bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of HIV infection in febrile patients visiting health centers in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Akinnusi Ololade O. , Bello Adebayo J. , Adeleye Isaac A. , Nutor Jerry John 
Published: February 2022

AbstractObjectiveAcute febrile infections compatible with malaria are the most prevalent presentation at sub-Saharan African health clinics, accounting for 30–50% of outpatient visits. Acute human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection can mimic acute malaria symptoms. As a result, screening people with malaria symptoms for HIV infection is critical. The goal of our study was to find out how common HIV infection was among feverish patients.ResultsOut of the 310 individuals screened, 9 (3.0%) had HIV-1 infection, with 5 (55.5%) being females and 4 (44.4%) being males. This study found no evidence of HIV-2 infection or HIV-1/HIV-2 co-infection. HIV infection was found in 1–3% of patients with probable malaria at different sites in Lagos, Nigeria.
Bisulfite profiling of the MGMT promoter and comparison with routine testing in glioblastoma diagnostics
Authors: Tierling Sascha , Jürgens-Wemheuer Wiebke M. , Leismann Alea , Becker-Kettern Julia , Scherer Michael , Wrede Arne , Breuskin David , Urbschat Steffi , Sippl Christoph , Oertel Joachim , Schulz-Schaeffer Walter J. , Walter Jörn 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
Promoter methylation of the DNA repair gene O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is an acknowledged predictive epigenetic marker in glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma. Patients with methylated CpGs in the MGMT promoter benefit from treatment with alkylating agents, such as temozolomide, and show an improved overall survival and progression-free interval. A precise determination of MGMT promoter methylation is of importance for diagnostic decisions. We experienced that different methods show partially divergent results in a daily routine. For an integrated neuropathological diagnosis of malignant gliomas, we therefore currently apply a combination of methylation-specific PCR assays and pyrosequencing.

Results
To better rationalize the variation across assays, we compared these standard techniques and assays to deep bisulfite sequencing results in a cohort of 80 malignant astrocytomas. Our deep analysis covers 49 CpG sites of the expanded MGMT promoter, including exon 1, parts of intron 1 and a region upstream of the transcription start site (TSS). We observed that deep sequencing data are in general in agreement with CpG-specific pyrosequencing, while the most widely used MSP assays published by Esteller et al. (N Engl J Med 343(19):1350–1354, 2000. 10.1056/NEJM200011093431901) and Felsberg et al. (Clin Cancer Res 15(21):6683–6693, 2009. 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-2801) resulted in partially discordant results in 22 tumors (27.5%). Local deep bisulfite sequencing (LDBS) revealed that CpGs located in exon 1 are suited best to discriminate methylated from unmethylated samples. Based on LDBS data, we propose an optimized MSP primer pair with 83% and 85% concordance to pyrosequencing and LDBS data. A hitherto neglected region upstream of the TSS, with an overall higher methylation compared to exon 1 and intron 1 of MGMT, is also able to discriminate the methylation status.

Conclusion
Our integrated analysis allows to evaluate and redefine co-methylation domains within the MGMT promoter and to rationalize the practical impact on assays used in daily routine diagnostics.
A bivalent porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), PCV2a-PCV2b, vaccine offers biologically superior protection compared to monovalent PCV2 vaccines
Authors: Bandrick Meggan , Balasch Monica , Heinz Andrea , Taylor Lucas , King Vickie , Toepfer Jeri , Foss Dennis 
Published: February 2022

AbstractRecent publications suggest PCV2 vaccine-induced protection is superior when the vaccine and challenge are closely matched. PCV2’s evolutionary rate, propensity for recombination, and genotype shifting, all provide rationale for modernizing PCV2 vaccines. One mechanism to increase a vaccine’s epitope breadth is by designing a bivalent vaccine. The objective of these studies was to evaluate efficacy of a monovalent (PCV1-2 chimera, cPCV2a or cPCV2b) and bivalent (cPCV2a–cPCV2b) vaccine in terms of homologous and heterologous efficacy. In Study A, pigs were vaccinated with cPCV2a or saline and challenged with PCV2a or PCV2b. In Study B, pigs were vaccinated with cPCV2a, cPCV2a–cPCV2b bivalent, or saline, and challenged with PCV2a. In Study C, pigs were vaccinated with cPCV2b, cPCV2a–cPCV2b bivalent, or saline, and challenged with PCV2b. In all studies vaccines and saline were administered intramuscularly to pigs at three to four weeks of age. Virulent PCV2b or PCV2a was administered to all animals approximately three weeks post-vaccination. Both mono and bivalent vaccinated groups demonstrated significantly lower viremia, percent of animals ever viremic, percent of animals with lymphoid depletion and/or histiocytic replacement, and percent of animals with PCV2 colonization of lymphoid tissues compared to saline controls. In Study A, a biologically relevant, though not significantly different, improvement in homologous versus heterologous protection was observed. In Studies B and C, biologically superior efficacy of the bivalent cPCV2a–cPCV2b vaccine compared to either monovalent vaccine was demonstrated. Taken together, cross-protection among mismatched PCV2 vaccine and challenge genotypes is not 100%; a bivalent PCV2 vaccine may provide the best opportunity to broaden coverage to circulating strains of PCV2.
Insight into the mitochondrial unfolded protein response and cancer: opportunities and challenges
Authors: Wang Ge , Fan Yumei , Cao Pengxiu , Tan Ke 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt) is an evolutionarily conserved protective transcriptional response that maintains mitochondrial proteostasis by inducing the expression of mitochondrial chaperones and proteases in response to various stresses. The UPRmt-mediated transcriptional program requires the participation of various upstream signaling pathways and molecules. The factors regulating the UPRmtinCaenorhabditis elegans(C. elegans) and mammals are both similar and different. Cancer cells, as malignant cells with uncontrolled proliferation, are exposed to various challenges from endogenous and exogenous stresses. Therefore, in cancer cells, the UPRmtis hijacked and exploited for the repair of mitochondria and the promotion of tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. In this review, we systematically introduce the inducers of UPRmt, the biological processes in which UPRmtparticipates, the mechanisms regulating the UPRmtinC. elegansand mammals, cross-tissue signal transduction of the UPRmtand the roles of the UPRmtin promoting cancer initiation and progression. Disrupting proteostasis in cancer cells by targeting UPRmtconstitutes a novel anticancer therapeutic strategy.
Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) indicated frailty is associated with increased in-hospital and 30-day mortality in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Rottler Máté , Ocskay Klementina , Sipos Zoltán , Görbe Anikó , Virág Marcell , Hegyi Péter , Molnár Tihamér , Erőss Bálint , Leiner Tamás , Molnár Zsolt 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
The concept of frailty provides an age-independent, easy-to-use tool for risk stratification. We aimed to summarize the evidence on the efficacy of frailty tools in risk assessment in COVID-19 patients.

Methods
The protocol was registered (CRD42021241544). Studies reporting on frailty in COVID-19 patients were eligible. The main outcomes were mortality, length of hospital stay (LOH) and intensive care unit (ICU) admission in frail and non-frail COVID-19 patients. Frailty was also compared in survivors and non-survivors. Five databases were searched up to 24th September 2021. The QUIPS tool was used for the risk of bias assessment. Odds ratios (OR) and weighted mean differences (WMD) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random effect model. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 and χ2 tests.

Results
From 3640 records identified, 54 were included in the qualitative and 42 in the quantitative synthesis. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) was used in 46 studies, the Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) by 4, the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) by 3 and three studies used other scores. We found that patients with frailty (CFS 4–9 or HFRS ≥ 5) have a higher risk of mortality (CFS: OR: 3.12; CI 2.56–3.81; HFRS OR: 1.98; CI 1.89–2.07). Patients with frailty (CFS 4–9) were less likely to be admitted to ICU (OR 0.28, CI 0.12–0.64). Quantitative synthesis for LOH was not feasible. Most studies carried a high risk of bias.

Conclusions
As determined by CFS, frailty is strongly associated with mortality; hence, frailty-based patient management should be included in international COVID-19 treatment guidelines. Future studies investigating the role of frailty assessment on deciding ICU admission are strongly warranted.
Free resources for forced phonetic alignment in Brazilian Portuguese based on Kaldi toolkit
Authors: Batista Cassio , Dias Ana Larissa , Neto Nelson 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPhonetic analysis of speech, in general, requires the alignment of audio samples to its phonetic transcription. This could be done manually for a couple of files, but as the corpus grows large, it becomes infeasibly time-consuming. This paper describes the evolution process toward creating free resources for phonetic alignment in Brazilian Portuguese (BP) using Kaldi, a toolkit that achieves state of the art for open-source speech recognition, within a toolkit we call UFPAlign. The contributions of this work are then twofold: developing resources to perform forced alignment in BP, including the release of scripts to train acoustic models via Kaldi, as well as the resources themselves under open licenses; and bringing forth a comparison to other two phonetic aligners that provide resources for BP, namely EasyAlign and Montreal Forced Aligner (MFA), the latter being also Kaldi-based. Evaluation took place in terms of phone boundary and intersection over union metrics over a dataset of 385 hand-aligned utterances, and results show that Kaldi-based aligners perform better overall, and that UFPAlign models are more accurate than MFA’s. Furthermore, complex deep-learning-based approaches still do not improve performance compared to simpler models.
Effects of high-intensity interval training on blood lactate levels and cognition in healthy adults: protocol for systematic review and network meta-analyses
Authors: Jacob Nithin , So Isis , Sharma Bhanu , Marzolini Susan , Tartaglia Maria Carmela , Green Robin 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundHigh-intensity interval training (HIIT) has shown to confer cognitive benefits in healthy adults, via a mechanism purportedly driven by the exercise metabolite lactate. However, our understanding of the exercise parameters (e.g., work interval duration, session volume, work-to-rest ratio) that evoke a peak blood lactate response in healthy adults is limited. Moreover, evidence relating HIIT-induced blood lactate and cognitive performance has yet to be reviewed and analyzed. The primary objective of this systematic review is to use network meta-analyses to compare the relative impact of different HIIT work-interval durations, session volumes, and work-to-rest ratios on post-exercise blood lactate response in healthy adults. The secondary objective is to determine the relationship between HIIT-induced blood lactate and acute post-HIIT cognitive performance.MethodsA systematic review is being conducted to identify studies measuring blood lactate response following one session of HIIT in healthy adults. The search was carried out in (1) MEDLINE, (2) EMBASE, (3) Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, (4) Sport Discus, and (5) Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus with Full Text (CINAHL+). After abstract and full-text screening, two reviewers will independently extract data on key outcomes variables and complete risk of bias assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies of Interventions tool. Network meta-analyses will be used to generate estimates of the comparative effectiveness of blood lactate on cognitive outcomes using corresponding rankings for each work-interval duration, session volume, and work-to-rest ratio category. Where applicable, meta-regressions analyses will be performed to test the relationship between changes in the blood lactate and changes in cognitive performance. Analyses will be conducted using MetaInsight Software.DiscussionThis study will provide evidence on how to structure a HIIT protocol to elicit peak blood lactate response in healthy adults and will increase our understanding of the relationship between HIIT-induced blood lactate response and associated cognitive benefits.Systematic review registrationPROSPEROCRD42020204400
Determinants of birth asphyxia among preterm newborns in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies protocol
Authors: Tadesse Abay Woday , Muluneh Muluken Dessalegn , Aychiluhm Setognal Birara , Mare Kusse Urmale , Wagaw Gebeyaw Biset 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundBirth asphyxia accounted for nearly 50% of neonatal mortality in Sub-Saharan African countries. This scenario has been worst in Ethiopia where every two out of three deaths attributed to birth asphyxia. Moreover, studies conducted in Ethiopia were highly variable and inconclusive to estimate the pooled prevalence and determinants of perinatal birth asphyxia among preterm babies.ObjectiveThis study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of birth asphyxia and its determinants among preterm newborns in Ethiopia.MethodsThe protocol for this review is registered at PROSPERO with registration number CRD42020158224. A comprehensive online databases (PubMed, HINARI, Scopus, EMBASE, Science direct, and Cochrane library database), Google Scholar, African Journals online, other gray and online repository accessed studies will be searched using different search engines. In addition, maternity and infant care databases uploaded at Ethiopian Health Development Journal and Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences will be searched until 30 June 2020. Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) will be used for critical appraisal of studies. Three reviewers will screen all retrieved articles, conduct data extraction, and then critically appraise all identified studies. All identified observational studies reporting the prevalence of birth asphyxia and associated factors among neonates in Ethiopia will be considered. The analysis of data will be done using STATA 11.0. We will demonstrate pooled estimates and determinants of birth asphyxia with effect size and 95% confidence interval. Heterogeneity among the included studies will be assessed through the CochraneQtest statistics andI2test. Publication bias will be checked using funnel plot and Egger’s test. Finally, statistical significance level will be declared at apvalue of less than 0.05.DiscussionThe result from this systematic review will inform and guide health policy planners to invest limited resources on maternal and neonatal health. Furthermore, it will be a stimulus for future cumulative meta-analysis researchers in developing nations.
Mapping soil nutrients via different covariates combinations: theory and an example from Morocco
Authors: John Kingsley , Bouslihim Yassine , Isong Isong Abraham , Hssaini Lahcen , Razouk Rachid , Kebonye Ndiye M. , Agyeman Prince C. , Penížek Vit , Zádorová Tereza 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
Mapping of soil nutrients using different covariates was carried out in northern Morocco. This study was undertaken in response to the region's urgent requirement for an updated soil map. It aimed to test various covariates combinations for predicting the variability in soil properties using ordinary kriging and kriging with external drift.

Methods
A total of 1819 soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–40 cm using the 1-km grid sampling method. Samples were screened for their pH, soil organic matter (SOM), potassium (K2O), and phosphorus (P2O5) using standard laboratory protocols. Terrain attributes (T) computed using a 30-m resolution digital elevation model, bioclimatic data (C), and vegetation indices (V) were used as covariates in the study. Each targeted soil property was modeled using covariates separately and then combined (e.g., pH ~ T, pH ~ C, pH ~ V, and pH ~ T + C + V). k = tenfold cross-validation was applied to examine the performance of each employed model. The statistical parameter RMSE was used to determine the accuracy of different models.

Results
The pH of the area is slightly above the neutral level with a corresponding 7.82% of SOM, 290.34 ppm of K2O, and 100.86 ppm of P2O5. This was used for all the selected targeted soil properties. As a result, the studied soil properties showed a linear relationship with the selected covariates. pH, SOM, and K2O presented a moderate spatial autocorrelation, while P2O5 revealed a strong autocorrelation. The cross-validation result revealed that soil pH (RMSE = 0.281) and SOM (RMSE = 9.505%) were best predicted by climatic variables. P2O5 (RMSE = 106.511 ppm) produced the best maps with climate, while K2O (RMSE = 209.764 ppm) yielded the best map with terrain attributes.

Conclusions
The findings suggest that a combination of too many environmental covariates might not provide the actual variability of a targeted soil property. This demonstrates that specific covariates with close relationships with certain soil properties might perform better than the compilation of different environmental covariates, introducing errors due to randomness. In brief, the approach of the present study is new and can be inspiring to decision-makers in the region and other world areas as well.
Linking regional autonomy–embeddedness value orientation and innovation
Authors: Soloviov Vladyslav 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCulture, as a key driver of innovative activity, has been largely analysed at the national and organisational levels by interdisciplinary studies. This article investigates the relationship between Schwartz’s cultural dimensions and innovation, proxied by the number of patent applications to the European Patent Office, at the regional level. Using European Social Survey questionnaire, Eurostat and European Patent Office data and employing factor analysis and multilevel models, the link between culture and innovation is examined for regions of 26 European countries. The results of the analysis show that cultural differences are significantly related to differences in patenting even between regions of the same country. In particular, a higher autonomy–embeddedness score is significantly positively linked to patent applications at the regional level. The study highlights the usefulness of region-level cultural dimensions, providing evidence of more precise results obtained when these dimensions are used in the analysis.
Validation of indwelling vaginal sensor to monitor body temperature in ewes
Authors: Lewis Baida Bobbie E. , Baumert Mathias , Kushwaha Alok , Swinbourne Alyce M. , Leu Stephan T. , van Wettere William H. E. J. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractRemote-sensing technology facilitates longitudinal collection of body temperature during periods of hot or cold environmental stress without human interference, producing high-frequency measurements whilst reducing labour and stress to the animal. A pilot study was conducted to validate an improved, minimally invasive method for the continual measurement of vaginal temperature (VT) in female sheep. A silicon mould of a modified controlled internal drug release (CIDR) device (Zoetis Animal Health, Parsippany), was manufactured to securely house a temperature logger (Micro-T 16-bit; Star Oddi, Iceland) and allow direct contact at the collection site. These temperature-sensing CIDR devices were validated against manual rectal temperature (RT) measurements collected from 15 mature, non-pregnant, non-lactating Merino ewes. Rectal temperature was measured from each individual, six times per day in 2-h intervals for 14 consecutive days. The simultaneous measures of VT and RT did not differ significantly within each ewe (P > 0.05) and demonstrated a moderate linear relationship (R2 = 0.62,P < 0.05). The mean (± SEM) difference between RT and VT was small (0.010 ± 0.004 °C), with a 95% confidence interval of − 0.26 to 0.29 °C. Additionally, the coefficient of variation was lower on average for VT (0.49%) compared to RT (0.59%). Differences among paired readings were likely due to interval variation as well as penetration depth, air influx and faecal temperature when collecting RT. The initial silicone manufacturing costs were high (2200 AUD), with each unit costing 1.25 (AUD) thereafter; however, the temperature-sensing CIDR device was an effective and efficient research tool for the remote monitoring of body temperature. While further validation of these devices within extensive grazing environments is warranted, the collection and analysis of longitudinal physiological data from ewes has the potential to improve a variety of management aspects related to extensively grazed ewes maintained and joined in harsh conditions.
Ameliorating cognitive control in patients with binge eating disorder by electrical brain stimulation: study protocol of the randomized controlled ACCElect pilot trial
Authors: Giel Katrin E. , Schag Kathrin , Martus Peter , Max Sebastian M. , Plewnia Christian 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Background
The current first-line treatment for binge eating disorder (BED), which is psychotherapy, is moderately effective in terms of abstinence from binge-eating. Neurobiological evidence suggests that people affected by BED show difficulties along the spectrum of impulsivity, including inhibitory control impairments and highlights the potential of novel treatment approaches directly targeting inhibitory control, including cognitive training approaches and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Methods
ACCElect is a prospective, randomized controlled pilot trial investigating a novel, food-related inhibitory control training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). 40 patients with BED will be randomly assigned to receive the training either combined with verum or with sham stimulation (control condition). The inhibitory control training is based on principles of the antisaccade paradigm and comprises six training sessions over two weeks. Core aims are the investigation of feasibility and clinically relevant effects of a tDCS-enhanced inhibitory control training in BED patients and the establishment of a data basis for a larger efficacy trial. The primary clinical endpoint is binge-eating (BE) frequency in terms of changes in BE episodes four weeks after treatment termination as compared to baseline. Key secondary outcomes comprise ED pathology and general psychopathology, inhibitory control capacities, quality of life as well as acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention.

Discussion
The results of the present trial will contribute to the development of novel neurobiologically informed treatment approaches for patients suffering from BED.
Trial registration The ACCElect trial was prospectively registered on October 1, 2020, under the registration number NCT04572087 at ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04572087).