bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Autologous treatment for ALS with implication for broad neuroprotection
Authors: Kim Daehwan , Kim Subin , Sung Ashley , Patel Neetika , Wong Nathan , Conboy Michael J. , Conboy Irina M. 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by a progressive loss of motor neurons (MNs), leading to paralysis, respiratory failure and death within 2–5 years of diagnosis. The exact mechanisms of sporadic ALS, which comprises 90% of all cases, remain unknown. In familial ALS, mutations in superoxide dismutase (SOD1) cause 10% of cases.

Methods
ALS patient-derived human-induced pluripotent stem cells (ALS hiPSCs, harboring the SOD1AV4 mutation), were differentiated to MNs (ALS-MNs). The neuroprotective effects of conditioned medium (CM) of hESCs (H9), wt hiPSCs (WTC-11) and the ALS iPSCs, on MN apoptosis and viability, formation and maintenance of neurites, mitochondrial activity and expression of inflammatory genes, were examined. For in vivo studies, 200 μl of CM from the ALS iPSCs (CS07 and CS053) was injected subcutaneously into the ALS model mice (transgenic for the human SOD1G93A mutation). Animal agility and strength, muscle innervation and mass, neurological score, onset of paralysis and lifespan of the ALS mice were assayed. After observing significant disease-modifying effects, the CM was characterized biochemically by fractionation, comparative proteomics, and epigenetic screens for the dependence on pluripotency. CM of fibroblasts that were differentiated from the wt hiPSCs lacked any neuroprotective activity and was used as a negative control throughout the studies.

Results
The secretome of PSCs including the ALS patient iPSCs was neuroprotective in the H2O2 model. In the model with pathogenic SOD1 mutation, ALS iPSC-CM attenuated all examined hallmarks of ALS pathology, rescued human ALS-MNs from denervation and death, restored mitochondrial health, and reduced the expression of inflammatory genes. The ALS iPSC-CM also improved neuro-muscular health and function, and delayed paralysis and morbidity in ALS mice. Compared side by side, cyclosporine (CsA), a mitochondrial membrane blocker that prevents the leakage of mitochondrial DNA, failed to avert the death of ALS-MNs, although CsA and ALS iPSC-CM equally stabilized MN mitochondria and attenuated inflammatory genes. Biochemical characterization, comparative proteomics, and epigenetic screen all suggested that it was the interactome of several key proteins from different fractions of PSC-CM that delivered the multifaceted neuroprotection.

Conclusions
This work introduces and mechanistically characterizes a new biologic for treating ALS and other complex neurodegenerative diseases.
Psychometric properties and validation of the English version Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8)
Authors: Petrowski Katja , Zenger Markus , Schmalbach Bjarne , Bastianon Christina Diane , Strauss Bernhard 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the newly developed English version of the Giessen Subjective Complaint List-8 (GBB-8), a questionnaire assessing psychosomatic symptoms with regard to exhaustion, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular.

Methods
A U.S. sample of 638 participants (47.6% female) was recruited by MTurk to participate in this cross-sectional online survey. Validation instruments included the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, Perceived Stress Scale, short version of the Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress.

Results
Reliability was high with ω’s between .80 and .86 for all subscales. Confirmatory factor analyses yielded comparable good model fit for a four-dimensional model as well as a higher order model. Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses confirmed measurement invariance of the GBB-8 across sex and age. Regarding convergent validity, correlations with other instruments were highly significant and of large magnitude as expected.

Conclusion
The English version of the GBB-8 has shown excellent psychometric properties. Therefore, it can be recommended for the assessment of psychosomatic complaints in contexts where short screening instruments are necessary.
3D dynamic fashion design development using digital technology and its potential in online platforms
Authors: Choi Kyung-Hee 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to develop 3D dynamic fashion garments with changeable styles, colors and textile patterns, especially using a 3D virtual simulation system, and to examine their potential possibilities in online fashion platforms. For designing and developing 3D dynamic fashion garments, CLO3D and Aftereffects were used with a design collaboration between a fashion designer and a motion graphic artist group. Ten samples of a ready-to-wear collection were developed to visualize aesthetic and technological explorations of 3D dynamic fashion garments, composed of short videos. This study also evaluated the potential of 3D dynamic fashion garments along with 3D virtual simulation systems through focus group interview with professional fashion designers and digital experts, which indicated social and industrial possibilities toward them. This survey showed a list of findings in terms of current status of 3D virtual simulation systems and their impact on companies, discourses on the uncanny valley surrounding avatars, changes in fashion design process derived from 3D virtual simulation systems, co-design and customization in online platforms, and future prospects of 3D virtual garments in the fashion and gaming industries. Finally, this study led to discussions on future possible digital fashion design with several implications, based on design criteria, including digital technology, dynamic range, wearability, expressivity, interactivity, sustainability, and context.
Problem of borderline hemoglobin A2 levels in an Iranian population with a high prevalence of α- and β-thalassemia carriers
Authors: Moradi Keivan , Alibakhshi Reza , Shafieenia Samaneh , Azimi Azam 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
It is difficult to classify a small fraction of α- and β-thalassemia (α- and β-thal) carriers based on their Hb A2 levels. Here, we report the results of a molecular investigation in a cohort of thalassemia carriers with borderline Hb A2 levels originated from western Iran.

Results
The documents of 5956 α- or β-thal carriers were reviewed. The frequency of individuals with borderline Hb A2 levels in this cohort was 436 (7.32%). A total of 12 different α-thal and 27 different β-thal variants were identified in this study.

Conclusions
Our data showed that individuals with borderline Hb A2 are not uncommon in our population. Moreover, preselection of α- and β-thal carriers with borderline Hb A2 levels based on Hb A2, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) is not advisable in our population. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate both α- and β-globin genes in cases with borderline Hb A2 levels, especially if the partner is a carrier of β-thal or α0-thal.
Utility of prognostic scores in predicting short-term mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure
Authors: Zakareya Talaat , Akl Mohamed , Shibl Shereen , El-Mazaly Mohamed , Abdel-Razek Wael 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
Background
Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a distinct syndrome associated with high short-term mortality. Early identification of patients at high risk is essential to determine emergency for transplantation and decide and prioritize the need for intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to evaluate the performance of the different prognostic scores in the prediction of in-hospital mortality in patients with ACLF. A total of 249 patients with ACLF were included and followed till discharge from the hospital. Univariate and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the performance of liver-specific (Child-Pugh and MELD) and ACLF prognostic scores (CLIF-C OF, CLIF-SOFA, CLIF-C AD, CLIF-C ACLF) in the prediction of in-hospital mortality.

Results
Patients were mostly males (71.1%) with a mean age of 53.9 ± 12.8 years. The etiology of pre-existing liver disease was HCV in 57.8%. Sepsis was the most common precipitating factor (49.8%) and the mortality rate was 74.3%. In univariate analysis, all scores were significantly higher in the deceased group (P<0.0001). AUROC were 0.897, 0.884, 0.870, 0.861, 0.861, and 0.850 for CLIF-C OF, CLIF-C AD, CLIF-C ACLF, Child-Pugh, CLIF-SOFA, and MELD scores, respectively. In multivariate analysis, 2 independent predictors of mortality were identified: CLIF-C ACLF score (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.03–10.25, P<0.0001) and Child-Pugh class C (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02–1.06, P=0.044).

Conclusions
All the studied scores could predict in-hospital mortality of patients with ACLF. However, CLIF-C ACLF and Child-Pugh class performed better as they could significantly and independently predict mortality.
Thermal and mechanical studies of nanochitosan incorporated polymethyl methacrylate-based composite electrolytes
Authors: Shyly P. M. , Ammakutti Sridevi N. , Sumithraj Premkumar P. 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThe composite solid polymer electrolytes based on Polymethyl methacrylate–Lithium triflate with nanochitosan as inert nanofiller were prepared by membrane hot-press method. Nanochitosan was synthesized from shrimp shell. The obtained polymer membrane was subjected to X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to study the structural behavior. X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the incorporation of nanochitosan in the prepared polymer matrix enhanced the amorphous phase. The complexation behavior of the prepared electrolytes was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric studies were carried out to understand the thermal stability of the prepared polymer composite electrode. The incorporation of nanochitosan in the polymer matrix significantly reduces the crystalline temperature of polymethyl methacrylate which was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetric study. Universal testing studies were carried to know the mechanical stability of the prepared solid polymer electrolytes. The ionic conductivity of the prepared composite polymer electrolyte was carried out using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy from ambient to 120 °C.
Trace of depression: Network structure of depressive symptoms in different clinical conditions
Authors: Yokoyama Satoshi , Okada Go , Takagaki Koki , Itai Eri , Kambara Kohei , Mitsuyama Yuki , Shinzato Hotaka , Masuda Yoshikazu , Jinnin Ran , Okamoto Yasumasa 
Published: March 2022

AbstractBackgroundPsychopathological network model has received attention recently in the traditional debate about the continuity of depression. However, there is little evidence for comparing the network structure of depressive symptoms in several depressive states at different clinical stages. Through this study of a broad sample of patients with nonclinical to clinical depression, we examined differences in the network structure of depressive symptoms.MethodsFour groups of participants, including cohorts of clinical depression (current depression,n = 294; remitted depression,n = 118) and nonclinical depression (subthreshold depression,N = 184; healthy control,n = 257), responded to Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). After adjusting for age and sex, the residual scores of the 21 BDI-II items were input into a regularized partial correlation network for each group. Then, the estimated edge strengths/densities and node characteristics were compared.ResultsCurrent depression has a discontinuous structure with a stronger and denser network of symptoms compared with nonclinical groups. Interestingly, remitted depression had improved to the level in healthy controls; however, it retained the same network structure as current depression, which indicates a trace of depression.ConclusionsWe found the traces of depression that remained even after the symptoms disappeared. This study might provide a novel framework for elucidating the development and formation of depression.
Building Oncofertility Core Competency in Developing Countries: Experience From Egypt, Tunisia, Brazil, Peru, and Panama
Authors: Salama Mahmoud , Ataman Lauren , Taha Tamer , Azmy Osama , Braham Marouen , Douik Fatma , Khrouf Mohamed , Rodrigues Jhenifer Kliemchen , Reis Fernando M. , Sánchez Flor , Romero Sergio , Vega Mario , Woodruff Teresa K. 
Published: March 2022

Purpose Little is known about oncofertility practice in developing countries that usually suffer from a shortage of health services, especially those related to cancer care. Materials and Methods To learn more about oncofertility practice in developing countries, we generated a survey to explore the barriers and opportunities associated with oncofertility practice in five developing countries from Africa and Latin America within our Oncofertility Consortium Global Partners Network. Responses from Egypt, Tunisia, Brazil, Peru, and Panama were collected, reviewed, and discussed. Results Common barriers were identified by each country, including financial barriers (lack of insurance coverage and high out-of-pocket costs for patients), lack of awareness among providers and patients, cultural and religious constraints, and lack of funding to help to support oncofertility programs. Conclusion Despite barriers to care, many opportunities exist to grow the field of oncofertility in these five developing countries. It is important to continue to engage stakeholders in developing countries and use powerful networks in the United States and other developed countries to aid in the acceptance of oncofertility on a global level.
Maternal Testosterone Concentrations in Third Trimester and Offspring Handgrip Strength at 5 Years: Odense Child Cohort
Authors: Dybdahl Malene , Dalgård Christine , Glintborg Dorte , Andersen Marianne Skovsager , Christesen Henrik Thybo 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Background
Maternal testosterone in pregnancy may have conditioning effects on offspring muscle strength.

Purpose
To investigate possible associations between maternal testosterone concentrations in third trimester and offspring handgrip strength (HGS) at 5 years.

Methods
In the prospective, population-based Odense Child Cohort, total testosterone (TT) at gestational week 27-28 and 5-year HGS were measured in 1017 mother-child pairs. TT was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and free testosterone (FT) was calculated from TT and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Multivariable regression analyses were performed with HGS &lt; 10th percentile as cutoff for low HGS.

Results
Third-trimester FT concentration was 0.004 (0.002-0.007) nmol/L, geometric mean (mean − SD; mean + SD). The mean (SD) 5-year HGS was 8.7 (1.8) kg in boys and 8.1 (1.7) kg in girls (P &lt; 0.001). Higher FT concentrations were associated with lower HGS (β = −0.186, P = 0.048), after adjustment for maternal age, parity, offspring sex, and 5-year height and weight. FT &gt; 0.004 nmol/L was associated with higher risk of 5-year HGS &lt; 10th percentile with odds ratios (95% CI) of 1.58 (1.01, 2.47; P = 0.047; n = 1,017) and 1.69 (1.05, 2.74; P = 0.032) after further adjustment for children’s organized sports in subgroup analysis (n = 848). Lower HGS in relation to higher FT concentrations was found in all linear models but was not always statistically significant. HGS was not associated with maternal TT and SHBG levels.

Conclusion
Third trimester FT was inversely associated with offspring muscle strength assessed by HGS at 5 years of age, which may suggest a negative effect of maternal FT on offspring muscle strength.
Corifollitropin Alfa Combined With Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Adolescent Boys With Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism
Authors: Shankar R Ravi , Shah Suneri , Joeng Hee-Koung , Mendizabal Geraldine , DiBello Julia R , Guan Yanfen , Stegmann Barbara J , Nieschlag Eberhard , Behre Hermann M , Swerdloff Ronald S , Fox Michelle C , Kaufman Keith D 
Published: March 2022

Abstract

Context
Adolescent males with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) have traditionally been treated with exogenous testosterone (T) or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to produce virilization; however, those modalities do not result in growth of the testes and may promote premature maturation and terminal differentiation of Sertoli cells prior to their proliferation, which may impact future fertility. Another option is to use gonadotropins in those individuals to induce testicular growth, proliferation and maturation of Sertoli cells, and production of endogenous T with consequent virilization.

Objective
We examined the efficacy and safety of corifollitropin alfa (CFA) combined with hCG for the induction of testicular growth and pubertal development in adolescent boys with HH.

Methods
This was a 64-week, multicenter, open-label, single-group study of CFA in adolescent boys, aged 14 to younger than 18 years, with HH. Seventeen participants initiated a 12-week priming period with CFA (100 μg if weight ≤ 60 kg, or 150 μg if weight &gt; 60 kg) given subcutaneously once every 2 weeks, after which they entered a 52-week combined treatment period with CFA, once every 2 weeks, and subcutaneous hCG, twice-weekly (hCG dose adjusted between 500 IU and 5000 IU to keep total T and estradiol levels within protocol-specified ranges). The primary efficacy end point was change from baseline in testicular volume (TV), measured as the sum of volumes of left and right testes by ultrasound.

Results
After 64 weeks of therapy with CFA/CFA combined with hCG, geometric mean fold increase from baseline in TV was 9.43 (95% CI, 7.44-11.97) (arithmetic mean of change from baseline at week 64, 13.0 mL). Hormonal, Tanner stage, and growth velocity changes were consistent with initiation and progression of puberty. Treatment was generally well tolerated. No participant developed anti-CFA antibodies.

Conclusion
Treatment of adolescent boys with HH with CFA alone for 12 weeks followed by CFA combined with hCG for 52 weeks induced testicular growth accompanied by pubertal progression, increased T, and a pubertal growth spurt (EudraCT: 2015-001878-18).
The Rise of Sonless Families in Asia and North Africa
Authors: Pandian Roshan K. , Allendorf Keera 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
A neglected consequence of declining fertility is the likely rise of families with children of one sex—only sons or only daughters. Increases in such families present important demographic shifts that may weaken patrilineal family systems. We assess whether sons-only and daughters-only families rose in Asia and North Africa from the early 1990s to around 2015. Using 88 surveys and two censuses, we examine how the number and sex composition of children of mothers aged 40–49 changed across 20 countries, representing 87% of the region's population and 54% of the global population. We also compare observed trends to sex-indifferent counterfactuals, quantify contributions of fertility declines with decompositions, and investigate subnational trends in China and India. Increases in sons-only families were universal where numbers of children fell. Growth of daughters-only families was suppressed in patrilineal contexts, but these sonless families still rose significantly in 13 of 18 countries where numbers declined. By 2015, over a quarter of families in the region had only sons and nearly a fifth only daughters. There was considerable variation across countries: recent levels ranged from 28.3% to 3.4% daughters-only and from 40.1% to 6.0% sons-only. China and the rest of East Asia had the highest shares.
Gendered Struggles over the Medical Profession in the Modern Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Kozma Liat , Khayat Nicole 
Published: March 2022

AbstractHistorians of the professionalization of medicine in colonized regions, including the Middle East, have mostly focused on male practitioners, whereas histories of women in the medical professions are mostly centered in Western societies. The present issue examines histories of female medical practitioners by looking at case studies spanning the twentieth century from Algeria, Palestine, Israel, Iran, and Iraq. The introduction to this issue offers an overview of existing scholarship and charts sources and directions for future research and historical actors yet to be studied. The articles examine microlevel contact zones, in which women’s agency shaped and was shaped by colonial and postcolonial encounters, decolonization, and the formation of national professions. They reveal tensions within the medical sphere, between men and women, foreign and local, colonizer and colonized.
Women Doctors and the Medical Profession in Iraq during the First Half of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Farhan Sara 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis article explores the history of Iraqi women’s participation in the medical profession as accredited physicians in the first half of the twentieth century. It begins with a discussion of women’s exclusion from late Ottoman medical education faculties and their reliance on lay practice as a form of medical training. Women’s ascension in the medical profession was further thwarted by colonial accreditation requirements and a series of laws that emerged during the British occupation and the ensuing mandate. Gradually and in limited numbers, some women were afforded “subordinate ranks” under the British administration. When women of capital expressed interest in and mobilized their networks to gain access to the medical profession as physicians, limited admission into the local medical faculty became viable. Tactical aversions made professional pursuits difficult for segments of the population under study. Those who gained access to the medical profession navigated gendered occupational specialism that in turn shaped their professional trajectories.
Truck Sluts, Petrosexual Countrysides, and Trashy Environmentalisms
Authors: Reich Nicholas Tyler 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
If the climate crisis, undergirded as it is by oil dependency, can be called “cis” insofar as it is driven by cisheteronormativity, then it requires a response to oil that is broadly trans—transgender, transspecies, trans-corporeal, trans-material. Rural petro-masculine iconography elides and erases our oil dependencies by pretending to a total control over fossil fuels and thereby a control over cultural and material formations of stable, binaric gender and sex. To think outside these foreclosures of both nonbinaric genders and oil's animacy, this essay introduces readers to Truck Sluts, an Instagram account that puts rural trucking culture at the center of a three-fold t4t exchange: trans-for-trans, trans-for-trucks, and a more expansive trans-for-trans* that crosses materialities. The author argues that Truck Sluts explicitly models these kinds of exchange and that doing so unseats the cisheterosexism of the petro-masculine rural, which is necessarily environmentalist work.
T4t Love-Politics
Authors: Hsu V. Jo 
Published: March 2022

AbstractThis essay considers Monica Roberts's long-standing blog, TransGriot, as a model of T4t love-politics. Drawing from Jennifer Nash's work on Black feminism, the author argues that TransGriot centers interpersonal and intra- and intercommunal relationships as driving forces of social and systemic change. This approach to t4t enabled Roberts to center trans voices, trans needs, and trans thriving while also demanding accountability from all communities that intersect with the lives of Black trans women. What emerges is an understanding of justice as built and sustained by the difficult work of relating—of making ourselves vulnerable to, and bearing witness to, one another.