bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of EXOWALK® on electromechanical-assisted gait training: study protocol for randomized controlled trial
Authors: Lim Chi-Yeon , Ko Mun Jung , Lee Jin Won , Bok Soo Kyung , Paik Nam-Jong , Nam Yeon Gyo , Kwon Bum Sun 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
High-intensity repetitive task-specific practice might be the most effective strategy to promote motor recovery after stroke, and electromechanical-assisted gait training represents one of the treatment options. However, there is still difficulty in clarifying the difference between conventional gait training and electromechanically assisted gait training.

Methods
The study is a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial for stroke patients. Three clinical research centers in Korea (Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital) will participate in the clinical trial and 144 stroke patients will be registered. Enrolled patients are assigned to two groups, an experimental group and a control group, according to a randomization table. In addition, patients are treated for half an hour (one session) five times a week for 4 weeks. Both groups carry out basic rehabilitation (central nervous system development therapy and strength exercise) and the experimental group executes robotic walking rehabilitation treatment, and the control group executes conventional gait rehabilitation treatment. The primary endpoint variable is the Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) that determines the degree of independent walking and is measured before, after, and after 4 weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoint variables are 11 variables that take into account motor function and range, measured at the same time as the primary endpoint variable.

Discussion
There are still insufficient data on the effectiveness of electromechanical-assisted gait training for stroke patients and large-scale research is lacking. Thus, the research described here is a large-scale study of stroke patients that can supplement the limitations mentioned in other previous studies. In addition, the clinical studies described here include physical epidemiological analysis parameters that can determine walking ability. The results of this study can lead to prove the generalizable effectiveness and safety of electromechanical-assisted gait training with EXOWALK®.

Trial registration
Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), Republic of Korea KCT0003411, Registered on 30 October 2018
Educational interventions to improve women’s preventive behavior of sexually transmitted infections (STIs): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Juyani Afsaneh Karami , Zarei Fatemeh , Niknami Shamsodin , Haydarni Alireza , Maasoumi Raziyeh 
Published: September 2022

AbstractBackgroundSexually active women aged 18 to 48 are within the population at risk for acquiring sexually transmitted infections. Some STIs can cause serious complications in women’s reproductive health. Accordingly, this practical randomized trial aims to evaluate the effect of an interventional education based on the ISD model on improving preventive behaviors for Iranian women.MethodsWomen aged 18–48 years that refer to Tehran Municipality Health Houses will be invited to join the study. Recruitment will continue until a sample of 150 women participants. The study will be conducted using a mixed-methods protocol in three phases. In the first phase, women’s educational and learning needs about STIs will be identified using a qualitative approach. In the second phase, the results from the qualitative approach will be used to design a training program based on an ISD model. The educational intervention will be performed in the third phase. Participants will be randomly allocated into two groups: (1) the intervention group and (2) the control group. Data will be collected using STI Four-Scale of Preventive Behaviors at baseline, immediately, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up assessments. The impact of the intervention on the promotion of preventive behaviors from STIs will then be evaluated.DiscussionThis study provides an educational program for empowering and promoting behaviors that prevent STIs. If the designed interventions in the present study are effective, it has practical potential to be generalized for Iranian women at risk of STIs.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govIRCT20200602047638N1. Registered on 22 May 2021 with the IRCTID, V1.0.
Opening the Conversation: study protocol for a Phase III trial to evaluate a couple-based intervention to reduce reproductive and sexual distress among young adult breast and gynecologic cancer survivor couples
Authors: Gorman Jessica R. , Lyons Karen S. , Harvey S. Marie , Acquati Chiara , Salsman John M. , Kashy Deborah A. , Drizin Julia H. , Smith Ellie , Flexner Lisa M. , Hayes-Lattin Brandon , Reese Jennifer B. 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Reproductive and sexual health (RSH) concerns are common and distressing for young adults diagnosed with breast and gynecologic cancer and their partners. This study evaluates the efficacy of a virtual couple-based intervention called Opening the Conversation (OC). The OC intervention is grounded in theory and evidence-based practice and was adapted to improve coping and communication specifically in relation to RSH concerns after cancer.

Methods
This Phase III trial is conducted in a fully remote setting and enrolls young adult couples (current age 18–44 years) with a history of breast or gynecologic cancer (stage 1–4, diagnosed under age 40) within the past 6 months to 5 years. Eligible dyads are recruited from across the USA. The target sample size is 100 couples. Dyads are randomly assigned to receive either the 5-session OC intervention or a 4-session active control intervention (Side by Side). The primary outcomes are change in reproductive distress and sexual distress. Secondary outcomes include communication about reproductive concerns, communication about sexual concerns, depressive symptoms, sexual function, relationship quality, relationship intimacy, sexual satisfaction, self-efficacy to communicate about sex and intimacy, and quality of life. An exploratory aim examines whether dyadic coping and communication quality mediate intervention effects on survivors’ and partners’ reproductive distress or sexual distress. Self-report outcome measures are assessed for both groups at baseline (T1), 2 weeks post-treatment (T2), and 3 months post-treatment (T3).

Discussion
Despite the importance of RSH for quality of life for young adult cancer survivors and their partners, evidence-based interventions that help couples navigate RSH concerns are lacking. This randomized controlled trial will determine the efficacy of a novel couple-based intervention to reduce distress related to RSH concerns for younger couples after breast or gynecologic cancer, in comparison to an active control intervention.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04806724. Registered on Mar 19, 2021.
Optimum flux rerouting for efficient production of naringenin from acetate in engineered Escherichia coli
Authors: Kim Dong Hwan , Hwang Hyun Gyu , Jung Gyoo Yeol 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Microbial production of naringenin has received much attention owing to its pharmaceutical applicability and potential as a key molecular scaffold for various flavonoids. In the microbial fermentation, a cheap and abundant feedstock is required to achieve an economically feasible bioprocess. From this perspective, utilizing acetate for naringenin production could be an effective strategy, with the advantages of both low-cost and abundant feedstock. For the efficient production of naringenin using acetate, identification of the appropriate regulatory node of carbon flux in the biosynthesis of naringenin from acetate would be important. While acetyl-CoA is a key precursor for naringenin production, carbon flux between the TCA cycle and anaplerosis is effectively regulated at the isocitrate node through glyoxylate shunt in acetate metabolism. Accordingly, appropriate rerouting of TCA cycle intermediates from anaplerosis into naringenin biosynthesis via acetyl-CoA replenishment would be required.

Results
This study identified the isocitrate and oxaloacetate (OAA) nodes as key regulatory nodes for the naringenin production using acetate. Precise rerouting at the OAA node for enhanced acetyl-CoA was conducted, avoiding extensive loss of OAA by fine-tuning the expression of pckA (encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase) with flux redistribution between naringenin biosynthesis and cell growth at the isocitrate node. Consequently, the flux-optimized strain exhibited a significant increase in naringenin production, a 27.2-fold increase (with a 38.3-fold increase of naringenin yield on acetate) over that by the unoptimized strain, producing 97.02 mg/L naringenin with 21.02 mg naringenin/g acetate, which is a competitive result against those in previous studies on conventional substrates, such as glucose.

Conclusions
Collectively, we demonstrated efficient flux rerouting for maximum naringenin production from acetate in E. coli. This study was the first attempt of naringenin production from acetate and suggested the potential of biosynthesis of various flavonoids derived from naringenin using acetate.
Hypnosis for pain and anxiety management in cognitively impaired older adults undergoing scheduled lumbar punctures: a randomized controlled pilot study
Authors: Courtois-Amiot Pauline , Cloppet-Fontaine Anaïs , Poissonnet Aurore , Benit Elodie , Dauzet Muriel , Raynaud-Simon Agathe , Paquet Claire , Lilamand Matthieu 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid and tau biomarker assessment has been recommended to refine the diagnostic accuracy of Alzheimer’s disease. Lumbar punctures (LP) are invasive procedures that might induce anxiety and pain. The use of non-pharmacological techniques must be considered to reduce the patient’s discomfort, in this setting. The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of hypnosis on anxiety and pain associated with LP.

Methods
A monocentric interventional randomized-controlled pilot study is conducted in a university geriatric day hospital. Cognitively impaired patients aged over 70 were referred for scheduled LP for the diagnostic purpose (CSF biomarkers). The participants were randomly assigned either to a hypnosis intervention group or usual care. Pain and anxiety were both self-assessed by the patient and hetero-evaluated by the operator.

Results
We included 50 cognitively impaired elderly outpatients (women 54%, mean age 77.2 ± 5.0, mean Mini-Mental State Examination score 23.2 ± 3.5). Hypnosis was significantly associated with reduced self-assessed (p < 0.05) and hetero-assessed anxiety (p < 0.01). Hetero-evaluated pain was significantly lower in the hypnosis group (p < 0.05). The overall perception of hypnosis was safe, well-accepted, and feasible in all the participants of the intervention group with 68% perceiving the procedure as better or much better than expected.

Conclusions
This pilot study suggested that hypnosis was feasible and may be used to reduce the symptoms of discomfort due to invasive procedures in older cognitively impaired patients. Our results also confirmed the overall good acceptance of LP in this population, despite the usual negative perception.

Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04368572. Registered on April 30, 2020.
Biological characteristics and pulp regeneration potential of stem cells from canine deciduous teeth compared with those of permanent teeth
Authors: Ziauddin S. M. , Nakashima Misako , Watanabe Hideto , Tominaga Michiyo , Iohara Koichiro 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Clinical studies have demonstrated that dental pulp stem cells isolated from permanent teeth (PT-DPSCs) are safe and efficacious for complete pulp regeneration in mature pulpectomized permanent teeth with complete apical closure. Moreover, dental pulp stem cells from deciduous teeth (DT-DPSCs) have also been shown to be useful for pulp regenerative cell therapy of injured immature permanent teeth. However, direct comparisons of the pulp regenerative potential of DT-DPSCs and PT-DPSCs from the same individual have not been performed. This study aimed to compare the differences in stem cell properties and pulp regenerative potential of DT-DPSCs and PT-DPSCs of identical origin.

Methods
DT-DPSCs and PT-DPSCs were isolated from the same individual dogs at 4 months and 9 months of age, respectively. The expression of cell surface antigen markers, proliferation and migration activities, and gene expression of stem cell markers, angiogenic/neurotrophic factors and senescence markers were compared. The effects of conditioned medium (CM) derived from these cells on cellular proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, neurite outgrowth and immunosuppression were also compared. Autologous transplantation of DT-DPSCs or PT-DPSCs together with G-CSF was performed to treat pulpectomized teeth in individual dogs. The vascularization and reinnervation of the regenerated pulp tissues were qualitatively and quantitatively compared between groups by histomorphometric analyses.

Results
The rates of positive CXCR4 and G-CSFR expression in DT-DPSCs were significantly higher than those in PT-DPSCs. DT-DPSCs migrated at a higher rate with/without G-CSF and exhibited increased expression of the stem cell markers Oct3/4 and CXCR4 and the angiogenic factor VEGF and decreased expression of the senescence marker p16 than PT-DPSCs. DT-DPSC-derived CM promoted increased cell proliferation, migration with G-CSF, and angiogenesis compared with PT-DPSC-derived CM; however, no difference was observed in neurite outgrowth or immunosuppression. The regenerated pulp tissues in the pulpectomized teeth were quantitatively and qualitatively similar between the DT-DPSCs and PT-DPSCs transplant groups.

Conclusions
These results demonstrated that DT-DPSCs could be a potential clinical alternative to PT-DPSCs for pulp regenerative therapy. DT-DPSCs can be preserved in an individual cell bank and used for potential future pulp regenerative therapy before the supply of an individual’s own sound discarded teeth has been exhausted.
The expression of GapA and CrmA correlates with the Mycoplasma gallisepticum in vitro infection process in chicken TOCs
Authors: Rüger Nancy , Szostak Michael P. , Rautenschlein Silke 
Published: September 2022

AbstractMycoplasma (M.) gallisepticum is the most pathogenic mycoplasma species in poultry. Infections cause mild to severe clinical symptoms associated with respiratory epithelial lesion development. Adherence, biofilm formation, and cell invasion of M. gallisepticum contribute to successful infection, immune evasion, and survival within the host. The important M. gallisepticum membrane-bound proteins, GapA and CrmA, are key factors for host cell interaction and the bacterial life-cycle, including its gliding motility, although their precise role in the individual infection step is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the host–pathogen interaction and the GapA/CrmA expression in an environment that represents the natural host’s multicellular compartment. We used an in vitro tracheal organ culture (TOC) model, allowing the investigation of the M. gallisepticum variants, Rlow, RCL1, RCL2, and Rhigh, under standardised conditions. In this regard, we examined the bacterial adherence, motility and colonisation pattern, host lesion development and alterations of mucociliary clearance. Compared to low virulent RCL2 and Rhigh, the high virulent Rlow and RCL1 were more efficient in adhering to TOCs and epithelium colonisation, including faster movement from the cilia tips to the apical membrane and subsequent cell invasion. RCL2 and Rhigh showed a more localised invasion pattern, accompanied by significantly fewer lesions than Rlow and RCL1. Unrelated to virulence, comparable mucus production was observed in all M. gallisepticum infected TOCs. Overall, the present study demonstrates the role of GapA/CrmA in virulence factors from adherence to colonisation, as well as the onset and severity of lesion development in the tracheal epithelium.
scMTD: a statistical multidimensional imputation method for single-cell RNA-seq data leveraging transcriptome dynamic information
Authors: Qi Jing , Sheng Qiongyu , Zhou Yang , Hua Jiao , Xiao Shutong , Jin Shuilin 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a powerful tool to capture transcriptomes at single-cell resolution. However, dropout events distort the gene expression levels and underlying biological signals, misleading the downstream analysis of scRNA-seq data.

Results
We develop a statistical model-based multidimensional imputation algorithm, scMTD, that identifies local cell neighbors and specific gene co-expression networks based on the pseudo-time of cells, leveraging information on cell-level, gene-level, and transcriptome dynamic to recover scRNA-seq data. Compared with the state-of-the-art imputation methods through several real-data-based analytical experiments, scMTD effectively recovers biological signals of transcriptomes and consistently outperforms the other algorithms in improving FISH validation, trajectory inference, differential expression analysis, clustering analysis, and identification of cell types.

Conclusions
scMTD maintains the gene expression characteristics, enhances the clustering of cell subpopulations, assists the study of gene expression dynamics, contributes to the discovery of rare cell types, and applies to both UMI-based and non-UMI-based data. Overall, scMTD’s reliability, applicability, and scalability make it a promising imputation approach for scRNA-seq data.
Genetics of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Indian and Global Population: A Review
Authors: Joseph Anjaly , Thirupathamma Maradana , Mathews Elezebeth , Alagu Manickavelu 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes contribute to the majority of deaths in India. Public health programmes on non-communicable diseases (NCD) prevention primarily target the behavioural risk factors of the population. Hereditary is known as a risk factor for most NCDs, specifically, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and hence, understanding of the genetic markers of T2DM may facilitate prevention, early case detection and management.

Main body
We reviewed the studies that explored marker–trait association with type 2 diabetes mellitus globally, with emphasis on India. Globally, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7903146 of Transcription Factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene was common, though there were alleles that were unique to specific populations. Within India, the state-wise data were also taken to foresee the distribution of risk/susceptible alleles. The findings from India showcased the common and unique alleles for each region.

Conclusion
Exploring the known and unknown genetic determinants might assist in risk prediction before the onset of behavioural risk factors and deploy prevention measures. Most studies were conducted in non-representative groups with inherent limitations such as smaller sample size or looking into only specific marker–trait associations. Genome-wide association studies using data from extensive prospective studies are required in highly prevalent regions worldwide. Further research is required to understand the singular effect and the interaction of genes in predicting diabetes mellitus and other comorbidities.
The insulin-like growth factor and its players: their functions, significance, and consequences in all aspects of ovarian physiology
Authors: Afradiasbagharani Parivash , Hosseini Elham , Allahveisi Azra , Bazrafkan Mahshid 
Published: September 2022

Abstract
Background
Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) has unique and well-known functions in female fertility, according to documents reporting improved yield of oocytes, reinforced quality of the embryo, and enhanced live births with simultaneous reduction of miscarriage. However, there is no detailed information on the bio-mechanisms linking such clinical differences.

Main body
IGF and its receptors are expressed in a variety of tissues in the reproductive system such as granulosa cells, oocytes, and theca cells. Hence, the development of female gametes may be directly regulated by IGF, thereby affecting gamete quality and so its competence for implantation. IGF is a central player in changing the fate of cells during survival and proliferation through the modulation of leading signaling pathways, including Jak/STAT, MAP kinase/ERK, and PI3K/Akt, and subsequent impacts on steroidogenesis and cell division.

Conclusion
The current review aims to scrutinize the performance of IGF to regulate the normal ovarian, and its impacts on cell signaling pathways and resulting alterations in steroidogenesis and cell proliferation. The function of IGF and its receptor has been reviewed in female fertility at both molecular and biochemical levels.
Stability analysis of elastomeric bearings in bridge structures
Authors: Leblouba Moussa 
Published: September 2022

AbstractElastomeric bearings (EB) and lead-rubber bearings (LRB) are used in bridge structures to reduce vehicle vibrations, wind loads, and earthquakes. Therefore, studying their stability is crucial to ensuring the stability of the bridge system itself. Building upon previously proposed linear and partially nonlinear models, two fully nonlinear models suitable for EBs and LRBs are proposed in this paper. The models are developed to adequately account for the interaction between the horizontal and vertical loads and their effect on the bearing’s performance. This study considers that the horizontal and vertical loads do not always act in isolation and that their interaction can significantly affect the bearing’s overall behavior and stability. Comparisons with experiments demonstrated that the models could accurately replicate the behavior of seismic isolators. Additionally, analytical models are developed to predict the horizontal and vertical stiffnesses as a function of the critical buckling load. The two mathematical models can readily be incorporated into open-source structural analysis software, such as OpenSees.