bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of the FDA-approved Intragastric Balloon Systems in a Clinical Setting
Authors: Swei Eric , Almuhaidb Aymen , Sullivan Shelby , Al-Shahrani Abdullah , D’Souza Felicia R. , Altayar Osama , Bell Suzanne , Maday Rachel , Wagh Mihir S. , Mullady Dan , Bennett Michael , Early Dayna , Kushnir Vladimir 
Published: May 2022

Background and Aims:
The gas-filled intragastric balloon (IGB) system (Obalon) and the fluid-filled IGB system (Orbera) are the current FDA-approved IGB systems to treat obesity; however, they have not been previously compared in clinical practice. The aims of this study were to compare their efficacy, tolerance, and safety in a clinical setting.

Materials and Methods:
This is a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients treated with the gas-filled IGB or fluid-filled IGB between October 2015 and May 2020 at 2 academic centers. The primary endpoints included percent total body weight loss at balloon removal in patients who completed at least 20 weeks of therapy, the difference in adverse events that required urgent evaluation or hospitalization, and early removal in the 2 groups.

Results:
A total of 87 patients underwent successful IGB placement (gas-filled IGB n=57, age 48.9±8.8, body mass index 35.5±5 kg/m2; fluid-filled IGB n=30, age 49.2±14.3, body mass index 38.8±6 kg/m2). Eleven patients underwent early device removal. There were no differences in percent total body weight loss at balloon removal and 12 months between the balloon systems (P=0.39). Patients who received the fluid-filled IGB were more likely to require urgent evaluation or treatment, require hospital stay >24 hours, and need early balloon system removal compared with patients treated with the gas-filled IGB.

Conclusion:
In this 2-center cohort, both FDA-approved gastric balloon systems had the same effectiveness, but the gas-filled IGB had fewer serious adverse events and better tolerability than the fluid-filled IGB.
Hermann Rorschach’s (1884–1922) Clinical and Scientific Work as a Psychiatrist in Russia
Authors: Kosenko Oxana , Steger Florian 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the death of the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach, the famous creator of an inkblot projective test. This article examines an insufficiently studied period of Rorschach's work in Russia in 1913–1914 and aims to reconstruct his clinical and scientific activities at that time. Rorschach worked in the psychoneurological sanatorium in Kryukovo near Moscow where he treated his patients with psychotherapy. During that period, he came in contact with leading psychiatrists and became a part of the Russian psychoanalytic community. Case histories of Rorschach's patients did not reveal any original approaches in his psychotherapeutic methods. Despite his lack of time for scientific work, he still coedited one of the leading psychiatry journals in Russia, Issues of Psychiatry and Neuropathology, where he published an article on the organization of services for mental health in Switzerland. Moreover, he contributed to the transfer of knowledge by publishing reviews of his Russian colleagues’ works in German journals.
Solitary Splenic Metastasis From Endometrial Carcinoma Revealed on FDG PET/CT
Authors: Xiao Liu , Li Yuhao , Li Lin 
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Solitary splenic metastasis from endometrial carcinoma is rare. We report a case of imaging findings of solitary splenic metastasis in a 53-year-old woman who underwent resection surgery of endometrial carcinoma of uterus 1 year ago. On FDG PET/CT, it presented as a solitary soft tissue mass with an SUVmax of 18.44. The postoperative pathology supported metastasis from endometrial carcinoma.
Emergence of protective behaviour under different risk perceptions to disease spreading
Authors: Khanjanianpak Mozhgan , Azimi-Tafreshi Nahid , Arenas Alex , Gómez-Gardeñes Jesús 
Published: May 2022

The behaviour of individuals is a main actor in the control of the spread of a communicable disease and, in turn, the spread of an infectious disease can trigger behavioural changes in a population. Here, we study the emergence of individuals’ protective behaviours in response to the spread of a disease by considering two different social attitudes within the same population: concerned and risky. Generally speaking, concerned individuals have a larger risk aversion than risky individuals. To study the emergence of protective behaviours, we couple, to the epidemic evolution of a susceptible-infected-susceptible model, a decision game based on the perceived risk of infection. Using this framework, we find the effect of the protection strategy on the epidemic threshold for each of the two subpopulations (concerned and risky), and study under which conditions risky individuals are persuaded to protect themselves or, on the contrary, can take advantage of a herd immunity by remaining healthy without protecting themselves, thanks to the shield provided by concerned individuals.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Emergent phenomena in complex physical and socio-technical systems: from cells to societies’.
The broad edge of synchronization: Griffiths effects and collective phenomena in brain networks
Authors: Buendía Victor , Villegas Pablo , Burioni Raffaella , Muñoz Miguel A. 
Published: May 2022

Many of the amazing functional capabilities of the brain are collective properties stemming from the interactions of large sets of individual neurons. In particular, the most salient collective phenomena in brain activity are oscillations, which require the synchronous activation of many neurons. Here, we analyse parsimonious dynamical models of neural synchronization running on top of synthetic networks that capture essential aspects of the actual brain anatomical connectivity such as a hierarchical-modular and core-periphery structure. These models reveal the emergence of complex collective states with intermediate and flexible levels of synchronization, halfway in the synchronous–asynchronous spectrum. These states are best described as broad Griffiths-like phases, i.e. an extension of standard critical points that emerge in structurally heterogeneous systems. We analyse different routes (bifurcations) to synchronization and stress the relevance of ‘hybrid-type transitions’ to generate rich dynamical patterns. Overall, our results illustrate the complex interplay between structure and dynamics, underlining key aspects leading to rich collective states needed to sustain brain functionality.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Emergent phenomena in complex physical and socio-technical systems: from cells to societies’.
Greater than the parts: a review of the information decomposition approach to causal emergence
Authors: Mediano Pedro A. M. , Rosas Fernando E. , Luppi Andrea I. , Jensen Henrik J. , Seth Anil K. , Barrett Adam B. , Carhart-Harris Robin L. , Bor Daniel 
Published: May 2022

Emergence is a profound subject that straddles many scientific disciplines, including the formation of galaxies and how consciousness arises from the collective activity of neurons. Despite the broad interest that exists on this concept, the study of emergence has suffered from a lack of formalisms that could be used to guide discussions and advance theories. Here, we summarize, elaborate on, and extend a recent formal theory of causal emergence based on information decomposition, which is quantifiable and amenable to empirical testing. This theory relates emergence with information about a system’s temporal evolution that cannot be obtained from the parts of the system separately. This article provides an accessible but rigorous introduction to the framework, discussing the merits of the approach in various scenarios of interest. We also discuss several interpretation issues and potential misunderstandings, while highlighting the distinctive benefits of this formalism.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Emergent phenomena in complex physical and socio-technical systems: from cells to societies’.
Understanding brain states across spacetime informed by whole-brain modelling
Authors: Vohryzek Jakub , Cabral Joana , Vuust Peter , Deco Gustavo , Kringelbach Morten L. 
Published: May 2022

In order to survive in a complex environment, the human brain relies on the ability to flexibly adapt ongoing behaviour according to intrinsic and extrinsic signals. This capability has been linked to specific whole-brain activity patterns whose relative stability (order) allows for consistent functioning, supported by sufficient intrinsic instability needed for optimal adaptability. The emergent, spontaneous balance between order and disorder in brain activity over spacetime underpins distinct brain states. For example, depression is characterized by excessively rigid, highly ordered states, while psychedelics can bring about more disordered, sometimes overly flexible states. Recent developments in systems, computational and theoretical neuroscience have started to make inroads into the characterization of such complex dynamics over space and time. Here, we review recent insights drawn from neuroimaging and whole-brain modelling motivating using mechanistic principles from dynamical system theory to study and characterize brain states. We show how different healthy and altered brain states are associated to characteristic spacetime dynamics which in turn may offer insights that in time can inspire new treatments for rebalancing brain states in disease.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Emergent phenomena in complex physical and socio-technical systems: from cells to societies’.
Ottowia testudinis sp. nov., isolated from the cloaca of a giant Asian pond turtle (Heosemys grandis)
Authors: Busse Hans-Jürgen , Kämpfer Peter , Szostak Michael P. , Spergser Joachim 
Published: May 2022

A bacterial strain designated 27CT isolated from the cloaca of a giant Asian pond turtle was subjected to polyphasic taxonomic characterization. The strain was Gram-stain negative and oxidase- and catalase-positive. It had highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to

Ottowia beijingensis

GCS-AN-3T (97.6 %) and

Ottowia flava

GY511T 96.0% and less than 96.0 % to other established species including

Ramlibacter rhizophilus

YS3.2.7T,

Ottowia konkukae

SK3863T,

Acidovorax caeni

E-24608T and

Ottowia thiooxydans

DSM 14619T. Phylogenetically, strain 27CT formed a branch with

O. beijingensis

GCS-AN-3T within the

Ottowia

clade. The genome size was 4.32 Mbp and the G+C content was 65.7 mol%. Strain 27CT shared highest ANIb values with

O. beijingensis

GCS-AN-3T (82.71/82.73 %) followed by

O. oryzae

KADR8-3T (78.9/79.0 %) and

O. caeni

BD-1T (73.3/75.2 %). The diagnostic diamino acid of the peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid and the quinone system was ubiquinone Q-8. Predominant compounds in the polar lipid profile were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. Major polyamines were 2-hydroxyputrescine and putrescine. In the fatty acid profile, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1
ω7c and/or C16 : 1
ω6c), C16 : 0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
ω7c and/or C18 : 1
ω6c), C14 : 0, C10 : 0 3-OH and C16 : 0 2-OH were detected. All these data identify strain 27CT as representing a novel species of the genus

Ottowia

and hence we propose the name Ottowia testudinis sp. nov. The type strain is 27CT (=CCM 9138T=LMG 32213T).
A systematic review of the reporting and methodological quality of studies that use Mendelian randomisation in UK Biobank
Authors: Gibson Mark J , Spiga Francesca , Campbell Amy , Khouja Jasmine N , Richmond Rebecca C , Munafò Marcus R 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundMendelian randomisation (MR) is a method of causal inference that uses genetic variation as an instrumental variable (IV) to account for confounding. While the number of MR articles published each year is rapidly rising (partly due to large cohort studies such as the UK Biobank making it easier to conduct MR), it is not currently known whether these studies are appropriately conducted and reported in enough detail for other researchers to accurately replicate and interpret them.MethodsWe conducted a systematic review of reporting and analysis quality of MR studies using only individual level data from the UK biobank to calculate a causal estimate. We reviewed 64 eligible articles on a 25-item checklist (based on the STROBE-MR reporting guidelines and the Guidelines for performing Mendelian Randomisation investigations). Information on article type and journal information was also extracted.ResultsOverall, the proportion of articles which reported complete information ranged from 2% to 100% across the different items. Palindromic variants, variant replication, missing data, associations between the IV and variables of exposure/outcome and bias introduced by two-sample methods used on a single sample were often not completely addressed (<11%).There was no clear evidence that Journal Impact Factor, word limit/recommendation or year of publication predicted percentage of article completeness (for the eligible analyses) across items, but there was evidence that whether the MR analyses were primary, joint-primary or secondary analyses did predict completeness.ConclusionsThe results identify areas in which the reporting and conducting of MR studies needs to be improved and highlights that this is independent of Journal Impact Factor, year of publication or word limits/recommendations.
A New Paper Framework to Increase Reproducibility: Example Relating to Web Pharmacovigilance During COVID-19 in Italy
Authors: Rovetta Alessandro , Castaldo Lucia 
Published: May 2022

AbstractReproducibility and transparency represent some of the main problems of scientific publishing. Currently, the editorial requests of academic journals and peer reviewers can divert the authors’ attention from an accurate description of the methods adopted, thus compromising these fundamental scientific aspects. This paves the way for the voluntary falsification of data to obtain striking results. Furthermore, the excessive expansion of introduction and discussion sections increases the likelihood of introducing evaluation bias. Since peer reviewers are generally unpaid for their work, they are not required to reproduce the analysis of the studies they review but only to assess methodological accuracy, reproducibility, and plausibility. Therefore, this paper aims to emphasize that the methods and results sections are the central parts of quantitative analysis. In this regard, we firmly believe that the peer review process should, whenever possible, reproduce the analysis from scratch. Consequently, authors must be required to provide a simple and straightforward tutorial to reproduce the analysis as it was conceived both methodologically and chronologically. Ideas, insights, and discussions among the authors must also be reported. This complete description can be provided as integrative material published with the main manuscript, which is nothing more than a summary of methods and results. Such a procedure would represent the first step to improving the quality of scientific publications, waiting for unscientific concepts such as “publish or perish” to be eradicated from the academic world. In this manuscript, we provide a framework that can serve as a fully reproducible and transparent example of analysis. The aim is to investigate the Italian netizens’ web interest in paracetamol, ibuprofen, and nimesulide from 2015 to 2022, searching for causal associations with the fever symptom and COVID-19. The infodemiological tool “Google Trends” has been used to collect the data. Correlational analysis showed plausible causal associations between paracetamol, ibuprofen, and fever due to seasonal flu and COVID-19 and, although to a minor extent, COVID-19 vaccines side effects. Paracetamol was the most historically searched substance. However, the trend of ibuprofen has caught up with that of paracetamol in 2022. Interest in paracetamol, ibuprofen, and nimesulide increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic period. We conclude that web pharmacovigilance via Google Trends can provide relevant evidence for monitoring drug intake in relation to epidemiologically significant events such as epidemics and mass vaccination campaigns.
School immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Sell Hannah , Paudel Yuba Raj , Voaklander Donald , MacDonald Shannon E. 
Published: May 2022

AbstractFew studies have assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immunization coverage for adolescents, and little is known about how coverage has changed throughout the pandemic. We aimed to: (1) assess the change in coverage for school-based vaccines in Alberta, Canada resulting from the pandemic; (2) determine whether coverage differed by geographic health zone and school type; and (3) ascertain whether coverage has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Using a retrospective cohort design, we used administrative health data to compare coverage for human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal conjugate A, C, Y, W-135 (MenC-ACYW) vaccines in Alberta, Canada between pre-pandemic (2017-2018 school year) and pandemic (2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years) cohorts (N=289,420). Coverage was also compared by health zone and authority type. The 2019-2020 cohort was followed over one year to assess catch-up. Compared to 2017-2018, immunization coverage for HPV was significantly lower in the 2019-2020 (absolute difference: 60.8%; 95% CI: 60.4-61.3%) and 2020-2021 cohorts (absolute difference: 59.9%; 95% CI: 59.4-60.3%). There was a smaller, significant decline in MenC-ACYW coverage comparing 2017-2018 to 2019-2020 (absolute difference: 6.1%; 95% CI: 5.6-6.5%) and 2020-2021 (absolute difference: 32.2%; 95% CI: 31.6-32.7%). Private schools had low coverage overall, while coverage fluctuated by zone. During follow-up of the 2019-2020 cohort, coverage for HPV and MenC-ACYW increased from 5.6% to 50.2%, and 80.7% to 83.0%, respectively. There was a substantial decrease in school-based immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and coverage has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting further catch-up is needed.
PERFORMANCE OF αSYNUCLEIN RT-QUIC IN RELATION TO NEUROPATHOLOGICAL STAGING OF LEWY BODY DISEASE
Authors: Hall Sara , Orrù Christina , Serrano Geidy E. , Galasko Douglas , Hughson Andrew G. , Groveman Bradley R. , Adler Charles H. , Beach Thomas G. , Caughey Byron , Hansson Oskar 
Published: May 2022

AbstractCurrently, there is a need for diagnostic markers in Lewy body disorders (LBD). αSyn RT-QuIC has emerged as a promising assay to detect misfolded α-synuclein in clinically or neuropathologically established patients with various synucleinopathies. In this study, αSyn RT-QuIC was used to analyze lumbar CSF in a clinical cohort from the Swedish BioFINDER study and postmortem ventricular CSF in a neuropathological cohort from the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders/Brain and Body Donation Program (AZSAND/BBDP). The BioFINDER cohort included 64 PD/PDD, 15 MSA, 15 PSP, 47 controls and two controls who later converted to PD/DLB. The neuropathological cohort included 101 cases with different brain disorders, including LBD and controls. In the BioFINDER cohort αSyn RT-QuIC identified LBD (i.e. PD, PDD and converters) vs. controls with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 83%. The two controls that converted to LBD were αSyn RT-QuIC positive. Within the AZSAND/BBDP cohort, αSyn RT-QuIC identified neuropathologically verified “standard LBD” (i.e. PD, PD with AD and DLB; n=25) vs. no LB pathology (n=53) with high sensitivity (100%) and specificity (94%). Only 57% were αSyn RT-QuIC positive in the subgroup with “non-standard” LBD (i.e., AD with Lewy Bodies not meeting criteria for DLB or PD, and incidental LBD, n=23). Furthermore, αSyn RT-QuIC reliably identified cases with LB pathology in the cortex (97% sensitivity) vs. cases with no LBs or LBs present only in the olfactory bulb (93% specificity). However, the sensitivity was low, only 50%, for cases with LB pathology restricted to the brainstem or amygdala, not affecting the allocortex or neocortex. In conclusion, αSyn RT-QuIC of CSF samples is highly sensitive and specific for identifying cases with clinicopathologically-defined Lewy body disorders and shows a lower sensitivity for non-standard LBD or asymptomatic LBD or in cases with modest LB pathology not affecting the cortex.
COVID-19 Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infection and hospitalization in Belgium, July 2021-APRIL 2022
Authors: Braeye Toon , van Loenhout Joris , Brondeel Ruben , Stouten Veerle , Hubin Pierre , Billuart Matthieu , Chung Jenny , Vandromme Mathil , Wyndham-Thomas Chloé , Blot Koen , Catteau Lucy 
Published: May 2022

1.AbstractThe COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Belgium aimed to reduce disease spread and severity. We quantified the observed vaccine effectiveness (VE) against symptomatic infection (VEi) and hospitalization (VEh).Exhaustive data on testing and vaccination was combined with a clinical hospital survey. We estimated VEi using a test negative design and VEh using a proportional hazard analysis. We controlled for prior infection, age, sex, province of residence and calendar week of sampling. Variant of concern specific VE-estimates were obtained by time since vaccination from July 2021 to April 2022.We included 1,433,135 persons. VEi against Delta waned from an initial estimate of 81% (95%CI 80- 82) to 56% (95%CI 56-57) 100-150 days after primary-vaccination. Booster-vaccination increased initial VEi to 84% (95%CI 83-85). Against Omicron, an initial VEi of 37% (95%CI 34-40) waned to 18% (95%CI 17-20) 100-150 days after primary-vaccination. Booster-vaccination increased VEi to 52% (95%CI 51-53) and waned to 25% (95%CI 24-27) 100-150 days after vaccination. Hybrid immunity conferred by prior infection and booster-vaccination outperformed booster-vaccination only even if the infection was over one year ago, 67% (95%CI 66-68). Initial VEh for booster-vaccination decreased from 93% (95%CI 93-94) against Delta to 87% (95%CI 85-89) against Omicron. VEh for Omicron waned to 66% (95%CI 63-70) 100-150 days after booster-vaccination.In conclusion, we report significant immune-escape by Omicron. VEh was less affected than VEi and immune-escape was attenuated by booster-vaccination. Waning further reduced VEi- and VEh- estimates. Infection-acquired immunity offered additional protection against symptomatic infection in vaccinated persons which lasted at least one year.
Medical nurses may be effective in using silver diamine fluoride to prevent caries compared to dental hygienists in a school-based oral health program
Authors: Ruff Ryan Richard , Barry Godín Tamarinda J. , Niederman Richard 
Published: May 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe sustainability of school-based oral health programs depends on the utilization of effective, efficient treatments and the availability of a trained clinical workforce. The objective of this study was to determine whether registered nurses are comparable to dental hygienists in the application and effectiveness of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for the prevention of dental caries.MethodsCariedAway was a school-based study of SDF versus dental sealants and atraumatic restorations. Within the SDF arm, subjects were treated by either a licensed dental hygienist or a registered nurse, both under the supervision of a pediatric dentist. Although initial treatment assignment in CariedAway was randomized, assignment to provider was not. The proportion of children who remained caries free after two years was assessed for non-inferiority using two-group proportion tests, adjusting for the clustering effect of schools.Results417 children were analyzed including 298 treated by hygienists and 119 by nurses. The proportion of caries-free individuals was 0.812 and 0.798 for hygienists and nurses, respectively, for a difference of 0.014 (95% CI = -0.07, 0.098) and within the pre-determined non-inferiority margin.ConclusionsNurses may be effective in treating children with silver diamine fluoride in school-based oral health programs.