Advancement Device Therapy in Japanese Rugby Athletes with Poor Sleep Quality and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Suzuki Hiroshi , Nakayama Toshiyuki , Sawa Arisa , Yagi Tatsuo , Iwata Yoshihiro , Takeuchi Hiroki , Motoyoshi Miho , Chow Chin-Moi , Komiyama Osamu 
Published: August 2022

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may contribute to poor sleep quality. This study assessed subjective sleep quality, the Respiratory Event Index (REI), reaction times, and the therapeutic effects of a custom-made mandibular advancement device (MAD) in male Japanese elite rugby athletes. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and level III sleep test (REI and minimum oxygen saturation [SpO2 min]) were used to evaluate sleep quality. MAD therapy was used daily for 3 weeks. A telephone-based reaction time test of kinetic vision (the ability to identify moving objects) was recorded within 15 min of waking and over 5 days of pre- and post-MAD therapy. Differences in variables were evaluated using paired t-tests. Of the 42 players (mean age, 26.3 ± 3.7 years; mean body mass index, 28.7 ± 3.2 kg/m2) included in this study, 29 (69.0%) had poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5.5), and 27 were diagnosed with OSA (64.3%) (mild = 16/moderate = 9/severe = 2). Six were treated with MAD therapy, which significantly improved the REI (p < 0.01), SpO2 min (p < 0.001), ESS score (p < 0.001), reaction times (p < 0.01), and sleep quality. A significant reduction in reaction times suggests that OSA treatment can improve kinetic vision. Future studies should systematically evaluate the impact of sleep-disordered breathing on kinetic vision in athletes.
Improving the Offer for SMEs Through Managing Internal Competency Gaps in Ecolabnet Project: The Case of Czestochowa University of Technology (CUT)
Authors: Chmielarz Grzegorz , Kuceba Robert 
Published: August 2022

Proper knowledge management is of particular significance in all projects, and especially important in the case of international ones. Such projects involve actors from several countries, and thus, have to allow for considerable differences stemming from cultural differentiation, diverse work patterns, and various levels of competencies in the project’s area. The latter ones seem to be most prone to changes, and improving the level of internal competencies in the case of one of the project partners can greatly contribute to a larger success of the project as a whole. To do so, it is crucial to analyse one’s gaps of competencies and draw up a plan of introducing corrective measures in this respect. This has been done during the implementation of the Ecolabnet project, financed by Interreg, and implemented in the six partner countries: Finland, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, in the years 2019-2021. All the project partners formed the project consortium, whose objective was to accelerate the development of eco-innovations in manufacturing enterprises from the SME sector in the Baltic Sea Region. One of the stages of knowledge management in the project constituted identification of own competency gasps and addressing this issue. The paper presents the process of managing the knowledge on own competency gaps, and the measures that were taken so as to eliminate them. Additionally, the authors present the results of the survey conducted among the SMEs in the project partner countries, which illustrates the needs of the said SMEs in the area of eco-innovations. The authors also describe the steps taken so as to eliminate own competency gaps and improve the quality of CUT’s offer for SMEs based on the results of the survey.