bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of Wuda granule on gastrointestinal function recovery after laparoscopic intestinal resection: a randomized–controlled trial
Authors: Zeng Haiping , Wang Wei , Cao Lixing , Wu Yuyan , Ouyang Wenwei , Diao Dechang , Wan Jin , Chen Qicheng , Chen Zhiqiang 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Background
Previous studies have suggested that the Wuda granule (WDG) could promote the recovery of gastrointestinal (GI) function after gynecologic abdominal surgery. This trial aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of WDG in the rapid recovery of GI function in patients after laparoscopic intestinal resection in the setting of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)-based perioperative care.

Methods
We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial. Thirty patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to either the WDG group or the placebo group in a 1:1 ratio. The patients received WDG or placebo twice a day in addition to ERAS-based perioperative care, starting on post-operative Day 1 until Day 3. The primary outcomes were time to first bowel movement and time to first tolerance of solid food. The secondary outcomes were time to first flatus, length of hospital stay (LOS), and post-operative ileus-related morbidity. Adverse events were also recorded.

Results
There were no statistically significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The median time to first bowel movement was significantly decreased in the WDG group compared with the control group (27.6 vs 50.1 h; P &lt; 0.001), but the median times to first flatus (22.9 vs 25.1 h; P &gt; 0.05) and LOS (5.0 vs 5.0 days; P &gt; 0.05) were not statistically different. The occurrence rates of post-operative nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain were similar in the two groups. No adverse events occurred in any patients.

Conclusions
The addition of WDG to ERAS post-operative care after laparoscopic intestinal resection can safely promote the rapid recovery of GI function.
Alcohol Use and Blood Pressure Among Older Couples: The Moderating Role of Negative Marital Quality
Authors: Birditt Kira S , Turkelson Angela , Polenick Courtney A , Cranford James A , Blow Frederic C 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Objectives
Spouses often have concordant drinking behaviors and important influences on one another’s cardiovascular health. However, little is known about the implications of dyadic drinking patterns for blood pressure, and the marital factors that confer risk or resilience. This article examined links between alcohol use and blood pressure within individuals and opposite-sex couples over time, and whether those links vary by negative marital quality among older adults.

Methods
Participants were from the nationally representative longitudinal Health and Retirement Study that included 4,619 respondents in 2,682 opposite-sex couples who participated in at least 2 of the waves from 2006 to 2016. Participants reported the number of drinks they typically consume per week, negative marital quality, and had their blood pressure measured via a cuff.

Results
Analyses revealed that greater drinking was associated with increased systolic blood pressure among both husbands and wives. Furthermore, husbands who drank more had higher blood pressure when wives drank more alcohol, whereas there was no association between husbands’ drinking and blood pressure when wives drank less alcohol. Interactions with negative marital quality showed that drinking concordance may be associated with increased blood pressure over time in more negative marriages.

Discussion
Findings indicated that spousal drinking concordance, although often associated with positive marital quality, may have negative long-term health effects.
A nomogram to predict residual cavity formation after thoracoscopic decortication in chronic tuberculous empyema
Authors: Zhu Pengfei , Xu Xudong , Ye Bo , Yu Guocan , Fang Likui , Yu Wenfeng , Zhong Fangming , Qiu Xiaowei , Yang Xin 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The goal of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram for predicting residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication in patients with chronic tuberculous empyema (CTE).

METHODS
We retrospectively analysed patients who were diagnosed and treated for CTE at our hospital from January 2017 to December 2020. We used univariable and binary logistic regression analyses to identify independent risk factors. A predictive nomogram was developed and validated for predicting the risk of residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication in patients with CTE. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to evaluate the nomogram.

RESULTS
Data from 103 patients were analysed. The contact area between the lung and empyema (P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR] 1.017, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.007–1.028), calcification (P = 0.004, OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.029–0.501) and thickness of the pleura (P = 0.02, OR 1.315, 95% CI 1.045–1.654) were risk factors for residual cavity formation after video-assisted thoracoscopic decortication. A 50% residual cavity formation rate was used as the cut-off to validate the nomogram model. The area under the ROC curve for the nomogram was 0.891 (95% CI, 0.82–0.963). The sensitivity and specificity of the nomogram were 86.67% and 82.19%, respectively. The calibration curve indicated good consistency between the predicted and actual risks.

CONCLUSIONS
The preliminary nomogram could contribute to preventing postoperative residual cavity formation and making appropriate surgical decisions.
Daptomycin susceptibility testing and therapeutic use in enterococcal bloodstream infection (EBSI) in a setting with high rates of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm)
Authors: Kelly John , Tysall Luke , Dewar Simon 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Background
There is in vitro and clinical evidence to suggest daptomycin has good activity against Enterococcus. In 2019, CLSI produced clinical breakpoints for Enterococcus spp.

Objectives
To describe the distribution of MICs of daptomycin for enterococcal bloodstream infection (EBSI) isolates in a large Scottish health board, the indications for local daptomycin susceptibility testing and daptomycin doses used in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) infection.

Methods
We investigated all EBSIs over a 21 month period and identified isolates tested against daptomycin. We recorded the distribution of MICs, as well as indications for daptomycin susceptibility testing and information on daptomycin dosing, where it was used.

Results
There were 293 blood culture isolates of Enterococcus spp., of which 37 had daptomycin susceptibility testing performed, from 31 individual patients. Of the 293 isolates, 103 were E. faecium, of which 63 were VREfm. Daptomycin testing was indicated by vancomycin resistance in 24/37 isolates. All E. faecium isolates tested were in the CLSI ‘susceptible dose-dependent (SDD)’ range of MICs. All other Enterococcus spp. tested were in the ‘susceptible’ range. Twelve patients received daptomycin, and dosing information was recovered for 10. Nine of these patients received 8–12 mg/kg/day dosing. There were no recorded adverse drug reactions. Ten of 12 patients were alive at the time of data collection.

Conclusions
Daptomycin MIC distribution for EBSI isolates suggests a high local rate of susceptibility, according to CLSI breakpoints, in a population with high rates of VREfm. CLSI-recommended doses of daptomycin were used, with encouraging survival outcomes.
NRF2 pathway activation attenuates ageing-related renal phenotypes due to α-klotho deficiency
Authors: Zhao Mingyue , Murakami Shohei , Matsumaru Daisuke , Kawauchi Takeshi , Nabeshima Yo-ichi , Motohashi Hozumi 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Oxidative stress is one of the major causes of the age-related functional decline in cells and tissues. The KEAP1–NRF2 system plays a central role in the regulation of redox balance, and NRF2 activation exerts antiageing effects by controlling oxidative stress in aged tissues. α-Klotho was identified as an ageing suppressor protein based on the premature ageing phenotypes of its mutant mice, and its expression is known to gradually decrease during ageing. Because α-klotho has been shown to possess antioxidant function, ageing-related phenotypes of α-klotho mutant mice seem to be attributable to increased oxidative stress at least in part. To examine whether NRF2 activation antagonizes ageing-related phenotypes caused by α-klotho deficiency, we crossed α-klotho–deficient (Kl−/−) mice with a Keap1-knockdown background, in which the NRF2 pathway is constitutively activated in the whole body. NRF2 pathway activation in Kl−/− mice extended the lifespan and dramatically improved ageing-related renal phenotypes. With elevated expression of antioxidant genes accompanied by an oxidative stress decrease, the antioxidant effects of NRF2 seem to make a major contribution to the attenuation of ageing-related renal phenotypes of Kl−/− mice. Thus, NRF2 is expected to exert an antiageing function by partly compensating for the functional decline of α-Klotho during physiological ageing.
Overlap Between Complicity and Positive Obligations: What Advantages in Resorting to Positive Obligations in Case of Partnered Operations?
Authors: Liguori Anna 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Partnered operations are very frequent and pose complex questions in international law, such as the allocation of responsibility in cases of violations of international human rights law and/or international humanitarian law (IHL). The present article deals with the question of complicity in partnered operations between States and between States and/or non-State actors, focusing on the possible overlap between responsibility for complicity and responsibility for breach of positive obligations in partnered operations in the light of the relevant case law of the International Court of Justice and of the European Court of Human Rights. As the requirements laid down by art. 16 of the International Law Commission Draft Articles on the Responsibility of States with respect to complicity are often difficult to meet, the author intends to explore the potential advantages of resorting to positive obligations in light of the due diligence standard. Although the article focuses primarily on human rights violations, in the final section the author investigates the benefits of this approach also with respect to breaches of IHL.
Revisiting the Law on UN Peace Operations’ Support to Partner Forces
Authors: Mamiya Ralph , Vestner Tobias 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Modern UN peace operations frequently deploy in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs). Their activities tend to support governmental forces in stabilizing the country, including the combat against non-state actors. This is one of the most prominent examples of ‘support relationships’ or ‘partnered warfare’, namely situations in which a foreign partner provides military support for an ally in an armed conflict. This also raises the question, however, of the legal status of UN peace operations and their activities in such circumstances. This article examines the legal situation and finds that the current legal tenets regarding UN peace operations becoming a party to a conflict and individual peacekeepers directly participating in hostilities do not address the issue in a satisfactory manner. It also finds that while the International Committee of the Red Cross has proposed the support-based approach to clarify the issue, this lacks an appropriate legal basis. The article argues that a ‘totality-of-the-circumstances’ approach regarding the existence of a NIAC, which corresponds to the original spirit of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, provides a proper legal basis which addresses identified concerns. The article concludes by discussing such an approach’s advantages and drawbacks in the case of support relationships.
The Strategies of the International Chamber of Commerce to Eliminate Double Taxation
Authors: Polonskaya Ksenia 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT
This article focuses on the role of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in developing the regime on the elimination of double taxation in the twentieth century. The objective of the article is to determine the ICC’s strategies and its structural advantages in developing the regime and contextualize these strategies in a broader socio-legal and historical context. The article adopts the interactional theory of Jutta Brunée and Stephan Toope to emphasize the actor-oriented outlook upon the development of the regime on double taxation. It relies on the micro-and macro-histories teased out from archival sources, biographies of prominent decision-makers, and deliberations of committee members in the League of Nations and the United Nations. The article concludes that the ICC is a strategic player within the community of practice in the international tax regime, which utilized its structural advantages and employed different strategies to facilitate the elimination of double taxation.
Revocation of PepsiCo India’s rights over Lay’s potato variety
Authors: Ghimire Saurav 
Published: February 2022

ABSTRACT
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, Kavitha Kuruganti v PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, New Delhi, 3 December 2021
The chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority revoked the registration of PepsiCo India’s potato variety FL 2027. The decision was based on three major grounds: firstly, PepsiCo India had furnished incorrect information to acquire the certificate of registration; secondly, PepsiCo India was ineligible to hold the certificate; thirdly, there was a violation of public interest by PepsiCo India suing farmers on the basis of the certificate.
Serial ultrathin sections to identify ultrastructural localization of GLUT1 molecules in vesicles in brain endothelial cells—correlative light and electron microscopy in depth
Authors: Yamada Akane , Nishida Yoichiro , Wake Kenjiro , Nakamura Ayako , Sakamaki Yuriko , Kuwahara Hiroya , Uchihara Toshiki , Yokota Takanori 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
Precise immunolocalization of molecules in relation to ultrastructural features is challenging, especially when the target is small and not frequent enough to be included in tiny ultrathin sections randomly selected for electron microscopy (EM). Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is in charge of transporting glucose across brain capillary endothelial cells (BCECs). Paraformaldehyde-fixed floating sections (50 μm thick) of mouse brain were immunolabeled with anti-GLUT1 antibody and visualized with fluoronanogold. Fluorescent images encompassing the entire hemisphere were tiled to enable selection of GLUT1-positive BCECs suitable for subsequent EM and landmark placement with laser microdissection to guide trimming. Sections were then fixed with glutaraldehyde, gold enhanced to intensify the labeling and fixed with osmium tetroxide to facilitate ultrastructural recognition. Even though a region that contained target BCECs was successfully trimmed in the resin block, it was only after observation of serial ultrathin sections that GLUT1 signals in coated vesicles on the same cross section corresponding to the cross section preidentified by confocal laser microscope. This is the first ultrastructural demonstration of GLUT1 molecules in coated vesicles, which may well explain its functional relevance to transport glucose across BCECs. Successful ultrastructural localization of molecules in relation to well-preserved target structure in native tissue samples, as achieved in this study, will pave the way to understand the functional relevance of molecules and their relation to ultrastructural details.
Improving the Utility of Poisson-Distributed, Differentially Private Synthetic Data Via Prior Predictive Truncation with an Application to CDC WONDER
Authors: Quick Harrison 
Published: February 2022

AbstractCDC WONDER is a web-based tool for the dissemination of epidemiologic data collected by the National Vital Statistics System. While CDC WONDER has built-in privacy protections, they do not satisfy formal privacy protections such as differential privacy and thus are susceptible to targeted attacks. Given the importance of making high-quality public health data publicly available while preserving the privacy of the underlying data subjects, we aim to improve the utility of a recently developed approach for generating Poisson-distributed, differentially private synthetic data by using publicly available information to truncate the range of the synthetic data. Specifically, we utilize county-level population information from the US Census Bureau and national death reports produced by the CDC to inform prior distributions on county-level death rates and infer reasonable ranges for Poisson-distributed, county-level death counts. In doing so, the requirements for satisfying differential privacy for a given privacy budget can be reduced by several orders of magnitude, thereby leading to substantial improvements in utility. To illustrate our proposed approach, we consider a dataset comprised of over 26,000 cancer-related deaths from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania belonging to over 47,000 combinations of cause-of-death and demographic variables such as age, race, sex, and county-of-residence and demonstrate the proposed framework’s ability to preserve features such as geographic, urban/rural, and racial disparities present in the true data.
On the modeling and verification of the spread of fake news, algebraically
Authors: Aldini Alessandro 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
In recent years, one of the major issues concerning the study of online social network phenomena is related to the diffusion of misinformation, commonly known as fake news. In the literature, several mathematical tools are used to investigate both the identifying attributes of fake news and their spreading model. This work concentrates on the latter aspect and follows the lines of research inspired by the analysis of epidemic models. Its main contribution is the definition of a modeling framework based on process algebra for the explicit, formal representation of typical behavioral patterns of agents in social networks, and the use of a probabilistic verification framework based on modal logics and model checking for the quantitative analysis of the fake news spread.
Markov chain model representation of information diffusion in social networks
Authors: Dennis Louise A , Fu Yu , Slavkovik Marija 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
The spread of information in a social network has received renewed interest as social media becomes an increasingly popular channel of communication. We are interested in the phenomenon of social diffusion of a piece of information in the presence of a contradicting information in the network. Specifically we explore the use of formal methods for verification in studying this phenomena. Using Monte Carlo simulation and the probabilistic model checker (PRISM) we are able to represent social networks and confirm an earlier conjecture that disseminating new information rapidly is resistant to the presence of contradicting information.
The impact of brain invasion criteria on the incidence and distribution of WHO grade 1, 2, and 3 meningiomas
Authors: Rebchuk Alexander D , Chaharyn Bradley M , Alam Armaghan , Hounjet Celine D , Gooderham Peter A , Yip Stephen , Makarenko Serge 
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Background
In 2016 brain invasion was added as a standalone diagnostic criterion for Grade 2 meningiomas in the WHO Classification of Brain Tumors. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and distribution of meningiomas, and agreement, between the 2007 and 2016 WHO criteria.

Methods
All cases of intracranial meningiomas diagnosed between 2007 and 2020 at a tertiary care academic hospital were identified. The incidence of each meningioma grade in the WHO 2007 and WHO 2016 cohorts were compared. Additionally, each case in the 2007 cohort was re-graded according to the WHO 2016 criteria to determine the intra-class correlation (ICC) between criteria.

Results
Of 814 cases, 532 (65.4%) were in the 2007 WHO cohort and 282 (34.6%) were in the 2016 WHO cohort. There were no differences in the distribution of meningioma grades between cohorts (P = .11). Incidence rates were: 75.0% vs. 75.2% for Grade 1, 22.7% vs. 24.5% for Grade 2, and 2.3% vs. 0.4% for Grade 3, for the 2007 and 2016 cohorts, respectively. Upon re-grading, 21 cases (3.9%) were changed. ICC between original and revised grade was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.91–0.93). Amongst Grade 2 meningiomas with brain invasion, 75.8% had three or more atypical histologic features or an elevated mitotic index.

Conclusions
Including brain invasion as a standalone diagnostic criterion for Grade 2 meningiomas had minimal impact on the incidence of specific meningioma grade tumors. There is strong agreement between the 2007 and 2016 WHO criteria, likely due to cosegregation of grade elevating features.
Do blue galaxy-clusters have hot intracluster gas?
Authors: Misato Rana , Toba Yoshiki , Ota Naomi , Yamamoto Naoaki , Kodama Tadayuki , Okabe Nobuhiro , Oguri Masamune , Mitsuishi Ikuyuki 
Published: February 2022

Abstract
We present herein a systematic X-ray analysis of blue galaxy clusters at z = 0.84 discovered by the Subaru telescope. The sample consisted of 43 clusters identified by combining red-sequence and blue-cloud surveys, covering a wide range of emitter fractions (i.e., 0.3–0.8). The spatial extent of the over-density region of emitter galaxies was approximately 1 Mpc in radius. The average cluster mass was estimated as 0.6(&lt;1.5) × 1014 M⊙ from the stacked weak-lensing measurement. We analyzed the XMM-Newton archival data, and measured the X-ray luminosity of the hot intracluster medium. As a result, diffuse X-ray emission was marginally detected in 14 clusters, yielding an average luminosity of 5 × 1042 erg s−1. To the contrary, it was not significant in 29 clusters. The blue clusters were significantly fainter than the red-dominated clusters, and the X-ray luminosity did not show any meaningful correlation either with emitter fraction or richness. The X-ray surface brightness was low, but the amount of gas mass was estimated to be comparable to that observed in the 1013–1014 M⊙ cluster. Based on the results, we suggest that the blue clusters are at the early formation stage, and the gas is yet to be compressed and heated up to produce appreciable X-rays. Follow-up spectroscopic measurements are essential to clarify the dynamical status and co-evolution of galaxies and hot gas in the blue clusters.